City of Raleigh Shuts Down 1304 Bikes/ACRe
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.
07/02/2009
Is that why that house always looked like a gypsy stop?
I hope you find success in opening in a more appropriate location, where you can continue your work without restraint.
07/02/2009
Actually the front of the house is all in the hands of the people who live there (and now the back of the house as well). 1304 was responsible for the temporary shelter that held the bikes, and that’s about the extent of their contribution to the external appearance. The shelter and the bikes are now gone, and I suspect that otherwise the property will remain unchanged.
1304bikes will find new space, I’m sure. In the mean time we’re looking at ways that we can provide some service without the benefit of a base of operations. There should be more information as we iron out the details.
07/03/2009
I’m honestly shocked it took this long to happen.
07/03/2009
It seems to me that this wasn’t so much about the cause, but rather merely a problem with location. However, I think many folks appreciate what this group was doing for the community, and hopefully things will work out for them to return to “a more appropriate location”, as Kevin worded it.
07/04/2009
Sad… I just found this place last weekend, exploring via bike with my 1 year old son. I was shocked as well that something like this hadn’t been shutdown by the gentrification wave. Out of stater tear downs are getting closer to that neighborhood. Had no idea Food not Bombs was still around, so at the very least maybe the publicity will do you guys some good.
I could imagine the E.B. Bain Waterworks housing collectives like this. But the up to code issue might be a tiny little problem with that.
Can’t help but notice the trend of the zoning cracking down as of late, especially, with rental property owners. But, I wonder, what hood will become the Oakland of Raleigh?
07/06/2009
Wow, is this what the City Council members were talking about when they said they were interested in “helping” you guys out during the evening meeting several months ago? I thought they would at least partner with you guys and find a space! That’s a real shame.
07/16/2009
1304 bikes helped me rescue a road bike older than myself which I still ride weekly – Nobody but a bike collective would have had a 15-year-old steel crankpin. What can we do to support them? I only wish I could donate space – though I’d be glad to help clean up one that they find.
07/18/2009
Most all bike shops have cotter-pins for cranks, it is a darn shame it had to be shut down. It was an asset to the whole neighborhood. Hopefully a new space will offer even better digs. This location seemed like a big step up from the back of 1304 Flint. I light a candle for you that your next location will be a long-term, permanent one.
07/29/2009
The zoning frustrates me. I’m not surprised it was shut down, but I am upset that it was. These guys were almost literally in my backyard and I loved having them there.
04/15/2012
What zoning are you supposed to be working out of?
04/15/2012
I don’t know the details of the various zoning options, but the property in question was zoned residential, and that was the issue. There may be some question as to what you can and can’t do as far as non profits and residential property is concerned. We never really pursued that because the property was being used as a residence, and the most likely result of us trying to push against the zoning ruling, was that the residents would be evicted. To avoid a similar situation in the future, we have only pursued commercially zoned property, but nothing has panned out yet.