Raleigh City Council Regular Meeting - March 4, 2026
Raleigh City Council Regular Meeting - March 4, 2026
The Raleigh City Council met on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, with Mayor Pro Tem presiding due to the absence of Mayor Bertem Harrison and Councilor Jones. The meeting included presentations, consent agenda approval, reports from the Planning Commission and City Manager, committee updates, council member reports, appointments, and an overview of federal advocacy services.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda was approved unanimously with no items pulled. (Motion by Councilor, seconded, unanimous vote.)
Presentations
- Raleigh Summer Youth Employment Program Ambassadors: Rebecca Dixon introduced returning participants who serve as youth leaders. The program (43 years old) hires youth ages 15–18, providing work experience and professional skills.
Discussion Items
-
Planning Commission Report (Bynam Walter, Nicole Bennett):
- Several rezoning cases were presented with recommended public hearing dates:
- South New Hope Road (~60 acres): Split vote (6-? recommendation for approval). Public hearing suggested for April 7.
- Trailwood Drive (two lots, ~3 acres): Unanimous approval. April 7.
- 516 North Blunt Street (<1 acre): Consistent with comprehensive plan; Raleigh Historic Development Commission recommended approval, but Planning Commission recommended denial by split vote. April 7.
- Avent Ferry Road (~9 acres): Unanimous approval; March 17 hearing recommended, but applicant may request deferral.
- Wake Forest Road/Morticity Drive (<2 acres): HDC recommended denial, Planning Commission recommended approval. April 7.
- Hodge Road (<1 acre): Unanimous approval; March 17 hearing to coincide with annexation.
- Councilor Silver thanked Chair Bennett for her six years of service.
- Councilor Patton questioned the split vote on Blunt Street. Chair Bennett explained concerns about impacts to adjacent properties (shared driveway, noise, light) and enforcement issues. Those voting denial felt the detriment was extraordinary despite consistency with the comprehensive plan. Councilor Patton clarified that current zoning (office mixed-use) would not allow a restaurant outside a mixed-use building.
- Motion to pull Avent Ferry case and approve the remainder. Passed unanimously.
- Several rezoning cases were presented with recommended public hearing dates:
-
City Manager Report – Property Acquisition at 313 East Martin Street (Ken Bowers):
- Staff recommended purchasing the Hadley family property for $3.4 million, using an option originally negotiated by the Loden team. The option expires March 11, 2026; failure to exercise would increase the price by $200,000.
- The property is adjacent to city-owned land near Moore Square, enabling better redevelopment outcomes, including potential affordable housing.
- Councilor Frank asked about re-subdividing; Bowers confirmed it would be done after test fits.
- Councilor expressed support for affordable housing, noting this acquisition would help bring affordable housing downtown.
- Motion to authorize the city manager to execute documents. Unanimously approved.
-
Transportation and Transit Committee Report:
- The committee met on February 26, 2026, and heard updates on the Six Works Road project and a preview of the North BRT major investment study. Reported out with no action.
-
Federal Advocacy Overview (Jennifer Emo, Ferguson Group):
- The Ferguson Group, hired as the city's federal advocate, presented their services. They represent over 200 entities and have helped clients secure $6.5 billion in federal funding since 2015, including $350 million in earmarks since FY2022.
- Advocacy areas: legislative (e.g., Basics Act for transportation reauthorization, broadband preemption), regulatory (e.g., Treasury rulemaking on ARPA reporting), and funding (competitive grants, earmarks).
- Congresswoman Ross's office is accepting earmark requests with a deadline of March 7, 2026.
- Councilor asked about ideal engagement cadence; Emo suggested targeted visits for specific asks and regular communication on priorities.
- No action taken; informational.
Reports of Mayor and Council
- Councilor Branch thanked residents for voting and looked forward to moving the city forward.
- Councilor Silver thanked staff for supporting his marathon training.
- Councilor (likely Patton) highlighted consent agenda items: maintenance services for interchanges (including Mitchell Mill Road) and an interlocal agreement with Wake Forest for 911 call reliability.
- Councilor requested a work session on energy strategy covering city energy use, fleet electrification, LEED buildings, data center pressures, and water policies. Council agreed to schedule a work session.
- Councilor announced proclamations: In Living Color closing reception (art exhibit at Dix Park) and honoring Dr. Brazil Robinson (former St. Augustine's University president, age 105).
Appointments
- Police Advisory Board: Derek Hicks reappointed by police chief (no council vote needed).
- Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission: Uija UGA Sway appointed (8 votes).
- Planning Commission: Trashana Sanchez appointed (6 votes).
- Substance Use Advisory Commission: Brooklyn Price nominated by Councilor Jones.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda approved unanimously.
- Planning Commission recommendations adopted (except Avent Ferry deferred). All related public hearing dates set as recommended.
- Property acquisition at 313 East Martin Street authorized unanimously for $3.4 million.
- Minutes of February 16 and 17 meetings approved unanimously.
- Upset bid process for 8919 Hunting Trail accepted, conveyance authorized unanimously.
- Closed session held; no reportable actions.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everybody. We will convene the meeting. And uh, first item we you will see that Councilor Branch is all by his lonesome down here. Uh Mayor Bertem Harrison is absent and excused, as is Counselor Jones. So I will ask if Mitchell Silver can uh lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. And I know we've got some visitors here. So uh Rebecca Dixon from Community Engagement is going to share the Raleigh Summer Youth Employment Program ambassadors. Good afternoon, Mayor Cowell, City Manager Adams David, and Council members. The Raleigh Summer Youth Employment Program is a forty-three-year-old City of Raleigh workforce initiative that hires and develops youth ages 15 to 18, providing work experiences while equipping them with essential professional and life skills. One of our very own used to be a former Raleigh Summer Youth, Mr. Clay Brench. Four years ago, I started the Raleigh Summer Youth Ambassadors. So our Raleigh Summer Youth Ambassadors are returning participants who serves as youth leaders and representatives of the program. They support our outreach efforts, volunteer at local community centers, and strengthen their leadership and civic engagement all through the year. It doesn't just provide a job, it provides mentorship, guidance, and real world experience. Serving as an ambassador and alumni alliance member has allowed me to grow as a leader and use my voice to encourage others. So I definitely want to mention that and highlight that as well. But definitely congrats. It's state air because we're going to take a picture. All right. Next we have the consent agenda. There were no items polled, so do we have a motion for the remainder? Move for approval. Okay. All right. All in favor of the motion, aye. Aye. All opposed, nay. And that is unanimous. Next, we have the report and recommendation of the planning commission. Good afternoon, Madam Mayor, members of council. My name is Bynam Walter. I work in the planning and development department. I'm joined this afternoon by Nicole Bennett, the chairperson of the Planning Commission. And we have some items to report out to you. There are a number of holidays ahead in March and April. And you have uh one item already scheduled for your March 17th afternoon meeting for public hearing that's a petition annexation. There's nothing currently on your April 7 afternoon or evening public hearing schedule. We are recommending two items for your next meeting, March 17th and four for April 7th. As you can see, we have a lot of items coming out at once, and we are trying to help you manage this. This is certainly at your discretion. We've just made some suggestions based on what we've uh heard about the requests during planning commission review. Uh numerically, and first on the agenda, rezoning uh this is actually a text change of zoning conditions on South New Hope Road. This is uh the commercial portion of Old Town. It's uh right at 60 acres. The request is consistent with the future language map and the comprehensive plan. There's a split vote there from Planning Commission. Uh but a recommendation for approval nonetheless, and we are suggesting your evening public hearing uh April 7 for this request. The next item is two lots on Trailwood Drive.
openpublica.com