Raleigh mayor-elect Mary-Ann Baldwin seeks balance for growth and development

This story was corrected to specify that Baldwin hopes to establish a “commuter rail” between Holly Springs and Wake Forest, not a “light rail.”

Weeks before newly elected Raleigh mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin is set to be sworn, she offered a glimpse of how she plans to tackle city growth and diversity in North Carolina’s capital city.

Baldwin said the city must work with developers, find a balance between preserving its history and new development and increase the frequency of its buses.

About 100 people came to The News & Observer’s Community Voices forum Wednesday at the N.C. Museum of History.

Baldwin, who served five terms as a City Council member, received the most votes on Oct. 8, against five other candidates, but not enough to win outright. On Oct. 11, she was named mayor after Charles Francis, who earned the second most votes, decide not to seek a runoff.

Baldwin is the vice president of marketing for Holt Brothers Inc., a local construction company.

Here are excerpts of Wednesday’s discussion.

Dealing with growth

Baldwin called for the city’s cooperation with developers, praising the work of developer John Kane in Midtown Raleigh. She said there used to be a lot of crime there 10 to 15 years ago.

“Now there is a Wegmans,” she said.

She cited eviction, housing supply and stagnant wages as barriers to affordable housing.

“It is about time we actually partnered with (developers)“ she said. She also felt working on an affordable housing bond like the one Durham voters just approved would be effective in Raleigh.

Baldwin said she believes working with land trusts is the way forward.

“We can work with them to create affordable prices,” she said.

Transit

She said improving transit is going to take time, but plans on doing it by increasing the frequency of buses and introducing more Bus Rapid Transit lanes (BRT). BRT lanes are reserved for buses so they can travel with less traffic.

She hopes to negotiate with North Carolina Railroad to establish commuters rails, including one from Holly Springs to Wake Forest.

Baldwin addressed scooters, which caused controversy when they arrived without advance notice. She said scooters provide an effective transit alternative in Downtown Raleigh, but also acknowledged that they also pose problems.

“It really opened up downtown to a lot of people, especially people of color,” she said. “One issue is safety. We have to have a set of rules that need to be enforced.”

The city’s character

Despite the city’s rapid growth, there needs to be a balance between maintaining the city’s character and historic nature with the new development.

“One of the things that makes Raleigh Raleigh is Fayetteville Street,” Baldwin said.

She said Union Station is a good example of how that can be done.

Former council member Barlow Herget, who was in the audience, suggested developing smaller parks in urban areas of Raleigh.

Baldwin praised the work of outgoing Mayor Nancy McFarlane in revitalizing Dix Park. The park is set to be a focal point of development over the next few decades with efforts to preserve its natural setting and buildings while also finding new uses for the property.

She said the first phase includes developing a children’s destination and restoring some of the historic buildings around the park.

“Dix Park was created to keep people out,” she said. “Now we have to find out how to invite people in. The legacy of Dix Park is helping those who need it the most.”

Diversity

When Raleigh’s City Council takes shape next month, new members Saige Martin and Jonathan Melton will be Raleigh’s first openly gay city council members. Martin, who is 28, also will be the youngest on the council, The News & Observer previously reported.

Baldwin spoke about increasing diversity among the city’s boards and commissions by adding more African Americans and Latinos to make sure their voices are heard. She said she would like to create a commission on Latino affairs “and develop new leadership within the community,” she said.

“That is where the next city council members will come from,” she said.

This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 5:59 AM with the headline "Raleigh mayor-elect Mary-Ann Baldwin seeks balance for growth and development."