City Council - Regular Meeting

All right. Welcome, everybody, to the public hearing. We have one message to share, which is, as you know, we have to publicly notice all of these meetings. And unfortunately, the News and Observer, which is one of the channels at which we do that, somehow neglected to properly notice some of the zoning cases. So we are certainly good to go on the budget public hearing. Um, but we will not be able to, you know, make any formal decisions on the Creedmoor road or Litchford road. Um, cases we can because Martin street was, uh, um, continued lacking missing the word there we will take that up so just wanted to notify anyone we we did our best to reach out to everyone who had signed up on these other cases we apologize for that mistake As does the news and observer. So for the public hearings, you just heard the announcement and we are allotting two minutes per person and we will start with Octavia Rainey.

Mayor? Yes. Just before you start, was there some direction you wanted to provide as it related to Litchford Road?

to Litchford Road, I think we believe we wanted to send it back to Planning Commission because so many changes had been made. Do I need to make that?

It's our understanding that the applicant had proffered some additional or new conditions and so therefore that would be the reason.

Yeah, so do we need a motion now? Yes, you can go ahead and do that.

I move. Based upon knowledge that Major changes were made to the Litchford case, I think a Z43, as well as the potential for additional conditions. We're recommending that it goes back to the Planning Commission to be heard.

Second. All in favor of that motion, aye. Aye. All opposed, nay. And that is unanimous. So thank you, Madam Attorney. Anything else we need to...

I think the neighbors just walked in. I want to make sure you heard the whole of what was just said. You got it.

Okay. Well, we will proceed then with the budget public hearing. And once again, Ms. Rainey.

I apologize, Mayor. One minute.

Yeah.

Mayor, I apologize. If the council is so inclined, you could go ahead and set the Creedmoor case for July 9th.

Set the Creedmoor case, okay. July 7th, okay. Would somebody like to make that motion?

I move to move the TC-0226, the Creedmoor Road case, to July 7th.

I think you have moved all the zoning cases to one. One o'clock.

At one o'clock. Second.

All right. All in favor of that motion, aye. Aye. All opposed, nay. And that is set for July 7th.

Yes, I'm sorry.

At 1 p.m. Okay. Anything else? No. Okay. All right. Ms. Rainey.

Good evening.

Good evening, everyone. I would like to speak on the $100 million bond. Number one, I think that the city of Raleigh should go back from 1980 and look at all of the redevelopment areas in the city of Raleigh. You have moved and relocated millions of black people out of the redevelopment area. So how do you know what you're actually building to fit their needs. You don't know, because I doubt if half of you really know what is a redevelopment area. How many redevelopment areas did we have? Did these areas sunset? That is a big question. And if they did not, what are we doing? Number two, I'm asking that you put a hold on infield development. Infield development is dangerous in the inner city. And I'm just speaking about the inner city now. And I'm working on a tour. And I don't know how many of y'all could go. But I'm going to show you the inner city. I'm going to show you infield development. It is awful. I have never seen anything like it. It's terrible. The third thing I have asked for every job is for community development, which is housing and neighborhood services portfolio. Have y'all ever seen it? I haven't seen it. And it's supposed to be public record. He never shared that with me. That portfolio is what they manage. And who is the management company? How do they deal with when a home goes into foreclosure? How is this worked out? Do y'all have any indication of anything about your portfolio? How much is your portfolio worth? I'm very concerned. I am a fair housing advocate, and I'm concerned about how do you...

Thank you. Miss Kate Dixon.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight about the campaign to plant 24,000 trees. I'm Kate Dixon, and I've helped shepherd this proposal as chair of the Sustainability, Wildlife, and Urban Trees Committee. I know you want this campaign to move forward and are concerned about losing a planting season if we don't begin this fall. When the 24,000 Tree Campaign was proposed, three nonprofits, Trees for the Triangle, We Plant It Forward, and Audubon North Carolina quickly came together to explore how they could partner with the city. Last November, they presented a strong proposal and draft budget at a SWAT meeting. I asked that proposal and budget be emailed to you, and Maggie Bailey of We Plant It Forward sent them today. At yesterday's budget session, Parks Director Steven Bentley noted how inspired he and others were by the executive director of Trees Atlanta at a Reflecting Raleigh event last year. Raleigh can build that kind of partnership too if we invest in our nonprofits and give them a role. The nonprofits budget called for $280,000 in fiscal year 2026-27 to launch the education campaign and plant the first thousand trees. At their current size, these organizations cannot take on this project without substantial city funding, but this is also a chance for them to grow by raising private funds to help match the city's contribution. Therefore, to launch the campaign without delay, I respectfully suggest the following for the 26-27 budget year. Fund the nonprofit partners at $224,000 to plant the first thousand trees and launch the education campaign with the Parks Department. This would cover 80% of their first year budget and require the nonprofits to raise the remaining 20%. And then also fund a community forester position in the Parks Department to lead the city's effort going forward.

Thank you. Mamakai Sanders.

Good evening, y'all. It's another amazing day in paradise. Thank you for being here during this extra budget session tonight, and thank you to the employee on the other end of the budget department email. I haven't responded because I have more questions, but I'm grateful for the information you sent so far. I know it's a busy season, so I appreciate how you invested your time to thoroughly answer my questions. And Madam City Attorney, it was nice seeing you on Saturday. I have so many thoughts to share, but I'm just going to stick with the numbers. Rent going up, $25 per month is $300 a year. At $50 a month, it's $600 a year. At $100 a month, it's $1200 a year. During a time when rent prices are finally dropping, this could be the reality for renters. That's far from the average of $67 per month for homeowners. With 30% of Raleigh residents, not Wake County, being cost burdened by their housing, this tax increase could be the nail in the coffin. Because it's not just a 1.7 cent increase in the long run. It's 3.7 cents, including what the county is doing, plus the increase in utilities from the city and what Duke is proposing. I wish we would be more transparent about all that. I know it's been a long, rough road to make this decision, but it could hurt a lot of people. And I have no hard feelings just working on how to change that. Thank you again and good night.

Thank you. Barry Erickson. Is Mr. Erickson here? Brian Scott.

Excuse me, I think I may have got my... my one of my assistants may have put me for the wrong meeting so i think this is about uh... like budget and things like that i'm just kinda here to i guess it would be budget because it would be these young people out here and all these people out here paying this so i'm here to put the uh... the mayor and then the representative council for the mayor on notice that there were several civil rights violations recently in the town and i've been trying to reach out to several members of the public here in this town And I've gotten a bunch of different things. I've been to Department of Justice. I've been to this building two or three times. My fiance's a nurse in this community. She, matter of fact, Latina Costin, 133, will not be able to speak tonight. She's a nurse in the community. She can't make it. So pretty much just putting them on notice that the budget's great and all, but do you really want to pay a bunch of money to somebody to sue you for no reason, just because you can't communicate with a member of the public? That's funds that everybody's paying. I'd rather donate my funds to y'all and help y'all with whatever y'all are meeting about today. I own a business in the community. I give money to the Chamber of Commerce in this community. I do major projects in this community. And it's just here, basically, I didn't realize this, I don't want to waste a bunch of time, but I just want to put on notice that I'm going to give 30 days for somebody to contact me. And if not, then I'm going to go forward with pursuit of several different civil rights violations, both for the city, Wake County. It was a Wake County employee that I tried to, me and my fiance put a complaint in. And I spoke to the sheriff, which was, I spoke to the head sheriff, Mr. Rowe, last week. He's also researching. But it's actually a crime if somebody's trying to make a complaint about an employee of the county and use the police to intimidate and bully that person, right? And not everybody has the funds I do to be able to stand up here. Not everybody has the funds to take several days off. Not everybody has the funds to not care about the bullying. So most people are going to just go away with it, but... I'll find out the right meeting. This may not be the right one, but Latina won't be here tonight, but me and representatives of my companies will be up here every meeting you have until we can figure this out because I don't want to sue. That's all I've got left to do.

Thank you, Mr. Scott. Mr. Cooper.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Matthew Cooper. I'm the president of the Raleigh Police Protective Association, an advocacy group that represents nearly 500 Raleigh police officers. We are in support of this year's budget proposal, where the infrastructure improvements and the addition of new officers are much needed and appreciated. However, until these officers that are hired complete academy and field training, we are being asked to do more with less. Officers and detectives are going to have to perform tests to fulfill special events and initiatives this summer. Stanley Cup security concerns, Independence Day along with other summer events will have to be staffed so citizens and guests of the city can enjoy them safely. We are aware of the challenges facing the city with this year's budget. A 3% raise with respect to these challenges and to the Raleigh taxpayers is reasonable and prudent. However, inflation and high gas prices are hurting employees. We only ask that these pay raises are implemented at the beginning of the fiscal year rather than in September. This will reward employees for their hard work and sacrifice this summer. Moving forward, we know that consistent pay raises and expansion of the take-home vehicle program is needed to attract and retain officers. Thank you.

Thank you. Jordan Chester.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jordan Chester, and I serve as Secretary of Councillor Jones's lead collaborative. And I'm here tonight to thank all of you and staff for your hard work in putting together a good budget in a difficult economic environment. As you know, budgets are more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. They speak to the values of the community and show what we truly prioritize. And this budget does just that. Key investments include $11.6 million for affordable housing, an 11% increase in transportation services. It also includes a $3 million increase in stormwater management, $150,000 in support for citizens' advisory councils. And building on the work that you all did last year, you all voted for an 11% pay increase for first responders. This budget prioritizes public safety by hiring even more first responders. Again, in a challenging economic environment, you all made responsible decisions that are going to improve the lives of the residents of this city and make a real difference for those who are struggling. Not only does this budget make critical investments, it keeps our property tax rate amongst the lowest in Wake County. An increase of just $67 per year for the average household is minuscule. The alternative would be cuts in services, or higher fees, which would most adversely impact seniors and working families. I would also add that this budget will help us maintain a triple-A bond rating. In closing, this budget reflects the priorities of this community, and I applaud you for listening to the residents and making tough decisions in a difficult environment. And I thank you for your time and for your commitment to the City of Raleigh. Thank you.

Thank you. Ms. Selena Vasquez? Ms. Rebecca Alexander Mecio. Lisa Hewitt. Ian Burnett.

Good evening, Mayor and Council and City Manager. I'm here to ask you to find a new home for Vision Zero. So my suggestion is to make a new office of Safe Streets. And well, this is not a good year to ask for more money. Luckily, I'm not. Just asking you to take the people in the budget that are already allocated to Vision Zero, the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program, and other key positions around the city government that focus on safe streets. and move them into a department level position where they would have visibility of voice and connectivity to all the departments because safe streets is not simply a transportation or simply a police issue. It is a systemic problem and it needs a systemic solution. Now while the goal of achieving Vision Zero or zero fatalities by 2050 is forefront, really it's about making it easier for people to get around the city however they choose and to do so safely and confidently. can guess that if you look at many neighbors in the city and many streets in the city, you'll see that that's not possible right now. And while this is sort of a symbolic move to begin with, because they would be doing a lot of the same work that's already been budgeted for the coming year, it's an important symbol. And it signals that Raleigh really cares about Vision Zero and about safe streets. And moving from a world where the police section of the budget PROJECTS 41 TRAFFIC FATALITIES AND 3,749 TRAFFIC INJURIES AND THAT AS BEING A PART OF LIFE TO ONE WHERE THAT'S COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND UNSAFE ROADS ARE A BARRIER TO A GREAT LIFE. SO ON THAT I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, GOOD EVENING, AND ALSO DITTO TO WHAT KATE DIXON SAID. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. ASHLEY HEATH ARMSTRONG. Grady McCauley.

Mayor and Councillors, good evening. I'm Grady McCauley. I'm a 26-year resident of Raleigh in District C, and I'm also here tonight in particular as policy director of the North Carolina Conservation Network. We're a state-level advocacy organization. It's pretty rare for us to be in front of a city council. But we cover the waterfront of environmental issues and I personally work on climate resilience and adaptation. And I'm here to speak in support of the leaf out program and especially the goal of planting 24,000 trees over the next six years. Trees are wonderful and there are many reasons to want more of them. But aesthetics aside, trees have, urban trees in particular, have substantial economic and public health benefits. You all may be familiar with a 2013 study in Raleigh that found residential tree canopy intercepts between 10 and 20% of the stormwater. That reduces stormwater runoff, it reduces nearby flooding, rain-driven flooding. A recent study in Charlotte found that neighborhoods with the least tree canopy suffer the greatest extreme temperatures during heat waves. And a study in 2024 that looked at over 1,200 census tracts statewide, including tracts in Raleigh, found a very strong correlation between excess deaths during hot weather and lack of tree canopy and increased impervious surface. Given that, I think it makes a lot of sense to think of urban trees not just as an amenity, but as an investment in infrastructure, city infrastructure. They're an investment that over time reduces flood risk and helps contain public health risks from climbing temperatures. Conservation Network also looked last year at trends in tree canopy in major cities in North Carolina. And we found that within the boundaries of Raleigh's 2020 boundaries, if you look at what happened within those boundaries from 2011 to 2021, we lost 2.2% of our trees, tree canopy. So we think this is a really good time to invest in more tree canopy. And I hope you all can find my number. Thank you. Thank you.

Ms. Brittany Jackson.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council. My name is Brittany Jackson. I'm a social services professional here in Raleigh, North Carolina. My career is currently focused on providing services to your most vulnerable constituents. First, I want to express my deep gratitude that the current recommended budget includes the full penny for affordable housing allocation. I'm here tonight to implore you all, to strongly encourage you to maintain this level of funding. In my line of work, I see the same reoccurring crises every single day, chronic health conditions worsened by the elements, the trauma of survival, and the sheer impossibility of stabilizing your life when you don't know where you're going to sleep tonight. These aren't just social issues. These are human crises that funding affordable housing directly alleviates. To understand the real world impact of your budget decisions, you only have to look outside. I have a client, Joshua, who sleeps behind the municipal building on a regular basis. For the last 10 years, he has lived unsheltered on the streets of downtown Raleigh. But tomorrow morning, because of the initiatives funded by affordable housing programs supported in this budget, his life changes forever. He will sign his first lease at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Signing this lease is a massive victory, but it's also just the foundation. With continued city investment and strong community partnerships, stability breeds upward mobility. Because of the safety net that we are securing for him today, he can begin looking towards the future. And I hope that one day, through affordable home ownership programs like Habitat for Humanity of Greater Raleigh, he'll be able to transition from renting to purchasing his first home. When you fund affordable housing, you aren't just balancing a spreadsheet. You are buying the bricks, securing the leases, and funding the support systems that bring our neighbors in from the cold. Thank you.

Sterling Bowen.

Good evening, my name is Sterling Boehm, a 23-year resident of the city of Raleigh. First of all, I want to say thank you. Thank you to the city staff for recommending that the fiscal year 27 budget include the penny for affordable housing allocation. And I also want to say please, Please, please, council, continue level funding for affordable housing programs from FY26 forward to FY27. You should continue to build on the successes that you and your predecessors have had. We're so blessed that our city continues to experience growth. We know it's because this is a great place to live. But the rising tide of a healthy local economy has not been a rising tide that lifts all boats. It's actually getting harder for many of our neighbors, the people who cook our food, our firefighters, our nurses, to find and keep stable housing. And those of us who work or play downtown see the impact of an economy straining to meet everyone's needs every day. It should be evident that the city needs to continue to support programs for the unhoused. You and your predecessors have been successful at creating and supporting the development of new affordable homes by providing home buyer assistance. That's one of the programs that should continue. Just as importantly, you've protected existing homeowners in need through home repair and rehabilitation programs. Programmatic support for renters is also in need, both for the provision of new units and the preservation of existing naturally occurring affordable housing. And of course, continued public-private partnerships with developers and nonprofits that are doing the work of meeting the rising demand as our population grows for new housing should be supported as well too. Stable and safe housing is foundational to a healthy community. That was mentioned by the speaker right before me. It's been consistently and positively linked by research to good life outcomes from good mental health to economic mobility. So on behalf of myself, those of us who are here from Habitat, for humanity and all the others in the room that are committed to safe and affordable housing.

Thank you.

Thank you. Ray Leak.

Good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Rae, and I'm a Habitat homeowner. I am also the mother of two boys, one of whom has special needs. Like many families, my path to home ownership was not easy. As a single parent, I worked hard to create a stable future for my children, even when home ownership felt out of reach. I remember beginning the process of purchasing my home at the very same time my son experienced his first mental health crisis. It was one of the most difficult periods of my life. I was navigating medical appointments, school meetings, and uncertainty about his future while trying to create stability for my family. Today, two years later, my son has made significant improvements. Having a stable home has been an important part of that journey. Our home has provided consistency, security, and allowed us to stay connected to the schools, healthcare providers, and support systems that have helped him grow and succeed. Homeownership has given my family more than a house. It has given us peace of mind, stability, and the ability to focus on healing, growth, and opportunity instead of worrying about housing insecurity. It has strengthened our connection to the community and provided a foundation for a brighter future. When you invest in affordable housing, you invest in families like mine. You create, oh, am I done?

I gotta hurry to be, sorry.

Okay. You create opportunities for children to thrive, for parents to build stability, and for communities to grow stronger. I respectfully ask that you continue to prioritize housing and maintain funding in the final fiscal year 27 budget so that more families can experience security, stability, and hope that affordable housing has provided for mine. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you very much. Patricia Birch.

Good evening, Mayor Cal and council members. My name is Patricia Birch. I'm CEO for Habitat for Humanity Greater Raleigh, formerly Habitat for Humanity of Wake County. Thank you for the opportunity to share comments about the fiscal year 27 proposed budget. Habitat has been building safe, affordable homes in our community for 40 years, with over 1,000 new homes built and over 750 existing homes preserved. Many of you have visited out to one of our sites in our newest Raleigh neighborhood, Old Pool Place. Thanks to the city, we'll be building nine additional units in that neighborhood for a total of 114 affordable units. We're thrilled to see that the city is continuing to prioritize affordable housing in the fiscal year 27 proposed budget with a dedicated penny for housing. We know that this is a difficult budget season with federal funding cuts, inadequate state funding, and inflation on the rise, but the city has demonstrated strong success in leveraging local public dollars to deliver on affordable housing goals, and we should continue that success in this next fiscal year. We are also in support of the $101.5 million affordable housing bond, which will increase resources for affordable housing without increasing taxes for residents. If approved by voters, this bond will help Habitat homebuyers with homebuyer assistance dollars. Since July of 26, 69% of Habitat homebuyers in Raleigh have utilized down payment assistance. For many Habitat home buyers, this assistance has made living where they work a possibility. Despite the city's success, the need for affordable housing continues to grow. With the city's investments, hundreds of families will be able to access greater stability and economic mobility. Many of you have come to know some of the Habitat homeowners in Raleigh and hear their success stories. Thank you.

Thanks to all the Habitat folks that came out, and thank you to everyone who signed up for the public hearing tonight on the budget. We appreciate you making time to weigh in on this 2027 budget. Next, that concludes our budget public hearing, and we have one more item to take up, and that was rezoning Z0126.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of council, Biden and Walter, planning and development. This is a request that you previously discussed on May 5th. It's located on the south side of Martin Street west, I'm sorry, east of Commerce Place. It's in a DX district, a downtown mixed-use district, going to, it was different heights on the parcels at this time, going to a combined DX 20 district. The applicant has revised conditions since the 5th, and I will just, Remind you where the site is here. We have frontage on Dawson and Martin and commerce as well as Davey on the south side and then Just highlight for you some language that has changed since you saw this last so What's underlined here? Has changed is new Excuse me and The language I think in section C here about the upper story comparable fenestration being retained as well as exterior masonry and rough openings is probably some of the most significant language in the changes this evening. The remainder of the conditions are remaining the same. The revisions bring the request closer to the ideal that the Raleigh Historic Development Commission was pursuing, but is not a perfect match for their request. What questions could I answer for you before you continue the public hearing? Looks like Councilor Patten has a question.

Can you elaborate a little bit on that last comment? This brings closer to the request, but not all the way there. What's the remaining guilt?

I'm going to ask my preservation colleague, Colette Kinane, to speak to you in greater detail, because she spent more time thinking about this.

Good evening, Colette Kinane, Planning and Development. The new condition language does start to address the majority of the Commission's concerns as in the version that they were presented. The part that I think is missing from their desire was that the entirety of the first 85% of the building's masonry openings and fenestration patterns be preserved. So the wording that's presented would not include those masonry openings that are existing along the alley and commerce place. So it focuses on the most prominent facade.

Okay, so the condition covers the part that's on the side where High Tide is, but not the alleyway. That's correct, yes. And RHDC was seeking the alleyway side to be included as well.

Yes, that was their desire.

Do you want to hear from the applicant?

Yeah. Yeah, Jamie Shredler, do you want to come on down?

Sure, good evening, Mayor, members of council, Jamie Schwedler with Parker Poe, 31 Fayetteville Street. We discussed this case at length at the May 5th meeting, and that was after we discussed the historic conditions both with staff and a period before the RHDC. We'd already discussed those changes with the RHDC, and I think it's fair to say with the staff, there's always more desire for more preservation. We explained the conflict here between this major retail corridor trying to save a majority of this historic building and the prominent facade that was deemed most important both by RHDC and by emphasis by RHDC staff and that is the Martin Street facade. And so we had worked on that language. I presented the language. We had already discussed with staff to you on May 5th. And then after that period had passed, we received additional feedback from historic staff. We took that into consideration. I think the spirit of that is our HTC would like to see the additional coordination on the alleyway and on Commerce Place. But unfortunately, those areas do need to have additional modernization for the openings and the access that we discussed at that May 5th hearing. And so we've struck the balance that we feel is appropriate here. Remember, these conditions were conditions we voluntarily placed on ourself when this building had no historic protections at all. And I think that this compromise is one that the city can proudly adopt today and take forward to other developers. Thank you.

Thank you. All right. So we're still open. I can close the hearing.

All right. Discussion? Yep. I'm prepared to make a motion unless there's any other commentary. All right. I do move to adopt the proposed consistency statement dated June 2, 2026, containing the agenda materials and to approve the zoning amendment with the adoption and effective dates described in the agenda item under recommended action. Second. Second.

All in favor of that motion, aye. Aye. All opposed, nay. And that is unanimous. Thank you so much. All right, that concludes our meeting tonight. We are just in time to go watch the Canes at 8 p.m. Go Canes.