As Raleigh grows as a city, changes must be made to the infrastructure in order to keep up with the demands of the growing population.

Key areas that were identified as needing change were those surrounding Hillsborough Street and Cameron Village. To that end, a team of city planners, advisors and council members held a public discussion Wednesday to talk about the proposed changes and gauge what the Raleigh community wants as the City of Oaks changes.

The development plans, which are available to the public online, outline five districts in need of development. The districts stretch along Hillsborough from Gorman Street to Saint Mary’s Street and along Oberlin Road up to Cameron Village.

Stan Harvey, a consultant designer from Lord Aeck Sargent, spoke to the public to introduce the finer points of the development plan. According to Harvey, one of the focuses of the revisions will be creating unique districts in the Hillsborough and Cameron Village areas, while respecting current residents.

The drafted plans describe Hillsborough Street as an area in need of improvement with care given to quality of design. Harvey said that changing the sizes of new buildings along the street would help to create a better visual aesthetic. 

“We don’t want to make ‘Hillsborough Canyon’, where every building is one height,” Harvey said. 

Not all residents in attendance agreed with the proposed changes. Some who lived in the areas marked for rezoning voiced concern about hearing their homes referred to as “areas of opportunity” in the proposed plan. Harvey said that all development plans would be evaluated with concern of current residents’ needs.

Neil Riemann, president of the Cameron Park Neighborhood Association, said that public opinion was crucial in forming the proposal.

“We turned public opinion from meetings and online participation into an early draft of the changes,” Riemann said.

 Another issue facing the area addressed by the plan is how to increase the pedestrian and bicycle paths that connect Hillsborough Street and Cameron Village.  According to Harvey, Hillsborough and Cameron Village currently face certain challenges that prevent them being an efficient network for the people living in the surrounding area.

“Even though Hillsborough and Cameron Village are only blocks apart, they can feel very separated,” Harvey said.

Another public meeting will be held on Oct. 29 in Pullen Arts Center for all who wish to have their voices heard in regard to the proposed changes to the area.