Attending Zoning and Planning Meetings?

[Roger Verastegui]

I am Realtor in North Carolina that recently moved from Charlotte back to Raleigh (originally born here) and I was curious if anyone out there had experience attending zoning and planning meetings. I believe it is a great way to get informed on what is going on in local towns and the city, maybe even a chance to network with other real estate minded people. My long-term vision with attending these meetings is to bring up new ideas like including more mixed-use zoning, building better pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. 

Does anyone here attend these kinds of meetings monthly, and what advice would you give me about attending them? 

[Will Kaufmann]

I personally have not attended any of these events - which are actually "hearings" and not "meetings." My understanding is that the Raleigh Zoning Board of Adjustment ("ZBA") is currently overwhelmed with a bunch of issues including extensive permit backlog, rules interpretation issues, and an internal system overhaul. I have heard that the hearings can be tenuous but maybe your optimism will prevail - let us know how it goes!