Your roundup from RaleighForward | Volume XXI

Ten articles we found interesting this week:

1. Where are the best public transit systems in the world?  Check out this article to find out (Hint: none are located in the US).

2. Here’s an article that explores what might happen to Raleigh’s real estate market in 2023.

3. Here is a report that lists RTP as one of the top life science industry clusters in the US. These clusters, paired with large research universities will likely continue to power economic growth in and around Raleigh and pressure residential real estate prices.

4. Some experts suggest that downtowns are going to experience serious office space vacancies due to the “work from home” impacts of COVID. This article explores a unique way of determining which unused office space can be converted to apartments.

5. Here is another article exploring the need to convert unused office space into housing due to the impacts of COVID on the future of work.

6. Here is an interesting study of the Puget Sound Area and how zoning impacts housing around transit. Given where Raleigh and Wake County are in the implementation of the Wake Transit Plan, this study is worth reviewing. One important point noted in the study is the fact that regulatory reform can help improve housing affordability, but substantially more subsidies are needed to really address the affordable housing crisis.

7. According to the Wake County Register of Deeds, the median real estate price in Wake County rose $12,000 to $465,000 in December.

8. Even renters that qualify for subsidies like Housing Choice Vouchers (formerly Section 8) are having trouble paying rent according to this article.

9. Is Housing First the Solution to Homelessness?

10. New Census Numbers demonstrate why North Carolina’s Population Keeps Growing.

Items of Interest:

1. Here is an interesting demographic snapshot of Wake County from the US Census Bureau. Note the data on income and real estate value for the County.

2. Council held a work session on January 10. As part of the session, staff provided several very helpful presentations to help orient the new City Council members. Here is a link to the presentation laying out a wide array of basic land use and planning principles, as well as some administrative matters that often constrain the ability of all NC cities to address various policy challenges. Anyone interested in basic local government land use issues might want to review this presentation.

3. Planning Director Pat Young presented information on the Missing Middle text change and the City’s recent regulatory reforms designed to encourage more housing choices across the City. This is the same presentation that Planning Staff is using for educational sessions across the City during January. The next public meeting where staff will present this information is January 19 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at 2000 Noble Road (Five Points Center for Active Adults).

4. Mark your calendars! The City Council will hold its annual retreat on Friday, January 27 and Saturday, January 28. More information will be provided closer to the date of the retreat.

City Council meets on January 17, 2023. Here are some of the items we found most interesting:

1. During the regular 11:30 am work session Council will receive a report and update about the police department’s ACORN (Addressing Crises through Outreach, Referrals, Networking, and Service) program.  ACORN is designed to assist police respond when they are called to respond to people in mental or emotional crisis. 

2. During the regular Council meeting, there are numerous public hearings scheduled.  Here are the rezoning cases we found most interesting:

   1. Rezoning Z-37-22 is a request to rezoning approximately .9 acres from Residential 10 (R-10-CU) to Residential Mixed Use 3-stories RX-3-CU). The case will allow an increase in residential units from 9 to 20. The applicant is an affordable housing developer. The property is located near the proposed New Bern Avenue BRT route at the intersection of Plainview Drive and Polly Street. Planning Commission voted 8-0 to recommend approval of the case.

   2. Rezoning Z-57-22 seeks to rezone approximately 12.6 acres from Residential-6 (R-6-CU) to Residential Mixed Use-4 stories-Conditional Use (RX-4-CU). The property is located at McLean Drive and Old Wake Forest Drive. The property is currently occupied by single-family detached homes and vacant lots. The proposed zoning would allow for increased density for up to 250 new apartments. The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval 8-0.

   3. Rezoning Z-68-22 seeks to rezone approximately .87 acres located at the northeast corner of the intersection of W Jones Street and N Boylan Avenue. The applicant is an affordable housing developer seeking to build additional affordable units along a transit corridor. The Planning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend approval of the case.

   4. Rezoning Z-71-22 seeks to rezone approximately .26 acres from Office Mixed Use-5 stories-Urban Limited (OX-5-UL) with Special Residential Parking Overlay District (SRPOD) to Commercial Mixed Use-5 stories-Urban Limited-Conditional Use (CX-5-UL-CU) with SRPOD. The property is located at 849 West Morgan Street approximately 400 feet West of its intersection with Mayo Street. If approved, the request would permit more commercial uses and higher density residential development in a mixed-use development.

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