July 5, 2026 Newsletter
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YIMBYTown is coming to Raleigh this November.
YIMBYTown 2026 is coming to Raleigh November 17-19! CityBuilder and YIMBYTown groups are leading the effort, with additional local support from WakeUp Wake County, RaleighForward, Yes! In my Triangle, NC Housing Table and Southern Urbanism.
What is YIMBYTown?
Join with hundreds of other individuals advocating for more affordable and abundant housing in their communities for networking and shared learning. Participants will have the opportunity to hear directly from the advocates behind the country’s biggest housing policy wins, share lessons learned from local and state campaigns and implementation, discuss organizing and communications best practices, and the critical intersections with community resilience, transportation and transit and economic development. For more information, including how to register, click here.
Interested in participating? Want to propose a session? The deadline is July 17, so click here and submit a proposal!
Articles of interest this week:
Congress Finally Passed Major Housing Reform. The Real Work Starts now
A Landmark Housing Bill Passed Congress. Homebuilders Fear it Might Fizzle
Affordable Housing is in Short Supply Across the US. Atlanta May Have Found a Way Forward
Land Use as a Strategy for Transportation, Housing and the Environment
Affordable Abundance: How State and Local Governments are Pairing Abundance-style Reforms with Affordability Incentives
From the Data Department:
A new report from the National Multifamily Housing Council details how “Housing Affordability Can Be Solved in This Generation.” Read it now.
[Graphic produced by Claude Fable 5]
Raleigh City Council will hold its last regular meeting on Tuesday, July 7 before taking its Summer Break until August 18. Here are several items of interest:
A streetscape plan is a regulatory tool that applies specific design standards for streetscape improvements to a defined area. Such plans are adopted through a legislative approval process set forth in the UDO that includes a review and recommendation from the Design Review Commission as well as a public hearing and vote by the City Council.
The Fayetteville Street streetscape planning effort kicked off in January 2025 and is nearing completion. The final deliverable includes a regulatory streetscape plan document with recommended design standards to guide the future transformation of the street, an implementation plan, and cost estimates. This plan is a long-term vision for a more flexible and active streetscape that provides room for both public and private activations. While full implementation will require significant capital investments along the entire corridor, the plan is also intended to guide shorter term improvements and incremental upgrades to the street, some of which may occur through private initiative. Also underway is a $1M quick improvement project to install colorful public art and new seating options in a manner consistent with the larger vision. Click or tap here to enter text.
The City has been awarded $1,000,000 initiative administered by the NC Forest Service to support equitable tree planting, canopy expansion, and climate resilience in urban communities.
Staff will request authorization of a text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that would modernize the City’s subdivision regulations by incorporating the State’s subdivision exemption for qualifying small lot divisions and establish a minor subdivision process.
These changes are intended to reduce regulatory barriers, streamline review for small-scale residential infill projects, support housing choice and affordability, and better align Raleigh’s subdivision regulations with North Carolina law.
Other items of interest: