Raleigh needs to expand housing by building closer and higher

When I took office in 2017, I was encouraged to sit down with former Mayor Smedes York. I hesitated because I knew York only by reputation as a “big developer.” But, having received the advice from a mentor, I sent York an email. He promptly responded and we met for coffee. York treated me as an equal, and waxed on poetically about Raleigh’s history and lessons he’s learned throughout his years. While we covered many topics, one take-away continues to resonate, particularly when we talk about housing.

“The only constant Raleigh has ever known is change,” York told me.

As we look to build a better future, it’s important to recognize that our housing has changed throughout the last century. That’s why it’s so important that we evaluate our current options and work to provide housing that’s affordable for many different people, from our older residents looking to remain in their homes to young people starting their first jobs and families.

Since the late 1700s when Raleigh was chosen as the state capital, our city hasn’t stopped growing. This is particularly true for the last century. In the 1920s and 1930s, Raleigh’s population lived largely downtown, which was home to a bustling Fayetteville Street and City Market as well as Black Main Street (Hargett Street) and Moore Square. The expansion continued in the 1940s when housing was built by the federal government for soldiers returning from World War II. Unfortunately, this often excluded African Americans, forcing many into undesirable areas and out of opportunities that helped build wealth for white families.

In the 1950s to 1970s, families migrated to the suburbs, allowing them to build larger homes with bigger yards. Yet, this growth included restrictive covenants — of which many excluded African-American families and further widened the wealth gap.

The sprawl continued into the 2000s with cozy, quiet neighborhoods that necessitated long commutes. This brought about other issues such as traffic, stormwater runoff, and climate pollution.

Recently, we responded to environmental concerns and focused on smarter growth and stricter development regulations. While necessary, it also created a narrative of developers versus the environment. And, coupled with the recession and new policies that made it harder to build anything but single family homes, we find ourselves with a shortage of non-high-end housing and even more sprawl into our rural areas.

Thus, here we are with younger people struggling to find opportunities to build their own futures in ways that have minimal impact on our environment and are affordable. We’ve told them they can’t keep sprawling out, we’re fighting tear downs in our neighborhoods, and saying no to tall buildings. So where do young families go?

This is why the Raleigh City Council must be laser focused on helping to build an abundance of diverse housing options across our city. We need to add gentle density throughout our neighborhoods through options such as backyard granny flats, cottage courts, and duplexes. And, we need taller buildings downtown and in our growth centers, including along transit corridors.

Finally, we need to pass an affordable housing bond this November that will create homes for people who need the most help. If we focus on growth this way, we can provide more families opportunities to build their own futures.

It’s no easy task and one that inevitably means change. But, that’s all Raleigh has ever known. And, while this change may be scary, we need to act now to create a community that makes room for all of us, including future generations.