RaleighForward Newsletter

Your roundup from RaleighForward

Sunday, May 22nd

Hello,

There are not too many items before committees this week, but there are two noteworthy pieces we will be watching closely (more below). This newsletter includes some of the most recent posts from RaleighForward, including a piece on Housing Affordability and Resident Engagement. We also have an update in our How-To series on navigating BoardDocs and a new series on Land Use and Zoning 101. And, as always, we have a number of articles and resources linked at the bottom of this newsletter that we think you will find thought-provoking and useful.

If you have any suggestions for how this newsletter could be better, let us know — we want your feedback!

Eric Braun, Founder

Here is what we will be watching this coming week:

Council’s Economic Development and Innovation Committee meets on Tuesday, May 24th at 1:30. The Committee will hear an update from staff at the Downtown Raleigh Alliance about creating social districts in downtown. Here is the agenda.

The Planning Commission of the Whole meets on Thursday, May 26th at 4:00. The COW will be reviewing the Bus Rapid Transit Overlay District rezoning cases for the Western and Southern legs of the proposed Raleigh Bus Rapid Transit System (Z-18-22 and Z-19-22). Here is a link to the full agenda package.

Read our latest blog posts:

Tue, May 17

Moving Beyond Citizen Advisory Councils

One of the most controversial actions taken by the current City Council occurred during its February 4, 2020 meeting. With no public notice and no indication anywhere on the official City Council…

Tue, May 17

Rapid Population Growth is not Causing Raleigh’s Housing Affordability Crisis

While the Raleigh metropolitan area is experiencing breathtaking growth, Raleigh’s growth has actually moderated in recent years. According to the US Census, from 1990-2000, Raleigh added…

Sun, May 15

Land Use and Zoning 101: Comprehensive Plan

Part one of a series on Land Use and Zoning 101.

Sun, May 15

How to Navigate City Agendas: Part Two

In our last how-to post, we did a walk through of how to use BoardDocs. BoardDocs is the City of Raleigh’s online agenda management tool. Using BoardDocs you can look up meeting agendas…

Some articles we found interesting this week:

Note: RaleighForward is committed to sharing informative content that explores concepts related to our themes. Sharing an article or study does not necessarily mean RaleighForward endorses every idea or concept presented.

Axios Raleigh: Surging mortgage rates making home buying more expensive in Raleigh

UNC Charlotte Urban Institute: Searching for solutions for Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis

Atlanta Civic Circle: Inclusionary zoning pilot for Beltline Westside yields new affordable housing — but a fraction of what is needed

WESA: Pittsburgh’s inclusionary zoning law now faces a federal court challenge

WHYY (Philadelphia): City Council passes measure that gives city workers affordable housing preference

Yahoo! Finance: White House economist: ‘We really need legislation’ on affordable housing

Bloomberg CityLab: How cities are using digital twins like a SimCity for policymakers

Bloomberg CityLab: Why did US cities resegregate?

Bloomberg: Food delivery apps now have expansive reach in food deserts

Guardian: Revealed: 93% of districts in major US cities unaffordable to Black residents

Bloomberg CityLab: The e-bike effect is transforming New York City

The Atlantic: Community input caused the housing crisis