City Council Meeting Summary: March 17, 2026
City Council Meeting Summary: March 17, 2026
This meeting of the Raleigh City Council on March 17, 2026, covered a wide range of topics including public comments on greenway projects, zoning changes, affordable housing, property tax losses, leaf-out initiatives, stormwater programs, and several annexations.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda was approved unanimously with no items pulled.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Elizabeth Scott: Speaking for herself and Anderson Forest neighbors, she opposed the proposed greenway segment 1B through Anderson Forest. She stated that cost estimates exceed $8.65 million, nearly double the $4.48 million parks bond allocation, and that the route would violate a 40-year-old conservation easement. She urged consideration of less expensive alternatives.
- Chris Crewe: Expressed opposition to three zoning requests (Z-31-25, Z-40-25, Z-526), arguing they threaten historic districts and neighborhood conservation overlays. He said that convenience and profit are not real public benefits and that unique neighborhoods and historic resources are what attract people to Raleigh.
- Octavia Rainey: Expressed strong opposition to relocating the Moore Square Bus Station, saying the issue is about race, not crime. She asserted that black people do not bring crime and that the city must address mental health and homelessness. She called for the $20 million transportation bond to be put on hold until she is satisfied.
- Athena Wallen: Spoke in support of stormwater creek conservation and announced a Creek Week celebration on March 18th from 3 to 6 p.m. at Brookside Drive. She highlighted a sidewalk mural grant and encouraged public engagement with natural systems.
- Mamakai Sanders: Presented seven to ten ideas for addressing affordable housing on a communal level, including working with families using vouchers, purchasing properties along BRT routes for ADUs, and partnering with property owners interested in ADUs to preserve generational wealth.
- Clodo Bastion: Urged support for the 24,000 Trees campaign to plant 24,000 trees by Raleigh's 240th birthday in 2032, citing a loss of more than 11,000 acres of tree canopy between 2010 and 2020. She noted that trees contribute $3.2 billion in ecosystem services according to a Wake County study.
- Robert Hubbard: Listed numerous criticisms of city staff's handling of the greenway routing through Anderson Forest, alleging biased surveys, failure to disclose easement restrictions, and violation of city greenway guidelines. He concluded that staff did not present the "whole truth."
Discussion Items
- Legislative Agenda for Short Session: Symmetria Jones presented a proposed legislative agenda for the 2026 short session of the General Assembly. Council discussed priorities including increasing opportunities for local governments to purchase or lease state/county parcels, modifying the state building code for missing middle housing, and partnering for a comprehensive transportation plan. Council adopted the guiding principles, policy themes, and legislative goals as presented, with direction to staff to draft a formal agenda.
- Loan Modification for Arbor and Millburnie Road Apartments: Essential Housing LLC requested approval to transfer loans on two 50-unit affordable housing properties to Harmony Housing (the previous owner) due to complicated financing from a shared $700 million line of credit. The request was approved with the understanding that all affordability restrictions would remain unchanged.
- Property Tax Update: Marcus Kinraid, Wake County Tax Administrator, delivered a detailed presentation on unexpected real property tax base losses. Reasons included high commercial appeals from the 2024 revaluation (619 open appeals in Raleigh totaling $4.9 billion in value under appeal), an increase in brownfield exemptions, and a surge in affordable housing exemptions using a loophole. For FY26, the city lost an estimated $4 million in taxes. For FY27, the city anticipates an estimated $2.95 million loss from the affordable housing loophole alone. Kinraid noted that 94% of all multifamily units in Wake County could potentially qualify for this exemption. Council members expressed concern about the impact on services and tax rates, and the need for long-term protections on affordable housing properties.
- Leaf Out Initiative: Charles Craig and Zach Manor presented the Leaf Out Initiative, a non-regulatory program focusing on protecting existing trees, planting more trees, and engaging residents. They outlined seven key focus areas including an internal invasive species policy (targeting spring 2026), a development native plant list, a community native plant list, a city property best practices policy (targeting fall 2026), a leaf-out landing page, continued community partnerships, and the goal of planting 24,000 trees by 2032. Kate Dixon presented resolutions from the Parks Board: one supporting the 24,000 tree campaign (adopted), and one requesting review of the Biltmore Hills tennis project (deferred for further discussion).
- Stormwater Policies: Wayne Miles and Graham Smith presented updates to the Stream Stabilization Policy and the Drainage Assistance Policy. Changes include better alignment with the stormwater design manual, limiting projects in the Neuse River riparian buffer zone, and establishing a clearer project withdrawal process. Both policies were approved with an effective date of March 24, 2026.
Key Outcomes
- Public Hearings: Set for April 7, 2026, and April 21, 2026, as recommended by staff for several rezoning and annexation cases.
- Ferry Road Assemblage: Public hearing set for April 21, 2026, in the afternoon, with conditions including relocation assistance.
- Short Session Legislative Agenda: Adopted the guiding principles, policy themes, and legislative goals as presented, with direction to staff to draft a formal agenda.
- Loan Modification: Approved transferring loans for Arbor and Millburnie Road Apartments from Essential Housing LLC to Harmony Housing LLC, with all affordability restrictions unchanged.
- Leaf Out Resolutions: Adopted the Parks Board resolution supporting the 24,000 trees campaign. Deferred the resolution on Biltmore Hills tennis project for further discussion.
- Stormwater Policies: Approved updates to the Stream Stabilization Policy and the Drainage Assistance Policy, effective March 24, 2026.
- Nuisance Abatement: Approved for four properties: 1,000 Bunch Drive, 105 Cook Street, 700 Cooper Road (third abatement, total $2,441), and 614 Tower Street.
- Annexations: Approved AX3425 (2936 Hodge Road), AX4125 (8415 Honeycutt Road), AX4625 (6305 Garrett Road), AX4725 (adjacent property), and AX126 (Old Millburnie Road). All annexations were approved with effective dates of March 17, 2026.
- Rezoning: Approved the rezoning for 2936 Hodge Road from Wake County R-30 to R10 conditional use.
- Appointments: Yu Gia Sway nominated for Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (vote ongoing at end of transcript). CC Grant elevated to regular member of Raleigh Transit Authority (RTA). Cameron Zamott nominated for regular RTA vacancy and Eddie Sackinger for alternate RTA vacancy.
- Closed Session: Council moved into closed session to discuss an honorary degree and to consult with the city attorney. No reportable actions taken.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everybody to the city council meeting. Uh, first item of business is the Pledge of Allegiance. And uh, Councillor Lambert Milton, can you lead us in the flight? Pro Tim Harrison back for this meeting. Baby cadence is in good hands with Doug for a few hours. Yeah, we hope. Okay. We had nothing pulled from the consent agenda. So do we have a motion to approve? All in favor of the motion. Aye. All opposed, nay. And that passes. Next, we have public comment. And it is three minutes per person. First sign up is Elizabeth Scott. Good afternoon, Honorable Council members. My name is Elizabeth Scott. I'm speaking on behalf of myself and my Anderson Forest neighbors. At September's Greenway Committee meeting, City staff said they had no big branch creek cost estimates, but confidently proclaimed that the project could be completed within the $4.48 million parks bond allocation. However, estimates dated over a month before the meeting tell a different story. They show that the cost of a segment 1B a segment 1B route through Anderson Forests would alone exceed the entire park spond allocation for this project. These bond funds were meant to finance three trail segments, not just one. They show that the cost of a segment to mass these cost overruns, staff announced that Stormwater's pledge to contribute 1.2 million dollars towards a uh towards stream bank stabilization in support of a segment 1B route through Anderson Forest. However, there will still be significant cost overruns, even with this hefty contribution. In response to a recent public records request, the city has produced a February 2026 project cost estimate that exceeds $8.65 million. That's nearly double the park spond allocation, and almost $3 million over the city's revised budget that includes the stormwater contribution. And litigation costs were not included in this estimate, which means that connector costs could well exceed 11 million dollars. What's the driving factor behind the projected cost over ones? Segment 1B, a budget-blowing half-mile stretch of greenway that will threaten a Zone 1 riparian buffer, destroy tree canopy, endanger trail users, infringe on private property rights, and violate long a long-standing conservation easement. Forty years ago, this city accepted a conservation easement that prohibits the building of greenway trails through Anderson Forest. Yet after reaping the benefit of this easement for dec decades, the city is proposing to break the very terms of the easement it accepted. The city needs to keep its promises. Forty years ago, excuse me, there are less expensive segment 1B routes that can be built without threatening riparian buffers, infringing on private property rights, or breaking long-term promises. Thank you. Next we have Chris Crewe. Happy St. Patrick's Day, ladies and gentlemen. If you missed the St. Patrick's Day parade Saturday, it was my 15th. It was a whole lot of fun. It was downhill and ended at a pub. What could be more Irish than that? I'd like to talk to you today about preservation. Growth is inevitable. It can be transformative, but it's up to us to see that it's not destructive. Zoning and land use planning are tools that we use to meet this challenge. With considerable public input, we developed and adopted a comprehensive plan so that our growth could occur in a healthy and predictable matter. If you routinely overturn publicly supported zoning on demand and by whim, you might as well not have the comprehensive plan. You will soon be asked to make a decision concerning three zoning change requests that will have a decided impact on the character, culture, and history of Raleigh.
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