HIGHLIGHTS
- Mayor Cowell and Councilor Lambert-Melton absent and excused during Work Session. Councilor Ford chaired the Work Session. Mayor Cowell chaired the Public Comment session; Councilors Branch and Lambert-Melton were absent and excused. Councilor Harrison remains on maternity leave.
- Staff recommended a $101.5 million housing bond for 2026.
- Staff recommended a $101.5 million transportation bond for 2026.
- Because this was a work session, no actions were taken on either bond recommendation, but concerns were expressed about the split between housing and transportation and about the need for more information. A plan must be finalized in April in order to move forward with any bonds on the November 2026 ballot.
- March 17 Work Session will feature Wake County talking about property tax revenues which are under a lot of pressure.
- Public comments focused on Glenwood South, Affordable Housing, Greenways, Poe Hall, Election issues, and trees.
WORK SESSION
Housing Bond
https://pub-raleighnc.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=10412
The City of Raleigh is proposing a $101.5 million housing bond for 2026 to continue funding affordable housing efforts after the current $80 million bond approved in 2020 expires. The proposal would provide roughly $20 million per year over four years, supporting affordable housing development, homeownership programs, and homelessness response.
Proposed allocations include:
- $57.6M for affordable housing development and preservation (construction, site acquisition, and project gap financing)
- $10.4M for homebuyer assistance and owner-occupied home repairs
- $12M for homelessness response, including rent assistance, diversion, and case management
- $21.5M to capitalize a mixed-income revolving loan fund to support mixed-income housing projects
Together, these investments are intended to sustain Raleigh’s affordable housing pipeline, expand homelessness interventions, and create a new financing tool to attract private and mission-driven capital for mixed-income development.
Transportation Bond
https://pub-raleighnc.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=10414
The City of Raleigh is also considering a 2026 transportation bond totaling about $101.5 million, continuing the city’s practice of issuing voter-approved transportation debt roughly every four years to fund major infrastructure projects.
Transportation Presentation
Proposed allocations include:
- $51.5M for major projects and previously deferred road improvements, including Marsh Creek Road/Trawick Road West, Ebenezer Church Road, and general-purpose lanes associated with the Wake BRT Southern Corridor
- $40M for projects in adopted plans, including implementation of the Active Mobility Plan “Big Jump,” new sidewalks, bike facilities, and safety projects
- $10M for transportation programs such as Neighborhood Traffic Management and partnership projects with NCDOT or private development
Transportation Presentation
In addition, the city recently set aside $18 million in capital reserves for advanced planning, feasibility studies, and early land acquisition for future projects such as the Capital Boulevard corridor, Southern Gateway improvements, and the Tryon Road extension. Together, these investments aim to advance major corridor projects, expand walking and biking infrastructure, and fund neighborhood-scale traffic and safety improvements while preparing future transportation projects for later bond funding.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
- Public comments focused on Homelessness and Affordable Housing, Greenways, Election issues, and trees.
- Five of seventeen speakers did not show up to speak