According to an email sent out to the distribution list, 1304 Bikes is being shut down by the city due to zoning issues. Operating a non-profit out of a residentially zoned area is against the rules, and were threatened with daily fines and/or eviction if they had continued to offer free bikes, workshops, and repairs to the community.

I’ve pushed or carried my bike there for repairs on several occasions. Not only did resident experts show you how to fix it yourself, but they offered advice on preventative maintenance and upkeep.

This is a very sad day for Raleigh.

The full text of the email:

For the folks that haven’t heard yet, here’s the deal. We at 1304bikes are having to close our shop at its current location. In short, it is all a matter of zoning. We were operating a non-profit “civic club” out of a residentially zoned building. In order to stay in the current space, we would have to get a “change of use” permit from city council, as well as get the management company of the building to bring the building up to commercial code, neither of which is going to happen. That being said, we have until the end of June to move our bikes off the property, and cease all operations. This not only includes 1304bikes, but all activities that occur at the ACRe (Action for Community in Raleigh) Space including Food not Bombs. If we continue to operate, it will mean possible eviction for the residents upstairs, as well as enormous daily fines.

This does not mean that 1304bikes is dead. We have dispered all of our current inventory of bicycles to worthy causes, such as other NC bicycle Co-ops and Bikes for the World. We will put some bikes as well as our parts and tools into storage for when we do find a new space. In the meantime we have plans to start loading up trailers and doing mobile bicycle clinics and repair days. This will give us a chance to outreach to other neighborhoods that we have never worked with before. We will also continue our search for a new space.

Ideally our new space will be centrally located (preferably downtown), and will be much larger and more well suited to our goals. It is our hope to find a space that will allow us to continue the programs and services we offered before, as well as to expand our programs and do more. We are working right now to find a new space as well as plan some fundraising events. We will keep everyone updated via our website and blog as to what we have planned, and what we have going on.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us in the past, and hopefully this will only be a temporary setback that will lead to better things.