Before any attempt is made to raise taxes you need to have an independent arm’s length audit/efficiency study of all city departments to make sure taxpayer money is being properly spent. Given the financial headwinds the city is facing, not doing an audit would be the height of financial irresponsibility.
Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Districts were adopted as legislative tools to guide growth while preserving established neighborhood patterns. If the City believes these overlays require revision, that conversation should occur through a comprehensive, citywide process—not through the incremental removal of protections on individual parcels.
Raleigh adopted a carefully thought-out and comprehensive rezoning of the entire City just 10 years ago which was and is designed to handle the growth we are now experiencing. But, Raleigh incentivizes speculators and hustlers to find cheaper and less densely zoned land not in the core of downtown and then rezone it because the city will rezone almost anything so long as you commit to building more density whether affordable or not.
Highlights of the April 14, 2026 City Council Work Session and Public Comments Session.
Livable Raleigh recommends adding these two NC Building Code Amendments to the City of Raleigh’s Legislative Agenda: adopt global elevator standards and permit single stairway buildings. Both of these code reforms are gaining traction in the United States. They open up new opportunities for moderately scaled apartment and condo buildings in walkable urban settings that are more affordable and more accessible without sacrificing building safety.
Trees make Raleigh Raleigh. They shape our cityscape, and they define us as the City of Oaks. They’re the first thing visitors notice, and they are a large part of what makes so many people want to stay here. Sadly, Raleigh’s popularity has come at a cost to our trees.