June 1 Newsletter
Hello, and welcome to RaleighForward on Substack!
Join us for a Happy Hour on June 24th
RaleighForward is co-hosting its next Happy Hour with WakeUp Wake County and CityBuilders. Please join us on June 24th from 5:30-7:30 at Trophy Brewing and Pizza located at 827 W. Morgan Street. Hope to see you there!
Understanding Public Housing and Housing Voucher Programs: A Guide for Developers and Community Stakeholders
Public housing is a federally funded program designed to provide safe, decent, and affordable rental housing for low-income individuals, families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Administered by local Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) under the oversight of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), public housing includes government-owned and -operated apartment communities. Residents typically pay no more than 30% of their adjusted income toward rent, with HUD subsidizing the rest.
Raleigh Releases 2024 Community Survey
Raleigh recently released the results of the 2024 Community Survey. RaleighForward will offer occasional insights from the survey in coming newsletters. This survey has been conducted every 2 years since 2016. The surveys use scientific sampling methods to ensure respondents reflect the demographic characteristics of the City’s population.
Here is a graphic from the 2024 survey showing the top priorities drawn from the respondents:
For comparison, here is the response for a similar question from the 2016 survey:
Click here for survey results for every survey conducted since 2016.
Emerging Greenway Oriented Development
Take a look at the photo above. Good to see Raleigh taking some tentative steps toward “greenway-oriented development.” Recall our post about another “green-way oriented development” project. This food truck spot is at Anderson Point Park.
Articles and Resources of interest:
Expert Voices 2025: Access to Sustainable and Affordable Housing. From UPenn.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2025 report, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, reveals a critical deficit of 7.1 million affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income (ELI) households in the U.S.—those earning at or below the federal poverty line or 30% of their area median income. Nationwide, only 35 affordable units exist for every 100 ELI renter households, leaving 75% of these renters severely cost-burdened, spending over half their income on housing. This shortage affects every state and major metropolitan area, with Nevada facing the most severe gap—just 17 affordable units per 100 ELI households. Racial disparities are pronounced: Black, Latino, and Native American households are disproportionately represented among ELI renters due to systemic inequities. The report emphasizes that the private market fails to meet the needs of ELI renters, as their limited incomes can’t cover the costs of new housing development or maintenance of existing units. To address this crisis, the NLIHC advocates for increased federal investment in deeply income-targeted programs like the national Housing Trust Fund, Housing Choice Vouchers, and public housing, alongside emergency rental assistance to bridge the gap.
A recent article published in the Journal of Urban Affairs titled, “Rental Deserts, Segregation, and Zoning” examines how the concentration of rental housing may reinforce enduring patterns of racial and socioeconomic segregation. The authors found that nearly a third of U.S. neighborhoods qualify as “rental deserts,” where rental units make up less than 20% of the local housing stock. Neighborhoods with a lower share of rental housing are disproportionately suburban, higher-income, and white.
Buffalo’s costly cautionary tale for Baltimore’s ‘Highway’ to Nowhere.’ Read it here.
How gentrification is killing the bus: California’s rising rents are pushing out commuters.
77% of Johnston County residents leave the county for work: New development hopes to change that.
When Demand Outpaces Supply: Understanding North Carolina’s Rising Housing Costs.
What’s a ‘Detached’ Townhome and Why are they Growing in Popularity in the Twin Cities? Read it here.
Our friends at CityBuilder published this piece on a recent event moderated by Derek Thompson, one of the authors of Abundance with the Mayors of Raleigh and Durham.
Rental Giant Buys $40 million worth of Townhomes. Via TBJ.
Items of Interest in the Week Ahead:
Council will hold a budget work session on June 2, 2025. Click here for the agenda item. You can access the City’s proposed budget and additional information here. The proposed budget does not include a property tax increase and is heavily focused on employee compensation improvements, particularly with respect to police and fire.
Council holds its regularly scheduled meeting on June 3rd. Things have been relatively slow the last few months in terms of zoning cases and other “hot topics,’ so here are a few items that readers may find interesting, but generally don’t attract significant public attention:
The City was awarded a $3.5 million pedestrian safety improvement grant for its Vision Zero program. The projects are located in downtown, MLK Boulevard and Capitol Blvd. Specific locations and project descriptions can be found here.
City Council is allocated “Council Contingency” funds each year that allows Councilors to direct small (less than $7,500) to specific groups or projects throughout the year. The disbursement of those funds typically accelerate as the fiscal year winds down. Here are a few allocations on the agenda.
Council has been re-evaluating the City’s leaf collection program. It is a resource-intensive program that has seen rising costs in recent years. Staff will present several options for changing the program. Click here for details.
Council will conduct the statutorily mandated public hearing for the FY26-27 City Budget. Click here for the agenda materials.
Council will conduct public hearings on the potential contract award for the manager of the City’s 2 municipal service districts. Click here and here or the agenda materials.
Council will conduct a public hearing on Rezoning Z-43-24 for approximately 2.6 acres located at 1321 & 1405 Athens Drive. The property is currently zoned Residential 4 with a Special Residential Parking Overlay, and the applicant is seeking to change the zoning to Residential Mixed Use-3 stories-Conditional Use with Special Residential Parking Overlay.
Other community meetings and items of interest:
The ribbon cutting for the Gipson Play Area at Dix Park is scheduled for Friday, June 6 from 4-10 pm. For details, click here. The grand opening is set for Saturday at 9:00 am.