CITY PLANNING

2030 Comprehensive Plan UPDATE

Raleigh

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements .......................................................................................... iv Version History ............................................................................................... vi Section 1 Introduction.................................................................................1-1 Section 2 Framework..................................................................................2-1 Section 3 Land Use ....................................................................................3-1 Section 4 Transportation..............................................................................4-1 Section 5 Environmental Protection ...........................................................5-1 Section 6 Economic Development..............................................................6-1 Section 7 Housing ......................................................................................7-1 Section 8 Parks Recreation Open Space....................................................8-1 Section 9 Public Utilities .............................................................................9-1 Section 10 Community Facilities and Services.........................................10-1 Section 11 Urban Design..........................................................................11-1 Section 12 Historic Preservation ..............................................................12-1 Section 13 Arts and Culture......................................................................13-1 Section 14 Regional and InterJurisdictional Coordination.....14-1 Section 15 Downtown Raleigh..................................................................15-1 Section 16 Area Plans ..............................................................................16-1 Section 17 Implementation.......................................................................17-1 Glossary ...................................................................................................18-1

Acknowledgements

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Acknowledgements: 2019 Plan Update

City Council

Honorable Nancy McFarlane, Mayor Corey Branch, Mayor Pro Tem David Cox Kay Crowder Stef Mendell Russ Stephenson Nicole Stewart Richard “Dickie” Thompson Bonner Gaylord (2014-2017) Mary-Ann Baldwin (2014-2017)

City Manager

Ruffin Hall

Planning Commission

Rodney Swink, Chair Tika Hicks, Vice Chir Bob Geary Edie Jeffreys Joe Lyle CJ Mann Michele McIntosh David Novak Matt Tomasulo Shelley Winters

Lead Agency

Department of City Planning

Kenneth Bowers, AICP, Director Travis Crane, AICP, Assistant Director Roberta M K Fox, AIA ASLA, Assistant Director

Comprehensive Plan Update Team

Bynum Walter, AICP John Anagnost Ray Aull, GISP Don Belk, AICP Sara Ellis Christopher Golden Jason Hardin, AICP Matthew Klem, CZO Kyle Little Ira Mabel, AICP Hannah Reckhow

Communication Team

David Langley Aaron Sheppard

Other Contributing Members

Dhanya Purushothaman-Sandeep, AICP Carter Pettibone, AICP Joe Michael, AIA

Participating Departments

City Manager’s Office Department of Budget and Management Services Department of Communications Department of Development Services Department of Engineering Services Department of Finance Department of Housing and Neighborhoods Department of Information Technology Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department of Public Utilities Department of Transportation Department of Solid Waste Services Raleigh Fire Department Raleigh Police Department

Acknowledgements

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Acknowledgements: 2009 Comprehensive Plan

City Council

Honorable Charles Meeker, Mayor Dr. James West, Mayor Pro Tem Mary-Ann Baldwin Thomas Crowder Philip Isley Rodger Koopman Nancy McFarlane Russ Stephenson

City Manager

J. Russell Allen

Planning Commission

Maha Chambliss, Chair Tom Bartholomew, Vice Chair Paul Anderson Marvin Butler Quince Fleming Bonner Gaylord Linda Harris Edmisten Waheed Haq Clyde Holt Brad Mullins Stephen Smith Heather Vance

Lead Agency

Department of City Planning

Mitchell Silver, AICP, Director Kenneth Bowers, AICP, Deputy Director

Comprehensive Plan Team

Alysia Bailey Taylor, AICP James Brantley, AICP Alfreda Bryant Travis Crane Trisha Hasch Kris Larson Martin Stankus, AICP

Supporting Mapping and Graphics Staff

Allison Decker Frank Holyfield JD Long Scott Masteller Carter Pettibone, AICP Aaron Sheppard DeShele Sumpter Stan Wingo

Additional Contributing Members

Elizabeth Alley Jacque Baker Stacy Barbour, AICP Dan Becker Meade Bradshaw Christine Darges Dan Douglas, AICP Karen Duke Doug Hill, AICP Eric Hodge, AICP James Marapoti Dhanya Sandeep

Consulting Team

HNTB Corporation

With assistance from

Barry J. Miller, AICP Greenways Inc. Justice & Sustainability Associates McKim & Creed Partners for Economic Solutions White & Smith LLC

Acknowledgements

Version History

Adopted October 7, 2009 (Resolution 2009-997) with an effective date of November 1, 2009

Amended

December 7, 2010 (Res. 2010-286) January 18, 2011 (Res. 2011-307) February 1, 2011 (Res. 2011-315) March 1, 2011 (Res. 2011-320) April 5, 2011 (Res. 2011-339) September 20, 2011 (Res. 2011-453) March 6, 2012 (Res. 2012-544) March 20, 2012 (Res. 2012-550) November 6, 2012 (Res. 2012-680) March 19, 2013 (Res. 2013-736) April 2, 2013 (Res. 2013-739) April 2, 2013 (Res. 2013-740) June 4, 2013 (Res. 2013-767) September 3, 2013 (Res. 2013-802) September 3, 2013 (Res. 2013-803) November 19, 2013 (Res. 2013-848) April 1, 2014 (Res. 2014-893) September 2, 2014 (Res. 2014-980) September 2, 2014 (Res. 2014-981) September 2, 2014 (Res. 2014-982) September 16, 2014 (Res. 2014-996) April 21, 2015 (Res. 2015-95) June 2, 2015 (Res. 2015-120) August 4, 2015 (Res. 2015-167) August 4, 2015 (Res. 2015-168) August 4, 2015 (Res. 2015-169) August 4, 2015 (Res. 2015-170) June 21, 2016 (Res. 2016-325) July 5, 2016 (Res. 2016-332) February 7, 2017 (Res. 2017-449) September 5, 2017 (Res. 2017-501) October 3, 2017 (Res. 2017-515) November 8, 2017 (Res. 2017-529) February 2, 2018 (Res. 2018-543) June 5, 2018 (Res. 2018-594) June 5, 2018 (Res. 2018-595) December 4, 2018 (Res. 2018-652) August 21, 2018 (Res. 2018-620) August 21, 2018 (Res. 2018-621) February 5, 2019 (Res. 2019-667) May 7, 2019 (Res. 2018-814) May 21, 2019 (Res. 2019-833) May 21, 2019 (Res. 2019-846) May 21, 2019 (Res. 2019-847) June 2, 2020 (Res. 2020-60) June 4, 2019 (Res. 2019-853) July 2, 2019 (Res. 2019-883) September 3, 2019 (Res. 2019-937) September 17, 2019 (Res. 2019-943) October 1, 2019 (Res. 2019-947) October 1, 2019 (Res. 2019-948) October 1, 2019 (Res. 2019-949) October 1, 2019 (Res. 2019-950) November 6, 2019 (Res. 2019-959) November 6, 2019 (Res. 2019-960) November 6, 2019 (Res. 2019-961) November 12, 2019 (Res. 2019-962) November 12, 2019 (Res. 2019-963) December 3, 2019 (Res. 2019-1) May 5, 2020 (Res. 2020-36) July 7, 2020 (Res. 2020-91) October 6, 2020 (Res. 2020-139) December 1, 2020 (Res. 2020-208) December 15, 2020 (Res. 2020-206) December 15, 2020 (Res. 2020-207) March 2, 2021 (Res. 2021-230) May 4, 2021 (Res. 2021-251) June 15, 2021 (Res. 2021-269) October 19, 2021 (Res. 2021-310) November 2, 2021 (Res. 2021-313) November 16, 2021 (Res. 2021-318) January 4, 2022 (Res. 2022-325) May 10, 2022 (Res. 2022-358) May 17, 2022 (Res. 2022-363) June 7, 2022 (Res. 2022-373) June 21, 2022 (Res. 2022-383) June 21, 2022 (Res. 2022-384) July 5, 2022 (Res. 2022-389) September 6, 2022 (Res. 2022-412) October 4, 2022 (Res. 2022-421) November 15, 2022 (Res. 2022-436) November 15, 2022 (Res. 2022-437) March 7, 2023 (Res. 2023-474) April 4, 2023 (Res. 2023-484) April 4, 2023 (Res. 2023-485) May 2, 2023 (Res. 2023-489) October 17, 2023 (Res. 2023-530) November 7, 2032 (Res. 2023-535) January 30, 2024 (Res. 2024-555) March 20, 2024 (Res. 2024-557) June 18, 2024 (Res. 2024-591) October 15, 2024 (Res. 2024-616) November 6, 2024 (Res. 2024-621) November 6, 2024 (Res. 2024-622)

section 1

Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the Comprehensive Plan........................................... 1-4 1.2 How the Comprehensive Plan is to be Used ............................. 1-8 1.3 Organization of the Plan ........................................................... 1-10 1.4 Civic Engagement Process ...................................................... 1-12

Introduction

Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, is a fast-growing city located in the fastest-growing region of the state, the Research Triangle. Home to more than 450,000 people as of 2015, the city is expected to grow to over 600,000 by the year 2035. Since the last Comprehensive Plan was written in 1989, Raleigh’s population has increased by 103 percent. Growth of this magnitude is not incidental. Raleigh’s strong and diversified economy, highly-educated populace, great education system, plentiful parks, and resurgent downtown are major factors in attracting new residents and businesses from around the country and the world. The transformation has made Raleigh one of the 50 largest cities in the United States.

Raleigh’s growth and relative prosperity make planning for the city’s future critically important. In fact, the need for good city planning has never been greater as Raleigh addresses its growth and development challenges. How do we grow while maintaining Raleigh’s outstanding quality of life and retaining the assets that make Raleigh special? How do we add to the community while preserving its past? How do we manage growth and make our land use more supportive of transit and walkable neighborhoods? How do we sustain our environment for the present and renew it for the future? How do we provide decent and affordable housing options? How do we position Raleigh to remain nationally competitive with a strong economy?

The Comprehensive Plan is the key policy document that helps make Raleigh workable, livable, and prosperous. This 2030 Comprehensive Plan provides the Vision and strategies for Raleigh to prosper and grow as a modern, 21^st century city. The Plan provides an integrated approach to all aspects of Raleigh’s physical development and related economic and social issues, with an emphasis on environmental, economic, and social sustainability; enhancing land use and transportation coordination; and developing attractive and prosperous neighborhoods for all. The Comprehensive Plan seeks to:

• Inspire with bold ideas to help shape development today and tomorrow.
• Provide the basis for orderly, consistent, and predictable land use decision-making.
• Facilitate quality development throughout Raleigh.
• Provide a “greenprint” for more sustainable growth patterns.
• Build on the ideas and guidance from the many participants in the Planning Raleigh 2030 process.

Raleigh’s Commitment to Sustainability

Raleigh’s commitment to sustainability is a cornerstone of its vision for the future. That vision is broad and comprehensive and focuses on the interdependent relationships of environmental stewardship, economic strength, and social integrity. These three elements, referred to as the “triple bottom line” of sustainability, define the vision and will serve to guide the choices and decisions Raleigh will need to make as a 21^st century City of Innovation.

Consistent with this vision, the city has created a citizens Environmental Advisory Board, established full time Sustainability Initiatives Manager and Energy Manager positions, adopted a fossil fuel reduction goal, enacted an energy efficient buildings standard of LEED Silver for city buildings, and has endorsed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement to develop a greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy for the city.

There are many other sustainability initiatives on-going in the city including LED lighting, greening the city’s vehicle fleet, supporting the creation of green jobs, a teleworking program, renewable energy projects, rainwater harvesting, water reuse, tiered water rates, sustainable purchasing policies, employee health and wellness programs, innovative financing strategies, and public-private collaboration, among others. Many of these are described in greater detail in the Plan sections.

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1.1 Purpose of the Comprehensive Plan

Legal Basis, Role, and Content

Although the state’s zoning enabling statute establishes that “zoning regulations shall be made in accordance with a comprehensive plan,” North Carolina’s cities are not required by state law to prepare a comprehensive land use plan, and the nature of such a plan is not defined by statute. However, Raleigh has a long history of using a comprehensive planning document to establish policies that respond to the requirements and aspirations of the city’s residents, and accordingly influence social, economic, and physical development. Past comprehensive plans have been used to promote economic growth and jobs and guide private and public investment. To achieve its vision for the future, Raleigh needs a Plan that promotes sustainability while maintaining and enhancing the natural and architectural assets of the city and furthering the social and economic welfare of its residents.

Raleigh’s Approach to Planning

Raleigh has a tradition of developing comprehensive plans dating back to 1913. In that year, there was one registered automobile for every 82 Americans. Residents of Raleigh walked to work or to go shopping. The street was a space shared equally by pedestrians, horses, and vehicles. An invention called the bicycle was becoming a more common sight. By 1960, there were over 60 million registered vehicles in America, or one for every three Americans. Raleigh’s urban environment grew to accommodate the popularity of the automobile starting mid-century and continuing to the present day, although the city has begun refocusing on walkers, cyclists, and transit riders as essential parts of the transportation system.

Subsequent comprehensive plans, adopted in 1979 and 1989, responded to the new auto-centric landscape with a set of policy tools that emphasized the preservation of landscaped and tree-lined view sheds along major transportation corridors and that sought to control excessive strip-style retail development along high-volume streets. Retail would be concentrated into nodes at major intersections, with office and multifamily filling the areas in between. An Urban Form map provided a detailed hierarchy of commercial focus areas, ranging from neighborhood to regional. Raleigh’s development code pioneered new tools such as highway overlay districts, street protective yards, and a sign ordinance that significantly mitigated visual clutter and enhanced the trees and landscaping that would be in the field of vision of motorists traversing the city’s arterial road network. These policy innovations deserve significant credit for creating the attractive and green landscape of suburban Raleigh. However, this framework did less to promote the growing emphasis on making the city more friendly and accessible to walkers, cyclists, and transit riders.

The 2030 Comprehensive Plan was drafted to respond to the significant market, economic, social, and environmental changes facing Raleigh at the start of the 21ˢᵗ century. It is much more specific in its policy guidance, includes an Implementation Section, and provides a land use plan that was absent from the 1989 Plan. The old Thoroughfare Plan has been replaced by the Raleigh Street Plan which implements a much more context-sensitive, “complete streets” approach to the street. The clarity of intent produced by these changes has enabled the city to design and adopt a new, more flexible zoning ordinance that is better adapted to the goals of this Plan. This Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) applies some of the most up-to-date practices of land use regulation in a way that is tailored to the unique history and urban fabric of Raleigh. The UDO and the 2030 Plan give citizens and stakeholders greater confidence in pursuing their private goals by communicating a unified and unambiguous message as to the values that will guide development in the future.

Area Specific Guidance supplements the 2030 Plan by focusing in more detail on specific parts of Raleigh. Formerly known as Small Area Plans, each Area Specific Guidance section is a set of goals, policies, and actions for the design and development of a neighborhood, mixed-use center, or corridor within Raleigh. Residents of these communities help craft these documents through participation in extensive and inclusive public planning sessions. Area Specific Guidance empowers communities to decide how they wish to implement more detailed planning goals in their area.

The combination of the 2030 Plan, Area Specific Guidance, and the UDO results in a development outlook that can be effectively implemented and monitored with greater accessibility and functionality for Raleigh residents.

Relationship to the Strategic Plan

In 2015, the Raleigh City Council adopted the Strategic Plan to guide the government of the city. The Strategic Plan and the Comprehensive Plan serve many of the same ideals but from different perspectives. The Comprehensive Plan translates a long term vision into targeted objectives for overall growth and development. The Strategic Plan provides a short term framework for the city to pursue objectives that support high-quality operational outcomes. Both outlooks are based on unifying values. The Comprehensive Plan serves a set of six Vision Themes while the Strategic Plan’s foundation is its six Key Focus Areas.

The Comprehensive Plan creates a policy road map for the city to pursue development goals identified by citizens. The values expressed by citizens have been organized into the following Vision Themes:

• Economic Prosperity and Equity.
• Expanding Housing Choices.
• Managing Our Growth.
• Coordinating Land Use and Transportation.
• Greenprint Raleigh – Sustainable Development.
• Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities.

The objectives of the Comprehensive Plan address a wide range of internal and external activities of the city that affect outcomes for residents, businesses, and cultural and natural resources.

The Strategic Plan assists the city in assigning its internal resources in the way that maintains and improves the qualities that make Raleigh an outstanding city. The Strategic Plan calls for the city to focus its operational efforts on six key areas of identity and character:

• Arts & Cultural Resources.
• Economic Development & Innovation.
• Growth & Natural Resources.
• Organizational Excellence.
• Safe, Vibrant & Healthy Community.
• Transportation & Transit.

Objectives and initiatives in the Strategic Plan provide clear action steps that will support the six key areas. Table T-1 shows how Strategic Plan Key Focus Areas generally align with the Vision Themes of the Comprehensive Plan. The Vision Themes are explained in greater detail in the Framework Section.

Table T-1 Alignment of the Strategic Plan and the Comprehensive Plan

The Capital Improvement Program

The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is a ten year, two phase plan adopted by City Council that serves as a statement of city policy regarding the timing, location, and funding of major public facilities in the City of Raleigh. The CIP is developed by analyzing public facility needs, projecting fiscal resources, establishing priorities, and developing schedules for their implementation. Six programmatic categories are included: Transportation, Public Utilities, Parks, Stormwater Utility and Neuse Basin Environmental, Housing, and General Public Improvements. The Phase I program, encompassing the first five years of the CIP, includes schedules and budget estimates for projects approved by Council in previous editions of the CIP, as well as additional projects recommended as the result of planning processes. The first two years of the CIP serve as the basis for the capital portion of the annual operating budget and biannual budget projection. The Phase II program, spanning the second five year period, provides a more general review of projects and capital maintenance needs necessary for the continuation of services to the citizens of the city.

Relationship to the Capital Improvement Program

The Comprehensive Plan provides guidance on the need to manage growth and development and to continue investment in the city’s physical infrastructure and buildings. The Plan recommends enhancing the capital improvement planning and budgeting process by implementing more explicit ties between the Comprehensive Plan and the development of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) as well as the establishment of priorities among various potential capital investments. In addition, for each recommended action in this 2030 Raleigh Comprehensive Plan, the Implementation Section identifies whether capital dollars are required to implement that action. There are about 109 such actions in the Plan where the need for capital funds is indicated.

1.2 How the Comprehensive Plan is to be Used

This document has been designed for use by elected and appointed officials, city government administration and staff, residents, businesses and developers, and others with an interest in the future of Raleigh.

This Comprehensive Plan will be used to:

• Establish the vision for what Raleigh can achieve and aspires to achieve by 2030.
• Consolidate and coordinate in one comprehensive document the policies that relate to the city’s physical and economic growth and development for all city departments.
• Guide decision-making and evaluation of zoning map and text amendments and discretionary development approvals.
• Coordinate capital investment by linking the Capital Improvement Program to the Comprehensive Plan.
• Identify short to long-term strategic actions for the city to undertake. These actions will be monitored annually to ensure implementation and accountability.

The intent of this Plan is to make it easy to read and accessible to all. Key issues are described with data to make the purpose of policies more apparent. Graphics, maps, photos, and charts have been used to illustrate major points and improve the legibility of the text. Text boxes are used to present background information or highlight issues.

As the city’s primary policy and planning document addressing the physical development of Raleigh, the Comprehensive Plan is of particular interest to elected officials who must adopt it and fund its implementation, appointed officials who will use it as a guide to discretionary decisions, as well as city agency heads who are charged with its implementation and the update of other plans to conform with it.

The Comprehensive Plan is also an important source of information and guidance to private sector actors involved in development. The Land Use Section and Future Land Use Map provide clear guidance on preferred zoning classifications for particular properties, which will assist in the preparation of rezoning petitions. Many policies describe desired development outcomes, and consistency with these policies will be a factor in the review of discretionary development applications such as rezoning petitions¹. The Plan will help the private sector anticipate future public investment priorities. It will also bring more predictability to the zoning and development review and approval process for developers, property owners, and concerned citizens alike.

Finally, the Comprehensive Plan is also a resource for those who seek general information on how Raleigh may change over the next 20 years, as well as those who want or need to understand how the city plans to respond to particular issues and problems.

The Comprehensive Plan’s Future Land Use Map is incorporated as part of the document and provides the foundation for decisions regarding land use and zoning. It is supplemented by the Growth Framework Map, which provides a vision for the city’s future growth, and by numerous smaller maps that appear throughout the text of the Plan.

Vision, Policy, Action

At the heart of the Comprehensive Plan are six Vision Themes, described in greater detail in the Framework chapter, which were identified through the Civic Engagement process. These six themes constitute the goals of the plan and are referenced in all Plan sections and every policy statement.

Advancing the six themes are the Plan’s Policies. All policies respond to and fulfill one or more of the Vision Themes. Policies provide general guidance for decision-makers and help direct the city towards achieving the guiding themes. Policies are generally open-ended as to time frame, as they provide ongoing direction. The policies in this document are organized by topics that indicate the subject being addressed.

Actions are specific measures that the city will undertake to implement the policies. All actions link back to one or more policies in the same section in which they appear, although not every policy has a corresponding action. While some actions are ongoing, most have an identifiable end state after which the action is considered complete. All actions are prioritized and assigned to different city agencies in the Action Plan and Matrix.

When an action is deemed complete by a responsible agency, it is placed in the table of Completed Action Items in the Implementation Section, which provides a record of all completed actions.

The policies and actions contained within the Comprehensive Plan have implications for the capital and operating budgets of the various departments of city government, and therefore are subject to the same budgetary constraints as any other long range plan. The number and type of actions implemented in any given year will be determined by budget considerations in addition to the priorities set forth in the Implementation Section.

Interpretation of Policies

Policies provide direction for decision-makers regarding particular courses of action to pursue. They are also intended to guide decisions regarding the review and approval of development proposals, and the consistency of petitions to amend the city’s official zoning map.

Based on the specifics on a particular policy, it may apply exclusively to city actions, or it may set forth an expectation regarding private sector activities. The former policies are typically worded as an ongoing aspiration or intent, using active words such as “encourage,” “promote,” and “provide.” The latter such policies are typically worded as a statement expressing a desired state or outcome, utilizing the word “should” to distinguish the policy statements in the Plan from the legal requirements found in the city’s codes, where the word “shall” is the norm. In any specific case where the application of a Comprehensive Plan policy conflicts with a use, height, or density standard in the zoning and development code, the code standard will control.

Rezoning petitions, as well as certain development applications, are subject to review for consistency with the Comprehensive Plan. Policies which set forth private sector expectations and which are relevant to rezoning and development matters are called “key policies” and are highlighted throughout the Plan with an orange dot. Consistency is relative and not absolute. It is not anticipated that every proposal and project will implement every Plan policy. Projects and proposals that implement one or more Plan policies, help achieve the overall goals of the Plan, and are not in conflict with key policies as highlighted above will be judged to be consistent. Projects and proposals that are in conflict with the overall goals of the Plan and contradict key policies will be judged to be inconsistent. More guidance on consistency determinations can be found in Section 1 ‘Future Land Uses.’

The Plan has been written to be free of internal conflicts, meaning that as a general rule, implementing one policy should not preclude the implementation of another. However, situations that are site- and/or project-specific may arise where specific policies present competing objectives. Judgment will be required to balance the relative benefits and detriments of emphasizing one policy over another. When weighing competing objectives, greater weight should be given to achieving overall policy objectives on an area- and citywide scale rather than a site-specific scale, and decision-makers should consider the cumulative impacts of making a number of similar decisions over time.

1.3 Organization of the Plan

The 2030 Comprehensive Plan is organized into sections that follow this introductory chapter and contain citywide guidance. The Plan begins with the Framework, which sets the stage for the Plan by summarizing the key citywide issues driving the need for the Plan. It provides an overview of growth forecasts, defines the Vision and Themes that serve as the overarching goals for this Plan, and describes the role of the Growth Framework and the Future Land Use Map (the two policy maps that provide the basis for many of the Comprehensive Plan’s narrative recommendations).

The subsequent sections each contain a summary overview to provide context and key issues, followed by citywide policies and actions to address these issues. Tables, images, text boxes, and maps supplement the narrative content. Following the Framework, the Plan’s topical citywide sections are:

• Land Use: Provides a framework for all development-related decisions. It is the critical foundation upon which all other sections are based, and includes the Future Land Use Map and related policies and actions to guide growth in a more compact and efficient pattern over the next 20 years.
• Transportation: Guides future development of the city’s roads and highways, public transit systems, and bike and pedestrian networks to support the city’s desired land uses and urban form; slows the growth of vehicle miles traveled; diversifies away from the use of single occupancy vehicles; and reduces air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The aim is to achieve a balanced and efficient transportation system for Raleigh’s expanding population and their corresponding needs.

• Environmental Protection: Contains the policies and actions required for Raleigh to preserve our natural resources and address challenges related to global climate change and the need to become more sustainable.

• Economic Development: Includes recommendations to enhance Raleigh’s competitive advantages and build on its culture of innovation. It addresses ways to revitalize aging neighborhood and commercial corridors; assist local entrepreneurs; provide job training and education; and harness the benefits of tourism, visitation, and the creative industries.

• Housing: Includes recommendations on housing needs and encouraging homeownership, preserving existing affordable housing, creating new affordable housing, aging in place and universal access, and encouraging mixed-use development that includes affordable and workforce housing.

• Parks, Recreation, and Open Space: Addresses park planning and acquisition, greenway and trail planning and connectivity, open space conservation, capital improvement planning, and the preservation of special landscapes, among other issues.

• Public Utilities: Includes recommendations to ensure the long-term adequacy and safety of the drinking water supply, distribution system, and the wastewater system. It also addresses stormwater, energy, telecommunications, and utility extension policies.

• Community Services and Facilities: Provides direction for government buildings, solid waste services, emergency services, schools, and libraries. A key focus for this section is managing limited resources, encouraging co-location, and supporting infill development.

• Urban Design: Provides recommendations to address place-making and reinforcement of the design of Raleigh’s neighborhoods, business districts, and commercial corridors; preserve important views; and provide the framework to guide the design of future development.

• Historic Preservation: Includes guidance to preserve and promote the historic identity of Raleigh and sustain great historic communities in which to live and work. The section includes recommendations to enhance regulatory tools and incentives, promote preservation, and improve coordination among role players with a stake in, and impact upon, preservation.

• Arts and Culture: Provides a consolidated framework to support the arts in Raleigh, and makes recommendations to address funding to support public art, arts districts and other incentives to encourage artists, and cultural facilities expansion to serve the city’s growing needs.

• Regional and Inter-Jurisdictional Coordination: Provides guidance for intergovernmental cooperation in planning and providing essential public services that impact the region as a whole, including transportation, land use and growth management, economic development, education, protection of natural resources, and public services.

• Downtown Raleigh: Contains policies and actions that are specific to the urban core of the city, addressing growth and development in Raleigh’s traditional downtown and its growth as a mixed-use center.

The Plan also includes 27 Area Specific Guidance documents brought forward in revised form from the 1989 Plan or adopted since 2009. These plans were created through focused, community-based planning efforts. They include policies too detailed and area-specific to be included in a citywide Plan section. The decision of which plans, and which plan policies, to bring forward was based on an exhaustive policy audit of every adopted geographically-focused plan. All the Area Specific Guidance has been streamlined and rewritten to conform to the conventions used throughout the remainder of this Plan. Land Use recommendations from adopted Area Plans are reflected on the citywide Future Land Use Map.

The Plan’s Implementation section organizes the priorities, responsible agencies, and necessary partnerships to implement the Plan’s policies and actions. It highlights the Capital Improvement Program and other priorities required to implement the Plan’s recommendations. Most significantly, the Implementation section includes a guide for keeping the Plan current and reporting progress toward reaching the Plan’s Vision for 2030.

The Plan is supplemented by the detailed background studies in the City of Raleigh Community Inventory Report. The reader seeking more background information and data analysis is encouraged to refer to this valuable resource material. The Community Inventory Report is supplemented annually by a condensed set of community data and statistics called the Data Book.

1.4 Civic Engagement Process

Civic Engagement is a central component of the comprehensive planning process. The Department of City Planning has been the lead agency for the update of Raleigh’s Comprehensive Plan, providing a wide variety of civic engagement opportunities and forums throughout the city. These have included public workshops, smaller-scale community meetings, stakeholder roundtables, and online consultation. The centerpiece of the public outreach effort has been a series of nine citywide public workshops held in three rounds of three.

The first round of workshops was held in November 2007 to allow public participation in developing the vision and themes to guide the overall planning effort. These workshops were publicized widely in the local news media, including print, radio, and television, as well as the city’s website. Close to 400 members of the community participated in the workshops, responding and reacting to an overview of existing conditions and an assessment of the “State of the City” in small group sessions. More than 150 people participated online in this round.

The second round of workshops was held in March 2008, as the effort moved from analysis to policy development. Approximately 250 people attended and participated in these workshops, responding to questionnaires regarding their values related to economic development and equity, growth management, housing, land use, transportation, neighborhood and community development, and sustainability. Another 30 completed the surveys online.

The final round of workshops was held in January 2009 to present a Public Review Draft of the Plan to the community. These workshops were conducted in an “open house” format, with opportunities to interact with city staff at booths addressing clusters of specific Plan sections and topics. Approximately 230 members of the public attended these workshops.

The entire Plan was made available for review and comment at the city’s interactive website from December 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009. As part of this process, over 1,200 comments were received on the Public Review Draft of this document, with hundreds of substantive changes to the Plan being made in response. A substantial majority of comments were constructive and indicated support for the Plan.

These citywide forums have been supplemented by a number of other civic engagement opportunities:

• Big Ideas Week was held in April 2008 in venues ranging from a tavern at Moore Square to Marbles Kid’s Museum. Approximately 125 people were involved, and came up with creative and transformative ideas at brainstorming sessions about topics such as a World-Class Welcome, City Places for People, Transit for All, Capital Boulevard Redesigned for Living, and Downtown 24/7.

• Kids City was held in May 2008. Approximately 600 people (children 10 and under with supervising adults) participated in constructing a city. The children used recycled boxes, construction paper, string, tape, crayons, markers, and other creative tools to construct their ideal city on a grid that spread out over the museum’s first floor. The grid included streets and other transit corridors, greenways, downtown, suburbs, small town, and farm land. Over the course of the day, Raleigh grew from a small 18th century ‘planned’ capital city to a 21[^st] century metro area.

• Two public workshops were held at the Urban Design Center in June 2008 to discuss Raleigh’s downtown. They attracted more than 100 participants who identified issues and concerns at the first workshop and potential policies, programs, and projects at the second workshop.

• In addition, roundtable discussions for topic- and issue-focused stakeholders were also held throughout the process to address specific issues and opportunities facing the city. Fourteen such forums were conducted, addressing the Arts Commission, Appearance Commission, Environmental Advisory Board, Affordable Housing, Environmental Sustainability, Developers, Homebuilders, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Cooperating Raleigh Colleges, Raleigh Historic Districts Commission, the Hillsborough Street Partnership, and Complete Streets advocates, among others.

• The city held community meetings and input sessions with Citizens Advisory Councils at their invitation. A total of six such sessions were held, the largest being a joint meeting involving the partnership of the five CACs comprising the Southeast quadrant of Raleigh, which drew about 150 participants.

• Following the release of the Public Review Draft of the Comprehensive Plan, a total of 14 public briefings, consisting of a presentation followed by questions and answers, were held to present the Draft. Three of these were evening sessions, while the remainder also served as briefings to appointed boards and commissions. All were open to the general public.

Introduction

• In addition, the city developed an interactive website for the Plan update including a comment function allowing participants to enter comments on draft documents online and view others’ comments. Among the documents that were opened for online review and comment were the summary reports for the November and March workshops, the City of Raleigh Community Inventory Report, and the Public Review Draft of the Comprehensive Plan.

Many residents, governmental agencies, businesses, institutions, and leaders helped shape this Plan.

2019 Update

An update to the Plan was initiated in 2014 and completed in 2019. The update was the product of a rigorous process involving all city departments, numerous public meetings, and review by the Planning Commission and City Council. The steps in the update are listed below.

• Due Diligence: City staff reviewed the data, statistics, trends, and assumptions used as the basis of the original Plan. Where appropriate, more up-to-date facts and analysis were introduced and irrelevant information was removed.

• Outreach and In-reach: Staff solicited input from appointed boards and commissions as well as various city departments to inform the update process about changes to real world conditions and professional standards. The public was engaged through workshops that highlighted emerging conditions, challenges, and desires of the community.

• White Paper: A White Paper was drafted in 2015 and adopted by the City Council in 2016. The White Paper built on the previous steps to make concrete recommendations about new content for the Comprehensive Plan. The public was again engaged through workshops to gather community input and comment.

• Plan Drafting: The City Council authorized city staff in Spring of 2017 to draft revisions to the Comprehensive Plan. Preliminary draft documents were circulated among relevant departments for review and comment. Subsequently, a public review draft was released in installments through the Summer of 2017. The public comment period included five public meetings, each focused on a key topic of change to the Plan derived from the White Paper, to share draft content and receive community feedback. Comments collected in-person and online were used to refine the public review draft before City Council review.

The updated Comprehensive Plan more accurately depicts and addresses the current state and future aspirations of Raleigh in the 21ˢᵗ century.

section 2

Framework

2.1 Planning Context and Key Issues.............................................. 2-2 2.2 Growth Forecasts ..................................................................... 2-9 2.3 Vision and Themes ................................................................. 2-11 2.4 Framing Maps......................................................................... 2-13 2.5 The Power of Planning ........................................................... 2-17

The Framework chapter provides the context for the rest of the Comprehensive Plan by describing the key trends and issues that undergird the Plan’s recommendations. These issues include: addressing the city’s expansive growth; the need to better coordinate land use and transportation decision-making; expanding housing choices and the affordable housing supply; ensuring sufficient water resources to support a growing city and region; expanding economic opportunity for all of Raleigh; investing in transit; and preserving and improving the city’s natural resources.

The Framework chapter also includes a description of Raleigh’s growth forecasts. The forecasts are expressed in terms of projected jobs and households for the city to the year 2030. It also provides the city’s Vision Statement and six vision themes that provide the frame for the Comprehensive Plan and serve as its overarching goals. Finally, the Framework chapter describes the Growth Framework Map and the Future Land Use Map.

2.1 Planning Context and Key Issues

A critical part of the Comprehensive Plan Update process has been an analysis of the current and future state of the city. To accomplish this, a Community Inventory Report was compiled at the start of the planning process to provide the factual and analytical foundation for the Comprehensive Plan. The Community Inventory Report focuses on the issues facing the city today and through the year 2030. Each topical chapter presents an analysis of existing conditions and trends, identifies key issues and challenges, and highlights potential strategies to address the issues. The reader seeking more background information and data analysis is encouraged to refer to this valuable resource material. The Community Inventory Report is supplemented annually by a condensed set of community data and statistics called the Data Book. This chapter includes data selected from the 2016 Data Book.

Demographic and Household Trends

From its founding as the State Capital in 1792, the City of Raleigh has been on a growth path for more than 200 years. From 1900 to 2010, the City of Raleigh grew from a small town of fewer than 14,000 people to a city of more than 400,000. The city added population in every census year, with an annualized growth rate ranging from 2.0 to 4.3 percent. The annualized growth rate was 3.5 percent in the 1980s, 2.7 percent in the 1990s, and 3.9 percent in the 2000s. The 2010s have seen growth rates closer to 2 percent. As of summer 2015, the city’s population was about 451,000, up 175,000 from 2000. The number of Hispanic residents increased by 26 percent between 2009 and 2014, making them one of the largest components of new residents.

Population Growth 1900-2015

Although population has increased, population density decreased from about 8,000 persons per square mile in 1900 to about 2,800 persons per square mile by 1960 and remained at that general level through the turn of the 21st century. This was largely due to post-war suburbanization, annexation, and expanding city limits. Density increased after 2000 and now exceeds 3,000 persons per square mile.

The most prevalent type of housing within Raleigh is single-family detached housing, accounting for 47 percent of the total housing stock. Less than six percent of the city’s housing stock was built prior to 1950, and about 30 percent of the units in existence in 2014 were developed since the turn of the 21st century. A key part of the overall image of the city is defined by the neighborhoods where the pre-1950s era housing is located, and maintaining the viability of this older stock is important to maintaining the city’s character.

New housing is being driven by demographic trends, especially the entrance of Millennials into the workforce and the growing number of Baby Boomers living without children in the home. In a growing number of cases, young professionals and “empty-nesters” prefer to live in multi-family housing in denser urban areas. From 2010 to 2015, multi-family housing construction consistently outpaced single-family permits. These trends also explain the rise in Raleigh’s population density. In the past, the city gained new residents and new land area at rates that maintained a lower population density. Now, population is growing faster than the city limits.

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Homeownership growth in the city has mirrored national trends, having risen from 47 percent in 1990 to nearly 55 percent as of 2014. However, this is below the national average of 66 percent, likely due to the large amount of multi-family rental housing in the city, and its large student and younger population. Raleigh’s population is projected by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) to grow from a 2015 total of 450,000 to about 580,000 in 2030, and more than 600,000 by 2035, an increase of about 30 percent. Greater growth is possible: an analysis of the land capacity within the city’s current jurisdiction, and under current zoning, found the potential for a population of 670,000 within the jurisdictional boundary.

Land Use and Zoning

The land use pattern established inside the I-440 Beltline before the 1960s is largely single-family in character with small neighborhood commercial centers outside of downtown. Interconnected curvilinear grids are a common street pattern in many of these areas. Duplex and small multi-family dwellings are often found mixed into otherwise single-family neighborhoods. Cameron Village, which opened in 1949 as one of the first shopping centers in the nation outside of a downtown central business district (CBD), remains the largest of the inside-the-Beltline retail centers. Medium to high density residential and office land uses concentrate around this retail center.

The land use pattern outside the Beltline is characterized by residential neighborhoods on loosely connected and cul-de-sac streets. Land uses tend to be separated by buffer yards rather than intentionally designed to transition in scale and use. Multi-family developments are plentiful but tend to be organized as self-contained pods with internal, private circulation systems intermingled with parking areas.

Both the single-family and multi-family areas lack the street connectivity that helps facilitate walking, which in turn funnels all car trips to major streets, even for local trips such as grocery shopping, and presents challenges to first responders in emergencies.

The market for new development patterns is expanding, and the city has responded by adopting a new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The UDO and the guidance afforded by this Plan are intended to support a high quality, resilient, and sustainable lifestyle while enabling development that helps slow the growth of congestion and the emission of air pollutants.

Economic Development and Employment Trends

The economic development analysis provides valuable insight into the city’s employment base and economic strengths and weaknesses. It notes that within the region as a whole, Raleigh’s economy has shifted to one that is more technology-based and less reliant on government and manufacturing. The agricultural and mining industries are two other sectors that have registered losses in Raleigh. The region as a whole, however, is recognized as an economic powerhouse for biotech innovations, medical breakthroughs, technological advancements, state-of-the-art educational institutions, and advanced research—all pivotal factors in its economic performance, with Raleigh partaking significantly in these successes.

Housing and Neighborhoods

There is a need for Raleigh to increase housing opportunities for existing and future residents and to create diverse neighborhoods of choice that attract new investment without excluding residents due to housing costs or discriminatory practices. Increasing demand for multi-family housing has put development pressure on established urban neighborhoods. The percentage of Raleigh households burdened by housing costs increased somewhat between 2009 and 2015, with much of that increase affecting renter occupied households with incomes above the poverty line. While the total number of households in Raleigh grew by 16 percent in the period 2009-2015, the number of housing-burdened, renter occupied households with annual incomes greater than $20,000 increased by 62 percent. Nearly two in five households of this type are burdened.

In response to the growing demand for housing, the city has created a special tax allocation reserved for affordable housing programs. The “penny for affordable housing” is a one cent per $100 increase in the property tax rate that was first adopted as part of the FY2017 Budget. This dedicated funding stream will increase the city’s capacity to finance new affordable housing developments. Housing is a complex issue requiring appropriate planning and coordination to ensure a diverse and affordable housing stock going forward.

Transportation

The city faces a number of challenges related to planning for and investing in a multi-modal transportation system. As of 2014, the proportion of transit riders in Raleigh was well below the average for peer cities, including Atlanta and Charlotte. Expanding transit will be key to the future viability, sustainability, and livability of the city and region. Additional investments in the greenway system specifically, and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure generally, are also important. Roadway capacity and connectivity, providing mobility for automobiles and direct routes for pedestrians, is also important as growth continues and traffic demands increase.

The Wake County Transit Plan offers many tools to address Raleigh’s growing transportation needs locally and as part of the Triangle region. Higher frequency bus service, a longer span of service seven days a week, bus rapid transit, and regional commuter rail are the primary components of this plan. Additional transit capacity will enable residents to more easily and affordably access work, shopping, healthcare, and educational resources across Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties.

In addition to improving air quality and encouraging physical activity, expanded public transportation will also increase mobility for aging residents. Raleigh has taken the lead by breaking ground on a state-of-the-art rail hub in downtown, called Raleigh Union Station. The success of additional transit improvements will depend on the availability of sufficient funding and effective regional coordination.

Water

The city’s public utilities are regional in nature. Utilities services have merged for all the municipalities in eastern Wake County. Further, the Towns of Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs periodically rely on the city for potable water supply. The city also has or is planning water interconnects with the Town of Cary, the City of Durham, and Johnston County. From a wastewater standpoint, during extreme low flow events, the city’s Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility (NRRRF) discharge can be up to 40 percent of the river flow at the downstream water supply intake for Johnston County.

Planning the infrastructure of the water system must be done with the perspective of the entire region in mind. There is a need to avail all of the opportunities to make additional water system connections with neighboring systems for assistance during drought and other emergency situations. Currently, state inter-basin transfer regulations constrain the ability to pursue new water supplies outside the immediate area, and reuse regulations also make it difficult to access reuse water as a resource to the fullest extent, as reuse water is regulated as wastewater (although the regulatory environment is evolving).

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Environmental Resources

The city needs to move ahead in promoting methods of development and conservation that improve the long-term health of human and ecological systems. This includes sustainability efforts such as water conservation, energy conservation, recycling and solid waste management, and environmentally sensitive building and development practices, e.g., green building, low-impact development, and increased protection of natural resources. With air and water quality already impaired, both existing areas and new developments must find ways to lessen their impact if growth is to be accommodated without significant increases in environmental degradation.

One approach being investigated by the city is Green Stormwater Infrastructure. Green Stormwater Infrastructure reduces demand for traditional or “gray” infrastructure by restoring and enhancing the functionality of natural systems. The impacts of development can be mitigated when infrastructure services are considered as part of a larger set of environmental processes. Investments in Green Stormwater Infrastructure pay off in both quality of life and financial metrics. The city has initiated a Green Stormwater Infrastructure Task Force to identify opportunities for these techniques.

Also important to the long term success of the city is its resilience. Natural hazards can disrupt many of the city’s functions and services. The city should improve its ability to maintain its normal levels of service or adapt effectively to reduced service capabilities in the face of hazards. Resilience may become increasingly important as changes in the Earth’s climate create more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns. The benefits of improved resilience extend beyond preparation for natural hazards. By increasing readiness and planning for contingencies, Raleigh can respond to other events like industrial disasters or terrorist attacks.

Parks, Recreation, and Greenways

The City of Raleigh has an extensive parks, recreation, and greenway system that encompasses approximately 8,800 acres of land (of 90,000 acres in Raleigh’s municipal boundaries). This inventory was expanded in 2015 by the city’s purchase of the Dorothea Dix Park. The city is in the early phases of converting this 308 acre site into a destination park. The addition of the Dorothea Dix Campus is one way the city is continuing to offer the open spaces and active living facilities it needs to maintain desired levels of service.

Acquisition priorities like the Dorothea Dix Campus and the programming for it and other park facilities will have to strike a balance. The city must allocate limited resources between recreation and leisure needs and efforts to promote the preservation of non-programmed open space and green infrastructure essential to addressing the environmental impacts of growth and development. Ideally, both goals can work in concert.

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Community Facilities

A community facility is established primarily for the benefit and service of the population of the community in which it is located. Uses include but are not limited to schools, community centers, aquatic facilities, libraries, police stations, fire stations, and government buildings. The demand for new schools, based on the rapid growth in school-aged population, is stressing the County’s ability to plan for and build schools. Other community facilities also must be addressed to keep pace with development.

Historic Resources

In its built environment, Raleigh visually documents the architectural, social, and cultural legacies of virtually every era of development as well as the diverse communities that form Raleigh’s heritage. Its growth and history can be traced through Joel Lane’s 1767 residence, the 1792 William Christmas plan, its early infrastructure-building period between 1875 and 1900, its growth from a town to a city between 1900 and 1920, its boom years in the 1920s, the depression years that followed and the post WW-II recovery years until 1965. Raleigh was a small town for much of its history; its tremendous growth occurred since 1950, and predominantly during the last 25 years. As a result, Raleigh’s historic fabric is a scarce resource requiring special effort to ensure its preservation.

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Map F-1: Residential Growth

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Housing Units Added per Acre Since 2010, by Census Block Group (through 2018)

Map created 7/19/2019 by the Raleigh Department of City Planning

2.2 Growth Forecasts

Past Growth Trends

The 20th century saw Raleigh grow from a small town of fewer than 14,000 people to a city of more than 270,000. The city added population in every census year, with an annualized growth rate ranging from 2.0 to 4.3 percent. Growth is nothing new to Raleigh; however, the long-term exponential growth trend of the city means that the magnitude of growth in terms of total new population added has gotten larger each decade. Historical growth trends are shown in Table F-1.

While nearly every part of Raleigh has experienced some growth, much of the city’s recent residential growth has been concentrated in three areas with the greatest amount of vacant land. These are the northwestern and northeastern fringe areas, which include large-scale developments such as Brier Creek and Wakefield, and to a lesser extent southeast Raleigh. These trends are illustrated on Map F-1.

Figure F-1 Population Projections, Raleigh Corporate Limits, 2010 – 2040

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Source: Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization

Table F-1 Population Growth, Land Area, and Density, City of Raleigh, 1900 - 2015

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Raleigh Department of City Planning (*Annualized Percent Growth Rate)

Future Growth

Population and Households

Raleigh’s population is projected by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) to grow from a 2015 total of 450,000 to about 580,000 in 2030, and almost 650,000 by 2040, an increase of more than 40 percent. The entire county is expected to more than double in population over the same time period. These growth projects are illustrated in Figure F-1.

The household projections for Raleigh and Wake County mirror the population projections. Raleigh’s total number of households is projected to grow from a 2014 total of 180,000 to about 240,000 by 2035, an increase of over 30 percent.

These growth forecasts, if realized, would correspond to a significant decrease in the rate of Raleigh’s growth, although the absolute growth of about 100,000 per decade is comparable to the past two decades. Analysis of the city’s land capacity has found no physical impediment to reaching a population of 670,000 by 2030 within the city’s current jurisdiction, based on current zoning and assuming development takes place mostly on vacant land (note that the CAMPO forecast includes land outside of the city’s jurisdiction in the future annexation areas, or Urban Service Areas). Further, if Raleigh were to continue to grow at its historic 100-year average of 3.2 percent per year, its population would reach 800,000 by 2030. For these reasons, the CAMPO forecasts are considered by the city to be conservative.

Jobs

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) has issued employment projections through 2035 for the broader Triangle Region. Employment in Raleigh is expected to increase from about 314,000 jobs in 2010 to 423,000 by 2040, an increase of 35 percent (or 1 percent annually). Over the same time period, Wake County employment is projected to grow by 56 percent, from 498,000 to 778,000 jobs. These figures are consistent with population and household growth for the same time period. Raleigh provides the majority of the Raleigh/Cary metropolitan area’s employment, though growth will continue to spread into Cary, smaller towns, and unincorporated areas of Wake County as well as neighboring counties.

Future Growth and Development Capacity

According to state law, Raleigh can exercise “extra-territorial jurisdiction” over development and zoning decisions for land areas up to three miles beyond its current boundaries, subject to County approval. As of 2014, within the city’s current limits and its extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ), approximately 16,700 acres are available as undeveloped land—defined as vacant or under-developed land zoned for residential, commercial, and open space uses.

Based on recent development trends and assumptions that future densities will replicate maximum zoning allowances, Raleigh’s developable land area could potentially yield 86,000 dwelling units and 52 million square feet of non-residential development. Based on a straight line projection of recent absorption rates, it may take about 15 years for this amount of development capacity to be absorbed. However, this 15-year development capacity within the city’s ETJ does not take into account potential infill and redevelopment within older portions of Raleigh or zoning changes that could increase densities.

For more information on population, household, and employment growth and development capacity, please refer to the City of Raleigh Data Book, available at www.RaleighNC.gov.

Framework

2.3 Vision and Themes

The issues identified above and public feedback from workshops helped develop a vision for Raleigh’s future that provides the framework for the development of the Comprehensive Plan. The Vision Statement is supplemented by six themes that serve as the Plan’s goals.

Raleigh’s Vision Statement for 2030

Raleigh will be a city that values and fosters development that provides economic prosperity, housing opportunity, and equity for all Raleigh residents. Raleigh will embody environmental conservation, energy efficiency, and sustainable development. Raleigh will be a great place to live with distinctive and attractive neighborhoods, plentiful parks and green spaces, quality schools and educational opportunities, and a vibrant downtown.

Vision Themes

Six key themes reinforce Raleigh’s Vision for 2030 and serve as this Plan’s overall goals: Economic Prosperity and Equity; Expanding Housing Choices; Managing Our Growth; Coordinating Land Use and Transportation; Greenprint Raleigh—Sustainable Development; and Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities. They express and reinforce the major concerns the Plan seeks to address and the issues raised by the public.

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Economic Prosperity and Equity Raleigh will embrace and value diversity, innovation, and equity so that there is a high level of opportunity and quality of life for all residents. All areas of the city and its residents will prosper from Raleigh’s economic expansion. Raleigh will be nationally known for its cluster of high-tech, clean-tech, and green-tech research and development firms based on cooperative relationships among local universities, government, and private firms. Raleigh’s skilled labor force will attract businesses that take advantage of the highly educated and technically oriented residents, which in turn will continue to fuel the development of quality residential and employment opportunities. Expanded educational and training programs will provide the opportunity for all of Raleigh’s population to participate in the expanding economy. We will also embrace creative economic sectors, and our city will be enlivened with nationally-regarded arts groups, performance spaces, and residents employed in creative occupations that will enhance our economy, community, and the quality of our lives.

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Expanding Housing Choices Raleigh will have an expanded supply of affordable and workforce housing options that provide housing opportunities for all segments of our population in all areas of the city. This expanded supply of decent affordable housing will provide stability for families, improve opportunities for education and career advancement, and reduce homelessness for low and moderate income households. A range of housing types will be available in residential zoning districts to meet the needs of diverse households and remove barriers created by exclusionary housing practices.

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Managing Our Growth Raleigh will foster quality growth through more integrated land uses, alternative transportation modes, green building technologies and development practices, open space acquisition, and resource conservation. We will manage growth and provide desirable spaces and places to live, work, and play while also cooperating with other jurisdictions in the region. Adequate infrastructure will be planned and in place as development comes on line.

Framework

Coordinating Land Use and Transportation

⬚ figure Raleigh will coordinate its transportation investments with desired land use patterns to plan more effectively for housing, employment and retail uses, and for public services. Higher density residential and mixed-use development, with housing options at all levels of affordability, will provide the land use pattern and the diverse customer base needed to support successful new local and regional public transit services. We will also have additional bicycle and pedestrian facilities and roadways that better serve us all.

Greenprint Raleigh — Sustainable Development

⬚ figure Raleigh will be nationally recognized as a model green city. Environmental sustainability and stewardship—the protection and wise use of resources for existing residents and future generations—will be institutionalized. Individuals, institutions, businesses, and government will work together and enhance the natural environment through policies, decisions, and investments. The city will significantly improve its environmental policy framework and land management practices; protect sensitive lands; and preserve water, air, and land resources. Land use policy and regulation will prioritize strategies that reduce carbon emissions and improve community health, such as allowing more density in walkable places near transit and allowing more energy-efficient housing types across the city.

Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities

⬚ figure Growth and development will be accommodated within Raleigh through creative solutions that conserve our unique neighborhoods while improving access for families and individuals with varying levels of income by diversifying permitted building types. Allowing existing neighborhoods in high opportunity areas with convenient access to employment and commercial amenities, like the inner beltline suburbs, to develop with a variety of housing types will improve access to families with broader ranges of incomes. This will also help to expand our local businesses by providing them with more potential customers and employees. The city's older neighborhoods will be conserved and enhanced through careful infill development that allows a range of housing types while complementing existing built character and responding to natural features. Places of historic and architectural significance will be protected through the application of character protection zoning overlay districts. Newly developed areas, including infill development and redevelopment projects of all sizes, will create more diverse, walkable neighborhoods with a variety of housing types and convenient access to open space, community services, retail, and employment. Allowing neighborhoods to change to provide housing for families at all income levels is strongly encouraged.

2.4 Framing Maps

Taken together, the context and key issues, growth forecasts, and vision and themes provide a foundation for planning the future of Raleigh. The Plan sections following the Framework chapter examine these conditions in much more detail and provide the roadmap to addressing Raleigh’s growth and development. The text of these elements is supplemented by two maps providing essential land use and development guidance.

The Growth Framework Map shows where the city will encourage infill and mixed-use development, and defines priority corridors based on transportation function and relationship to adjacent land uses. This map is fully described in this section. It sets forth a vision for how Raleigh should grow and also has implications for the management of transportation corridors and their relationship to adjacent land uses.

The Future Land Use Map shows the general character and distribution of recommended and planned uses across the city. This map carries the same legal weight as the text of the Comprehensive Plan. It is introduced in this Framework chapter and its use and application are described in Section 1: ‘Land Use.’

Growth Framework Map

The Growth Framework Map represents a vision for accommodating the next 120,000 households and 170,000 jobs anticipated for Raleigh by 2030. Under current zoning and assuming largely greenfield development, this amount of growth could be entirely accommodated within the city’s jurisdiction, but would result in a centerless and undifferentiated pattern of sprawling development. The Growth Framework Map seeks to direct a full 60 percent of this future growth into downtown and a series of 7 city growth centers, 4 Bus Rapid Transit corridors, and over 40 mixed-use community centers, connected via a network of parkways, frequent bus service routes, and urban streets. Of this 60 percent allocation of the city’s projected growth, half should be accommodated within the four Bus Rapid Transit corridors.

Growth Framework Elements: Centers

The Growth Framework proposes a hierarchy of four types of centers.

Downtown Regional Center: Encompassing the existing and future limits of Raleigh’s urban core, stretching south towards I-40 and north along Capital Boulevard, the Downtown Regional Center is where the most intense growth and highest levels of transit, bicycle, and pedestrian access are contemplated. Consistent with the eastward shift of regional growth patterns, the Downtown Regional Center emerges as a true hub for a rapidly growing region, served by highways, rail transit, high-speed intercity rail, and local and express bus.

City Growth Centers: Located throughout the city and along major urban and transit corridors, these centers provide significant opportunities for new residential and economic development and redevelopment. City Growth Centers are generally in locations with combined highway and targeted transit access, such as key interchanges along the I-440 Beltline and the I-540 Outer Loop. These centers include New Bern/Wake Med; Crabtree Valley; an expanded “Midtown” linking North Hills with the Highwoods office park and stretching south of the Beltline to embrace significant redevelopment opportunities at the terminus of Six Forks Road; Triangle Town Center; and Brier Creek. The Cameron Village area is also designated as a City Growth Center.

Bus Rapid Transit Areas: Defined as the areas within one-quarter mile of streets where Bus Rapid Transit service is proposed, these elongated centers are programmed for increased density and special design standards promoting enhanced pedestrian mobility and reduced parking requirements. There is some overlap with City Growth Centers and the Downtown Regional Center.

Mixed-use Community Centers: Located generally at places where transit and urban corridors intersect, and where there is an existing base of mixed-uses, these centers are targeted for infill development and improvements to urban design and connectivity intended to retrofit them over time as more integrated, walkable centers. Examples include the Six Forks Station area, the intersections where Millbrook crosses major north-south corridors, and various aging shopping areas in Southwest and Southeast Raleigh along New Bern Avenue and Western Boulevard corridors.

Growth Framework Element: Corridors

A simple hierarchy of corridors is proposed.

Highway corridors correspond to limited-access, grade-separated roadways designed to accommodate high-volume and higher-speed regional traffic flows. These include highways such as Interstates 40, 87, 440, and 540; upgraded federal and state highways; and roadways programmed for such improvements in the future, such as U.S. 1 north of I-540. Long-standing policies, continued under this Plan and implemented through the use of Special Highway Overlay Districts (or SHODs), call for these corridors to be separated from adjacent uses by wide, forested evergreen buffers, and for off-premises signs such as billboards to be prohibited. Transit services along highways would generally consist of express bus service and, in the future, incentives for car pooling.

Urban corridors are characterized by denser residential and commercial development, with buildings brought forward to meet the street and sidewalk, and parking areas located to the side and/or rear of buildings. More than a single bay of parking between streets and buildings is strongly discouraged. Architecture is used to frame the public realm, and urban design rather than landscaped buffers is preferred as a means of integrating adjacent development which differs in use or scale. Urban corridors also generally host at least local bus service. An example of such a corridor is Peace Street.

Frequent Bus Network corridors are similar to urban corridors in terms of development pattern and landscape approach, but are targeted for a higher level of transit service as part of the Wake County Transit Plan. In addition, many of these corridors have been highlighted for bicycle improvements in the city’s Bicycle Master Plan. Based on the level of transit service provided, development intensities are expected to be higher, and parking requirements to be lower, with a greater emphasis on shared parking. Pedestrian amenities within developments along Frequent Bus Network corridors should be built to a higher level than other corridors. An example of such a corridor is Blue Ridge Road.

Parkway corridors are suburban roadways characterized by thick tree canopies and abundant landscaping. Buildings are generally set back further from the street, and pedestrian and transit access are not as prominent as on other corridors, although bus service may be present along parkways. Adjoining land uses are primarily residential with locally-serving commercial. An example of such a corridor is Lynn Road.

Commuter Rail corridor is an existing portion of freight rail track that is proposed by the Wake County Transit Plan to carry heavy rail service with schedules aligned with peak commuting hours. Initial service will connect the Downtown Regional Center with Cary. Additional service is envisioned to carry riders between the Downtown Regional Center and destinations in Johnston County.

Framework

Map F-2:

Growth Framework

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Map created 2/28/2024 by the Raleigh Department of City Planning

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Urban Corridor on Capital Boulevard

Growth Framework Map: Usage and Applicability

The elements of the Growth Framework Map described above do not carry specific policy implications and only acquire the force of policy via references to the map in the policy statements of the Plan sections. The intent is to implement the vision for growth and connectivity illustrated on the Map through more specific policy tools, such as the Future Land Use Map and the Urban Form Map; and through amendments to the city’s ordinances, such as the adoption of special overlay districts to implement the preferred development pattern along particular segments of designated Frequent Bus Network, Urban, and Parkway corridors. The center designations do not carry with them any recommendations for specific uses, heights, or densities for particular parcels, and will not be used by the city as part of the review of any zoning map amendment or development plan. Likewise, the corridor designations correspond to the general character and usage of corridors, but the implementation of the corridor vision will include a more detailed specific examination of the unique character of specific corridor segments.

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From top to bottom: Parkway, Frequent Bus Network, and Bus Rapid Transit corridors

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Interstate 440 with a SHOD forested buffer.

Future Land Use Map

The Future Land Use Map is the centerpiece of the Land Use Section of the Comprehensive Plan and the primary means to shape Raleigh’s future growth. It sets forth the planned development pattern of the city from now until 2030.

The Future Land Use Map is a policy tool designed to guide future decision-making. It provides the geographic framework for the city’s land use and zoning policies. The Future Land Use Map is used alongside the Plan’s written policies to determine whether specific petitions for rezoning are consistent with the Plan. It is also used to develop geographically-detailed projections for the future growth of the city, which in turn will be used to plan for roads, transit, parks, utilities, and community facilities such as police stations and libraries.

A total of 19 land use categories are designated on the Future Land Use Map, including: five residential categories, five mixed use categories, three employment categories, two public and institutional categories, two park and open space categories, and two special categories. These categories and the application and use of the Future Land Use Map are explained in the Land Use Section.

2.5 The Power of Planning

Given the extensive engagement of the citizenry in the update of this Comprehensive Plan and widespread support of its key goals, the impact of the Plan and the plan-making process will have far-reaching effects on everyone who lives or works in Raleigh. It will affect where and how development occurs; where green space, recreation facilities, and parks are improved; how enhanced transit, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities are implemented; and how neighborhoods are conserved and enhanced as desirable places to live. It is also hoped that it will serve as a model for future plans, both large and small, undertaken by the City of Raleigh.

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section 3

Land Use

3.1 Future Land Uses........................................................................... 3-9 3.2 Citywide Growth ........................................................................... 3-19 3.3 Annexation, Extra-territorial Jurisdiction and Urban Service Area ............................................................. 3-21 3.4 Equitable Development Around Transit .................................... 3-24 3.5 Land Use Compatibility................................................................ 3-33 3.6 Mixed-use Development.............................................................. 3-35 3.7 Commercial Districts and Corridors........................................... 3-36 3.8 Neighborhood Conservation and Development ...................... 3-38 3.9 Research and Development/Institutional Land Uses ..... 3-42 3.10 Retail Land Uses .......................................................................... 3-43 3.11 Industrial Land Uses.................................................................... 3-45 3.12 Large Site Development.............................................................. 3-46

Land use defines a community’s physical form and function and provides a framework for all infrastructure related decisions, including transportation, economic development, public utilities, community facilities, parks, and environmental protection. The Land Use Section of the Comprehensive Plan provides the critical foundation upon which all other elements are based. It includes a Future Land Use Map and related policies and actions to guide growth and development in a more compact and efficient pattern during the coming decades. This element also includes a summary of existing land uses and zoning, future growth projections and development capacity, and annexation and jurisdictional boundaries.

Raleigh’s predominant pattern of land use since 1950 has been one of low-density development with residential uses separated from non-residential uses. This suburban development pattern occurred beyond the inner-ring suburbs surrounding downtown Raleigh in tandem with highway expansion and infrastructure extension, and attracted investment away from downtown Raleigh and older neighborhoods.

Since 1980, Raleigh’s auto-dependent suburban growth has become more prevalent and continued further beyond the Beltline (I-440), the first interstate highway spur around the city. From 1980 to 2014, the city’s population nearly tripled from about 150,000 to 440,000. During the same period the city’s land area also almost tripled in size from about 55 to 140 square miles. From 1980 to 2000 the city’s land areas grew faster than its population, but recent growth and development patterns show that the city’s density is increasing.

Existing Land Use and Zoning

Raleigh’s existing land use patterns are illustrated on Map LU-1: Existing Land Use. Low-density single-family development is the dominant land use in Raleigh, representing 34,000 acres, or 34 percent of the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction as of 2015, excluding public right of way. This use, more than any other, drives land consumption patterns in Raleigh and requires continued investment in road capacity and water and sewer infrastructure. The second largest land use category is vacant land, which accounts for 20,000 acres, or 20 percent of the city’s total land area. One of Raleigh’s major land use challenges will be to shape the development and conservation of this significant available land resource. The third-largest land use is parks and open space, at 12.5 percent of the city’s land area; however, nearly half of this amount is located within William B. Umstead State Park. The next largest land uses include institutional uses – state, county, and city government, universities, and hospitals – and multifamily residential. The prevalence of institutional uses highlights the need to carefully coordinate the growth of these large employment sectors. Another substantial land use is commercial, including retail, office, and other uses, which makes up ten percent of Raleigh. The majority of the city’s commercial uses are located within mixed-use activity centers – downtown Raleigh, North Hills, and Crabtree Valley – and along commercial corridors. Other land uses in the city include industrial and infrastructure.

Raleigh’s Unified Development Ordinance, which replaced the former development code, divides the entirety of the city’s planning jurisdiction into zoning districts, each with their own standards for use, bulk, form, and other site development regulations. Map LU-2 shows Raleigh’s existing zoning. As of 2014, nearly two-thirds of Raleigh’s

jurisdictional land area is residentially zoned, and approximately 55 percent of this area is zoned for single-family development only. Approximately 25 percent of the city is zoned for a mix of uses, and nearly all the mixed-use zones permit residential development. Of the city’s mixed-use zoning districts, only Office Park, which accounts for just 0.5 percent of the mixed-use districts total, does not permit residential use. Approximately 11 percent of the city is zoned for industrial uses but only four percent contains industrial development, as office and retail uses are also permitted as-of-

right within industrially-zoned land. Conditional use zoning, a special tool that allows landowners seeking a rezoning to add conditions over and above the underlying zoning standards, applies to 16 percent of the city’s land area. These additional standards are part of the zoning ordinance, and are also kept as individual case files associated with particular rezonings. Overall, the city’s Unified Development Ordinance provides the public with greater clarity and simplicity than what was offered with the previous development code.

Table LU-1 Land Use Allocation, City of Raleigh Planning Jurisdiction

City of Raleigh, Department of City Planning, 2016

Map LU-1: Existing Land Use

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Map created 8/12/2025 by the Raleigh Department of Planning and Development

Map LU-2: Existing Zoning

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Base Districts

Overlay Districts

*Raleigh's Mixed Use Zoning Districts include components for Height and Frontage requirements (not displayed). See Raleigh's Unified Development Ordinance for additional information.

Map created 4/12/2024 by the Raleigh Department of Planning and Development

Annexation and Jurisdictional Boundaries

The City of Raleigh incorporated in 1792 with 400 acres of land, and has expanded its jurisdictional boundaries through annexation. From 1950 to 2000, Raleigh increased its physical size from 6,974 acres to 75,972 acres. In the subsequent 15 years, more than 17,000 acres have been added to the city’s limits. Today, Raleigh contains over 93,000 acres of land. This is similar in size to the cities of Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Portland, Oregon. However, Raleigh has the potential to annex an additional 22,305 acres (35 square miles) within its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), an area outside of the incorporated limits where the city has been granted land use authority by Wake County for the purposes of providing for the orderly development of areas programmed for future annexation in the short term.

The city’s annexation expansion has been accompanied by major water and sewer extensions and completion of the southern Beltline (I-40) and portions of the Northern Wake Expressway (I-540). Based on Wake County’s approval to extend water and sewer infrastructure and create a future Urban Service Area (USA), Raleigh also has the potential to annex an additional 18,649 acres beyond its current ETJ. No additional land area is available beyond these limits due to annexation agreements with neighboring jurisdictions that have essentially assigned all of Wake County outside of existing and planned water supply watersheds into urbanizing areas. Therefore, Raleigh has the ability to annex over 41,000 acres (64 square miles), for an ultimate size of approximately 134,700 acres or 210 square miles. Similarly-sized cities include Columbus, Ohio and Tucson, Arizona.

Between 1990 and 2010, Raleigh averaged an annexation rate of approximately 1,900 acres per year. At that rate, it would take approximately 22 years to absorb the remaining 41,000 acres of land area with annexation potential. This timeframe generally corresponds to the time horizon of this Comprehensive Plan. However, the rate of annexation slowed significantly following changes in 2012 to state law regarding annexation. Moreover, since this Comprehensive Plan is based on the desire for a more compact and walkable development pattern with residential, retail, services, and jobs located more closely together, the land available for development should last much longer than 22 years. Please refer to ‘3.3 Annexation, ETJ and USA’ in this Land Use Section for related recommendations related to annexation. For policies related to regional and inter-jurisdiction cooperation, please refer to Section 14: ‘Regional and Inter-Jurisdictional Coordination.’

Future Land Use Map

Raleigh’s desired future land use patterns are shown on the Future Land Use Map, which provides the land use foundation for this Comprehensive Plan. The Future Land Use Map indicates the intended distribution and intensity of land uses over the next 20 years to achieve the following objectives:

• Provide greater land use predictability and transparency.
• Incorporate recommended land uses from area plans.
• Use a nomenclature that is reasonably compatible with the Wake County Comprehensive Plan and the plans for adjacent jurisdictions.
• Advance Raleigh’s Vision and Themes, as described in the Framework Section.
• Create a logical framework for future zoning and development.

The Future Land Use Map is part of the adopted Comprehensive Plan and carries the same legal weight as the Plan document itself. The Future Land Use Map uses color-coded categories to express public policy on future land uses across the city. Its land use designations have been drawn

based on existing and desired development patterns, streets, parcel lines, environmental features, and other logical boundaries. For guidance on how to use the Future Land Use Map and policies related to its interpretation and relation to zoning evaluations, please refer to ‘3.1 Future Land Uses’ of this Land Use Section.

Primary Land Use Issues

The land use element provides guidance to enhance existing neighborhoods throughout the city, which requires an emphasis on conservation in some neighborhoods and revitalization in others. It also provides guidance to create vibrant, new walkable neighborhoods; reduce auto- dependency; increase the viability of transit, walking, and biking through design and management of land uses; accommodate density while respecting desired neighborhood character and providing usable open space; increase mixed- use development; focus development close to already developed areas rather than in greenfield locations further out; focus development within designated centers and transit corridors; coordinate development so that it fits-in with existing patterns; and provide for ways to ensure compatibility of land uses while still accommodating the uses that make Raleigh a thriving residential and employment center within the Triangle region.

By 2030, Raleigh is projected to grow by approximately 150,000 people. It has a remaining growth area of 64 square miles based on current annexation agreements. The city is poised to continue a high level of population growth because of its positive quality-of-life factors: a location for high-tech jobs; a highly-educated population; excellent universities and quality public school system; the diversity of its housing; relatively mild winters; and a revitalizing downtown. However, the last 50 years of suburban growth and new global issues—energy insecurity and climate change—have created a cumulative challenge of interrelated land use issues that Raleigh will need to address over the coming years.

The following are the main land use issues addressed in this Land Use Section:

• Key corridors in gateway locations have become over-developed for commercial use, becoming lined with under-performing strip retail and services, creating the need and opportunity for mixed-use redevelopment.
• Annexation and utility extensions have led to sprawling and leapfrog development patterns, even as lands inside the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) provide for ample development capacity.
• Lack of coordination between land use and transportation planning and investment has led to increased congestion and an underperforming transit system.
• Though recent development patterns have improved bikeability and walkability in the city, most Raleigh residents live in neighborhoods where jobs, goods, services, and recreation are not walkable or bikeable, even if these resources are close by, due to the lack of integration between uses.
• Proposed regional rail and local bus rapid transit stations need appropriate planning and zoning in place to ensure transit-supportive development patterns.
• Growth, changing demographics, and an evolving economy require a greater diversity of housing choices in both infill locations and in new neighborhoods.
• Demand for denser and more intense development in infill locations and near established neighborhoods raises issues of land use compatibility.
• A shift to more environmentally sustainable building practices is necessary to reduce the city’s air and water pollution and its demand for energy and water.
• The city’s economic future requires additional development opportunities for research and development firms, institutions, and hospitals.

As described in the Framework chapter, Raleigh’s Vision for 2030 is structured to address these land use issues through six vision themes or citywide goals. By concentrating growth into mixed-use centers and creating more accessible communities citywide, Raleigh will help meet its goal for Economic Prosperity and Equity. Through a broader range of housing-related land use policies and programs, Raleigh plans to meet its goal for Expanding Housing Choices. Through more compact forms of development and new rural and open space policies, Raleigh will meet its overarching goal of Managing Our Growth. By implementing a citywide and regional transit system that is connected with pedestrian and bike-friendly communities, Raleigh will be closer to its goal of effectively Coordinating Land Use and Transportation. Through citywide policies and programs for green building, green infrastructure, and resource conservation and preservation, Raleigh will become a national leader with its Greenprint Raleigh paradigm. Lastly, through a series of ordinance and subdivision changes to accommodate a smart growth model of planning and development, Raleigh will reach its goal of Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities.

To track the efficiency of the city’s policies, any of the Comprehensive Plan’s vision themes that may be relevant to a particular policy are indicated by one of six icons. The vision themes are:

⬚ figure Economic Prosperity and Equity ⬚ figure Expanding Housing Choices ⬚ figure Managing Our Growth ⬚ figure Coordinating Land Use and Transportation ⬚ figure Greenprint Raleigh ⬚ figure Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities

In this Section and throughout the Plan, Key Policies used to evaluate zoning consistency are noted as such with an orange dot (●).

3.1 Future Land Uses

Raleigh is a growing city both in terms of the number of residents and jobs and its physical growth and land area. Raleigh’s Future Land Use Map (Map LU-3) builds upon the city’s existing land use patterns and provides a generalized guide for development and conservation decisions. The Future Land Use Map is further defined below. For guidance on the application and use of the Future Land Use Map as it relates to zoning applications, see the text box entitled “Evaluating Zoning Proposals and Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan” later in this section.

• The Future Land Use Map is a generalized depiction of intended uses in the horizon year of the Comprehensive Plan, roughly 15 years in the future. It is not an “existing land use map,” although in many cases future uses in an area may be the same as those that exist today.
• The Future Land Use Map is not a zoning map. Whereas zoning maps are parcel-specific, and establish detailed requirements for setbacks, height, use, parking, and other attributes, the land use categories of the Future Land Use Map recommend a range of potentially appropriate land uses and intensities. By definition, the Future Land Use Map is a guide to future zoning decisions. Related, the Future Land Use Map is not intended to be referenced as part of the site plan review process, since the zoning regulations set forth the permitted uses for particular parcels.
• Streets and public rights-of-way are not an explicit land use category on the Future Land Use Map. Within any given area, the streets that pass through are assigned the same designation as the adjacent uses.

Definition of Future Land Use Categories

Raleigh’s Future Land Use Map contains 19 color-coded categories that express public policy on future land uses throughout the city as described below:

Residential Categories

Rural Residential (1 unit per acre and under)

This category is generally mapped over areas zoned “R-1” (or areas in the ETJ/USA with rural residential land use designations and rural county zoning) where intensification to more urban uses is not expected due to watershed constraints and existing fragmented parcel patterns. Rural Residential areas are generally developed with “ranchettes,” hobby farms, estates, large-lot subdivisions, or conservation subdivisions with large common open space areas. Civic uses such as churches and police or fire stations are also consistent with this category. The intent of this designation is to preserve the rural character of these areas and achieve compatible resource conservation objectives such as watershed conservation and tree protection. Gross densities in these areas would be one unit per acre or less, although clustered housing on large tracts could result in pockets of more densely developed land.

Low Scale Residential

This category encompasses most of the city’s neighborhoods that are primarily made up of detached houses on lots of roughly one-sixth of an acre or larger, although duplexes or small apartments may also exist. This category envisions a range of housing types, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and other small apartment buildings, and townhouses, but at a scale that generally follows the precedent set by existing detached houses, missing middle types, or townhouses in these areas. It includes the R-2, R-4, and R-6 zoning districts. It also identifies vacant or agricultural lands—in the city and in the

county—where residential use at a similar scale is planned over the next 20 years. As defined in the zoning regulations, manufactured home parks could also be appropriate in this land use category. In areas within the Core Transit Area on the Urban Form Map, RX-3 is appropriate. Portions of a development may be developed more intensively in exchange for an open space set aside, as with a Conservation Development.

Moderate Scale Residential

This category applies to many of the city’s older residential neighborhoods, plus newer master-planned communities which typically contain a mix of housing types, including small-lot detached houses and many traditional examples of “missing middle” housing types. It also applies to suburban townhouse and garden apartment communities that would benefit from enhanced walkability. As with Low Scale Residential, this category envisions a range of housing types, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and other small apartment buildings, and townhouses. Scale would follow existing precedents of detached and missing middle housing in the area. Corresponding zoning districts are R-6 and R-10. RX-3 is also appropriate when controls or conditions that address building mass are included, such as a Detached frontage or limiting the number of units in a single building to no more than 24. In areas served by high levels of transit, RX-3 or RX-4 may be appropriate. In some instances, small-scale commercial uses allowed in RX districts are appropriate. Comprehensive Plan Land Use Section policies, including Table LU-2, should be consulted for additional guidance.

Medium Scale Residential

This category applies to garden apartments, townhomes, condominiums, and suburban style apartment complexes. It would also apply to older neighborhoods with a mix of single-family and multifamily housing. RX zoning with a three- or four-story height limit is appropriate for these areas. In some instances, small-scale commercial uses allowed in RX districts may be appropriate. Comprehensive Plan Land Use Section policies should be consulted for additional guidance.

Higher Scale Residential

This category would apply to apartment buildings and condominiums. Conforming zoning would consist of the RX district with a height limit of five to 12 stories, depending on location and context. Other zoning districts which permit multifamily housing, appropriately conditioned, could be conforming as well. Although this is a residential zone, ground floor retail uses (with upper story housing) may be appropriate under certain circumstances. Comprehensive Plan Land Use Section policies should be consulted for additional guidance.

Mixed Use Categories

Office & Residential Mixed Use

This category is applied primarily to frontage lots along major streets where low-density residential uses are no longer appropriate, as well as office parks and developments suitable for a more mixed-use development pattern. This category encourages a mix of residential and office use. Retail not ancillary to employment and/or residential uses is discouraged so that retail can be more appropriately clustered and concentrated in retail and mixed-use centers at major intersections and planned transit stations. OX is the closest corresponding zoning district. Heights would generally be limited to four stories when near neighborhoods, with additional height allowed for larger sites and locations along major corridors where adjacent uses would not be adversely impacted. Higher-impact uses such as hotels and hospitals are not contemplated or recommended in this land use category except as limited uses in appropriate locations.

Neighborhood Mixed Use

This category applies to neighborhood shopping centers and pedestrian-oriented retail districts. The service area of these districts is generally about a one mile radius or less. Typical uses would include corner stores or convenience stores, restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets (other than superstores/centers), drug stores, dry cleaners, small professional offices, retail banking, and similar uses that serve the immediately surrounding neighborhood. Residential and mixed-use projects with upper-story housing are also supported by this designation. Where residential development complements commercial uses, it would generally be in the Medium density range.

NX is the most appropriate zoning district for these areas. Heights would generally be limited to three stories, but four or five stories could be appropriate in walkable areas with pedestrian-oriented businesses. Buildings at those heights should include appropriate transitions to any lower-density adjacent areas and be accompanied by a pedestrian-friendly relationship to the public realm.

Community Mixed Use

This category applies to medium-sized shopping centers and larger pedestrian-oriented retail districts such as Cameron Village. Typical commercial uses include large-format supermarkets, larger drug stores, department stores and variety stores, clothing stores, banks, offices, restaurants, movie theaters, hotels, and similar uses that draw from multiple neighborhoods. Development intensities could be higher than in Neighborhood Mixed Use areas, with mid-rise buildings as well as low-rise buildings. Where residential development occurs, ground floor retail would be encouraged and minimum building heights might be applied in transit-rich areas. Heights would generally be in the three-to-five-story range, although additional height up to 12 stories would be appropriate in TOD areas and at the core of mixed-use centers.

CX is the primary corresponding zoning district for these areas. Appropriate urban form standards for frontage should be applied, recognizing that some of the designated areas are established neighborhood “main streets” and others are suburban auto-oriented shopping plazas or strip centers fronting on high-volume arterial roadways. For both this category and Neighborhood Mixed Use, greater height should include appropriate transitions and be accompanied by a pedestrian-friendly relationship to the public realm.

Regional Mixed Use

This category applies to the Triangle Town Center area, the Brier Creek area, and the North Hills/ Midtown and Crabtree Centers. The intent is to identify the major retail and service hubs that draw customers from across the city. These areas may include high-density housing, office development, hotels, and region-serving retail uses such as department stores and specialty stores. These areas would typically be zoned CX. Heights could be as tall as 12 to 20 stories in core locations, but should taper down to meet the context of surrounding development. As in other mixed-use areas, taller buildings should be accompanied by enhanced pedestrian amenities.

Central Business District

This category applies to the Raleigh Central Business District, and is intended to enhance Downtown Raleigh as a vibrant mixed-use urban center. The category recognizes the area’s role as the heart of the city, supporting a mix of high-intensity office, retail, housing, government, institutional, visitor-serving, cultural, and entertainment uses. Multiple zoning districts might apply within the CBD, corresponding to the different character and vision for its various neighborhoods, with DX being the primary district for the mixed-use core of downtown. Heights in the downtown could reach as high as 40 stories in the core, but would taper down to meet the adjacent neighborhoods at a height of three to four stories.

Employment Categories

Office/ Research and Development

This category identifies major employment centers where housing is not considered an appropriate future land use. Principal uses are office parks, free-standing office buildings or corporate headquarters, banks, research and development uses, hotels, and ancillary service businesses and retail uses that support the office economy. This category can also apply in appropriate locations to office-industrial hybrids such as light fabrication and assembly ancillary to an R&D use, flex parks, and office/distribution combinations. OP is the most appropriate zoning district for this category, although OX or IX could be used if conditioned to restrict housing development.

Business and Commercial Services

This category is for higher-impact or “heavy” commercial activities that would not be compatible with residential uses, or that have locational needs (such as frontage along freeways, expressways, or other major streets) that are not conducive to mixed-use development. Examples would include auto dealerships, auto repair and service businesses, lumberyards, nurseries, contractor suppliers, warehousing, printers, truck stops, distribution centers, and other uses that are quasi-industrial or highway-oriented in character. These areas would generally be zoned IX. Housing would be limited, but live-work units or housing combined with an employment-generating ground floor could be permitted in certain locations.

General Industrial

This category designates areas programmed for industrial land uses, including manufacturing, concrete plants and other extractive industries, junkyards/scrap yards, and outdoor storage uses. These uses tend to have greater impacts than the business and commercial service uses, and may require additional buffering or separation from nearby uses. Some of these uses are dependent on rail for freight movement, and others require convenient access to freeways or other major streets for truck deliveries and shipments. Railyards, power plants, and similar uses are also included in this designation. Most of these areas should be zoned IH to prevent use conflicts with housing or retail.

Public and Institutional Categories

Public Facilities

This category identifies large publicly owned non-park properties, including public schools, city facilities (such as libraries, fire stations, public works yards, etc.), stadiums, state government facilities, the fairgrounds, and federal government facilities (postal distribution centers, etc.). Such sites are identified on the Future Land Use Map if they cover more than about two acres.

Institutional

This category identifies land and facilities occupied by colleges and universities, large private schools, hospitals and medical complexes, religious organizations, and similar institutions. Smaller institutional uses such as churches are generally not mapped unless they are sites that are more than 2 acres in size. Institutional properties may be public or private. While institutional uses are permitted in a variety of zoning districts, large institutions in a campus setting such as universities and major hospitals are appropriately zoned CMP.

Parks, Open Space, and Resource Conservation Categories

Public Parks and Open Space

This category applies to permanent open space intended for recreational or resource conservation uses. Included are neighborhood, community, and regional parks and greenways. Greenways include both existing greenway property as well as potential greenway corridors designated in the Comprehensive Plan and subject to regulation under the city code. Also included are publicly-owned lands that are managed for watershed protection, resource conservation, hazard prevention, and the protection of important visual resources. Land with this designation is intended to remain as open space in perpetuity. Where potential greenway corridors are mapped (typically as buffers to streams identified in the city’s Greenway Master Plan), greenway dedication will be subject to the city’s code requirements during the subdivision and site planning process.

Private Open Space

This category includes open space that is privately owned and maintained, including private golf courses and country clubs, cemeteries, open space easements, land zoned Conservation Management, and land that should be retained in its natural state to protect public health and safety (such as floodways and steep slopes), preserve sensitive or important ecological resources (such as important tree stands), or provide a public benefit (such as watershed protection). Land with this designation may have a limited amount of development potential, and may be used for agriculture, forestry, pasture, etc. but the overall intent is to protect its open and undeveloped character through the horizon year of the Plan.

Critical Areas

Critical Areas

The Critical Areas overlay is mapped over lands that are environmentally sensitive and merit preservation and protection from development. The Critical Areas overlay encompasses publicly and privately owned land mostly encumbered by the 100-year floodplain. Some of this area is currently zoned Conservation Management; other portions are zoned for a wider range of use. The use of an overlay on top of another designation recognizes that while preservation is the long term goal, private landowners are entitled to a productive use of the property as allowed by the underlying zone district until such time as the appropriate steps can be taken to protect these resources.

Special Study Areas

Special Study Area

The Future Land Use Map includes another category to identify areas where the future land use pattern has yet to be determined. These areas are outlined with a dashed line, labeled, and in some cases left “blank” (white) on the map, indicating the precise land use pattern was still under study at the time of Plan adoption. The text of the plan provides further detail.

This designation is used on large sites where land use planning studies incorporating focused community outreach are necessary to determine a preferred land use pattern. Examples include areas such as active rock quarries, landfills, large tracts outside of the city’s current jurisdiction but in its future urban services area, and publicly-owned sites of particular importance. These areas should be the subject of Area Planning Studies as described under ‘17.4 Small Area Studies’ in Section 17: ‘Implementation.’

Heights in Mixed Land Use Categories

Table LU-2 sets forth the preferred building height ranges for the multifamily and mixed-use land use categories. This table should be used as a guide to determining appropriate building heights when property is rezoned using one of the mixed-use districts in the Unified Development Ordinance. It is not intended to supersede the height permitted on any property under its current zoning. Appropriate building heights will vary based on context, and the appropriate height provided through future zoning actions should be determined based on site-specific characteristics and with reference to the relevant Comprehensive Plan Policies. The table defines recommended height according to one of three contexts: Edge, Core/Transit, or General. A large development site (more than 30 acres, collectively) may have a Core/Transit condition near the center of the property, an Edge condition where building heights taper to meet surrounding context, and a General condition in between. The areas are defined as:

• Emerging Urban Centers are larger mixed-use centers that will provide commercial and community activities. Building heights in most of these station areas should be up to 12 stories, with transitions down to 3 or 4 stories to meet adjacent lower-scale developments, generally in the area within a quarter-mile from the station location. In larger and more commercially-oriented centers, building heights of up to 20 stories are appropriate.

• Core/Transit areas refer to areas located within the core of a mixed-use center of about 30 acres or more, or fronting along a corridor programmed for high-capacity, frequent bus transit. In employment areas, taller buildings may also be contemplated on large sites with adequate buffers from low-scale areas, such as Highwoods.

• Neighborhood Centers are smaller centers that focus on providing services for the local community, where commercial areas are largely confined to a single intersection. Building heights in these station areas should be up to 7 stories in the core of the station area, with careful transitions down to 3 or 4 stories to meet adjacent low-slung developments, generally in the area within a quarter-mile from the station location.

• Edge areas are located within 150 feet of a Low-to-Moderate density residential area zoned for three-story development. Permitted height in edge areas should generally match the surrounding area and not exceed 4 stories. See table LU-2 for more specific guidance based on FLUM categories.

• General areas refer to locations not corresponding to the above guidelines. Buildings in these areas can be taller than in edge locations, but should not be as tall as core locations.

When a conflict exists between Edge and Core/Transit locations, such as when a small site is adjacent to both a transit corridor and a Low Density Residential area, the area will be considered a General area. Existing code requirements ensure that the site will transition to meet the Edge area.

When a conflict exists between station area guidance and Future Land Use Map guidance for recommended building height in the columns of Table LU-2, the station area guidance should prevail. In this scenario, transitions in building heights down to 3 or 4 stories are still appropriate at the edge of the station area.

While this guidance regarding height is generally applicable, adopted area plans may provide further definition of these three areas or recommend particular height categories.

Table LU-2 Recommended Height Designations (Stories)

Evaluating Zoning Proposals and Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan

The Future Land Use Map is based on the policies and assumptions contained in the Comprehensive Plan and the forecasted growth for the city and region. The Future Land Use Map shows the general land use recommended and corresponds to a range of potentially appropriate land uses and intensities within each land use category.

While the Future Land Use Map will influence future zoning, it does not alter current zoning or affect the right of property owners to use the land for its purpose as zoned at the time of this Plan’s adoption. The Future Land Use Map will not be referenced as part of the review of development plans, including site plans and subdivisions.

The designation of an area with a particular land use category does not mean that the most intense zoning district described in the land use categories is automatically recommended. A range of densities and intensities applies within each category, and the use of different zoning districts within each category should reinforce this range and be based on infrastructure capacity, community character, protection of common open space, and prevailing density and lot size in the surrounding area. The Future Land Use Map documents the general recommended future use for each designated area. However, other types of uses may be compatible with the designated use and deemed to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. For example, a school or attached house (duplex) could be found to be in conformance with the plan designation of Low-Density Residential.

The future land use categories should not be interpreted to support nor preclude developments without consideration of the policies and intent of the Comprehensive Plan.

Site considerations relating to topography, soils, or hydrology are also important in establishing the specific use and intensity of a particular parcel on the Future Land Use Map. Similarly, the presence of adequate streets, schools, parks, and other community facilities should be assured before a rezoning is approved that would otherwise be in conformance with the Future Land Use Map. Determination of the conformance of a proposed use or zone with the Comprehensive Plan should include consideration of the following questions:

• Is the proposal consistent with the vision, themes, and policies contained within the Comprehensive Plan?

• Is the use being considered specifically designated on the Future Land Use Map in the area where its location is proposed?

• If the use is not specifically designated on the Future Land Use Map in the area where its location is proposed, would the benefits of its establishment to the owner, neighbors, surrounding community, and public interest outweigh the detriments, and would the proposed uses under the new zoning adversely alter the recommended land use and character of the area?

• Will community facilities and streets be available at city standards to serve the use proposed for the property?

In this Section and throughout the Plan, Key Policies used to evaluate zoning consistency are noted as such with an orange dot (●).

Map LU-3: Future Land Use

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Policy LU 1.1 Future Land Use Map Purpose

● The Future Land Use Map and associated Comprehensive Plan policies shall be used to guide zoning, ensure the efficient and predictable use of land capacity, guide growth and development, protect public and private property investments from incompatible land uses, and efficiently coordinate land use and infrastructure needs.

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Policy LU 1.2 Future Land Use Map and Zoning Consistency

● The Future Land Use Map shall be used in conjunction with the Comprehensive Plan policies to evaluate zoning consistency including proposed zoning map amendments and zoning text changes.

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See Text Box: Evaluating Zoning Proposals and Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan.

Policy LU 1.3 Conditional Use District Consistency

● All conditions proposed as part of a conditional use district (CUD) should be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

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Action LU 1.1 Completed 2013

Action LU 1.2 Completed 2013

Action LU 1.3 Special Study Area Plans

Undertake detailed land use planning in those areas designated as Special Study Areas on the Future Land Use Map before approval of development proposals or rezonings in the areas. Engage the public in the planning process.

Action LU 1.4 Future Land Use Map Maintenance and Revision

Maintain the currency of the Future Land Use Map through periodic reevaluation and revision of the map based on analysis of growth and development needs and trends, small area studies, and special area studies.

Action LU 1.5 Completed 2013

Action LU 1.6 Completed 2013

3.2 Citywide Growth

Raleigh has expanded and grown dramatically over the last 20 years based on an auto-dependent land use pattern of separated land uses. Due to rising infrastructure costs, diminishing land resources, local environmental impacts, and global climate change, Raleigh is now committed to a smart growth pattern of development for its future and desires to be a model “sustainable city.” Raleigh’s citywide growth policies seek to guide development and redevelopment and promote more compact development, walkable neighborhoods, varied and affordable housing options, and transit-accessible corridors to use land efficiently, increase connectivity, lower vehicle miles traveled, and improve air quality.

Policy LU 2.1 Placemaking

Development within Raleigh’s jurisdiction should strive to create places, streets, and spaces that in aggregate meet the needs of people at all stages of life, are visually attractive, safe, accessible, functional, inclusive, have their own distinctive identity, and maintain or improve local character.

Policy LU 2.2 Compact Development

New development and redevelopment should use a more compact land use pattern to support the efficient provision of public services, improve the performance of transportation networks, preserve open space, and reduce the negative impacts of low intensity and non-contiguous development.

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Policy LU 2.3 Open Space Preservation

Development plans that use only a portion of the overall site should be used to achieve open space preservation in those areas of the city planned for rural residential land uses on the Future Land Use Map.

Policy LU 2.4 Large Site Development

Developments on large sites should set aside land for future parks and community facilities to help meet identified needs for public amenities and services and to offset the impacts of the development.

Policy LU 2.5 Healthy Communities

New development, redevelopment, and infrastructure investment should strive to promote healthy communities and active lifestyles by providing or encouraging enhanced bicycle and pedestrian circulation, access, and safety along roads near areas of employment, schools, libraries, and parks.

See Section 11: ‘Urban Design’ for additional policies and actions related to pedestrian-friendly design.

Policy LU 2.6 Zoning and Infrastructure Impacts

• Carefully evaluate all amendments to the zoning map that significantly increase permitted density or floor area to ensure that impacts to infrastructure capacity resulting from the projected intensification of development are adequately mitigated or addressed. ⬚ figure

Action LU 2.1 Future Studies in High-density Areas

As necessary, undertake detailed studies and plans for growth centers, mixed-use centers, and transit station areas (rail or bus transfer nodes) to identify areas appropriate for higher-density mixed-use development.

Action LU 2.2 Completed 2013

Action LU 2.3 Completed 2013

Action LU 2.4 Completed 2013

Action LU 2.5 Completed 2014

Action LU 2.6 Completed 2016

Action LU 2.7 Completed 2013

3.3 Annexation, Extra-territorial Jurisdiction and Urban Service Area

Annexation is the incorporation of land into an existing city. Historically, North Carolina provided annexation authority to municipalities to provide for their orderly growth and expansion over time. Between 2011 and 2013 the North Carolina General Assembly substantially revised the annexation statutes, effectively eliminating city-initiated annexations. Future annexations will be petitioned by landowners, often to obtain services from the city’s public utilities (See Text Box: “Annexation in North Carolina”).

Currently, Raleigh encompasses approximately 93,000 acres of land within its city limits and has an additional 22,000 acres within its extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Beyond its current ETJ, Raleigh has 19,000 acres within its Urban Service Area (USA). No additional land area is available beyond these limits due to annexation agreements with neighboring jurisdictions that have essentially carved out all of Wake County except protected watersheds into urbanizing areas. Therefore, Raleigh has approximately 41,000 acres available for future annexation and expansion. As stated below, Raleigh’s annexation policies focus on managing annexation outside of the ETJ to provide for more compact and orderly growth and to better phase land development with infrastructure, public services, and facilities within the ETJ prior to annexation and urban expansion into the Urban Service Area.

Map LU-4 illustrates areas available for future annexation, both within the city’s ETJ and outside the ETJ but within the USA. The map also shows watershed lands within the ETJ that the city has agreed never to annex, even though the city exercises land use authority over these areas. Since 2013, Raleigh’s expansion via annexation, both within and outside of its ETJ, is a result of annexation petitions from landowners wishing to connect to the city’s utility infrastructure. Annexation and utilities extension policies are closely related. Policy guidance on utility extension can be found under ‘9.2 Utility Extensions’ in Section 9: ‘Public Utilities.’

Policy LU 3.1 Zoning of Annexed Lands

The zoning designation for newly annexed land into the City of Raleigh shall be consistent with the Future Land Use Map. In those cases where the annexed lands are within a special study area (as shown on the Future Land Use Map), a special study will need to be completed prior to zoning and development of the property. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 3.2 Location of Growth

The development of vacant properties should occur first within the city’s limits, then within the city’s planning jurisdiction, and lastly within the city’s USAs to provide for more compact and orderly growth, including provision of conservation areas. For more detail, see:

• Resolution 2008-460
• Resolution 2009-22

Both of the above resolutions relate to annexation policy beyond the ETJ. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 3.3 Annexation Agreements

Support and honor current annexation agreements between the City of Raleigh and neighboring jurisdictions that essentially apportion the remaining unincorporated land within Wake County. Renew agreements as needed. ⬚ figure

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Policy LU 3.4 Infrastructure Concurrency

The City of Raleigh should only approve development within newly annexed areas or Raleigh’s ETJ when the appropriate transportation, water, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure is programmed to be in place concurrent with the development.

Policy LU 3.5 Watershed Management

When the city annexes land that includes designated watershed supply areas, development of these lands should be managed to minimize impervious surface cover and protect the quality of the water supply.

See also Section 14: ‘Regional and Inter-Jurisdictional Coordination’ for additional policies and actions related to annexation and management of land development within the region.

Annexation in North Carolina

Under North Caroling General Statute §160A - Article 4A, there are three methods of annexation:

• City-initiated.
• By petition of property owners (“voluntary annexation”).
• By act of the General Assembly.

Due to recent legislative changes by the North Carolina General Assembly, “voluntary” annexation is the most prevalent method of annexation into the City of Raleigh. For city-initiated annexations, the state statutes require a referendum of voters in the area to be annexed. A majority of voters must approve before the annexation may proceed.

Map LU-4: Jurisdictional Limits and Annexation Boundaries

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3.4 Equitable Development Around Transit

Outside of Raleigh’s inner core—downtown and its adjacent neighborhoods—the majority of Raleigh’s populace lives, works, and socializes within an auto-dependent land use framework. To reduce vehicle miles traveled and improve air quality, and ensure the benefit of this planning is broadly and equitably shared, Raleigh’s land use and transportation coordination policies focus on:

• Providing more housing for people of all income levels near existing and planned transit.
• Shortening trips.
• Encouraging pedestrian, bicycle, and transit-friendly communities.
• Directing density toward transit-rich mixed-use centers and corridors or areas adjacent and accessible to them via sidewalks, trails, or transit.
• Directing growth to less congested areas with development capacity.

Policy LU 4.1 Coordinate Transportation Investments with Land Use

Ensure that transportation decisions, strategies, and investments are coordinated with and support the city’s land use objectives.

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Policy LU 4.2 Transportation in Support of Walkable Neighborhoods

Make the design and scale of transportation facilities compatible with planned land uses and with consideration for the character anticipated by this Comprehensive Plan for the surrounding neighborhood.

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Equitable Transit-oriented Development

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is defined as a moderate- to high-density mix of uses— such as residences, retail shops, offices, and civic and entertainment uses—located within one-half mile of a transit station and designed to support transit use. The typical “station area” is considered to be a half-mile radius, which is an acceptable 10-minute walking distance for most transit users if the area contains a destination, provides dedicated walking routes, and is safe and visually appealing. TOD reduces the need for driving by creating compact, vibrant, walkable neighborhoods with convenient access to activities and destinations that are connected by transit. If a transit corridor contains a station once every mile, TOD should extend along the entire corridor with the highest densities and intensities of uses occurring near each station.

Within the U.S., TOD is typically associated with rail transit; however, in Raleigh TOD should occur with other fixed guideway transit service as well, such as bus rapid transit, if it provides facilities and service levels similar to rail transit.

Adding equity to the TOD concept embraces Raleigh’s vision to broadly share the benefits of the city’s transit investments by combatting displacement, expanding affordable housing options, promoting job creation, and increasing programs that benefit existing low-income residents where BRT is planned. ETOD will be achieved directly by policies and actions in this subsection, the creation of an Equity Fund, and future station area planning outlined in Section 16: Area Specific Guidance.

Wake County Transit Plan

The November 2016 passage of a half-percent sales tax increase to fund transit in Wake County set the stage for the largest expansion of transit in Raleigh’s history. The tax increase will provide the bulk of the funding needed to implement the multi-billion dollar Wake County Transit Plan, which will significantly broaden transportation options in the city. Commuter rail transit between Durham and Raleigh, a bus rapid transit (BRT) network spanning Cary and Raleigh, a frequent bus network serving Raleigh’s urban core and inner-ring suburbs, and upgrades to frequency and coverage across the county are all planned for implementation by 2030.

The Wake County Transit Plan followed an intensive community conversation regarding the types of transit best suited to fulfilling the region’s needs. It included a focused look at the trade-offs between considerations such as frequency, coverage, and infrastructure provision. In comparison to prior efforts, the plan represented a shift toward bus transit, although commuter rail remained a major element of the plan.

This large-scale transit implementation process requires close consideration of the relationship between transit and land use planning in Raleigh. While low-frequency transit is insufficient to influence development patterns, the types of transit and levels of service made possible by the new funding source will do so. This should be a mutually reinforcing relationship, with land use supporting higher levels of transit and, in turn, transit enables more focused development that maximizes the public’s return on investment.

The presence and quality of transit plays a substantial role in shaping policy in Raleigh’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan, from height and density to urban design. This guidance was revised following the adoption of the Wake County Transit Plan and the subsequent funding referendum in order to reflect the types of transit to be implemented. Changes included updates to maps and policies in the Land Use, Transportation, and Urban Design elements of the Comprehensive Plan.

Highlights of the Wake County Transit Plan include:

• A bus rapid transit (BRT) network aimed at improving the speed and quality of transit on selected corridors. Improvements will include dedicated bus lanes, traffic signal priority for buses, off-board fare payment, and raised platforms. Initial BRT corridors have been identified as New Bern Avenue, Capital Boulevard, Western Boulevard, and South Wilmington Street.

• A commuter rail corridor, using existing railroad tracks, reaching from Durham to Raleigh and south to Garner. The corridor would include multiple trips in each direction during peak hours, with stations in locations including downtown, N.C. State University, Cary, Morrisville, and Research Triangle Park.

• A substantially expanded frequent bus network, defined as having service at least every 15 minutes throughout the day. The Transit Plan envisions funding improvements that would increase the frequent network from 17 to 83 miles, covering all major destinations in the core of the city.

Land Use

Policy LU 4.3 Directing Transportation Investments

Target transportation facilities, services, and investments to promote and accommodate the growth this Comprehensive Plan anticipates in mixed-use centers, commercial corridors, and residential neighborhoods while reducing reliance on single-occupancy vehicles.

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Policy LU 4.4 Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled Through Mixed-use

Promote mixed-use development that provides a range of services within a short distance of residences as a way to reduce the growth of vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

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Policy LU 4.5 Connectivity

• New development and redevelopment should provide pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular connectivity between individual development sites to provide alternative means of access along corridors.

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Policy LU 4.6 Transit-oriented Development

Promote transit-oriented development around planned bus rapid transit (BRT) and fixed commuter rail stations through appropriate development regulation, education, station area planning, public-private partnerships, and regional cooperation.

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Policy LU 4.7 Capitalizing on Transit Access

• Sites within walking distance of existing and proposed rail and bus rapid transit stations should be developed with intense residential and mixed uses to take full advantage of and support investment in transit infrastructure. Additional density for housing and employment also is appropriate around current and future frequent transit routes.

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Policy LU 4.8 Station Area Land Uses

• A complementary mix of uses, including multifamily residential, offices, retail, civic, and entertainment uses, should be located within transit station areas.

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Policy LU 4.9 Corridor Development

Promote pedestrian-friendly and transit-supportive development patterns along multimodal corridors designated on the Growth Framework Map, and any corridor programmed for “transit intensive” investments such as reduced headways, consolidated stops, and bus priority lanes and signals.

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Policy LU 4.10 Development at Freeway Interchanges

• Development near freeway interchanges should cluster to create a node or nodes located at a nearby intersection of two streets, preferably classified two-lane avenue or higher, and preferably including a vertical and/or horizontal mix of uses. Development should be encouraged to build either frontage or access roads behind businesses to provide visibility to the business from the major street while limiting driveway connections to the major street.

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Land Use

Map LU-5: Transit Station Areas

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*Routes shown are representational and may not reflect final alignments as further planning is undertaken to implement the recommendations of the Wake Transit Plan. Alignments in Downtown will be further refined in a separate study.

Map created 4/12/2024 by the Raleigh Department of Planning and Development

Land Use

Action LU 4.1 Completed 2013

Action LU 4.2 Completed 2013

Action LU 4.3 Station Area Plans

Prioritize and prepare station area plans to guide development patterns within one-half mile of identified regional and local fixed guideway transit stops.

See also Section 4: ‘Transportation’ for additional policies and actions related to land use and transportation coordination and transit development including recommendations of the Wake County Transit Plan and the Special Transit Advisory Committee (STAC).

Statement on Equity

The City of Raleigh is committed to establishing and advancing an equitable community for all. Because we know that race is the primary predictor of a person’s outcomes across all social indicators and societal systems, the City of Raleigh will prioritize racial equity to dismantle the policies and systems that have created and sustained these inequities.

Inequities in our systems and policies are costly and limit positive outcomes and quality of life for all of us. When we achieve racial equity, all people in Raleigh will benefit from a more just, equitable system. Raleigh aspires to be a model for equity in local government.

Equitable Development Around Transit

The Equitable Development Around Transit (EDAT) plan was adopted in 2020 to guide future growth in the corridors along each of the four planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes.

Thoughtful consideration of disparities in access to opportunity by race, neighborhood, and income when making plans and policies enables the city to deliver greater benefits to a diverse range of residents. This vision is embodied in the concept of Equitable Transit-oriented Development (ETOD).

Recommended actions and policies of the EDAT plan focus on five goals to ensure the benefits of bus rapid transit are broadly shared:

1. grow around transit
2. enhance affordability and minimize displacement
3. preserve existing businesses
4. generate job opportunities
5. guarantee pedestrian safety

These goals are represented throughout this subsection with associated policies and actions to encourage their achievement.

Enhance Affordability and Minimize Displacement

A critical element of equitable development is to ensure that the benefits of the regional investment in transit are broadly shared so that people who rely on public transportation can maintain access to the service they need. Additionally, creating new and more affordable housing opportunities in transit-rich areas should be prioritized so that people who currently rely on public transportation can have the best access to the highest quality transit the city has to offer.

Policy LU 4.11 Zoning for Affordable Housing

Potential redevelopment projects that do not take advantage of the density bonus provided in the Equitable Transit Overlay District, and instead file a rezoning petition for increased land use intensity above what is entitled in the bonus, should include a comparable ratio of affordable housing units in residential projects through the offering of zoning conditions. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 4.12 Housing Priority for Existing Residents

Give priority for new units in projects with city funding or on city-owned land to residents who are or have been displaced by rising housing costs in the area. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 4.13 Land Acquisition for Affordable Housing

Acquire property near the BRT corridors for the development of new affordable housing. ⬚ figure

Action LU 4.4 Equity Fund

Dedicate a percentage of property tax revenue generated by new and existing development within BRT corridors and in Downtown Raleigh above 2020-level collections toward an Equity Fund. This fund will support affordable housing and equity programs dedicated to the BRT corridors. This strategy directly links the financial gain of private development to producing community benefits, further increasing access to opportunity created by the regional investment in transit.

Action LU 4.5 Equitable Transit-oriented Development

Revise the existing Transit-oriented Development (TOD) overlay zoning designation to incorporate a zoning density bonus for affordable housing in mixed-use and residential developments.

Equity Fund

The City of Raleigh will pledge a percentage of new tax revenue generated within each of the BRT corridors and in Downtown Raleigh toward an Equity Fund that will support affordable housing and other projects providing a community benefit. Proceeds from the fund will go toward a range of equity-related efforts, including affordable housing, addressing homelessness, support for community organizations, public art, pedestrian safety, and more. The Fund will provide ongoing revenues to fund many of the other tools identified in the ETOD policy toolkit by capturing value from increasing real estate values along the corridors. More specifically, these funds should be used on the following programs:

• Land acquisition for affordable housing
• Homeowner rehabilitation assistance
• Anti-predatory purchase education
• Property tax assistance
• Small business retention
• Youth skills apprenticeships

Preserve Existing Businesses

Help businesses thrive by providing assistance during BRT construction and beyond.

Policy LU 4.14 Small Business Retention

Assist small businesses in BRT corridors during and after construction through communications and marketing support, and grant funding for façade improvements or interior renovations. ⬚ figure

Generate Job Opportunities

A core benefit of transit is in connecting people to jobs and opportunity. The EDAT plan seeks to maximize the city’s transit investment by encouraging employment along the BRT corridors.

Policy LU 4.15 Local Worker Participation in BRT Construction

Encourage a percentage of workers on BRT construction projects to be residents of the city and areas where BRT is being constructed by awarding construction contracts to companies who employ local workers. Seeking local worker participation in BRT construction contracts helps ensure that the benefits of BRT are spread more equitably across the local community through direct employment opportunities. ⬚ figure

Action LU 4.6 Non-Residential Density Bonus

Revise the existing Transit-oriented Development (TOD) overlay zoning designation to incorporate a zoning bonus to incentivize office and other non-residential development.

Guarantee Pedestrian Safety

Transit usage depends on safe and comfortable, well-connected streets for people walking and biking. No transit rider should be exposed to streets that are unsafe because they are designed for motorists first. Providing safe routes to and from transit stations for people who rely on public transportation is necessary to ensure equitable spending on city-funded transportation infrastructure. Therefore, development near BRT stations should prioritize walking and biking over faster vehicle traffic flow.

Policy LU 4.16 Prioritize Pedestrian Safety over Driving

A comprehensive network of infrastructure catering to the safe and efficient travel of pedestrians and cyclists should connect station areas to residential areas. Transportation infrastructure improvements in station areas should prioritize all users above motorists, especially when competing for space in public rights-of-way. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 4.17 Pedestrian-oriented Infrastructure Investments

Prioritize capital spending on infrastructure projects that provide safe and comfortable access to BRT station areas. ⬚ figure

Grow Around Transit

Growing more around transit means creating more places for people to live in areas where their lives are not totally reliant on individual automobiles. Not having to own one or two cars provides a large savings for family budgets by reducing or eliminating maintenance and fuel costs, insurance, registration, and taxes. Creating new and more affordable housing types near frequent and reliable transit will create communities that more people will be able to afford by reducing housing costs and transportation costs simultaneously. The reduction of these costs together will provide access for more people to the financial opportunities created by the regional investment in transit.

Policy LU 4.18 Transit Station Area Recommended Heights

● Building heights in transit station areas should be based on their station area type as designated on Map LU-5 Transit Station Types. Where there is not a recommended building height for a specific Future Land Use Map category in Table LU-2 Recommended Heights, or if there is internal conflict in Table LU-2 between Future Land Use Map designations and transit station areas types, recommended building height for stations areas should prevail.

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Policy LU 4.19 Missing Middle Housing

Duplexes, triplexes, quadruplexes, and townhomes should be encouraged in existing neighborhoods in and near station areas. Additional housing stock and a diversity of housing types are needed in areas served by BRT to help ensure that as many people as possible have access to the service.

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Action LU 4.7 Eliminate Parking Requirements

Eliminate the minimum parking requirements for all development types within station areas and/or where the Equitable Transit Overlay District is mapped.

Ongoing Input and Measuring Results

Ensuring equity goals are reached will require measuring progress. Continued opportunities for input will allow for a continued understanding of priorities and needs.

Policy LU 4.20 Annual Reporting

A subsection on Equitable Transit-oriented Development should be included in the annual publication of the Comprehensive Plan Progress Report. This reporting should include rezoning activity, permitting activity, and capital improvement project activity in the areas around BRT. Over time, evaluating trends through this reporting will help inform on how well the goals of the Equitable Development Around Transit Plan are being met and if additional changes to policy are warranted to further advance the goals.

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Equitable Transit-oriented Development and Rezoning Guidance

The following is a collection of land use, transportation, housing, and urban design policies that should be considered when evaluating a rezoning request in areas where transit improvements are planned. Specifically, these policies should be considered for rezoning requests near bus rapid transit corridors and other frequent transit networks as outlined in the Wake County Transit Plan.

• Policy LU 4.6 Transit-oriented Development
• Policy LU 4.7 Capitalizing on Transit Access
• Policy LU 4.8 Station Area Land Uses
• Policy LU 4.9 Corridor Development
• Policy LU 4.11 Zoning for Affordable Housing
• Policy LU 4.12 Housing Priority for Existing Residents
• Policy LU 4.13 Land Acquisition for Affordable Housing
• Policy LU 4.15 Local Worker Participation in BRT Construction
• Policy LU 4.16 Prioritize Pedestrian Safety over Driving
• Policy LU 4.17 Pedestrian-oriented Infrastructure Investments
• Policy LU 4.18 Transit Station Area Recommended Heights
• Policy LU 4.19 Missing Middle Housing
• Policy T 4.9 Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Near Transit
• Policy T 6.2 Transit Station Parking
• Policy H 1.1 Mixed-income Neighborhoods
• Policy H 1.9 Housing Diversity
• Policy H 2.13 Transit Accessibility
• Policy H 2.15 Affordable Units in TODs
• Policy H 4.3 Housing for Persons with Disabilities
• Policy UD 8.1 Transit-oriented Development
• Policy UD 8.2 Transit Area Transitions
• Policy UD 8.3 Transit Area Infill
• Policy UD 8.4 Transit-supportive Pedestrian Networks
• Policy UD 8.5 Transit-supportive Bicycle Networks
• Policy UD 8.6 Auto-oriented Uses in Transit Areas
• Policy UD 8.7 Connections to Transit Stops
• Policy UD 8.8 Station Area Public Realm
• Policy UD 8.9 Transit Wayfinding
• Policy UD 8.10 Transit Area Parking
• Policy UD 8.11 Transit Area CPTED

3.5 Land Use Compatibility

During the past decade, development and redevelopment within already built-up areas has made up a greater share of total development activity within Raleigh. New growth and infill development has occurred throughout the city, and sometimes had the unintended consequences of negatively affecting adjacent land uses with shadows, noise, light, glare, vibration, odors, and other nuisances due to incompatible height, bulk, or intensity of use.

The Future Land Use Map has been developed by considering existing land use patterns, development trends, transportation corridors, and the compatibility of existing and future uses. However, in order to accommodate appropriate densities in areas designated for transit investment and mixed-use development within the context of 60 years of low-density suburban growth, there are many areas where higher-intensity future land use categories abut areas intended to be conserved or developed at lower densities or intensity.

The Unified Development Ordinance, approved since the initial 2009 publication of this Plan, provides a regulatory framework, including required transition zones and buffers between areas of higher and lower intensities, and between mixed-use and residential properties. The following policies and actions are meant to supplement the Future Land Use Map to ensure that future land uses do not negatively affect existing land uses, and that appropriate transitions are provided between land uses of differing intensity. These policies, particularly those that call for zoning regulations to achieve land use compatibility, have informed and are codified in the Unified Development Ordinance.

Policy LU 5.1 Reinforcing the Urban Pattern

New development should acknowledge existing buildings, and, more generally, the surrounding area. Quality design and site planning is required so that new development opportunities within the existing urban fabric of Raleigh are implemented without adverse impacts on local character and appearance.

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Policy LU 5.2 Managing Commercial Development Impacts

Manage new commercial development using zoning regulations and through the conditional use zoning and development review processes so that it does not result in unreasonable and unexpected traffic, parking, litter, shadow, view obstruction, odor, noise, and vibration impacts on surrounding residential areas.

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Policy LU 5.3 Institutional Uses

Ensure that when institutional uses, such as private schools, child care facilities, and similar uses are permitted in residential neighborhoods, they are designed and operated in a manner that is sensitive to neighborhood issues and that maintains quality of life. Encourage institutions and neighborhoods to work pro-actively to address issues such as traffic and parking, hours of operation, outside use of facilities, and facility expansion.

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Policy LU 5.4 Density Transitions

Low- to medium-scale residential development and/or low-impact office uses should serve as transitional densities between lower-scale neighborhoods and more intensive commercial and residential uses. Where two areas designated for significantly different development intensity abut on the Future Land Use Map, the implementing zoning should ensure that the appropriate transition occurs on the site with the higher intensity.

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Policy LU 5.5 Transitional and Buffer Zone Districts

Maintain and enhance zoning districts which serve as transitional or buffer areas between residential and commercial districts and which also may contain institutional, non-profit, and office-type uses. Zoning regulations and conditions for these areas should ensure that development achieves appropriate height and density transitions, and protects neighborhood character.

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Policy LU 5.6 Buffering Requirements

New development adjacent to areas of lower intensity should provide effective physical buffers to avoid adverse effects. Buffers may include larger setbacks, landscaped or forested strips, transition zones, fencing, screening, height and/or density step downs, and other architectural and site planning measures that avoid potential conflicts.

See Text Box: Transitions Defined.

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Policy LU 5.7 Building Height Transitions

When a mixed-use or nonresidential area contemplated for building heights in excess of seven stories abuts an area designated for low- or moderate-scale on the future land use map, building heights should not exceed a 45-degree plane starting 10 feet from the adjoining lower-density area. When any mixed-use or non-residential area is separated from an area of low- or moderate-scale by an intervening street other than a Major Street, building faces along the frontage facing the residential area should not exceed three stories.

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Action LU 5.1 Completed 2013

Action LU 5.2 Completed 2013

Action LU 5.3 Completed 2013

Transitions Defined

Successful transitions mitigate incompatibilities between adjacent and nearby land uses. Incompatibilities arise when nearby uses differ significantly in terms of intensity, height, and/ or bulk. Tools such as change in scale, attention to architectural detail, increase in landscaping quantity, distance between buildings or uses, and compatible height can allow successful transitions between properties with dissimilar characteristics. Where the incompatibility arises from use, an intermediate intervening use can serve as a buffer. The Unified Development Ordinance provides Neighborhood Transition Zone requirements for mixed-use properties that abut low-density residential uses.

The following list defines appropriate parameters for successful transitions:

• Higher intensity commercial uses are appropriately buffered from low- to moderate-scale residential areas through an intervening area of low-intensity office or medium- to high-scale residential use.
• Building design can successfully transition by utilizing a multidimensional façade that mitigates the height of a building. A taller building can utilize increased setbacks and/or stepbacks to soften the building mass and create a compatible street wall.
• A transition in height should consist of a combination of distance and height that allows access to light and air, and can be achieved through a combination of height limits, setbacks, and/or stepbacks.
• Additional landscaping measures beyond existing landscape ordinance requirements may be needed to buffer certain use combinations.

3.6 Mixed-use Development

The resurgence of mixed-use downtowns, employment centers, and retail centers is a national development trend that is evident in Raleigh in such areas as downtown, North Hills, and Forestville Village Center. Mixed-use centers bring together medium- to high-density residential and nonresidential uses within a walkable, bicycle-friendly, and/or transit-accessible development framework. Uses can be mixed vertically, within buildings; or horizontally, when tightly clustered in a pedestrian-friendly arrangement. Due to the diversity of uses and activities, mixed-use centers are typically vibrant destinations that attract attention due to their level of activity. Fundamentally, a mixed-use center should provide a full service environment and diverse land uses—residences, offices, retail, service, entertainment, civic, and open space—for residents, employees, and visitors.

Policy LU 6.1 Composition of Mixed-use Centers

● Mixed-use centers should comprise a variety of integrated residential and commercial uses - mixed both vertically and horizontally - that have well-planned public spaces that bring people together and provide opportunities for active living and interaction. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 6.2 Complementary Land Uses and Urban Vitality

● A complementary integration and mixture of land uses should be provided within all growth centers and mixed-use centers to maintain the city’s livability, manage future growth, and provide walkable and transit accessible destinations. Areas designated for mixed-use development in the Comprehensive Plan should be zoned consistently with this policy. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 6.3 Mixed-use and Multimodal Transportation

Promote the development of mixed-use activity centers with multimodal transportation connections to provide convenient access by means other than car to residential and employment areas. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 6.4 Bus Stop Dedication

● The city shall coordinate the dedication of land for the construction of bus stop facilities within mixed-use centers on bus lines as part of the development review and zoning process. ⬚ figure

Action LU 6.1 Completed 2013

3.7 Commercial Districts and Corridors

As Raleigh annexed land and grew outward over the last 20 years, new residential and commercial development followed and often left behind underutilized commercial areas and maturing neighborhoods. The revitalization of Raleigh’s commercial districts and corridors is a primary issue for the city due to their positive or negative influence on an area’s development potential, adjacent property values, and gateway aesthetics in and out of the city. Raleigh’s commercial districts and corridors hold great potential for “capturing” future residential and commercial demand and for providing viable transit options.

Policy LU 7.1 Encouraging Nodal Development

• Discourage auto-oriented commercial “strip” development and instead encourage pedestrian-oriented “nodes” of commercial development at key locations along major corridors. Zoning and design standards should ensure that the height, mass, and scale of development within nodes respects the integrity and character of surrounding residential areas and does not unreasonably impact them.

Policy LU 7.2 Shopping Center Reuse

Promote the redevelopment of aging and high vacancy shopping centers into mixed-use developments with housing, commercial, and public recreation facilities.

Policy LU 7.3 Single-family Lots on Major Streets

• No new single-family residential lots should have direct vehicular access from major streets, in an effort to minimize traffic impacts and preserve the long-term viability of these residential uses when located adjacent to major streets.

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Policy LU 7.4 Scale and Design of New Commercial Uses

• New uses within commercial districts should be developed at a height, mass, scale, and design that is appropriate and compatible with surrounding areas.

Policy LU 7.5 High-impact Commercial Uses

Ensure that the city’s zoning regulations limit the location and proliferation of fast food restaurants, sexually-oriented businesses, late night alcoholic beverage establishments, 24-hour mini-marts and convenience stores, and similar high impact commercial establishments that generate excessive late night activity, noise, or otherwise affect the quality of life in nearby residential neighborhoods.

Policy LU 7.6 Pedestrian-friendly Development

• New and redeveloped commercial and mixed-use developments should be pedestrian-friendly.

Action LU 7.1 Completed 2013

Action LU 7.2 Completed 2013

Action LU 7.3 Promoting Commercial Reinvestment

Identify incentives and other economic development tools to promote reinvestment in underperforming commercial corridors.

See also Section 6: ‘Economic Development’ for additional corridor development and revitalization policies and actions.

3.8 Neighborhood Conservation and Development

One of Raleigh’s major assets is its tree-lined, historic residential neighborhoods and street-car suburbs within and adjacent to downtown Raleigh. The city also has a number of historic districts. The inner-ring suburbs of the 1950s and 1960s are also well-regarded due to their housing stock, mature trees, and connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods and shopping centers. The outer-ring suburbs of the last generation contain more auto-dependent residential neighborhoods that lack connectivity. However, more recent developments are applying the design principles of early- and mid-20th century neighborhoods with better connectivity to shopping centers, schools, parks, and open space.

The City of Raleigh desires to maintain and conserve its historic residential neighborhoods, maintain and reinvest in its aging inner-ring residential neighborhoods, adapt more recent residential neighborhoods for greater connectivity, guide infill development, and promote traditional neighborhood development (TND) patterns for new residential developments. Two important tools for preserving neighborhood character are the Historic Overlay District (HOD) and the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD), which provide for neighborhood-specific zoning standards and, in the case of the HOD, design standards. Both, it should be noted, can retain existing scale and architectural details while not prohibiting additional housing types that provide more choices for different household types and less expensive options.

Conserving character does not mean that neighborhoods cannot change or evolve, and in fact such changes may be necessary for a neighborhood’s long-term viability. When large families and multi-generational living were more common, Raleigh’s historic neighborhoods hosted a higher population density than they do now. When downtown living fell out of favor, many older houses became rentals and were converted to multiple units, changes which likely saved many homes from demolition. More recently, as these neighborhoods have skyrocketed in value, these same structures have returned to single-family use. Now ADUs and second unit additions again have the promise of readapting existing lots and homes for a population with fewer families and more elderly and young households.

As Raleigh continues to attract and retain people looking to make a better life in a welcoming and diverse city, the need for housing will continue to grow. This can and will happen in mixed-use areas, but residential neighborhoods can also evolve to allow more housing choice. These neighborhoods can accommodate more residents while maintaining their existing scale by allowing “missing middle” housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, and similar buildings (see text box on page 3-33). This approach also can begin to remedy the exclusionary barriers created by low density, detached-house-only zoning, which historically has contributed to economic and racial segregation.

The “missing middle” types, which are common in older neighborhoods such as Oakwood and Boylan Heights, are less expensive than larger detached houses but still reflect the rhythm and scale of existing homes in the neighborhood. This provides more housing choice for diverse households, including younger residents or couples, empty nesters, and people who simply don’t need or want a large house. It also better supports nearby neighborhood-serving businesses, such as restaurants, coffee shops, and small-scale retail and service establishments.

Lastly, in addition to providing more choice and lower cost, housing types other than detached houses are more energy-efficient, because they share walls and/or ceilings. Allowing them reduces Raleigh’s per capita carbon emissions and is a necessary step to meeting the city’s carbon reduction goals.

Land Use

Policy LU 8.1 Housing Variety

● Accommodate growth in newly developing or redeveloping areas of the city through mixed-use neighborhoods with a variety of housing types.

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Policy LU 8.2 Neighborhood Revitalization

Facilitate neighborhood revitalization and stabilization by focusing grants, loans, housing rehabilitation efforts, commercial investment programs, capital improvements, and other government actions in those areas that are most in need. Use social, economic, and physical indicators such as the poverty rate, the number of abandoned or substandard buildings, the crime rate, and the unemployment rate as key indicators of need.

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Policy LU 8.3 Conserving, Enhancing, and Revitalizing Neighborhoods

Recognize the importance of balancing the need to increase the housing supply and expand neighborhood commerce with the parallel need to protect neighborhood character, preserve historic resources, and restore the environment.

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Policy LU 8.4 Rehabilitation Before Demolition

In redeveloping areas characterized by vacant, abandoned, and underutilized older buildings, generally encourage rehabilitation and adaptive use of existing buildings rather than demolition.

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Policy LU 8.5 Neighborhood-scale Housing

New homes within residential neighborhoods should respect the existing scale. Residential neighborhoods that currently consist largely of detached houses can accommodate additional housing types. These housing types should be at a similar scale to existing detached houses.

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Policy LU 8.6 Teardowns

Discourage the replacement of quality homes in good physical condition with new homes that are substantially larger, taller, and bulkier than the prevailing building stock.

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Policy LU 8.7 Lot Sizes and Flag Lots

Allow flag lots and smaller lot sizes and widths for “missing middle” and other housing types in order to improve housing choice.

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Policy LU 8.8 Finer-grained Development

● Large oversized blocks in new neighborhoods and subdivisions should be avoided in favor of smaller blocks and enhanced pedestrian networks that create better connections and help facilitate walking and reduce driving.

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Policy LU 8.9 Open Space in New Development

● New residential development should be developed with common and usable open space that preserves the natural landscape and the highest quality ecological resources on the site.

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Policy LU 8.10 Infill Development

• Encourage infill development on vacant land within the city, particularly in areas where there are vacant lots that create “gaps” in the urban fabric and detract from the character of a commercial or residential street. Such development should complement the established character of the area and should not create sharp changes in the physical development pattern.

Policy LU 8.11 Development of Vacant Sites

Facilitate the development of vacant lots that have historically been difficult to develop due to infrastructure or access problems, inadequate lot dimensions, fragmented or absentee ownership, or other constraints. Explore lot consolidation, acquisition, and other measures that would address these.

Policy LU 8.12 Infill Compatibility

• Vacant lots and infill sites within existing neighborhoods should be developed consistently with the design elements of adjacent structures, including height, setbacks, and massing through the use of zoning tools including Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Districts.

Policy LU 8.13 Traditional Neighborhood Development

Encourage Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) and planning for large undeveloped sites within the city’s municipal boundaries to improve neighborhood and street connectivity. Traditional Neighborhood Development is an urban form characterized by compact, pedestrian-oriented design, which provides a variety of uses and diverse housing types within easy walking distance, and is anchored by a central public space and civic activity (school, library, church, or similar institution).

“Missing Middle” Housing

This concept refers to building types such as duplexes and small, three- or four-unit apartments that provide greater housing variety while maintaining the same scale as detached houses. While common in older neighborhoods in many cities, including areas such as Boylan Heights and Cameron Park in Raleigh, many are being lost as owners convert them to single-unit homes.

In recent years, interest has grown again in these housing types, which can provide more affordable housing for smaller households or those looking to downsize. They can also help provide the density needed to support walkable neighborhood-serving retail while retaining neighborhood scale.

However, typical zoning codes, including Raleigh’s, prohibit or discourage these housing types. Residential zones include limitations on building types or density that effectively prohibit them. Conversely, in mixed-use zoning categories that do permit apartments, typical new projects are on a larger scale than the “missing middle.”

Policy LU 8.14 Student-oriented Housing

• Encourage student-oriented housing, including fraternities, sororities, dormitories and rent-by-the-room, multi-bedroom apartments, to locate in the area immediately adjacent to colleges/ universities, in transit-oriented development areas, or in downtown. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 8.15 Removed 2019

Policy LU 8.16 Accessory Dwelling Units

Provide for and regulate Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to expand housing options for Raleigh’s residents. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 8.17 Zoning for Housing Opportunity and Choice

All residential zoning categories should accommodate a range of housing types, such as duplexes, fourplexes, and other small apartments, and townhouses. Scale, not density, should be the regulating principle. These types, which on average are much less costly than detached houses, will moderate the cost of housing, reduce residential segregation and allow more people access to high-opportunity areas, accommodate residents in all phases of life, and reduce per capita carbon emissions. ⬚ figure

Action LU 8.1 Completed 2014

Action LU 8.2 Completed 2014

Action LU 8.3 Converted to Policy 2016

Action LU 8.4 Completed 2013

Action LU 8.5 Completed 2013

Action LU 8.6 Infill Compatibility Analysis

Study regulations that govern infill development to ensure they meet the intent of infill policies while providing a reasonable opportunity for new construction to occur.

See also Section 12: ‘Historic Preservation’ for additional policies and actions related to neighborhood conservation.

Land Use

3.9 Research and Development/ Institutional Land Uses

Raleigh is well-known regionally and nationally for its level of excellence in colleges and universities, research and development industries, and hospital research and care. However, since these public and private institutions and industries often have large campus settings, their future growth and expansion could affect adjacent residential neighborhoods. Due to their contribution to the city’s economic and social fabric, Raleigh wants to encourage additional institutional growth while protecting existing neighborhoods through proactive planning and communication. Map LU-3 identifies the primary Research and Development and Institutional land uses in the city.

Policy LU 9.1 Planning for the Tech Sector

Plan for and designate adequate land for offices, laboratories, business incubators, and flex space buildings to accommodate Raleigh’s growing technology industries on the Future Land Use Map.

Policy LU 9.2 Coordinating Institutional Growth

Expand and encourage partnerships among the city’s many large institutions to coordinate future growth and development of these institutions with surrounding land uses and neighborhoods.

Policy LU 9.3 Hospitals

Plan for and designate adequate land for the equitable distribution of hospitals and their facilities throughout the city on the Future Land Use Map.

Policy LU 9.4 Health Care Industry

Support the continued growth and expansion of the city’s health care providers to serve the needs of Raleigh’s residents.

Policy LU 9.5 Removed 2019

Action LU 9.1 Completed 2013

Action LU 9.2 Converted to Policy 2016

Action LU 9.3 Completed 2013

3.10 Retail Land Uses

Raleigh’s retail uses are primarily located within mixed-use centers—such as downtown Raleigh, North Hills, and Crabtree Valley—and along commercial corridors. In addition to its core, downtown Raleigh contains a number of mixed-use districts—the Warehouse District, Seaboard Station and Glenwood Avenue—that provide an expanding base of local retail goods and services and limited national retailers.

Other major centers include:

• Cameron Village is one of the first retail shopping centers built in this country after WWII, and offers a strong and diverse mix of local and national retailers in a pedestrian-friendly environment.
• North Hills is the location of Raleigh’s first enclosed retail shopping mall, built with large national department stores to anchor smaller national and local retailers. North Hills is now a pedestrian-oriented lifestyle center with a greater mix of office and residential uses.
• Crabtree Valley, Raleigh’s second and larger enclosed shopping mall, is also undergoing a transformation into a more mixed-use center, and is attracting more residential uses through infill development.
• Triangle Town Center is Raleigh’s most recently built enclosed retail shopping mall.
• Additional retail uses are located along the Hillsborough and Person Street corridors.

The remainder of Raleigh’s retail uses are located in commercial shopping centers along the city’s major streets. Raleigh’s retail policies focus on strengthening its current mixed-use centers, encouraging retail uses within new pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use centers, and minimizing the impact of auto-oriented commercial retail uses.

Most of Raleigh’s residents must drive to access retail services, even for daily convenience needs. In order to minimize automobile dependency and to improve accessibility to retail services, the development of small commercial hubs is encouraged within and adjacent to established residential neighborhoods. Such retail uses should be low-intensity and compatible with their contexts.

Policy LU 10.1 Mixed-use Retail

Encourage new retail development in mixed-use developments.

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Policy LU 10.2 Retail in Industrial Zones

Discourage retail uses in industrial zones to maintain viable industrial areas and avoid an oversupply of retail uses.

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Policy LU 10.3 Ancillary Retail Uses

Ancillary retail uses in residential and office developments located in areas designated High Density Residential, Office and Residential Mixed Use and Office/Research and Development should not be larger in size than appropriate to serve primarily the residents, employees, visitors, and patrons of the primary uses in the area; should preferably be located within a mixed-use building; and should be sited to minimize adverse traffic, noise, and visual impacts on adjoining residential areas.

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Policy LU 10.4 Siting of Regional Retail

Regional retail uses—including big box stores, power centers, and regional malls—should be located where access is available from at least two roadways providing a minimum of four lanes each. Access should be obtained from both roadways.

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Land Use

Policy LU 10.5 Regional Retail and Residential Areas

• Regional retail uses should not be located adjacent to areas designated for Low- to Moderate-Density Residential use on the Zoning Map or Future Land Use Map, or areas currently developed for such. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 10.6 Retail Nodes

• Retail uses should concentrate in mixed-use centers rather than spreading along major streets in a linear "strip" pattern unless ancillary to office or high-density residential use. ⬚ figure

Policy LU 10.7 Micro-retail

Within a strong regulatory framework, encourage small commercial hubs within and adjacent to established residential neighborhoods to improve non-automobile access to retail services. ⬚ figure

Action LU 10.1 Completed 2014

See also Section 6: ‘Economic Development’ for additional policies related to retail and economic development.

3.11 Industrial Land Uses

Industrial uses occupy approximately 3,600 acres or 3.7 percent of the city’s jurisdiction. These uses are typically concentrated along rail corridors and the roads that run parallel to them, with some corresponding to warehousing and distribution areas adjacent to interstate highways, such as the area off of the I-40 interchange with Jones Sausage Road in southeast Raleigh. While only 3.7 percent of the city’s jurisdiction is occupied by industrial uses, over 10 percent of the land is zoned for industrial uses (Industrial Mixed Use and Heavy Industrial). The majority of industrially-zoned lands are developed with office or retail uses, which are currently permitted as-of-right within industrial zoning districts. The Comprehensive Plan text and the Future Land Use Map address the location, zoning, and compatibility aspects of Raleigh’s industrial areas.

Policy LU 11.1 Preserving Industrial Land

Support land use policies that protect competitive opportunities to locate industrial, flex, and warehouse sites near major transportation corridors and the airport.

Policy LU 11.2 Location of Industrial Areas

Accommodate industrial uses— including municipal public works facilities—in areas that are well buffered from residential uses (and other sensitive uses such as schools), easily accessed from major roads and railroads, and characterized by existing concentrations of industrial uses. Such areas are generally designated as “General Industrial” on the Future Land Use Map.

Policy LU 11.3 Commercial Uses in Industrial Areas

Limit specified non-industrial uses in industrially zoned areas, including office and retail development, in order to preserve these areas for industrial development.

Policy LU 11.4 Rezoning/Development of Industrial Areas

Allow the rezoning and/or redevelopment of industrial land for non-industrial purposes when the land can no longer viably support industrial activities or is located such that industry is not consistent with the Future Land Use Map. Examples include land in the immediate vicinity of planned transit stations.

Policy LU 11.5 Mitigating Industrial Land Use Impacts

Mitigate the adverse impacts created by industrial uses through a variety of measures, including buffering, site planning and design, strict environmental controls, performance standards, and the use of a range of industrial zones that reflect the varying impacts of different kinds of industrial uses.

Policy LU 11.6 Brownfields

Identify incentives and other economic development tools to promote remediation of and reinvestment in formerly industrial properties.

Action LU 11.1 Completed 2013

Action LU 11.2 Completed 2013

3.12 Large Site Development

The city’s Future Land Use Map will guide the future development of Raleigh, with the exception of “Special Study Areas.” These areas will be treated separately due to their large size, unknown market potentials, environmental constraints, or other significant land use variables. Examples include areas within or near quarries and large undeveloped areas adjacent to the city’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction. Raleigh’s policies on the development of large sites provide a mechanism for planned and orderly growth. Map LU-3 identifies those large sites for which the policies contained herein are pertinent.

Policy LU 12.1 Planning Process for Large Sites

Ensure the appropriate development of large sites proposed for redevelopment within Raleigh through visioning, design workshops, special studies, and iterative public involvement processes that build consensus as part of the site’s special study process.

Policy LU 12.2 Large Sites Outside the ETJ

Ensure the appropriate development of large sites outside of Raleigh’s current ETJ boundaries but within its USA boundaries— such as the city-owned Randleigh Farm property—through special studies to determine potential future land uses and impacts on city revenues and services.

Policy LU 12.3 Reservations for Community Facilities

● Plans for large sites should identify park and community facility needs and reserve appropriate portions of the site for schools, parks, public safety buildings, and other facilities.

Policy LU 12.4 Community Involvement and Special Study Areas

Engage the public and adjacent property owners in all special study area deliberations, meetings, and actions that could affect an area’s future land uses.

Policy LU 12.5 Dix Property Planning

Encourage the development of an iconic, beautiful, sustainable Dorothea Dix Park that is integrated into and supports the city’s community, ecology and economy, by engaging the public, private, and non-profit sectors, including the Dix Park Conservancy.

Action LU 12.1 Completed 2013

Action LU 12.2 Completed 2015

Action LU 12.3 Completed 2021

section 4

Transportation

4.1 Land Use and Transportation Coordination........................... 4-4 4.2 Roadway System and Transportation Demand Management........................... 4-7 4.3 Complete Streets: Hierarchy and Design .......................... 4-16 4.4 Public Transportation........................................................... 4-20 4.5 Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation ..................................... 4-29 4.6 Parking Management ......................................................... 4-33 4.7 Transportation Safety Improvements ................................ 4-35 4.8 Commercial Truck and Rail Freight ................................... 4-37 4.9 Future Street Improvements............................................... 4-39 4.10 Emerging Technologies ..................................................... 4-44

The City of Raleigh recognizes the importance of developing a balanced, efficient, multimodal transportation network that minimizes impacts to the environment and reinforces the livability of neighborhoods. The Transportation Section is meant to guide future development of the city’s corridors, roads and highways for motorized and non-motorized transportation including public transit systems, bicycle, and pedestrian networks.

The transportation network is developed in a sustainable pattern that supports the city’s future land uses and urban form, minimizes vehicle miles traveled and single-occupancy vehicles, and reduces air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Raleigh has a well-established roadway network of streets, arteries, expressways and freeways. While some of these roads are maintained by the NCDOT, the city itself maintains over 1,000 miles of streets, as well as 1,190 miles of sidewalks, nearly 114 miles of bikeable greenway trails and bikeways, and 65 miles of bicycle facilities.

By 2035, Raleigh’s roadway network is projected to become more congested, with both the amount of time and number of miles spent on the roads increasing. Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and vehicle hours traveled (VHT) are both projected to increase from 2005 levels by over 50 percent – travel along freeways and other major streets will be most affected. In addition, the total number of trips (a.m., p.m., and overall) taken on Raleigh’s road network is projected to increase by over 50 percent.

Capital Boulevard (north of I-540), I-540 (from Capital Boulevard to I-40), and U.S. 401 (north of I-540) in north Raleigh are three roadways where both the traffic and level of service are projected to worsen greatly from 2005 to 2035. To affect these projections, not only will existing facilities and services have to be improved, but new mobility options – including increased and higher capacity transit service – must be created to meet the growing needs of Raleigh through the year 2040.

The Transportation Section contains policies that will create a well-connected, multimodal transportation network, support increased densities, help walking become more practical for short trips, support bicycling for both short- and long-distance trips, improve transit to serve frequented destinations, conserve energy resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and do so while maintaining vehicular access and circulation. More specifically, the policies and actions within this element address the following key transportation issues:

• Sprawling and segregated land use patterns have led to a high dependency on single-occupancy automobile trips.
• There is a need for better coordination of land use and transportation project review procedures to enable efficient and connected development patterns.
• Road widening and new facilities to address automobile congestion are not by themselves feasible solutions to the region’s mounting congestion and long commutes (See Policy T 3.3: Redefining LOS).
• Even with programmed investments, the future transportation system is projected to be severely constrained by the year 2035.
• The enormous growth experienced and planned in Raleigh will transform the city into the center of the region, and has the potential of changing the dynamics of the region’s transportation system.
• Traffic calming will continue to be an issue for many neighborhoods as traffic levels increase on major streets and drivers seek alternative routes using local residential streets.
• There are limited multimodal facilities that provide transit, bicycle and pedestrian accessibility, and help reduce congestion.

• Better coordination is needed among transportation planning partners such as: NCDOT, CAMPO, GoTriangle, GoRaleigh, and the surrounding counties and cities.

• Safety issues must be addressed along corridors, at intersections, and at locations with bicycles and pedestrians.

• Limited efficiency and coverage area of the current transit system prevents it from being an attractive alternative to the automobile.

Achieving a balanced and effective transportation system will require a greater investment in transit, pedestrian, and bicycle infrastructure. Detailed information concerning the underlying issues and background information can be found in the Community Inventory Report. For Raleigh to meet the vision theme of Economic Prosperity and Equity, the transportation system must be multimodal, operate efficiently, and provide all users with the ability to reach their destinations safely. Raleigh needs to provide facilities and services that meet the needs of the city’s residents and visitors, including senior citizens, the disabled, low-income, and transit-dependent persons.

Not only does the transportation system provide for the mobility of people and goods, but over the long term it influences patterns of growth and the level of economic activity through the accessibility it provides to adjacent land uses. To meet the vision theme of Coordinating Land Use and Transportation, the Comprehensive Plan must provide policies to help reduce the need for trip-making (particularly single-occupant vehicle, or SOV, trips), provide choices for shorter trips, and encourage walking, bicycling, and transit use. The Transportation and Land Use Sections must mutually reinforce one another and provide Raleigh with a foundation to make informed decisions.

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When considering the relationship of transportation with vision themes such as Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities and Greenprint Raleigh, it is important to consider social and environmental impacts. Reducing auto trips and auto dependency can make significant improvements to air quality. By using Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS), transportation investments can be developed that meet the needs of citizens and the surrounding land uses.

Another vision theme addressed in the Transportation Section is Managing Our Growth. By 2035, Raleigh’s roadway network will be extremely congested. It will not be possible to widen many congested roads due to limited funding and right-of-way. The problem can be attributed to extensive low density growth patterns, where 35 percent of commuters have a commuting travel time greater than 30 minutes, and per capita vehicle miles greatly exceed national norms for metro areas. Additionally, nearly 94 percent of Raleigh’s population relies on highway-based trips, concentrating traffic pressure on highway corridors.

In order for Raleigh’s transportation network to remain sustainable and continue to operate effectively, it will be important to manage the assets already in place and determine the most fiscally responsible transportation investments. This will also take considerable coordination between planning partners such as: North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), GoTriangle, GoRaleigh, and the surrounding counties and cities.

To track the efficiency of the city’s policies, any of the Comprehensive Plan’s vision themes that may be relevant to a particular policy are indicated by one of six icons. The vision themes are:

⬚ figure Economic Prosperity and Equity ⬚ figure Expanding Housing Choices ⬚ figure Managing Our Growth ⬚ figure Coordinating Land Use and Transportation ⬚ figure Greenprint Raleigh ⬚ figure Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities

In this Section and throughout the Plan, Key Policies used to evaluate zoning consistency are noted as such with an orange dot (⬚ figure).

4.1 Land Use and Transportation Coordination

Like many growing cities, Raleigh is experiencing extensive low density suburban growth that has had a negative impact on the overall transportation system. Projects exclusively designed to address automobile congestion are not feasible solutions to the city’s mounting congestion and long commutes. Roadway investments must be balanced with investments in other transportation modes such as public transportation and greenways. In addition, it is important to link development to sidewalks and greenways, as well as provide adequate connections to transit. Wake Transit, the plan for improved and increased bus service for the city and county, lays out a network of frequent and bus rapid transit routes that will improve mobility and help direct land use policy.

Land use patterns have a significant effect on trip generation and travel behavior. Compact, mixed-use and walkable developments mitigate traffic generation and impacts to the street system by shortening trip distances, capturing a greater share of trips internally, and facilitating transit and non-motorized trip-making. Successful mixed-use areas with multimodal access can thrive with lower parking ratios, freeing up land and capital for open space amenities and productive, revenue-producing uses.

Policies in this section are used to develop and maintain a sustainable multimodal transportation system that supports new and existing residential, commercial and recreational areas, preserves and enhances neighborhood livability and the quality of life for Raleigh’s residents, and provides for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. Land use and transportation decisions should mutually reinforce each other.

See also ‘3.4 Land Use and Transportation Coordination’ in Section 3: ‘Land Use’ for additional policies related to improving land use and transportation coordination.

Policy T 1.1 Coordination with Land Use Map

Transportation planning, development, expansion, and investment in transportation facilities should be coordinated with the Future Land Use Map.

See Section 3. ‘Land Use.’

Policy T 1.2 Right-of-way Reservation

Support the early identification and acquisition of land for future transportation corridors through land use planning and development permitting.

Policy T 1.3 Multimodal Transportation Design

Offer residents safe and attractive choices among modes including pedestrian walkways, bikeways, public transportation, roadways, railways, and aviation. The street patterns of newly developed areas should provide multimodal transportation alternatives for access to and circulation between adjacent neighborhoods, parks, shopping centers, and employment areas.

Policy T 1.4 Increasing Mobility Choice

Diversify the mobility choices for work trips by targeting transit investments along corridors that connect concentrations of office, retail, and residential uses.

Policy T 1.5 Context-sensitive Road Design

“Context Sensitive” approaches shall be used for new roadways or widening of existing roads to minimize impacts to historic business districts and neighborhoods and sensitive natural areas (particularly in watershed protection, conservation management and metro park protection areas).

See Text Box: Sensitive Area Streets.

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Policy T 1.6 Transportation Impacts

Identify and address transportation impacts before a development is implemented.

Sensitive Area Streets

Sensitive area streets are generally designed with a shoulder and swale section. They are typically utilized within a Metro Park or Watershed Protection Overlay District, or in other areas approved by the City Council. Special design standards for these streets are contained within the Raleigh Street Design Manual.

Action T 1.1 Completed 2016

Action T 1.2 Completed 2014

Action T 1.3 Completed 2016

Transportation

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Thresholds for Transportation Impact Analysis

NCDOT has adopted guidelines for when and how a Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA) should be performed. Many local jurisdictions, including Wake County, have also adopted TIA thresholds, typically lower than those chosen by NCDOT. NCDOT recommends a TIA when one of the following conditions is met:

• Access is from a four-lane street or greater.
• Daily trips exceed 3,000 vehicles per day (VPD).
• Within 1,000 feet of an interchange.
• Affects a location with a high crash history.
• Involves existing or proposed median crossover.
• Involves an active roadway construction project.
• Involves an active TIP project.

Some example thresholds from local jurisdictions include:

• City of Durham: peak hour trips $\ge$ 150 Vehicles per hour (VPH).
• Wake County: peak hour trips $\ge$ 100 VPH or daily trips $\ge$ 1,000 VPD.
• Town of Cary: peak hour trips $\ge$ 20 VPH and any development where expected trips exceed traffic generated by R-20 development (2.2 units per acre).
• City of Charlotte: daily trips $\ge$ 2,500 VPD; or affects a location with a high crash history; or takes place at a high congestion location (vehicles/capacity > 1); or creates a fourth leg at an existing signalized intersection; or exacerbates an already difficult situation (railroad crossing, school access, etc.).

4.2 Roadway System and Transportation Demand Management

Raleigh is currently served by a mixture of streets striking different balances between the two major functions: providing mobility for through traffic, and providing access to adjacent land uses. Historically, Raleigh’s roadway system was planned according to the common functional classification scheme of arterials, thoroughfares and collectors. This approach, while useful for determining road function and width, did not provide for much variation in street design based on land use context, nor did it identify how to implement a “complete streets” approach to integrating other modes (pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders) within the right-of-way.

With the adoption of a new development code in 2013, Raleigh has implemented an entirely new street classification system that is reflected in three locations: the policy basis for the street system is described in this section of the Comprehensive Plan; the regulatory requirements are set forth in the Unified Development Ordinance; and the engineering standards are detailed in the Raleigh Street Design Manual. The new street classification system addresses contexts ranging from high volume avenues to low-speed neighborhood streets and mixed-use main streets. It also sets forth requirements for bicycle and pedestrian facilities within streets. The function and purpose of each of the street types illustrated on Map T.1 are described on the right.

Street System

Map T.1 reflects the adopted Street Plan for the urbanized area, approved by the City Council and set forth in the Unified Development Ordinance. The adopted Street Plan is a component of the regional Comprehensive Transportation Plan, which is mutually approved by the governing bodies of all local jurisdictions in the region through the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).

The street system is classified into six major categories:

• Sensitive Area Streets for locations such as watersheds or other environmentally sensitive lands where storm sewer infrastructure is not available or recommended.
• Local Streets provide access to primarily residential areas.
• Mixed Use Streets provide access to areas with ground floor commercial uses and generally feature on-street parking.
• Major Streets are facilities of four or more lanes that primarily serve mobility functions while providing varying levels of access to adjacent land uses.
• Industrial and Service Streets serve low volumes and provide access to industrial and commercial areas where demand for pedestrian and bicycle amenities is low.
• Limited Access Highways are major transportation facilities serving heavy volumes of traffic, often of a regional nature. These facilities are designed to handle the heavy peak hour demands of commuting, or to serve concentrated destinations such as sports and entertainment facilities.

A more detailed description of these categories and the specific street types found in each follows.

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Sensitive Area Streets

Portions of the city adjacent to environmentally-sensitive areas require streets to be designed in a manner that reflect this context and the need for a higher degree of environmental and/or aesthetic control. The city has utilized sensitive area street designs for some time within designated watershed areas and adjacent to Umstead State Park. Streets in these areas have historically employed narrower impervious surface footprints and utilized open channel shoulder and ditch cross-sections. Newer facility designs for this class of streets have included pedestrian or greenway infrastructure located behind the ditchline. The following roadway cross-sections are intended for use in these "Sensitive" areas.

• Sensitive Area Parkways are four-lane streets intended to support regional travel. Medians are a standard feature of parkways in almost every case, except where a narrower cross-section is needed to minimize right-of-way and environmental impact.
• Sensitive Area Avenues are two-lane streets for use in low-intensity areas. They have relatively narrow paved widths, which includes paved shoulders for bicycle and pedestrian uses in retrofit situations lacking sidewalks.
• Sensitive Area Residential Streets are appropriate in rural conditions with large lot homes, typically without water and sewer provisions.

Local Streets

The local street system provides direct access to individual property throughout the city and makes up the majority of the city’s street inventory. Design of these streets can provide substantial flexibility relative to the adjacent land use context and an area’s multimodal transportation needs. However the street design must not be taken for granted, as poorly designed local streets can lead to unsafe driving conditions, negative aesthetics, and poor bicycle and pedestrian access for the community.

Local Streets should place a high priority on pedestrian accessibility, and they should also be considered as low speed bicycle and vehicle routes. Local streets should be relatively short in total distance and used less frequently compared to other street typologies. Sidewalks on both sides of the street should be provided in all cases. Travel lanes should not be striped, consistent with the flexible shared-use nature of these streets.

• Neighborhood Local streets come in three varieties that vary in the width allocated to travel and parking lanes. At their narrowest, opposing cars may need to yield to one another in order to pass. Street widths should be chosen based on anticipated traffic demand and consistent with the Raleigh Street Design Manual.
• Multifamily Streets are a special street type for use in townhouse and apartment/condominium communities where much of the parking demand is accommodated in continuous parking areas adjacent to the public right-of-way. These streets look like a street with parallel, diagonal or perpendicular on-street parking, but with an arrangement by which the parking is outside of the public right of way.

Transportation

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Table T-1 Summary of General Street Capacity

Transportation

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Mixed Use Streets

Mixed-use streets come in two basic types: Avenues, which are intended for areas of more suburban development, and Main Streets, which are appropriate for urban mixed-use settings where buildings front on the sidewalk.

• Mixed-Use Avenues are two- or three-lane facilities that provide access to abutting commercial and mixed land uses as well as higher density residences. They serve as primary bicycle and pedestrian routes with bicycle lanes and sidewalks, and may also integrate local transit vehicles. Avenues may feature a median or center turn lane, and may provide on-street parking.

• Main Streets are intended for denser, more urban areas with lower vehicular speeds. Unlike Avenues, bike lanes are not provided, as cyclists are intended to use the full travel lane. Wider sidewalks and the option of diagonal on-street parking are also provided.

Major Streets

The Major Street category includes Avenues of four or more lanes, and also introduces a new street type, the Multi-Way Boulevard.

• Avenues functioning as Major Streets have a similar purpose to two- and three-lane Avenues but apply to thoroughfare and arterial streets that require four or more lanes to accommodate traffic demand. Avenues with four or more lanes always feature medians. Signalized intersections are spaced further apart on major streets to better facilitate vehicular mobility. Major transit routes are often found on these corridors. Mid-block pedestrian crossings shall be installed on long blocks to maintain walkability in areas where pedestrian usage could be heavy and to provide easy access to transit facilities. On-street parking on facilities of six or more lanes is not recommended; such streets should be designed as Boulevards.

• Boulevards represent a unique street cross-section that are intended to provide a high level of both access and mobility — accommodating a significant volume of through traffic, while also providing a high level of access to urban land uses with welcoming pedestrian amenities. Multi-Way Boulevards solve this conflict by using medians to separate through travel lanes from lanes used for parking access and bicycle circulation. Pedestrian accessibility is typically provided directly adjacent to the land uses and separated from the through travel lanes.

Industrial and Service Streets

Streets within industrial and service areas typically carry lower traffic volumes but accommodate a higher proportion of truck traffic. Pedestrian facilities do not need to be as generous as in mixed-use areas, and separate bicycle facilities are not provided. On-street parking may be provided along these streets, however parking may be restricted in cases where industrial access points require additional space to accommodate larger vehicles.

Map T-1: Street Plan

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Sensitive Area Streets

• Sensitive Area Parkway
• Sensitive Area Avenue

Local Streets

• Neighborhood Street

Mixed Use Streets

• Avenue 2-Lane, Undivided
• Avenue 2-Lane, Divided
• Avenue 3-Lane, Parallel Parking
• Main Street

Major Streets

• Avenue 4-Lane, Parallel Parking
• Avenue 4-Lane, Divided
• Avenue 6-Lane, Divided
• Busway 2-Lane
• Busway 4-Lane
• Busway 6-Lane
• Multi-Way Boulevard

Industrial and Service Streets

• Industrial Street

Other Streets

• Limited Access Highway
• Proposed Street (all colors)

Limited Access Highways

Limited Access Highways include both limited-access Freeways and Expressways. Freeways are multi-lane, median-divided highways designed to the highest possible standard. Freeways are characterized by complete control of access and are subject to regulation by NCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). These facilities are designed to carry heavy amounts of traffic at higher rates of speed and do not typically include any multimodal infrastructure within the corridor. Access is provided through grade-separated interchanges and no perpendicular access via at-grade intersections or driveways is allowed. Examples of this type of roadway are interstates 40 and 440.

Expressways are multi-lane, median-divided highways with lower design standards than Freeways and a high degree of access restriction, however at-grade intersections, traffic signals, and direct driveway access may be utilized. Multimodal infrastructure within these corridors is usually provided via separated, parallel facilities. Capital Boulevard between Wade Avenue and Wake Forest Road is an example of an Expressway.

Special Study Areas

During the comprehensive planning process, five specific areas of Raleigh were identified for focused transportation studies to either determine preferred roadway alignments, locate potential new connections, or identify other roadway projects needed to address specific transportation and land use issues or problems. The Crabtree Valley Study was completed and presented to City Council in 2011. The Gorman Street extension will be evaluated as part of a larger regional effort. The Southern Gateway Corridor Study addressed the need for planning in the Centennial Parkway, Lake Wheeler Road, and Maywood Avenue area.

Two areas forecasted to suffer from significant congestion based on 2040 growth projections remain from the list identified for special study in 2009 and two additional areas were identified as part of the five-year update planning process. The four areas and the study purpose are described below:

1. Six Forks/Wake Forest Road Corridor: Evaluate the growth projections for this area from I-440 to Wake Forest Road. Future volume projections indicate roadways in this area may be significantly over capacity in the future.
2. Atlantic Avenue Corridor: Evaluate the growth projections for the corridor between Capital Boulevard and Millbrook Road. Future volume projections indicate Atlantic Avenue may be over capacity in the future and may warrant reclassification.
3. Wade Avenue: Current configuration of Wade Avenue is substandard design. Evaluate ways to address substandard design to reduce congestion and improve safety.
4. Wake Forest Road/Falls of Neuse: Current configuration of Wake Forest Road/Falls of Neuse between St. Albans Drive and Strickland Road is substandard design. Evaluate ways to address substandard design to reduce congestion and improve safety.

Policy T 2.1 Integration of Travel Modes

Promote and develop an integrated, multimodal transportation system that offers safe and attractive choices among modes including pedestrian walkways, bikeways, ride sharing, public transportation, roadways, railways, and aviation. ⬚ figure

Policy T 2.2 Defining Future Rights-of-way

As resources permit, move from "conceptual" routes for future streets to more specifically mapped future rights-of-way, backed by engineering studies. Mapping streets also determines where to install water and sewer infrastructure and reduces the need for easements across private property. ⬚ figure

Policy T 2.3 Eliminating Gaps

Eliminate “gaps” in the transportation system and provide a higher grid density that will increase mobility options and promote the accessibility of nearby land uses. ⬚ figure

Policy T 2.4 Road Connectivity

The use of cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets should be minimized. ⬚ figure

Policy T 2.5 Multimodal Grids

All new residential, commercial, or mixed-use developments that construct or extend roadways should include a multimodal network (including non-motorized modes) that provides for a well-connected, walkable community, preferably as a grid or modified grid. ⬚ figure

Policy T 2.6 Preserving the Grid

Existing street grid networks should be preserved and extended where feasible and appropriate to increase overall connectivity. ⬚ figure

Policy T 2.7 Conditions for Roadway Closure

No street, alley, or other public right-of-way shall be abandoned without the highest level of scrutiny and concurrence among affected city departments and utility companies. Right-of-way abandonment shall be subject to the following findings:

• The closure will not compromise the integrity of the city's street network, nor lead to a significant loss of vehicular, bicycle, or pedestrian connectivity.

• The closure will not impair the ability to provide utility service.

• The closure will not adversely impact the health, safety and welfare of the community, including access by emergency vehicles.

• The proposed closure is not in conflict with adopted Raleigh Historic Development Commission policy regarding street, alley, or other public right-of-way closures in local historic and National Register districts.

• The proposed closure is in the public interest. ⬚ figure

Policy T 2.8 Access Management Strategies

Appropriate access management strategies (i.e. location and spacing of permitted driveways) should be applied based on a roadway’s functional characteristics, surrounding land uses, and the roadway’s users. ⬚ figure

Policy T 2.9 Curb Cuts

The development of curb cuts along public streets—particularly on major streets—should be minimized to reduce vehicular conflicts, increase pedestrian safety, and improve roadway capacity. ⬚ figure

Policy T 2.10 Level of Service

Maintain level of service (LOS) "E" or better on all roadways and for overall intersection operation at all times, including peak travel times, unless maintaining this LOS would be infeasible and/or conflict with the achievement of other goals.

Level of Service (LOS)

LOS A - Drivers perceive little or no delay and easily progress along a corridor. LOS B - Drivers experience some delay but generally driving conditions are favorable. LOS C - Travel speeds are slightly lower than the posted speed with noticeable delay in intersection areas. LOS D - Travel speeds are well below the posted speed with few opportunities to pass and considerable intersection delay. LOS E - The facility is operating at capacity and there are virtually no useable gaps in the traffic. This is typically the acceptable threshold for urban areas. LOS F - More traffic desires to use a particular facility than it is designed to handle resulting in extreme delays.

Source: Highway Capacity Manual 2000 (HCM)

Policy T 2.11 Lane Additions

Consider adding lanes to increase roadway capacity only after the roadway exceeds 20 percent of full capacity and all other alternative approaches have been considered. This includes enhancing other transportation modes and roadway modifications such as restricting driveway access and adding turn lanes. Improvements to the roadway network should increase vehicle dispersion and circulation.

Policy T 2.12 Interjurisdictional Transportation Planning

Continue to work with regional planning partners and local transportation agencies to coordinate transportation planning, operations, and funding priorities and to identify existing and future transportation corridors that should be linked across jurisdictional boundaries so that sufficient right-of-way may be preserved.

Policy T 2.13 Increasing Vehicle Occupancy

Encourage and support programs that increase vehicle occupancy, including the provision of traveler information, shuttles, preferential parking for carpools/vanpools, park and ride, transit pass subsidies, and other methods (refer to Triangle Region Long Range Transportation Demand Management Plan).

Policy T 2.14 Employer-based Trip Reduction

Encourage employers to provide transit and bikeshare subsidies, bicycle facilities, alternative work schedules, ridesharing, telecommuting and work-at-home programs, employee education, and preferential parking for carpools/vanpools.

Policy T 2.15 Sensitive Road Design

Ensure that all new roadway projects and major reconstruction projects preserve existing trees and topography to the maximum extent feasible and provide an adequate street tree canopy while providing for the safest facility possible. Involve relevant experts (such as a certified arborist) in project planning when implementing this policy.

Policy T 2.16 Assessing Changes in Road Design

Subject all proposed changes to the treatment of existing vehicular rights-of-way, such as changes to the number and type of travel lanes, to a study prior to implementation to determine the impacts on the larger network and the level of service of all relevant modes.

Policy T 2.17 Bridge Improvements

Coordinate with NCDOT for bridge monitoring, maintenance, and rehabilitation. Bridge improvements should be considered when roadway investments are being pursued.

Policy T 2.18 Roadway Tree Canopies

Provide additional tree canopies consistent with recommendations from the Urban Forestry Division. Along multi-lane roads with planted medians, this reduces the visual height-to-width ratio of the overall streetscape and provides pedestrian refuges at signalized crossings.

Action T 2.1 Completed 2015

Action T 2.2 Completed 2016

Action T 2.3 Right-of-way Reservation

Conduct detailed analyses of proposed corridors and roadway connections to establish alignments, and take proactive steps to resolve future corridors and connections via development coordination or by acquisition.

Action T 2.4 Limited Access Lane Management

Coordinate with NCDOT on limited access facilities to investigate the feasibility of establishing lane management policies such as high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, truck lanes, express lanes, and toll lanes.

Action T 2.5 Intermodal Facility Prioritization

Work with CAMPO in the prioritization of inter-modal transportation facilities to ensure that adequate funding consideration for the planning and programming of these facilities is being given as part of CAMPO’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

Action T 2.6 Completed 2015

Action T 2.7 Special Transportation Studies

Undertake special studies for the areas identified in the introduction to this section:

• Six Forks/Wake Forest Road Corridor south of I-440. • Atlantic Avenue Corridor. • Wade Avenue. • Wake Forest Road/Falls of Neuse.

Action T 2.8 Transportation Funding Strategy

Develop a funding strategy for all maintenance and new construction transportation projects, including public/private partnerships for construction of strategic transportation facilities. The strategy should reflect a multimodal approach to transportation issues.

Action T 2.9 Completed 2014

4.3 Complete Streets: Hierarchy and Design

Transportation corridors should be more than just roadways for automobiles. Corridors can be designed and classified to reflect a balance between various modes and surrounding land uses. The term "Complete Streets" refers to streets that are designed to enable safe access and mobility for all users (i.e., pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders) of all ages and abilities. The urban form, trees, and buffers along such streets should also relate to the modes of transportation they support and the land uses they serve. Complete streets further social justice by integrating users of different means and abilities, and enhance real estate value by improving the public realm.

While the CAMPO Comprehensive Transportation Plan classifies roadways based on vehicle capacity and function, the Raleigh Street Plan provides guidance on how streets should relate to the land uses they serve, and the role of pedestrian and bicycle circulation and transit. Raleigh has transitioned to a new typology that includes the dimensions of street character and land use in addition to capacity and function, and broadens the notion of capacity to encompass the movement of people, not just cars. The new classifications include typologies such as Avenues, Boulevards, Parkways, and Main Streets.

NCDOT is considering similar transitions to its street classification system as part of its implementation of its Complete Streets Policy. The Street Map, displayed in Map T-1, further applies a new system of street overlays as part of the Growth Framework Map (see Map F-1 in Section 2: ‘Framework’). There are four types of corridors identified on the Map: highway, multimodal, urban, and parkway. These types have been applied to all existing and proposed major streets within the city.

• Highways: These are limited-access, grade separated roadways providing little to no direct access to adjacent land uses. NCDOT maintains jurisdiction over these facilities and no changes are proposed to how these are planned and developed.

• Multimodal Streets: Transit and non-motorized modes are anticipated to provide a significant share of the total capacity of these streets, and the street right-of-way should be managed accordingly. Where bus is the transit mode, these streets should be targeted for improvements such as shelters and benches at every stop. Queue jump lanes, signal priorities, and exclusive lanes for transit may also be appropriate. Some transit streets may eventually convert to transitway service, and for all such streets, a high level of pedestrian facilities and amenities should be provided. Land uses are expected to directly connect to and address the street. Bicycles should be integrated. Alternative cross-sections may be employed to meet these goals.

• Urban Streets: These are like multimodal streets but are not anticipated to have the same level of transit service. Urban streets can be narrower than other streets in the same classification, and should include on-street parking (where appropriate) and enhanced pedestrian facilities.

• Parkways: These streets are suburban in nature and more likely to be framed by landscaping rather than buildings. More traditional cross-sections can be employed on these streets. Landscaped medians are encouraged.

Implementing a Complete Streets Network

The City of Raleigh is dedicated to improving the lives, health, and well-being of our residents and visitors, regardless of age, income, health, or mode of transport. A network of Complete Streets across the city contributes to both livability and sustainability in that it provides safe and equitable mobility choices, recognizes all users regardless of physical ability or mode of travel, provides amenities and infrastructure for all modes, and complements adjoining architectural, economic, community, and land use patterns. With a Complete Streets Policy, the city recognizes that all streets are different and that the needs of various users must be balanced. Such a network will be accessible to users of all ages and ability—including bicyclists, pedestrians, transit users, motorists, freight providers, and municipal and emergency service providers—and ensure that all users experience a functional and visually attractive environment.

In developing a Complete Streets network, transportation improvements may include a wide variety of facilities and amenities, as appropriate, to meet the needs of all users. These may include but are not limited to:

• Sidewalks and pedestrian safety improvements, such as traffic signals, roundabouts, bulb-outs,curb extensions, high visibility crossings, buffer zones, and shared use pathways.
• Bicycle safety improvements, such as conventional bike lanes, bike parking, separated bike lanes, wide outside lanes, sharrows, paved shoulders, and signal detection.
• ADA compliance and full accessibility.
• Transit infrastructure including bus shelters, benches, trash cans, and pads.
• Street- and pedestrian-level lighting.
• Street trees, landscaping, street furniture, and adequate stormwater/drainage facilities.
• Access for emergency services without compromising safety or accessibility.
• Infrastructure for freight providers, including designated routes, large turning radii, and loading zones.

Complete street designs should be context-sensitive, consider local needs, and incorporate up-to-date design standards appropriate for the project setting. Each project must be considered both individually and as part of a connected network. Design should consider such elements as natural features, adjacent land uses, input from local stakeholders and merchants, community values, and future development patterns as outlined in the city’s Future Land Use Map, located in Section 3. Land Use, Comprehensive Plan, and adopted studies. When determining the community context and the feasibility of implementing Complete Streets concepts, the top priority is the safety of all users, followed by multimodal level of service, and then vehicular level of service.

The city’s Complete Streets Policy applies to all street projects, including those involving new construction, reconstruction, retrofits, repaving, rehabilitation, or changes in pavement marking. The city will actively look for opportunities to repurpose rights-of-way to enhance connectivity for all travelers. The development of a Complete Streets network will be achieved incrementally through single projects, as well as through continuing minor improvements, maintenance, and operational activities. The city will need to work closely with local, regional, and federal transportation agencies to promote compliance, as well as collaborate with all users of the public rights-of-way, such as utilities, to ensure that the principles and practices of Complete Streets are embedded within their planning, design,

Transportation

Figure T-1: Sample Complete Streets Cross Section

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Policy T 3.1 Complete Street Implementation

For all street projects and improvements affecting the public right-of-way, consider and incorporate Complete Street principles and design standards that provide mobility for all types of transportation modes (pedestrian, bicycle, auto, transit, freight) and support mutually-reinforcing land use and transportation decisions. Work with NCDOT to implement these design standards for state-maintained roads within the city’s jurisdiction.

See Text Box: Implementing a Complete Streets Network

Policy T 3.2 Integrating Multiple Users

Ensure that all new roadway projects and major reconstruction projects provide appropriate and adequate right-of-way for safe and convenient movement for all users including bicyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, and motorists. Manage the use of rights-of-way to best serve future travel demand (e.g., Multimodal Streets—incorporate wider sidewalks where appropriate).

Policy T 3.3 Redefining LOS

Expand the city’s use of level of service standards to include bicycle (BLOS), pedestrian (PLOS), and transit (TLOS) levels of service.

Policy T 3.4 Pedestrian-friendly Road Design

Design Complete Street amenities with the pedestrian in mind, avoiding the use of traffic control and safety devices that favor vehicles.

Policy T 3.5 Medians

Limit the use of undivided multi-lane streets and utilize raised or landscaped medians, where feasible, to improve safety and vehicle throughput while providing opportunities for pedestrian refuges and landscaping.

Policy T 3.6 Transportation Data Collection

Continually collect data that supports the monitoring of roadway, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian performance measures such as level of service

Transportation

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Action T 3.1 Completed 2014

Action T 3.2 Completed 2014

Action T 3.3 Completed 2013

Action T 3.4 Converted to Policy 2021

Action T 3.5 Completed 2016

4.4 Public Transportation

Transit plays a key role in furthering the city’s commitment to environmental stewardship, economic strength and social integrity. From the first privately owned mule-drawn trolley in Raleigh in 1886 to the conversion of electric streetcars to diesel motor coaches in 1933 and to the present-day public service providers connecting destinations throughout the city and the Triangle region, public mass transportation has played an essential role in providing mobility to the city’s citizens and visitors. The presence of a robust transit system that provides a legitimate alternative to the automobile is a critical element of overall community sustainability.

Transit supports social, economic, and environmental sustainability in the following ways:

• Social – By providing mobility choice and access to the public, regardless of age, disability, preference to drive, or financial resources and also by supporting active transportation that has health benefits.
• Economic – By providing a critical role in linking residents to jobs, by catalyzing sustainable economic development and also by reducing the financial burden of transportation to the local and regional economy.
• Environmental – By reducing vehicle miles traveled, energy consumption, carbon emissions, shortening trip lengths, improving air quality, as well as supporting land development that consumes less land.

Transit best achieves these goals when frequent service is provided to high-ridership locations and when development density is increased in areas with frequent service. Because financial resources are finite, frequent transit service cannot and should not be provided everywhere in the city. The Comprehensive Plan establishes a vision and policy statements in order to clearly communicate to residents, developers, business and institutions where frequent transit services will be provided. These policies are followed by measurable goals and action items for the city to pursue.

The Wake County Transit Plan process (see Text Box; Wake County Transit Plan), which took place in 2015 and 2016, addressed major questions about the future of transit in the region. It involved analysis not just of types of transit but also of broad goals and trade-offs. These included whether transit should serve more people, by creating high-frequency and higher-speed routes that connect major centers, or cover more area, by spreading resources across a wider area at the cost of less frequency and slower speeds. The process included a strong preference for achieving higher ridership.

Ultimately, the city’s goal is an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable public transportation system that is vital to the community and supports freedom by expanding the quantity and quality of mobility choices, that complements broader comprehensive planning policies, and helps promote the region’s larger public transit vision.

The city has several specific goals for its transit system, including:

• Mode Share. Increase non-single occupancy vehicle mode share by emphasizing a network that prioritizes ridership, by focusing on high-frequency routes that connect major population centers with major destinations, over coverage.
• Metrics. Improve system quality and efficiency as measured by metrics such as passenger trips per unit of service, units of service per local investment and service reliability.
• Frequent Network. Increase span of service and frequency to growth centers and in priority transit corridors.
• Appeal. Improve the appeal of the system so that citizens consider it an attractive and viable transportation choice.

Transportation

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• Regional Transit. Promote regional transit across the Triangle by providing effective connections to other local and regional transit providers.
• Innovation through Technology and Partnerships. Leverage civic, academic and other resources in the city and the region to foster innovative technological improvements to the public transit system.

Public transportation services in the City of Raleigh are provided by GoRaleigh, GoTriangle (TTA) and North Carolina State University (Wolfline). Additionally, several municipalities in Wake County contract with these agencies to provide express commuter service to the City of Raleigh.

In addition to being the primary provider of local fixed-route transit services, GoRaleigh also provides paratransit services through the GoRaleigh Access program to locations generally within the city’s boundaries. GoRaleigh receives local funding from the City of Raleigh and is governed by the Raleigh Transit Authority (RTA), a board of nine citizens appointed by the Raleigh City Council.

While Raleigh supports efforts for a regional transit system, emphasis must also be placed on improving transit services within the city.

Additional transit services will be required to enhance mobility options, reduce vehicle miles traveled, and encourage transit-oriented development around planned transit station areas. Transit connections need to be considered for the major trip generators in Raleigh (examples include Wake Medical Campus, NCSU, downtown Raleigh, Crabtree, the Blue Ridge corridor, Highwoods). Further, enhanced local bus service will be needed to deliver riders to new rail stations, reducing the need to drive to these stations.

Policies in this section seek to foster increased transit use through the extension of existing lines, the provision of new services, increased frequency of service, and the provision of direct pedestrian and bicycle access to transit station areas. Increased transit use will further the city’s efforts to become more sustainable and energy efficient. Transit and land use will be tightly linked, with transit stations integrated into walkable, transit-oriented developments. Plans will be developed for new transit services such as commuter rail, bus rapid transit (BRT), new bus routes between activity centers, and neighborhood bus service. Planned transit facilities are shown in Map T-2.

See also 14.1 ‘Transportation Investments’ in Section 14: ‘Regional and Inter-Jurisdictional Coordination’ for related policies.

Wake County Transit Plan

The Wake County Board of Commissioners voted to officially adopt the recommended Wake County Transit Plan in June 2016. They joined the governing boards of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and GoTriangle, which approved the plan and corresponding Transit Governance Interlocal Agreement in May 2016. The final report covers three major categories of investment: increased bus service, implementation of bus rapid transit (BRT) and implementation of commuter rail transit.

Increased Bus Service

• This would expand bus service throughout the region to connect communities, specifically:
• Expand existing frequent bus service from 17 to 83 miles, with service at least every 15 minutes throughout the day.
• Improve links between colleges and universities, employment centers, medical facilities, dense residential areas, RDU Airport and downtowns.
• Implement consistent seven-day-a-week service, with the same schedule on Sunday as on Monday.
• Operate routes every 30-60 minutes to provide more coverage across Wake County.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

BRT involves building dedicated bus lanes on local roads, so bus operators can bypass traffic and keep their routes on schedule. To implement BRT for the first time in Wake County, the plan will construct approximately 20 miles of BRT-related infrastructure improvements. Four initial BRT corridors have been identified:

• New Bern Avenue between Raleigh Boulevard and near WakeMed.
• Capital Boulevard between Peace Street and the Wake Forest Road intersection.
• South Wilmington Street towards Garner.
• Western Boulevard between Raleigh and Cary.

Along these corridors, buses would have priority treatment at traffic signals. BRT stations will allow off-board fare payment and feature raised platforms, making it easier for passengers with wheelchairs, strollers or bicycles to board the bus.

Commuter Rail Transit (CRT)

CRT will use existing railroad tracks to provide comfortable passenger service that allows riders to relax or work on their way to key destinations.

• 37 miles of CRT would be in place from Garner to downtown Raleigh, N.C. State University, Cary, Morrisville and the Research Triangle Park continuing to Durham.
• Up to eight trips would run in each direction during peak hours.
• One to two trips would run each way during midday and evening hours.
• Will leverage the bus network to connect riders with key destinations like RDU Airport.

Implementation

It will cost about $2.3 billion to build and operate the elements of this plan over the first 10 years.

The transit plan is designed to be funded through a combination of local, state and federal dollars, as well as farebox revenue. The main funding source for the transit plan is the local half-cent sales tax, which was approved by voters in 2016. Local funding would also include increased vehicle registration fees.

Policy T 4.1 Promoting Transit

Promote and support quality transit services to enhance mobility options and to meet the needs of the city’s residents and visitors, with a focus on transit-dependent households.

Policy T 4.2 Short-term Bus Improvements

Enhance local and regional bus transit service in the short-term along key corridors where long-term bus rapid transit improvements are planned and identified in the Wake County Transit Plan.

Policy T 4.3 High-quality Priorities

Prioritize high-quality frequent transit investments in corridors with the greatest potential to attract riders and shape development and redevelopment.

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Picture T-3 Bus Stop Design

Bus Stop Standards (distances represent the appropriate no parking zone to encompass the actual stopping point of the bus, plus room for it to approach and leave the stop)

Near side of intersection: 85 – 100 feet in length

Mid-block: 130 – 175 feet in length

Far side of intersection: 80 – 85 feet in length

Policy T 4.4 Right-of-way Reservation for Transit

Preserve right-of-way for future transit and require that new development and redevelopment provide transit easements for planned alignments, rail stations, and bus stops within existing and planned transit corridors as identified in the Wake County Transit Plan.

Policy T 4.5 Transit Efficiency

Promote transit efficiency by reducing waiting time and transfer time within the GoRaleigh system and to other transit providers.

Policy T 4.6 Event-based Transit Services

Substitute event-based transit services for on-site parking capacity where feasible, to free land for other uses around event locations.

Policy T 4.7 Transit Availability

Increase the availability of public transportation between residential and employment areas, as well as to regional facilities such as RDU International Airport and Research Triangle Park.

Policy T 4.8 Bus Waiting Areas

Developments located within existing and planned bus transit corridors should coordinate with GoRaleigh to provide a stop facility that is lit and includes a shelter, bench, a waste receptacle, and other amenities as appropriate.

Transportation

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Policy T 4.9 Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Near Transit

Coordinate with local transit providers to identify pedestrian and/or bicycle needs within a reasonable distance of transit stops in need of enhancement for all transit users, including persons with disabilities.

Policy T 4.10 Transit-first Features

Incorporate features such as traffic signal priority, queue jumps, and exclusive transit lanes to improve transit operations and reliability, where appropriate.

Policy T 4.11 Demand-responsive Transit

Support the provision of demand-responsive services (e.g., expansion of GoRaleigh Access and other transportation services for those unable to use conventional transit).

Policy T 4.12 Special Needs

Provide adequate and accessible transit for residents and visitors with special needs, including senior citizens, the disabled, and transit-dependent persons.

Policy T 4.13 Crosstown Travel

Create routes and a network of secondary transfer hubs that facilitate crosstown and suburb-to-suburb travel patterns.

Policy T 4.14 Growth Centers

Provide circulator services to facilitate mobility within identified City Growth Centers (See the Growth Framework Map in Section 2. Framework) and to connect these centers with bus rapid transit or rail and major transit routes.

Policy T 4.15 Enhanced Rider Amenities

Promote the use of transit facilities and services through enhanced pedestrian access and provisions for seating, shelter, and amenities.

Policy T 4.16 Bus Stop Spacing

Explore opportunities to provide more widely spaced bus stops with higher amenity levels, trading shorter walking distances with faster transit service and better facilities.

Policy T 4.17 Removed 2019

Policy T 4.18 Transit Service Coordination

Coordinate local bus route and schedule planning, including feeder services, with new bus rapid transit or rail services, as they become available. ⬚ figure

Policy T 4.19 Service Targets and Evaluation

Establish service and performance targets for the transit system to support the city’s overall vision for public transportation. Monitor the effectiveness of transit plan implementation and overall service performance to inform future planning efforts. ⬚ figure

Policy T 4.20 Transit Planning Outcomes

Transit planning outcomes should equally value existing riders and potential riders, work based trips and non-work based trips, and finally door-to-door travel times and stop-to-stop travel times. ⬚ figure

Policy T 4.21 System Appeal

Improve the appeal of the transit system through marketing, outreach, and education campaigns. ⬚ figure

Policy T 4.22 Regional Transit

Lead, support, and develop countywide and regional public transportation services that contribute to the continued prosperity of the City of Raleigh, Wake County and the Triangle region. Lead regional planning efforts to improve transit services and pursue a regional transit system. Ensure local planning efforts are compatible with the regional vision. ⬚ figure

Policy T 4.23 Bike, Ride and Car Share as Public Transportation

Consider bike, ride and car share to be a component of the city’s public transportation network. Plan how to integrate these forms of transportation and to coordinate them with existing and future transit services. ⬚ figure

Policy T 4.24 Innovation

The city’s transit and transportation management (TDM) efforts should reach out to innovators in the city to leverage grassroots resources and develop creative technology solutions that benefit public transportation users ⬚ figure

Action T 4.1 Multimodal Transportation Center

Continue to implement subsequent phases of the Raleigh Union Station project. Upon completion, the proposed central station will link multiple travel modes, including local, regional, and long-distance bus; regional, commuter, and long-distance passenger rail (Phase I); and taxis, cars, and bicycles.

Action T 4.2 Transit Stop Evaluations

Evaluate transit stops to determine their convenience and effectiveness to serve riders and support land use policies.

Action T 4.3 Removed 2019

Action T 4.4 Removed 2019

Action T 4.5 Completed 2016

Transportation

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Action T 4.6 Park and Ride Lots

Locate park and ride lots along the fringes of the city, with a direct connection to transit. Specifically, develop park and ride facilities along the following corridors: Capital Boulevard/Atlantic Avenue; Six Forks Road; Glenwood Avenue; Creedmoor Road; and New Bern Avenue. Also develop enhanced park and ride facilities in West Raleigh in the Arena area and in the South Saunders/Tryon Road area.

Action T 4.7 Shared Parking and Transit

Evaluate the need and benefits of shared park and ride lots in areas that have significant unused daytime parking, such as shopping malls. Work with property owners and local communities to allocate off-street parking surpluses for carpooling and transit users.

Action T 4.8 Secondary Transit Hubs

Enhance secondary transit hubs at Crabtree ValleyMall, NCSU, Triangle Town Center, and WakeMed. Establish new hubs in south Raleigh near Garner, New Bern at New Hope, and explore the potential for additional bus as the system expands.

Action T 4.9 Completed 2016

Action T 4.10 Local Financing for Transit

Pursue local and innovative financing options, beyond the transit sales tax, to assist in funding transit infrastructure investments.

Action T 4.11 Completed 2015

Action T 4.12 Bench and Shelter Siting

Work with NCDOT to modernize the rules governing state-maintained roadways, to facilitate the placement of benches and shelters along Raleigh’s major transit corridors.

Action T 4.13 Completed 2012

Action T 4.14 Service Targets

Establish policy statements and service targets for mode-share and for ridership versus coverage, and establish timeframes for achieving these goals.

Action T 4.15 Frequent Network Map

Create a series of frequent network maps for public distribution that show where existing all-day frequent transit service is available.

Action T 4.16 Downtown Services

Investigate opportunities to improve the utility of public transportation services in downtown Raleigh, such as evaluating a potential fare-free downtown transit district that promotes the use of transit for short trips downtown. Evaluate the potential to consolidate fixed-route services into select transit corridors to create a downtown frequent network of services.

Action T 4.17 Paratransit Efficiency and Coordination

Investigate opportunities to improve paratransit service by identifying opportunities to coordinate with larger employers to create new fixed-route services where appropriate. Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and quality of city-provided paratransit services to ensure that the city can continue to provide an effective paratransit service.

Action T 4.18 Completed 2021

Action T 4.19 Bike, Ride and Car Share

Identify opportunities to creatively leverage bike, ride and car share systems to augment public transit, enhance system connectivity, and reduce transit trip travel times. Identify creative ways to share local operating funds between these services and public transit that results in a more cost-effective network.

Action T 4.20 Low-income Fares

Study the possibility of reduced or eliminated fares for low-income residents.

Map T-2: Planned Transit Facilities

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*Routes shown are representational and may not reflect final alignments as further planning is undertaken to implement the recommendations of the Wake Transit Plan. Alignments in Downtown will be further refined in a separate study.

4.5 Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation

Bicycles and pedestrians are important components of Raleigh’s transportation system. There are significant gaps in the bicycle and pedestrian networks that hinder effective and safe circulation. This is particularly important in key locations such as retail and mixed-use centers, schools, libraries, and parks. The quality of life will be greatly enhanced in Raleigh by investing in bicycle and pedestrian networks and amenities.

Policies in this section support the goal of providing Raleigh with a safe, walkable, and bikeable environment through a continuous pedestrian and bicycle network. Residents will be encouraged to integrate bicycling and walking into their daily activities to promote a healthier lifestyle and improve energy conservation. The construction of a comprehensive citywide bicycle and pedestrian network, support facilities such as convenient and secure bicycle parking, and an educated driving and bicycling public will facilitate increased bicycling and walking. The existing and planned bicycle and pedestrian facilities are displayed in Map T-3.

Policy T 5.1 Enhancing Bike/Pedestrian Circulation

Enhance pedestrian and bicycle circulation, access, and safety along corridors, downtown, in activity and employment centers, at densely developed areas and transit stations, and near schools, libraries, and parks. ⬚ figure

Policy T 5.2 Incorporating Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements

All new developments, roadway reconstruction projects, and roadway resurfacing projects in the City of Raleigh’s jurisdiction should include appropriate bicycle facilities shown in the Recommended Bikeway Network contained in the city’s BikeRaleigh Plan. ⬚ figure

Policy T 5.3 Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility

Maintain and construct safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle facilities that are universally accessible, adequately illuminated, and properly designed to reduce conflicts among motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. ⬚ figure

Policy T 5.4 Pedestrian and Bicycle Network Connectivity

Continuous pedestrian and bicycle networks should be provided within and between existing and new developments to facilitate safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle travel free of major barriers and impediments such as cul-de-sacs and large parking lots. ⬚ figure

Policy T 5.5 Sidewalk Requirements

New subdivisions and developments should provide sidewalks on both sides of the street. ⬚ figure

Policy T 5.6 Bridges, Underpasses, and Interchanges

Pedestrians and bicyclists shall be integrated on roadway bridges, underpasses, and interchanges (except on roadways where they are prohibited by law). Bicycle and pedestrian facilities, including wide sidewalks, should be included on all new bridges and underpasses (requires NCDOT coordination on state-maintained roads). ⬚ figure

Policy T 5.7 Capital Area Greenway

Treat the Capital Area Greenway trail system as part of the city’s transportation network for bicycles and pedestrians and plan connections to the system accordingly. ⬚ figure

Transportation

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Policy T 5.8 Workplace Bicycle Facilities

Encourage bicycle facilities, such as secured bicycle racks, personal lockers, and showers for new and existing office developments to encourage bicycling as an alternative mode for work commutes.

Policy T 5.9 Pedestrian Networks

New subdivisions and large-scale developments should include safe pedestrian walkways or multi-use paths that provide direct links between roadways and major destinations such as transit stops, schools, parks, and shopping centers.

Policy T 5.10 Building Orientation

All primary building entrances should front onto a publicly accessible, and easily discernible, and ADA-compliant walkway that leads directly from the street to the front door to improve pedestrian access.

Policy T 5.11 New Bike Routes

Convert underused right-of-way along travel lanes and railroad corridors to bikeways or widen outside lanes wherever possible and desirable.

Policy T 5.12 Safe Routes to School

Support infrastructure and programs that encourage children to walk and bicycle safely to school. Coordinate with Wake County Public School System and NCDOT Bike/Pedestrian Division to identify projects eligible for "Safe Routes to Schools" funding.

Policy T 5.13 Pedestrian Infrastructure

Ensure that streets in areas with high levels of pedestrian activity (employment centers, residential areas, mixed-use areas, schools) support pedestrian travel by providing such elements as frequent and safe pedestrian crossings, large medians for pedestrian refuges, bicycle lanes, frontage roads with on-street parking, and/or grade separated crossings.

Policy T 5.14 Rails to Trails

Encourage the development of greenway trails along existing rail corridors.

Policy T 5.15 Facilities for All Ages

Bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure should be designed in a manner that is safe, accommodating, and functional for people of all ages and physical abilities.

Policy T 5.16 Personal Motorized Modes

Continue to manage the use of personal motorized modes of travel, including scooters and other emerging Personal Accessibility Vehicles (PAVs). Explore additional implementation methods that safely integrate PAVs within the pedestrian and bicycle network.

Action T 5.1 Completed 2014

Action T 5.2 Completed 2014

Action T 5.3 Completed 2013

Action T 5.4 Completed 2012

Action T 5.5 Trail and Path Width

Develop and maintain greenway trails and multi-use paths to be no less than ten feet wide as identified in the BikeRaleigh Plan and current AASHTO standards.

Action T 5.6 Bicycle Plan Implementation

Maintain and implement the BikeRaleigh Plan.

Action T 5.7 Completed 2011

Action T 5.8 Completed 2013

Action T 5.9 Converted to Policy 2022

Action T 5.10 Pedestrian Crossing Standards

Establish standards for maximum distances between pedestrian crossings that are also associated with roadway classification to enhance walking and transit use.

Action T 5.11 Crosswalk Safety

Widen crosswalks and install durable painted crosswalks and/or other investments to increase pedestrian safety and visibility at crossings.

Action T 5.12 Completed 2015

Action T 5.13 Completed 2014

Action T 5.14 Railroad Greenway Trails

Partner with railroad entities to locate additional greenway trails along existing rail lines.

Action T 5.15 Completed 2021

Transportation

Map T-3: Planned Bicycle Facilities

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Long Term Planned Facility

— Bicycle Lane — Separated Bikeway — Existing Greenway Trail

Map created 4/12/2024 by the Raleigh Department of Planning and Development

4.6 Parking Management

While Raleigh currently has parking standards, there is a need to modify and enforce these standards to optimize supply. In some instances there is an over-abundance of parking supply, incentivizing single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) travel. By managing and pricing the parking supply, the city can encourage transit, bicycling, and walking as means of travel. This also results in positive effects to air quality and reduces overall congestion on the roadway network.

Policies in this section focus on providing sufficient parking for businesses, while protecting adjacent land uses and the environment. Reduced parking requirements will be provided where appropriate to promote walkable communities and alternative modes of transportation. On-street parking use and shared parking will be maximized through the use of parking management tools.

Policy T 6.1 Surface Parking Alternatives

Reduce the amount of land devoted to parking through measures such as development of parking structures and underground parking, the application of shared parking for mixed-use developments, flexible ordinance requirements, maximum parking standards, and the implementation of Transportation Demand Management plans to reduce parking needs. ⬚ figure

Policy T 6.2 Transit Station Parking

Establish a transit station area parking program and management strategies for proposed and planned transit stations. ⬚ figure

Policy T 6.3 Parking as a Buffer

Encourage the location of on-street parking and drop-off areas adjacent to sidewalks as a buffer to vehicular traffic, for customer convenience, for maximizing on-street parking turnover, and, in locations where significant physical separation is desired, between vehicle travel lanes and bicycle lanes. Parking between sidewalk areas and building fronts should be minimized. ⬚ figure

Policy T 6.4 Shared Parking

Strongly encourage shared-use car parking for land uses where peak parking demand occurs at different times of the day, reducing the total number of spaces required. ⬚ figure

Shared Parking

Shared parking is the use of a parking space to serve two or more individual land uses without conflict or encroachment. The ability to share parking spaces is the result of two conditions: (1) variations in the accumulation of vehicles by hour, by day, or by season at the individual land uses; and (2) relationships among the land uses that result in visiting multiple land uses on the same auto trip. (Shared Parking, Urban Land Institute, 2005)

Policy T 6.5 Minimum Parking Standards

Reduce the minimum vehicle parking standards over time and as appropriate to promote walkable neighborhoods and to increase use of transit and bicycles. ⬚ figure

Policy T 6.6 Parking Connectivity

Promote parking and development that encourage multiple destinations within an area to be connected by pedestrian trips. ⬚ figure

Transportation

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Policy T 6.7 Parking Demand Management

Discourage single occupant vehicle trips through parking supply and pricing controls in areas where supply is limited and alternative transportation modes are available.

Policy T 6.8 Parking Lot Design

Parking areas should be designed to minimize conflicts with pedestrians.

See also ‘15.2 Transportation’ in Section 15: ‘Downtown Raleigh.’

Policy T 6.9 Green Parking Facilities

Reduce stormwater runoff generated by parking facilities by promoting an increase in the use of tree planting and landscaping, green roofs for parking decks, and permeable materials for parking lots, driveways, and walkways.

Policy T 6.10 Parking Technology

Use technological advances to make curbside and other parking easier to locate and pay for, and to potentially incorporate a dynamic pricing system aimed at ensuring that some spaces are always available in high-demand areas.

Action T 6.1 Completed 2013

Action T 6.2 Removed 2021

Action T 6.3 Completed 2013

Action T 6.4 Completed 2014

Action T 6.5 Completed 2010

4.7 Transportation Safety Improvements

While it is important to provide a multimodal transportation system that efficiently moves users to their destinations, it is more important that the users arrive to their destinations safely. Reducing the conflict points between modes, such as vehicles with bicycles and pedestrians, can greatly enhance safety.

Traffic calming is another way to enhance safety and is a common desire in many neighborhoods and communities. As traffic levels increase on major streets, drivers will use alternative routes to make their trips. This additional through traffic, which is typically generalized as traveling above posted speeds, is undesirable in residential areas.

Policies in this section support the provision of a safe multimodal transportation network for all users. Policies include consideration of traffic calming, bicycle and pedestrian crossings, and crash analysis.

Policy T 7.1 Vision Zero

Work with all parties necessary to improve the multimodal transportation system so that safe routes for motorists, transit riders, bicycles, and pedestrians are provided. The goal is to eliminate transportation-related fatalities and severe injuries.

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Policy T 7.2 Traffic Calming

Incorporate traffic calming techniques and treatments into the design of new or retrofitted local and neighborhood streets, as well as within school, park, and pedestrian-oriented business areas, to emphasize lower auto speeds, encourage bicycling and walking, and provide pedestrians with a convenient, well-marked, and safe means to cross streets. Particular consideration should be given to traffic calming measures on streets where additional connectivity is planned.

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Policy T 7.3 Transportation Safety Data

Maintain data necessary to assess roadway safety performance and support enforcement and education. Data may include traffic volume data for major roadway network facilities, geographically referenced crash report data for all modes, and crash report archives for injury crashes.

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Policy T 7.4 Road Capacity and Safety

Evaluate and document the safety impacts of proposed roadway capacity projects including impacts to bicycle and pedestrian safety.

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Policy T 7.5 Reducing Cut-through Traffic

Work with the community on an individual-project basis to identify feasible solutions to lessen the impacts of major street improvements on local streets.

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Policy T 7.6 Low-speed Streets

The design speed for all Local Streets should not exceed 20 mph. The design speed for Mixed-Use Streets should not exceed 30 mph.

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Action T 7.1 Street Lighting

Add street lights where necessary to critical intersections, bus shelter stops, and neighborhood dark spots and maintain existing street lights to enhance safety. Remove lights where they are unnecessary for safety and where a reduction in lighting would be an environmental enhancement.

Action T 7.2 Crash Analysis

Review locations with high vehicular crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists to identify needed improvements.

Action T 7.3 Traffic Calming

Develop a process to evaluate, and when appropriate, include, traffic calming through new development when it adds street connectivity.

Action T 7.4 Vision Zero

Create a “Vision Zero” plan with the goal of eliminating transportation-related fatalities and severe injuries and with a focus on equitable implementation.

4.8 Commercial Truck and Rail Freight

The movement of freight, both by train and by truck, is an important part of Raleigh’s economy. There are numerous at-grade railroad crossings that pose traffic and safety concerns as traffic increases on both the railroad and the roadway. Although some businesses are located along railroads and utilize trains for the movement of freight, a majority of freight operations involve trucks. The existing freight routes are displayed in Map T-4.

Policies in this section support the safe and efficient movement of goods via rail, truck, and air transportation modes. Policies also seek to reduce the impacts of rail and truck operations on adjacent neighborhoods and sensitive land uses.

Policy T 8.1 Truck Routes

Promote the safe and efficient movement of truck traffic in and around the city through designated truck routes and alternate truck routes for heavily-traveled corridors.

Policy T 8.2 Grade Separations

Outside of the downtown street grid, seek additional opportunities to provide grade-separated street connections across the city’s passenger and freight rail corridors, and look to grade separate existing crossings where feasible and desirable.

Policy T 8.3 Intermodal Transfer of Goods

Support infrastructure improvements and the use of emerging technologies that facilitate the clearance, timely movement, and security of trade, including facilities for the efficient intermodal transfer of goods between truck, rail, and air transportation modes.

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Action T 8.1 Railroad Crossing Safety

Monitor traffic and safety conditions for at-grade railroad crossings as freight traffic increases to determine the need for grade separations.

Action T 8.2 Improving Freight Movement

Identify and correct roadway design and operational deficiencies that affect the safe and efficient movement of freight on designated freight routes while maintaining the health and safety of residents.

Transportation

Map T-4: Freight Routes

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Map created 4/12/2024 by the Raleigh Department of Planning and Development

4.9 Future Street Improvements

Policy T 9.1 Future Interchange Locations

Ensure that development projects adjacent to future interchange locations as shown on Map T-5 do not compromise the future ability to construct the proposed interchange or grade separation.

The following tables list identified improvements to major streets necessary to bring these streets up to the city's guidelines for cross section, create new points of connection, and to ensure adequate vehicular capacity into the future. The tables address two types of improvements. New Location projects, listed in Table T-2, involve the extension of existing roadways and the creation of new connections. These correspond to the dashed lines on Map T-1: Street Plan.

See also '4.2 Roadway System and Transportation Demand Management.'

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Transportation

Table T-2 New Location Projects

Transportation

Transportation

Map T-5: Planned Interchanges and Grade Separations

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Planned Facilities

Map created 4/12/2024 by the Raleigh Department of Planning and Development

4.10 Emerging Technologies

The field of transportation is in the midst of perhaps the broadest – and most disruptive – set of changes since the widespread adoption of personal automobiles several decades ago. In addition to the growing realization that accessibility – the proximity of residences with destinations such as workplaces, parks, and shopping districts – is as important as mobility, technological advances and policy innovations are changing how people move throughout Raleigh.

Most obviously, ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft have rapidly become a significant part of the mobility equation in recent years. This activity has many implications, from a growing demand for curbside drop-off space to potential effects on transit ridership and car ownership. Looking forward, automated vehicles seem likely to bring even more substantial impacts on both mobility and land use.

Other recent innovations include increasingly sophisticated bikeshare systems, both public and private, and improved tools for locating and paying for parking. Trip planning tools are allowing for better information about routes and options for different modes, and integrated fare payment systems are simplifying the process of trips that combine modes or providers.

The lessons of the past illuminate the possible futures created by these innovations. In the post-World War II era, few decisions were made that did not prioritize the movement of motor vehicles above other considerations. In recent decades, cities have better understood the costs of those decisions on the environment, public health, and the identity and desirability of the city. Recent policy has emphasized balancing automotive mobility with these and other considerations. Emerging technologies have created a new crossroads. This section aims to create policy that accommodates and encourages new technologies while ensuring that they serve broader goals, rather than shape policy in their own images.

Ride-hailing and Vehicle Sharing

The rapid growth in popularity of alternatives to vehicle ownership is shaping mobility. Vehicle sharing, which allows for a dispersed fleet of short-term rentals, and ride-hailing services, which provide simple means of making individual trips, offer additional choices for residents and visitors. These services can bring benefits such as increased mobility and, by providing an alternative to car ownership, a reduction in overall vehicle miles traveled. However, they can also diminish transit ridership and in some instances can increase transportation demand.

Both ride-hailing and vehicle sharing will affect future parking demand as well. While demand for on- or off-street parking is likely to diminish, there may be greater demands on curbside space in the form of drop-off areas. Future planning should take these effects into account.

Automated Vehicles

Automated vehicles may soon begin to have a major impact on the city’s transportation system. Some analyses suggest that, in conjunction with a shift toward mobility as a service, they could reduce vehicle miles traveled by divorcing mobility from vehicle ownership. However, they also will reduce the perceived cost of driving by allowing travelers to perform other tasks and avoid the frustration of navigating in traffic. This effect could increase vehicle miles traveled and incentivize a more disperse land-use pattern.

Beyond the broader impacts, the introduction of automated vehicles will involve consideration of a number of planning and legal issues that would enable, or not, this technology. In coming years, the city will begin to consider and plan for the impact of automated vehicles, ranging from narrow legal questions to broad transportation and land use issues.

Policy T 10.1 Automated Vehicles

The inclusion of automated vehicles into the city’s transportation system should support other goals, including reducing vehicle miles traveled, improving transportation safety, enhancing urban form, and supporting transit and other modes of travel. ⬚ figure

Policy T 10.2 Ride-hailing and Vehicle Sharing

Ride-hailing, vehicle sharing, and other innovations to the city’s transportation system should support other goals, including reducing vehicle miles traveled, improving transportation safety, and supporting transit and other modes of travel. ⬚ figure

Policy T 10.3 Curbside Space

Consider, in future studies and street designs, changes in parking demand created by the increased popularity of ride-hailing and vehicle sharing services. Ensure that adequate space is provided for drop-off areas and that excessive off-street parking is not required or constructed. Make designated spaces available for vehicle sharing services. ⬚ figure

Policy T 10.4 Bikeshare

Support bikeshare, both public and private, through city support of a public system and through appropriate regulation of any private systems. ⬚ figure

Action T 10.1 Curbside Space

Study drop-off activity in high-demand locations (Glenwood South, Raleigh Convention Center, Performing Arts Center) and consider whether a reallocation of curbside space to provide additional drop-off zones is warranted.

Action T 10.2 Completed 2021

Action T 10.3 Automated Vehicles

Study the potential impact of automated vehicles and whether existing policy and regulation provide an adequate framework for accommodating automated vehicles into the city’s transportation system. Consider how automated vehicles may affect travel demand and whether other transportation and land use policies may need to respond to these changes.

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section 5

Environmental Protection

5.1 Energy Security and Climate Change Preparedness ...... 5-8 5.2 Design with Nature ................................................................ 5-13 5.3 Water Quality and Conservation ........................................ 5-15 5.4 Flood Reduction and Preparedness ................................. 5-19 5.5 Tree Canopy Conservation and Growth .......................... 5-23 5.6 Wildlife and Habitat Protection and Preservation .......... 5-25 5.7 Material Resource Management ....................................... 5-27 5.8 Light and Noise Pollution Controls .................................. 5-30 5.9 Environmental Education, Awareness, and Coordination ................................................................ 5-33

Environmental Protection

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The success of cities in the 21st century will, to a significant degree, be decided by their ability to adapt to challenges presented by climate change and to become more sustainable and resilient. This Environmental Protection Section contains policies and actions required for the City of Raleigh to meet these and other challenges. In the process, the city will be improving the long-term health of local residents, regional natural resources, and ecological systems. By taking these actions, Raleigh will serve as a key player in the national reversal of sprawling development patterns and environmentally degrading development practices. Ultimately, the goal is to one day become carbon-neutral while protecting natural resource assets and growing sustainably.

The City of Raleigh has a number of programs and initiatives designed to protect and enhance environmental and natural resources. These include its broad array of recycling services, the greening of its automobile fleet, the integration of green building and infrastructure programs, progress in reusing and conserving water, and work in managing stormwater as an integral asset. Adoption and implementation of this Section presents the city with an opportunity to surpass these efforts and to continue to move toward more comprehensive solutions to environmental challenges.

Raleigh’s Climate Protection Commitment

Raleigh has joined forces with more than a thousand cities across the country by signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement to strive to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution. The following actions from the Climate Protection Agreement shape the land use, transportation, and natural resource preservation policies in the Plan:

• Adopt and enforce land use policies that reduce sprawl, preserve open space, and create compact, walkable urban communities.
• Promote transportation options, such as bicycle trails, commute trip reduction programs, incentives for carpooling, and public transit.
• Increase the use of clean, alternative energy by, for example, advocating for the development of renewable energy resources, recovering landfill methane for energy production, and supporting the use of waste-to-energy technology.
• Maintain healthy urban forests; promote tree planting to increase shading and to absorb carbon dioxide.
• Make energy efficiency a priority through building code improvements and retrofitting city facilities with energy efficient lighting to conserve energy.
• Practice and promote sustainable building practices using the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program or similar system.

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Some of the key issues this Section aims to address through its policies include:

• The localized effects of climate change, including increased risk of droughts and flooding, and a fluctuating supply source of drinking water.
• The fight against climate change at the local level will require coordinated responses involving city operations as well as land use and transportation policy.
• The Neuse River is a valuable natural water resource that is impaired by excess concentrations of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorous. As the capital city, located near the headwaters of the Neuse River Basin, Raleigh must help lead and champion measures to protect this state resource.
• The ongoing efforts to improve air quality must address the region’s high degree of reliance on the automobile, loss of tree coverage, and loss of undeveloped land.
• The conservation of urban, suburban, and native forests will be important to Raleigh’s environment and quality of life.
• There is a need for greater sensitivity for aquatic and wildlife and natural habitat protection. Raleigh has the opportunity to become a national leader in sustainable environmental policy that helps protect and improve quality of life at the local and regional level.

Further information associated with these topics, and how they relate to Raleigh, can be found in the Environmental Resources section of the City of Raleigh Community Inventory Report.

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Environmental Protection

Assessing City Progress: STAR Communities

Sustainability Tools for Assessing & Rating Communities (STAR) is a national certification system for benchmarking, assessing, and rating community-wide sustainability. Hundreds of communities across the nation are using the STAR rating system to benchmark and assess their communities. STAR evaluates communities based on social, economic and environmental sustainability. This “triple bottom line” approach to sustainability takes into account considerations that go beyond a narrow focus on environmental performance alone. This includes metrics pertaining to the local economy, workforce development, poverty alleviation, and the equitable distribution of community services. In total there are seven goal areas and 44 sustainability objectives used to benchmark the community. The goal areas are:

1. Built Environment.
2. Climate & Energy.
3. Economy & Jobs.
4. Education, Arts & Community.
5. Equity & Empowerment.
6. Health & Safety.
7. Natural Systems.

STAR is currently administered by Raleigh’s Office of Sustainability, which has worked with other departments, local universities, and community partners to collect data required for certification. In 2015, STAR Communities, the non-profit organization that evaluates and certifies municipalities, recognized Raleigh with a 4 star national excellence certification out of a possible five. Raleigh is the first city in North Carolina to receive this designation. The city is using this tool to guide the implementation of the city’s Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Plan and as a factor in developing performance measures and departmental work plans.

The following policies and actions are most directly related to the vision theme of Greenprint Raleigh. In fact, for the purposes of this Comprehensive Plan, the word “Greenprint” simply refers to a plan for sustainability. Issues, such as clean air and climate change, water quality and quantity, land conservation and habitat protection, and material resource management all influence urban sustainability.

Achieving sustainability depends upon and plays a critical role in the fulfillment of all of the vision themes, including not only Greenprint Raleigh, but also Economic Prosperity and Equity; Expanding Housing Choices; Managing Our Growth; Coordinating Land Use and Transportation; and Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities. A collaborative stakeholder effort that considers people, the environment, and the economy will support the realization of each theme and be critical in transforming Raleigh into a truly sustainable city.

For example, urban sustainability is strongly related to the vision theme of Economic Prosperity and Equity. By enforcing policies that promote energy conservation and efficiency, the City of Raleigh is helping to insulate local business and residents from energy price increases by reducing the amount of energy used — and income spent — on heating and cooling, hot water, and lighting.

Furthermore, “Green Collar” jobs are created when large-scale investments are made in developing energy-efficient infrastructure. These jobs include solar panel installation, green roof installation, brownfield restoration, and ecological restoration. These investments, therefore, contribute to overall economic prosperity.

Environmental Protection

Sustainability and Resilience

The concepts and goals of sustainability and resilience, which are woven throughout this Plan, are closely related and mutually supportive but not identical.

Fundamentally, sustainability refers to the ability to meet the needs of current residents while also protecting the ability of future generations to do the same. The concept includes not only environmental protection, but also economic and social considerations – the “triple bottom line” of sustainability.

In recent years, especially after events, such as Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, and less-publicized localized flooding and other disasters, the concept of resilience has gained traction. Resilience is an operational philosophy that seeks to identify opportunities and challenges before they arise and to prioritize strategic investments and community capacity-building to better adapt to and recover from shocks and stressors.

Each of these two critical concepts plays an important role in the policies and actions contained in this Plan. In some cases, the concepts will overlap; in others, they involve their own distinct strategies. Ultimately, creating a more sustainable and resilient Raleigh will provide lasting benefits for current and future residents.

Environmental policy also addresses equity (and the vision theme of Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities) through the promotion of environmental justice. The concept of environmental justice involves addressing inequitable distributions of environmental burdens, such as air pollution, noise pollution, and noxious industrial facilities. It also includes equal access to environmental goods, such as clean air and water, healthy and protected streams, parks, urban forests, recreation, and transportation. As greater equity in the distribution of environmental burdens and goods is achieved, better-positioned cities will be able to accommodate the increases in density that are needed to support transit and curtail sprawling development patterns.

In addition to promoting regional transit and density, this Section also supports transit-oriented development, mixed-use development, infill development, bicycle facilities, and other building blocks of sustainability that advance the vision themes of Managing Our Growth and Coordinating Land Use and Transportation. These policies will take cars off the road and pollutants out of the air and water. At the same time, they expand housing choices and divert development pressure from the region’s remaining bucolic and natural landscapes.

Part of Raleigh’s natural landscape includes the Neuse River, a major waterway that has been environmentally degraded due in part to urban stormwater runoff containing excess nitrogen and phosphorus as well as runoff from agricultural operations. Raleigh comprises a small proportion of the Neuse River basin, but as an urbanized area with large amounts of impervious surface, runoff from Raleigh is a significant contributor to contamination of the river. Polluted runoff can lead to algae blooms that block sunlight from reaching underwater vegetation and that consume dissolved oxygen in the water, harming fish and other species.

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Environmental Protection

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As a capital city and as a community at the headwaters of the river, Raleigh is uniquely positioned to champion the recovery and protection of this important natural resource. The Water Quality and Conservation sub-section of this Section outlines various strategies to make this goal of recovery a reality. Looking beyond the river, and at the watershed as a whole, both water quality and water quantity will play significant roles in the city’s ability to meet the needs of its growing population. Streams within Raleigh should be valued; should meet their intended uses from a regulatory water quality perspective; and should be safe, stable, and fitting natural corridors for enjoyment and quiet reflection in the midst of urban activity.

Finally, regional air quality in the Triangle area has shown improvement in recent years, but significant effort will be needed to sustain and expand upon this trend. Regional cooperation will be essential to meaningful progress in the enhancement of air quality. This Section’s policies on energy security and climate change preparedness will help to ensure that Raleigh is doing its part for this regional and global environmental challenge.

To track the efficiency of the city’s policies, any of the Comprehensive Plan’s vision themes that may be relevant to a particular policy are indicated by one of six icons. The vision themes are:

• Economic Prosperity and Equity.
• Expanding Housing Choices.
• Managing Our Growth.
• Coordinating Land Use and Transportation.
• Greenprint Raleigh.
• Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities.

In this Section and throughout the Plan, Key Policies used to evaluate zoning consistency are noted as such with an orange dot (●).

Rating Systems for Sustainability

As the real estate and construction industries move toward more sustainable practices, third-party rating systems have played an important role both in defining what constitutes a sustainable development practice, and also in certifying that such practices have been employed to a degree that the resulting structure or development can be labeled "green" or "sustainable."

LEED

The most widely-used rating system for sustainable building practice in the U.S. is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The LEED system addresses three stages of building—design, construction, and operations—and has separate criteria for commercial, institutional, and residential construction; existing buildings versus new construction; and includes a new pilot program for rating neighborhood development. As stated on the USGBC’s web site, “LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.”

Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES)

If the LEED system focuses primarily on sustainable building practices, a relatively new and evolving standard for sustainable site development and landscaping has been developed by the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction, and maintenance practices.

Other rating systems that measure sustainability include Energy Star, the Better Buildings Challenge, and the Passive House Institute. These federal and nonprofit programs rate appliances and building practices based on energy efficiency.

Energy Star

Energy Star is a voluntary labeling program for energy efficient appliances, electronics, and office equipment administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. Branding with the Energy Star label has influenced technological improvements in electronics, and driven consumer decision making when purchasing appliances.

Better Buildings Challenge

The Better Buildings Challenge is a federal initiative administered by the Department of Energy. Launched in 2011 the goal is to improve energy efficiency by 20 percent in commercial, institutional and multifamily buildings. Participants agree to conduct an energy efficiency assessment, take action to improve energy savings and then report results to share cost effective approaches with other participants.

Passive House

Passive house is a building concept that cuts energy consumption by incorporating using high quality insulation, and windows that prevents loss of conditioned air infiltration of outside air. Energy from the sun is maximized in the winter and minimized in during warmer months. The Passive House Institute U.S. certifies building design based on strict quality assurance and quality control standards aimed at reducing energy consumption.

5.1 Energy Security and Climate Change Preparedness

Globally, cities are taking the lead in preparing for climate change by proactively conserving energy, using renewable energy resources, and improving air quality. Having the foresight to make investments in energy security by preparing residents, businesses, and local infrastructure will be a hallmark of successful cities in the 21st century. With the future potential of rising energy prices stemming from the combined effects of fossil fuel depletion and public policies aimed at minimizing climate change, those cities and regions that can be the most productive with the least amount of energy input will be best positioned to prosper.

The policies and actions of this section are included not only because of the City of Raleigh’s responsibility to the health, safety, and welfare of constituents, but also because they represent a move toward the responsible use of limited resources in a growing world—and a desire to leave a better world for future generations. In practical terms, adoption and enforcement of the following policies could also translate to lower energy bills and cleaner air for local residents.

As with all urban areas, Raleigh’s “carbon footprint” (amount of greenhouse gases produced) depends primarily upon the ways our built environment and our modes of transportation are designed, constructed, and used. Therefore, the following policies and actions concentrate on how best to approach these practices.

Policy EP 1.1 Greenhouse Gas Reduction

● Promote best practices for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as documented through the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement. This includes reducing per-capita carbon emissions by allowing residential building types that are more energy-efficient than detached houses, such as townhouses and apartments, in more places. It also includes allowing more people to live and work in walkable or transit-rich places. Allowing more density in those locations is a critical climate change strategy, because vehicle trips are shorter and less likely in those locations, bringing down per-capita carbon emissions. ⬚ figure

See the City of Raleigh Data Book, available at www.RaleighNC.gov, for additional information.

Policy EP 1.2 Alternative Transportation Options

Promote the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles and advanced transportation technologies, both public and private. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 1.3 Total Cost of Ownership Analysis

Use Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), life-cycle analysis, and/or payback analysis on all energy saving proposals. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 1.4 Green Building

Advance green building practices in the public and private sectors by encouraging LEED Gold-level certification and LEED-ND, or their respective equivalents. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 1.5 LEED Certification for Public Buildings

All new or renovations of existing City of Raleigh buildings encompassing 10,000 gross square feet or more of building area should achieve a Silver-level certification of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System for New Construction (LEED-NC) and Existing Buildings (LEED-EB), or their respective equivalents. A higher equivalent rating (Gold or Platinum) should be sought where practical and as funding is available.

See text box: LEED Certification for New and Existing Municipal Buildings.

Policy EP 1.6 LEED and Development Agreements

Require any public-private project that includes a development agreement to apply LEED (or the equivalent) certification standards as appropriate to the project and consistent with other Comprehensive Plan policies.

Policy EP 1.7 Sustainable Development

Promote the adaptive use of existing buildings, infill development, and brownfield development as effective sustainability practices that take development pressure off undeveloped areas.

See also Section 12: ‘Historic Preservation’ for more on this topic.

Policy EP 1.8 Sustainable Sites

Encourage the use of environmentally-friendly site planning and landscape design approaches and techniques such as those developed by the Sustainable Sites Initiative. Incorporate sustainable green infrastructure and low impact development practices to help control stormwater runoff and reduce pollutant impacts to streams.

Policy EP 1.9 Sustainable Public Realm

Incorporate sustainable technology and materials into public realm projects.

Policy EP 1.10 Alternative Energy Sources

Support the development and application of alternative energy sources, renewable energy technologies, and energy storage. Such technology should be used to reduce the dependence on imported energy, provide opportunities for economic and community development, and benefit environmental quality.

Policy EP 1.11 Renewable Energy

By 2030, increase the use of renewable energy to meet 20 percent of Raleigh’s peak electric load, or maximum electric demand that is typically reached during normal business hours. This target will be reevaluated as additional research and information becomes available.

Policy EP 1.12 Air Quality Improvements

Reduce the number of air quality days categorized as ‘unhealthy’ or ‘hazardous,’ based on the Air Quality Index readings provided by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Air Quality.

Policy EP 1.13 Evaluating Development Impacts on Air Quality

Evaluate potential air emissions from new and expanded development, including transportation improvements and municipal facilities, to ensure that measures are taken to mitigate any possible adverse impacts. These measures should include construction controls to reduce airborne dust and requirements for landscaping and tree planting to absorb carbon monoxide and other pollutants.

LEED Certification for New and Existing Municipal Buildings

On May 20, 2008 the City Council adopted as policy the Environmental Advisory Board’s recommendations on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) or equivalent certification for municipal buildings, as follows:

New Construction

(1) All new City of Raleigh construction and additions encompassing 10,000 gross square feet or more of building area should achieve a Silver-level certification of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System for New Construction (LEED—NC). A higher equivalent rating (Gold or Platinum) should be sought where practical and as funding is available.

(2) All City of Raleigh construction and additions encompassing less than 10,000 square feet of building area would not seek LEED Silver-level certification but would be designed and built to be eligible for Silver certification, plus meet requirements for energy and water efficiency as follows:

i. Energy Achieve minimum energy efficiency of 30 percent better than code required by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 90.1-2004 (ASHRAE 90.1 version required in the 2006 N.C. Building Code).

ii. Water Achieve a 30 percent water use reduction as quantified by LEED water efficiency standards.

Existing Buildings

(3) All existing City of Raleigh buildings and facilities should use the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System for Existing Buildings (LEED—EB) as a guide. The application of these standards is intended to maximize sustainability benefits within existing resources and provide a means of benchmarking environmental and financial performance improvements in City practices.

Certification of existing buildings under LEED—EB should be evaluated for technical and economic feasibility and pursued at the highest feasible level of certification on a case by case basis as funding and resources are available.

Environmental Protection

Action EP 1.1 Completed 2015

Action EP 1.2 Completed 2014

Action EP 1.3 Energy Retrofits

Implement a retrofitting program for public buildings based on the findings of facility audits to maximize sustainability within existing resources.

Action EP 1.4 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Existing Buildings (LEED-EB)

Evaluate the certification of existing public buildings under LEED-Existing Buildings (EB) (or the equivalent) for technical and economic feasibility and pursue the highest feasible level of certification on a case-by-case basis as funding and resources are available.

Action EP 1.5 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND)

Explore adopting the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND), or the equivalent, as a city standard.

Action EP 1.6 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Incentives

Encourage and provide incentives for buildings that would qualify for Gold or Platinum LEED certification, or the equivalent.

Action EP 1.7 Completed 2014

Action EP 1.8 Solar and Distributed Energy Resource Incentives

Study and consider incentives to encourage home builders and residents to install solar and other distributed energy resource technologies, such as solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, geothermal heating and cooling and energy storage facilities.

Action EP 1.9 Energy Efficient Construction

Study and adopt LEED-like energy efficient construction standards that can be used when older buildings are renovated or adapted for new uses, since it may be difficult for older buildings to meet LEED standards.

Action EP 1.10 Removed 2019

Action EP 1.11 Removed 2019

Action EP 1.12 Charging Stations

When viable, install charging stations for electric automobiles in public parking lots and garages.

Action EP 1.13 Renewable Energy Economic Development

Provide outreach and education to non-profits and affordable and multi-family housing developments to develop partnerships with local installers, banks and other service providers to encourage financing options and cost-effective renewable energy investments.

Environmental Protection

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Action EP 1.14 Renewable Energy Deployment

Evaluate siting renewable energy facilities on city-owned property, including rooftops. Consider pairing renewable energy generation with on-site energy storage to improve reliability. Where feasible, emphasize exposure to the public through signage and other information to promote awareness of the benefits of renewable energy.

Action EP 1.15 Fleet Transformation

Implement the city’s Fuel and Fleet Transformation Plan.

Action EP 1.16 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Education

Create and promote online and print educational material to help Raleigh residents and businesses understand, evaluate, and compare renewable energy and energy efficiency options for both new construction and retrofitting existing buildings.

Action EP 1.17 Home Efficiency Rating

Study and consider a “Home Efficiency Score” for use by developers and real estate agents to inform prospective buyers of the energy efficiency of homes.

Action EP 1.18 Energy Efficiency First Policy

Evaluate the adoption of an “Energy Efficiency First” policy for construction of new city facilities. Such a policy would make energy efficiency a higher priority than energy generation. Where practicable, energy efficiency and energy generation should both be evaluated in order to facilitate prioritization.

Action EP 1.19 Solar Access

Evaluate the feasibility of adding considerations to building site-plan review and approval that address the current and future use of solar energy (i.e. solar easements, landscaping, building height restriction, and orientation).

Environmental Protection

5.2 Design with Nature

The State of North Carolina is known for its natural beauty and biodiversity. As the capital city of North Carolina, Raleigh should aspire to conserve, preserve, and restore the natural resources that define the city’s “sense of place.” The design of the city should reflect Raleigh’s commitment to protect and enhance its natural resources and environment. Designing with nature is a commitment to understanding the ecological significance of place and to grow the community in a manner that both respects and leverages the benefits of natural resources. An “ecosystem” approach to sustainable growth should become the hallmark of how the city grows and flourishes. The focus of such an approach is not growth versus no growth, but rather on the type of growth and development that occurs and where it occurs. The following policies and actions help to guide growth and development, thereby conserving, protecting, and enhancing Raleigh’s natural resources.

See also Section 8: ‘Parks, Recreation, and Open Space’ for more on this topic.

Policy EP 2.1 Natural Resource Protection

Ensure protection of Raleigh’s unique and significant natural resources – its natural areas, landscapes, and ecological systems – through best practices management, stewardship, conservation, restoration, and land use regulations. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 2.2 Environmentally Sensitive Development

Ensure Raleigh’s growth and land development practices are compatible with the city’s natural form, vegetation, topography, water bodies and streams, floodplains, wetlands, and other natural riparian assets. This will decrease erosion, reduce stormwater run-off and flooding, improve water quality, protect wildlife habitat, and provide buffers and transitions between land uses. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 2.3 Open Space Preservation

Identify opportunities to conserve open space networks, mature existing tree stands, steep slopes, floodplains, wetlands, and other sensitive riparian areas, priority aquatic and wildlife habitats, and significant natural features as part of public and private development plans and targeted acquisition. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 2.4 Scenic Vistas and Views

Protect and create scenic vistas and views of natural landscapes and features that are important in establishing, enhancing, and protecting the visual character of the city, mindful of other goals such as preserving and enhancing the city’s tree canopy. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 2.5 Protection of Natural Water Features

Protect, restore, and preserve rivers, streams, floodplains, and wetlands. These water bodies provide valuable stormwater and surface water management and ecological, visual, and recreational benefits. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 2.6 Greenway System

Continue to build a park and greenway system that is: interconnected; protects native landscapes, water quality, and areas of ecological significance, such as priority wildlife habitats; and serves the broad and diverse outdoor recreation needs of community residents. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 2.7 Road Design and Landscape Preservation

Encourage the preservation and restoration of natural features and systems when designing new roadways by separating in-bound and out-bound lanes as they pass through natural features, such as large clusters of trees, rocky outcrops or water courses. ⬚ figure

See also Section 4: ‘Transportation.’

Environmental Protection

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Action EP 2.1 Natural Resources Inventory

Develop a Natural Resources Inventory to define a program for protecting, conserving and stewarding Raleigh’s natural areas, wetlands, water bodies, urban forests, landscapes, priority wildlife habitats, and important natural features, emphasizing their value in terms of carbon sequestration. Work with the citizen committees as appropriate. Incorporate the spatial principles of landscape ecology in planning and concepts of equity and environmental justice.

Action EP 2.2 Removed 2021

Action EP 2.3 Natural Resources Sustainability Team

Continue the work of the Natural Resources Sustainability Team within city government comprising the city’s Sustainability Coordinator and members from the City Manager’s office, Planning, Parks and Recreation, Public Utilities, Transportation, and Engineering Services departments. The purpose is to develop a program of action, built upon the recommendations of the natural resources inventory plan, for implementation of these recommendations. This multi-disciplinary team will also help support the ongoing implementation of the city’s green stormwater infrastructure and low-impact development practices.

Action EP 2.4 Environmentally Sensitive Development Controls

Reduce excessive cut and fill grading and the loss of significant trees, vegetation, and Priority Wildlife Habitats (as identified by programs and agencies, such as the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission).

Action EP 2.5 Completed 2013

5.3 Water Quality and Conservation

The City of Raleigh has a responsibility to current residents, future generations, and those living downstream to systematically improve the health of local rivers, creeks, floodplains, and wetlands — and to continue to protect these resources over the long term. Water quality and conservation strategies should recognize that the meaning of “water” depends on context. In its most common context, it is the potable water provided by the city in pipes to homes and businesses. In the context of nature, it is what sustains our streams, lakes, wetlands, and the Neuse River and their habitats for wildlife, provides the needed supply source for “making” our potable water, and flows through other cities and towns to Pamlico Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

Local streams also are important to the history and heritage of Raleigh. Early explorers used local waterways as landmarks and travel routes, and settlers established villages and industries along their banks. These important natural resources aided in the establishment of Raleigh and should not be compromised, as they represent a direct lifeline to the vitality of the city as a whole. Without ample, clean water, Raleigh cannot be prepared to manage long-term droughts, much less thrive with current and projected populations.

The core goals to be fulfilled by these water quality and conservation policies include: keeping and treating rainfall on-site or as close to site as much as possible, thereby mimicking the flow of water in a natural setting and reducing non-point source pollution from stormwater run-off; increasing water conservation measures and reducing overall demand for water; minimizing soil erosion and sedimentation; reducing hazardous and damaging flooding; and reducing nutrient loads.

See also Section 9: ‘Public Utilities’ for additional policies and actions.

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Policy EP 3.1 Water Quality Stormwater Control Measures

To complement structural controls, use non-structural Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) to improve water quality, such as public education programs, monitoring and control of illicit discharges, expansion of the greenway concept to include safe floodplain connection and activation, and ongoing implementation of the city’s sediment control program.

Policy EP 3.2 Protection of Local Streams and the Neuse River

Protect and preserve local streams and the Neuse River, primary channel, major tributaries, intermittent headwaters streams, floodplains, and topography to improve overall water quality for drinking, fish and wildlife habitat, and fishing, boating, and other recreational uses.

Environmental Protection

Policy EP 3.3 Drinking Water Supply Protection

Protect major drinking water supply overlay districts through preservation of open space, community programs that promote tree coverage, floodplain protection and restoration, and sustainable limits to impervious surface cover.

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Policy EP 3.4 Low Impact Systems for Parking

Well maintained permeable pavement and other low impact systems for parking areas should be encouraged throughout the city, especially in environmentally sensitive areas and floodplains.

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Policy EP 3.5 Watershed-focused Planning

Water quality and flooding should be managed using a watershed-focused approach. Such an approach uses performance-based strategies to enhance water quality and prevent or decrease flooding concerns in each watershed rather than applying citywide standards.

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Policy EP 3.6 Maintaining Drinking Water Quality

Improve the ecological integrity of the city’s primary drinking water sources by further protecting streams from encroaching development and expanding the protection of stream buffers.

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Policy EP 3.7 Protecting and Restoring Streams

Preserve and restore the natural character of local and area streams and waterways through greenway acquisition, flood prone area regulation, purchase of properties in Neuse River Buffer and flood prone areas, drainage corridor and buffer protection, and improved public and private design and construction practices, including but not limited to stream stabilization and restoration.

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Policy EP 3.8 Low Impact Development

Promote the use of low impact development (LID) techniques to help mitigate the impact of stormwater runoff. This includes the use of green roofs, rain gardens, cisterns, rain barrels, and other measures in urban and suburban landscapes.

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Policy EP 3.9 Drinking Water Conservation

Promote conservation of potable water supply, even during periods of adequate supply, not just during drought. Potable water conservation saves energy and normalizes practices, which will help the city cope with the ups and downs of rainfall patterns.

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Policy EP 3.10 Groundwater Protection

Protect groundwater from the adverse effects of development. Land development and use should be managed to reduce the likelihood of groundwater contamination.

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Policy EP 3.11 Water Supply Watershed Protection and Open Space

Continue to support and develop programs that protect open space lands in Raleigh’s water supply watershed protection areas, such as the Upper Neuse Water Supply Watershed and the Little River Water Supply Watershed.

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Policy EP 3.12 Mitigating Stormwater Impacts

Potential stormwater impacts from new development on adjoining properties should mimic pre-development conditions and control the peak rate of runoff and/or volume of runoff so as to avoid flooding of adjoining and downstream properties, erosion of stream banks, and to allow the recharging of groundwater. The intent is to avoid environmental and economic damage to the adjacent properties, city infrastructure, and receiving surface waters.

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Environmental Protection

Policy EP 3.13 Erosion Control Measures

Erosion control measures should continue to be used on all construction sites to control soil erosion and minimize sediment run-off.

Policy EP 3.14 Wastewater Reuse

Expand wastewater recycling/reuse systems at wastewater treatment facilities to further reduce the nitrogen and phosphorus load to the Neuse River system and to reduce potable water consumption for non-essential purposes.

Policy EP 3.15 Grading Controls

Pursue a risk-based analysis approach to prevent soil erosion by limiting the amount of disturbed areas allowed and restricting mass grading as much as practicable.

Policy EP 3.16 Collaboration for Managing Stormwater

Pursue stormwater management initiatives that benefit and support the city and region by participating in countywide, regional, and statewide partnerships to develop innovative, consistent, and sustainable practices.

Policy EP 3.17 Graduated Water Rates

Use rate structures to encourage water conservation by providing incentives to customers for reduced water usage.

Policy EP 3.18 Green Stormwater Infrastructure

Continue to improve surface water quality and protect water resources through the design, construction, and installation of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) for city projects and facilities. Green stormwater infrastructure uses vegetation, soils; and non-natural materials to absorb and filter polluted water that would normally runoff impervious surfaces directly into a waterway. Low impact development (LID) incorporates many of the principles related to green stormwater infrastructure. Widespread use of green stormwater infrastructure will also better prepare Raleigh for the effects of climate change along with managing the quality and quantity of stormwater runoff.

Policy EP 3.19 Demonstration Projects

Continue to support and promote the Raleigh Rainwater Rewards program as a way to facilitate demonstration projects within the City of Raleigh that use multiple water conservation measures on single sites.

Action EP 3.1 Converted to Policy 2021

Action EP 3.2 Incorporation of Green Infrastructure/Low Impact Development into City Code

Develop and adopt low impact development (LID) and green infrastructure (GI) code and provisions so that rainwater is retained and absorbed on-site as an alternative to traditional approaches that include piping, channelization, and regional detention. Create templates, facts sheets, and cost estimating tools to help administer the GI/LID ordinance at development sites and within the public right-of-way. Develop incentives for GI/LID, such as stormwater utility fee credits, stormwater quality cost share, public-private partnerships, permitting incentives, and others.

Environmental Protection

The Lower Little Rock Creek Walkable Watershed Concept Plan

The Lower Little Rock Creek Walkable Watershed Concept Plan is a cohesive strategy and framework to improve the overall health of the community and the surrounding watershed. This watershed contains a portion of downtown, John Chavis Memorial Park, and surrounding neighborhoods to the east and southeast of downtown. The study area focuses on the lower portion of the Little Rock Creek Watershed, specifically the South Park Neighborhood located southeast of the downtown area. This area was selected based on specific criteria, including a community bisected by a creek, proximity to schools and parks, surface water quality impairment, and a lack of infrastructure, such as sidewalks, and stormwater management controls. Streets, intersections, and potential sites where infrastructure improvements can be implemented, subject to available funding and citywide priorities, are identified in the plan.

The plan recommends:

• Street opportunities include those streets where sidewalks and natural drainage strategies can be integrated to improve walkability and stormwater management.
• Safe crossings at intersections can be integrated with stormwater treatment to provide safe pedestrian crossings. Intersections lacking crosswalks, greenway access points and intersections where narrow street right of way might limit full block sidewalks are highlighted.
• Stormwater flows include off-street natural drainage opportunities, such as swales and rain gardens that can be aligned with the greenway and sidewalks.
• Greenway access provides additional access points to increase use and activity along the greenway.
• Education opportunities include environmental education signage to improve creek awareness and stewardship. Additional "cues to care" can be incorporated to communicate that natural drainage areas are important.

Action EP 3.3 Drinking Water Conservation

Monitor drinking water conservation efforts to measure reduction by residents, businesses, government and institutions. Continue to promote efficiency and the value of water though public education. Prepare and publish an annual report on the per capita water use of all customer classes.

Action EP 3.4 Stormwater Management Projects for Water Quality

Identify, prioritize, and retrofit specific sites in the City of Raleigh where water quality management projects can be installed in existing developments.

Action EP 3.5 Illegal Discharges

As required by the city's EPA NPDES MS4 Stormwater Discharge Permit and city code, continue to identify and eliminate illegal discharges into the city's sewer and stormwater systems and its waterways through public education and awareness, inspections, and enforcement.

Action EP 3.6 Removed 2019

Action EP 3.7 Stormwater Plan Review

Review all stormwater management plans for new development and redevelopment with a critical evaluation of approaches to nitrogen reduction as well as downstream flooding and erosion reductions.

Action EP 3.8 Completed 2015

Action EP 3.9 Upper Neuse Initiative

Continue to provide both financial and political support for the conservation of land in key areas identified by the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative.

Action EP 3.10 Completed 2015

Action EP 3.11 Protections for Steep Slopes

Study whether the development code should be amended to regulate the regrading and development of steep slopes of 15 percent or greater to conserve the natural contours of the city and prevent soil erosion.

Action EP 3.12 Stream/Watercourse Restoration

Create a program for identifying and prioritizing degraded or channelized watercourses and streams for future daylighting and restoration, including incentives for undertaking such projects on private property where public benefits, such as water quality improvement and flood hazard reduction, can be realized.

Action EP 3.13 Removed 2022

Action EP 3.14 The Lower Little Rock Creek Walkable Watershed Concept Plan

Implement the recommendations identified in the plan to enhance pedestrian and bicycle connections, installing green infrastructure along identified corridors to help improve water quality within the watershed.

5.4 Flood Reduction and Preparedness

Throughout its history, Raleigh has experienced damaging flash floods from a variety of rainfall events, including occasional tropical storms and hurricanes. These events are predicted to grow in severity as climate change impacts are realized. The city’s greenway system has acted as an effective buffer for floodwaters, limiting to some degree even more damaging losses. The city needs to further its watershed approach to stormwater management, flood hazard reduction, and flood preparedness. This watershed approach needs to target drainage basins and areas most susceptible to frequent flooding and should define facilities, programs, and policies necessary to improve preparedness and reduce the risks associated with flooding while at the same time protecting and improving water quality.

Floodplain areas and drainage basins within Raleigh’s jurisdiction are illustrated on Map EP-2. The map shows that the largest floodplain areas are found along the Upper Neuse River and Crabtree and Walnut Creeks.

Policy EP 4.1 Daylighting Streams

Discourage further channelization and piping of streams and focus instead on projects that “daylight” or uncover buried streams. Pursue partnerships with the private sector to daylight streams that are currently buried.

Policy EP 4.2 Floodplain Conservation

Development should be directed away from the 100-year floodplain.

Environmental Protection

Policy EP 4.3 Development in the Floodplain

Pursue regulatory approaches that avoid the future expansion of the floodplain. Floodplain refers to all city-regulated floodplain, which includes FEMA floodplain, future conditions floodplain, and flood hazard soils. Floodplain development should not abridge the natural role of floodplains to absorb water, recharge the groundwater, improve water quality, and avoid flooding downstream. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 4.4 Acquisition of Flood-prone Land

Pursue city acquisition of properties, easements and/or development rights located within the 100-year floodplain to protect public safety, reduce economic damages from floods, and preserve sensitive natural areas. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 4.5 Watercourse Protection

Minimize encroachment into natural watercourse areas and preserve the natural character of watercourses to protect water quality and reduce the potential for flooding and erosion damage. ⬚ figure

See also ‘5.3 Water Quality and Conservation.’

Policy EP 4.6 Community Rating System

Continue to participate in the Community Rating System (CRS) to help monitor hazard mitigation efforts and to improve the affordability of flood insurance for residents. The CRS is part of the National Flood Insurance Program that provides flood insurance discounts for communities that go beyond the minimum standards for floodplain management. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 4.7 No Adverse Impact

The city shall follow the principles of No Adverse Impact (NAI) as outlined by the Association of State Floodplain Managers. NAI floodplain management takes place when the actions of one property owner are not allowed to adversely affect the rights of other property owners. Adverse effects or impacts can be measured in terms of increased flood peaks, increased flood stages, higher flood velocities, increased erosion and sedimentation, or other impacts the community considers important. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 4.8 Stream Crossing Infrastructure

Install bridge systems instead of culverts for stream crossings where feasible in order to maintain the natural ecosystem associated with the stream. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 4.9 Watershed Master Plans

Complete and periodically update watershed studies to identify existing and future flooding hazards, water quality needs, and erosion concerns along with prioritized actions, measures, and capital improvement projects to improve conditions. ⬚ figure

Action EP 4.1 Completed 2015

Action EP 4.2 Completed 2015

Environmental Protection

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Action EP 4.3 Floodplain Management Best Practices

Study the floodplain management programs in other cities, including Tulsa, OK; Louisville, KY; and Charlotte, NC, and model a flood management program similar to what these communities have accomplished. This includes adopting an enhanced ordinance to both protect floodplains and also reward preservation efforts; and implementing programs that reduce impacts from flooding and further improve the city’s CRS class rating.

Action EP 4.4 Floodplain Regulations

Update city development regulations to ensure that any development and redevelopment in floodplain and flood fringe does not adversely affect the flood risks for other properties or communities as measured by increased flood stages, increased flood velocity, increased flows, or the increased potential for erosion and sedimentation, unless such impacts are mitigated in an equal or greater amount. Such regulations should provide exceptions for existing single-family lots and developments with minor impacts. Such update shall include a stakeholder process, including but not limited to representatives from the environmental community, civil engineering, residential and commercial property owners and real estate development community.

Action EP 4.5 Converted to Policy 2021

Environmental Protection

Map EP-1: Floodplain and Drainage Basins

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Map created 2/28/2024 by the Raleigh Department of Planning and Development

5.5 Tree Canopy Conservation and Growth

Raleigh has historically been known as the “City of Oaks” and prides itself on its green image. Trees and forests are integral to Raleigh’s identity and also contribute to quality of life and environmental health. Raleigh’s trees and forests increase shading, absorb carbon dioxide, mitigate the effects of stormwater runoff and pollution, prevent soil erosion, and facilitate water infiltration into soil.

Raleigh has adopted a tree conservation ordinance as part of the zoning code. The ordinance requires the conservation of existing trees during the development of properties more than two acres in area. In low-density residential districts (R-6 and below), trees on 15 percent of the land area must be preserved. For all other zone districts, tree preservation requirements impact 10 percent of the land area.

As Raleigh grows, it will need to do more to protect its existing urban, suburban, and native trees and forests, and should implement an aggressive program for replanting the city with native trees, when appropriate, to restore the canopy that has been lost to land development.

Policy EP 5.1 Urban Forestry

Expand and strengthen urban forestry and tree preservation programs to protect the existing tree cover and add to it.

Policy EP 5.2 Tree Canopy Standards

Maintain appropriate tree canopy coverage along 50 percent or more of all available sidewalk planting/landscape strips between the sidewalk and the curb.

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Policy EP 5.3 Canopy Restoration

Promote the reforestation of tree coverage that is typically lost during urban and suburban development through tree conservation, targeted tree plantings, urban forestry, and street tree plantings.

Policy EP 5.4 Tree Selection

Tree species should be selected for site suitability, superior form, disease resistance, regional performance, drought tolerance, urban tolerance, diversity, and mature size by an ISA Certified Arborist or a professional approved by the Parks and Recreation Department’s Urban Forestry staff.

Policy EP 5.5 Forested Buffers

Conserve forested buffers along Raleigh‘s freeways and expressways through the use of Special Highway Overlay Districts and conditional use zoning.

Policy EP 5.6 Tree Conservation Ordinance

Continue to revise the tree conservation provisions in the Unified Development Ordinance based on urban forestry best practices and the city’s tree canopy goals.

Environmental Protection

Action EP 5.1 Completed 2013

Action EP 5.2 Tree Canopy Study

Conduct a city-wide tree canopy cover assessment; establish canopy metrics and tree planting goals; and identify strategies to improve Raleigh’s urban forest to help meet climate, sustainability, resiliency, equity, and accessibility goals.

Action EP 5.3 Removed 2014

Action EP 5.4 Utility Coordination

Coordinate with utility companies to plant, manage, and maintain healthy street trees that can establish mature and natural canopies without interfering with infrastructure operation.

Action EP 5.5 Completed 2015

Action EP 5.6 NeighborWoods

Implement an alternating planting/ maintenance cycle to foster the long-term tree survival and financial sustainability of the NeighborWoods program.

Action EP 5.7 Tree Canopy Assessment

Assess tree inventory to quantify carbon absorbed; monitor over time.

Action EP 5.8 Converted to Policy 2022

5.6 Wildlife and Habitat Protection and Preservation

Protecting the diversity of plant and animal species is important. Rapidly urbanizing communities such as Raleigh are in danger of losing their areas of wildlife habitat.

Raleigh still has the opportunity to protect and enhance its wildlife habitat and a wide range of “priority species,” including songbirds that are indigenous to North Carolina. “Priority species” of fish and wildlife are identified in the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan and provide a useful resource for Raleigh’s wildlife conservation efforts. For example, the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan identifies priority species that inhabit some city water bodies, such as Walnut Creek and the Neuse River corridor.

Policy EP 6.1 Aquatic Habitat

Seek to prevent further and/or potential aquatic degradation and impairment of biological communities by strengthening urban stream water quality measures.

See also ‘5.3 Water Quality and Conservation.’

Policy EP 6.2 Seasonal Pools and Streams

Protect and restore seasonal pools and intermittent streams, and their buffers that are home range/breeding habitat for water dependent species.

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Policy EP 6.3 Special Status Species

Place a high priority on protecting rare, threatened, and endangered species habitats and migratory corridors, as defined by Federal and State agencies, from development and its impacts through methods, such as land acquisition, park and greenway stewardship, improved development regulations, intergovernmental coordination, and mitigation.

Policy EP 6.4 Biodiversity and City Park Lands

Strive to maintain and improve species diversity and populations in the parks inventory through enhanced plantings and habitat management.

Environmental Protection

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Action EP 6.1 Habitat Plan

Formulate a wildlife habitat plan to define, map, protect, and restore Raleigh’s native and priority habitats, particularly those identified in the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan. The plan should establish a program of action for protecting and enhancing wildlife habitats and preserving biodiversity through a range of strategies, including land acquisition, park and greenway conservation and interpretation, augmented development regulations, and intergovernmental coordination. If priority habitats occur outside current city control, seek methods and partnership to conserve the ecological areas.

Action EP 6.2 Habitat Protection Regulations

Determine how to best address conservation, protection, and preservation of wildlife and habitats. Use the body of knowledge, designations and tools available through the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, and other conservation-oriented organizations and agencies. Explore the creation of a wildlife habitat overlay district modeled after that used by the City of Tampa, Florida.

Action EP 6.3 Completed 2021

5.7 Material Resource Management

Comprehensive material resource management does not just include waste management, but also the management of inputs and consumption patterns. While recycling is a big step in the right direction, it is insufficient by itself as a means of achieving sustainability, as it merely deals with a fraction of the resources involved in the current linear system of extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal. In order to be truly sustainable, Raleigh must take more steps toward a closed loop or "zero waste" system of production. Such a system requires that Raleigh maximize its existing recycling and reuse efforts, while ensuring that products used by both city staff and city residents are designed for the environment and have the potential to be repaired, reused, or recycled.

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The city is examining replacing the traditional approach to waste disposal with a new paradigm, exemplified by the "Cradle-to-Cradle" design credo "waste = food," that repositions waste streams as resources. Examples include the commonplace, such as recycling programs and reuse of water; to emerging practices, such as mining of FOG (fats, oils, grease) for biofuels, and producing usable methane from landfills and anaerobic digestion of sanitary wastes.

See also ‘10.2 Solid Waste’ in Section 10: ‘Community Facilities and Services’ for related policies and actions.

Policy EP 7.1 Waste Best Management Practices

Promote waste Best Management Practices (BMPs) in all current and future development projects in an effort to reduce the amount of waste produced by development. Explore opportunities to develop standards to address the waste management hierarchy (avoidance, minimization, reuse, recycling, recovery, treatment, and disposal) in design, construction, and demolition stages.

Policy EP 7.2 Waste Minimization

Move away from high energy/high technology methods of waste disposal and more toward waste minimization. A system of incentives and penalties for both the public and private sectors should be created to increase community-level involvement and facilitate public/private partnerships. Zero waste will be the long-term goal of the city.

Policy EP 7.3 Incentives to Waste Reduction

Motivate residents, businesses, and institutions to reduce and recycle waste, including construction and demolition debris, through appropriate incentives and disincentives.

Policy EP 7.4 Public Awareness of Waste Impacts

Promote public awareness regarding the implications of solid-waste generation on the environment, and the consumption and disposal practices that result in less waste generation as well as more efficient, environmentally sound use of resources.

Environmental Protection

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Policy EP 7.5 Source Reduction

Reduce the sources of solid waste through increased education and outreach programs and through increased recycling and composting.

Policy EP 7.6 Municipal Waste Reduction

Further increase waste reduction and conservation by city employees; increase product-substitution, recycling and the purchase and use of recycled goods, and ensure that less toxic and sustainable alternative products, such as chlorine-free paper and PVC-free plastics are actively supported and used.

Policy EP 7.7 Community Participation in Recycling

Increase community (resident and business) participation in recycling programs through the use of communications, quantification, and competition.

See also ‘5.9 Environmental Education, Awareness and Coordination’ for more on this topic.

Policy EP 7.8 Food Waste Composting

Investigate and pursue appropriate opportunities for food waste composting, ranging from individual household composting to regional organic waste composting.

Policy EP 7.9 Construction and Demolition Recycling

Promote the reuse of waste from building demolition and construction, including the recycling of lumber and brick, and salvage of usable fittings and hardware.

Policy EP 7.10 Businesses Using Recycled Output

Support economic development efforts aimed at enhancing existing and developing businesses that can utilize local secondary materials as feedstocks.

Policy EP 7.11 Waste-to-energy

Continue to operate a methane gas recovery system, and promote further research into new and clean technologies for the conversion of organic waste into energy.

See also ‘10.2 Solid Waste’ in Section 10: ‘Community Facilities and Services’ for an additional Waste-to-Energy policy.

Action EP 7.1 Completed 2021

Action EP 7.2 Completed 2011

Action EP 7.3 Waste-to-energy Demonstration

Partner with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and related institutions, agencies, and organizations to explore and develop a demonstration waste-to-energy project.

Action EP 7.4 Environmentally-friendly Product Use

Work with regional agencies to explore options for assuring the use of compostable plastic, recyclable paper, and/or re-usable checkout bags by stores throughout the region, as well as a reduction in the use of polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) food service containers, including those in the City of Raleigh. Similar ordinances in other cities apply to grocery stores with gross annual sales exceeding two million dollars, and pharmacies with five or more locations; penalties apply for organizations in violation.

Action EP 7.5 Completed 2015

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Action EP 7.6 Removed 2021

Action EP 7.7 Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

Expand on current policy by including specific goals for toxic pollution reduction, recycled content products, energy and water savings, green building construction and renovation, landscaping, forest conservation, and agricultural bio-based products.

Environmental Protection

5.8 Light and Noise Pollution Controls

Excessive, poorly designed outdoor lighting wastes electricity, disturbs natural habitats, and increasingly deprives many of us of a direct relationship with the night sky. The City of Raleigh seeks to minimize light pollution, glare, and light trespass; conserve energy and resources while maintaining night time safety, utility, security, and productivity; and curtail the degradation of the nighttime visual environment. Similarly, noise pollution from highway and airport traffic disturbs quality of life, and should be mitigated appropriately.

Policy EP 8.1 Light Pollution

Reduce light pollution and promote dark skies by limiting the brightness of exterior fixtures and shielding adjacent uses from light sources, provided safety is not compromised. Minimize flood lighting and maximize low level illumination. Promote the use of efficient, full cut-off lighting fixtures wherever practical. Full cut-off fixtures emit no light above the horizontal plane.

Policy EP 8.2 Light Screening

Prohibit unshielded exterior lamps and limit the lighting of trees and other vegetation through the use of shielded fixtures and footcandle limits.

Policy EP 8.3 Night-time Light Impacts

Uses that can turn off outdoor lighting during night hours are to be encouraged in areas with uses sensitive to night-time light impacts. Uses which require all-night illumination are to be discouraged in these areas, while ensuring that actual and perceived night-time safety is maintained.

Policy EP 8.4 Noise and Light Impacts

Mitigate potential noise and light pollution impacts from new development on adjoining residential properties.

Policy EP 8.5 Airport Overlay Zone

Keep the boundaries of the Airport Overlay District zone consistent with the recommendations of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority to protect residents from impacts of increased flight patterns and activity.

Policy EP 8.6 Expressway Noise

Protect residents from excessive roadway noise by requiring appropriate mitigation measures, such as landscaped buffers or noise walls, for all new expressways that generate excessive levels of noise.

Policy EP 8.7 Noise Codes and Regulations

Maintain and enforce the building codes, regulations, and other applicable standards that mitigate noise impacts.

Environmental Protection

Map EP-2: Airport Overlay District and Noise Contours

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Airport Overlay District

Airport Noise Contours

• 55 Average Daily Decibels
• 60 Average Daily Decibels
• 65 Average Daily Decibels
• 70 Average Daily Decibels

Map created 4/17/2024 by the Raleigh Department of Planning and Development

Policy EP 8.8 Noise and Environmental Justice

Ensure that residents of all income levels throughout the City of Raleigh are equally protected from excessive roadway noise.

Policy EP 8.9 LED Lighting

Use high-efficiency Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lighting for outdoor illumination where feasible; newer technologies should be considered as they become available.

Policy EP 8.10 Airport Noise Protection for Residential Uses

• Rezoning of properties within the defined 65 decibel level of Raleigh Durham Airport Authority composite noise contour line and outside the Airport Overlay District, that propose to increase residential density or create new residential zoning is strongly discouraged. Exceptions to such rezoning may occur through a conditional use rezoning that adopts Raleigh Durham Airport Authority recommended noise mitigation measures.

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Action EP 8.1 Completed 2013

Action EP 8.2 Dark Sky Incentives

Develop a package of incentives and/or credits to promote the utilization of energy-efficient, full cutoff lighting fixtures that minimize glare and light pollution.

Action EP 8.3 Non-essential Lighting

Explore programs to dim non-essential parking lot or building lights overnight, which can be reactivated by a motion sensor.

5.9 Environmental Education, Awareness, and Coordination

One of the most important efforts that the City of Raleigh should undertake to protect, conserve, and steward the environment is to offer residents access to comprehensive environmental education programs and activities. According to the North American Association for Environmental Education, “The goal of environmental education is to develop a world population that is aware of and concerned about the environment and its associated problems and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones.”

Policy EP 9.1 Environmental Education

Develop and promote permanent environmental education and interpretive facilities and programs to foster broad public awareness of environmental issues and consequences and to promote greater appreciation and stewardship of our natural resources both locally and globally. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 9.2 Environmental Justice Education

Educate local decision-makers on the principles of environmental justice to promote equitable distributions of environmental burdens (pollution, industrial facilities, waste disposal, truck traffic, noise, etc.) and access to environmental goods (nutritious food, clean air and water, parks, recreation, health care, education, transportation, safe jobs, etc.). ⬚ figure

Policy EP 9.3 Environmental Stewardship

Optimize the appreciation, use, and stewardship of Raleigh’s natural resources, including its wildlife and habitats, flora and fauna, and waterways and floodplains to foster broad public awareness of the connection between humans and nature. Enlist the support of local colleges and universities in targeted research and other projects to meet regional environmental goals. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 9.4 Environmental Oversight

Provide adequate oversight during the construction phase for all city capital projects to ensure applicable federal, state and local ordinances and environmental standards are met. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 9.5 Promoting Local Products

Promote the public health and environmental benefits of supporting locally-produced foods, goods, and services. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 9.6 Local Produce and Farmers Markets

Encourage the creation and maintenance of produce markets throughout Raleigh to provide outlets for healthful and locally-grown produce for residents. Support growing, harvesting, selling and delivery of locally-grown produce. Target areas within limited access to traditional food markets. ⬚ figure

Policy EP 9.7 Cooperation with Conservation Groups

Promote cooperation with conservation and land trust groups through the city’s Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative so city resources can be carefully coordinated with other land acquisition programs. ⬚ figure

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Policy EP 9.8 Landscaping and Gardening

Encourage environmentally responsible landscaping and gardening practices to reduce water use and water pollution, including increased use of drought-resistant and native plants and reduced use of pesticides, and increase pollinator supportive habitat including native and pollinator-friendly species to proliferate healthy pollinator populations. Strive to maintain best practices by promoting pollinator programs such as Bee City USA and supporting interactions among community advocates and public programs

Policy EP 9.9 Food Systems Education

Facilitate partnerships between community gardens and community organizations to develop programs that educate the public about food systems (including environmental impacts), healthy eating, and food security.

Action EP 9.1 Removed 2022

Action EP 9.2 Completed 2021

Action EP 9.3 Renewable Energy Education

In conjunction with community partners, conduct a public education and outreach effort to encourage the purchase of renewable energy options from local providers.

Action EP 9.4 Local Food Systems

Explore opportunities to develop and expand local food systems (including community gardens and urban farms) that provide opportunities for residents to grow their own produce as well as learn and use organic gardening techniques. The city should identify publicly-owned sites that may be suitable for community gardens and urban farms, work with advocacy groups to make these sites available, and manage them. Coordinate with yard waste collection and community composting.

Action EP 9.5 Environmental Indicators

Create and maintain an Environmental Indicators Report documenting environmental trends.

Environmental Protection

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Action EP 9.6 Completed 2013

Action EP 9.7 Urban Agriculture Plan

Develop an Urban Agriculture Plan to identify opportunities for urban agriculture and community gardens on city-owned property. The plan should include the following items: analysis of site suitability for agriculture; analysis of need using, but not limited to, income, food access, health indicators, history of environmental justice issues; and resources required from the city and private sector/nonprofit partners.

Action EP 9.8 Food System Plan

Develop a Food System Plan for Raleigh. Coordinate with Wake County to ensure consistency with the Wake County Food Security Plan.

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section 6

Economic Development

6.1 Commercial Corridor Reinvestment .......................................... 6-7 6.2 Neighborhood Reinvestment ..................................................... 6-9 6.3 Entrepreneurs and Business Development ............................ 6-11 6.4 Workforce Training and Access to Employment .................... 6-14 6.5 Economic Development and Land Use .................................. 6-16 6.6 Hospitality and Tourism .......................................................... 6-20 6.7 Creative Industries ................................................................... 6-22 6.8 Organizational Structure and Functions ................................. 6-23

Economic Development

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Economic Development, broadly defined, refers to the process of local wealth creation, manifested by growth in jobs, income and investment, and supported by improvements in the social, built and natural environment. The Economic Development Section lays out a vision for the future of Raleigh’s economy, and includes policies and actions designed to enhance the city’s competitive advantages and build on its culture of innovation. It includes as three coequal goals the attraction of new business, retention and expansion of existing business, and creating the conditions for productive investment in areas of the city that have suffered from disinvestment or a lack of investment.

One of the nation’s most rapidly growing regions, the Triangle benefits from long-standing investments in major educational institutions and the Research Triangle Park. The Triangle economy has thrived, expanding rapidly over the last four decades. As with many successful economic regions, the Triangle benefits from a “virtuous circle.” An initial wave of successful businesses spawns spinoffs. Complementary or linked firms are attracted to form clusters. The growth in good jobs attracts an influx of highly-educated workers. This in turn attracts even more businesses looking to tap into the growing pool of skilled labor.

Continued economic vitality, however, is not automatic. Increased cost of living, traffic congestion, and/or a failure to maintain a high quality of place can undermine the Triangle’s economic strength. Extending the region’s prosperity and economic stability to all of its residents also is not automatic. Raleigh needs targeted action and investment to address these issues in collaboration with the business community.

The three points of the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill) and the region’s many other component jurisdictions are increasingly connected as employees cross-commute, new businesses develop to serve companies and markets throughout the Triangle, and existing industry spins off new businesses.

Table ED-1 2040 Employment Projections

From 2000 to 2013, Wake County’s job base grew by more than 89,000 jobs to almost 474,000 jobs. Key economic sectors include government, educational services, professional and technical services, trade, transportation and utilities, and health care. Within Raleigh, the state government, North Carolina State University and other educational institutions, and major health care centers have a more significant portion of the employment base. Job growth projections point to a major expansion of jobs in the city by 2040 with even faster growth in the balance of the county. University research and the growing technology sectors within Raleigh support even greater business development in emerging industries.

According to a model created by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) with input from municipalities across the Triangle region, Raleigh is expected to add over 100,000 jobs from 2010 to 2040, an average increase of 1 percent every year (see Table ED-1). Although Raleigh is expected to add the most jobs in the region in terms of raw numbers, several counties are expected to have higher annual job growth rates, including Chatham County, Granville County, Nash County, and Harnett County.

With the region as a whole, Raleigh’s economy has shifted to one that is more technology-based and less reliant on government and manufacturing. In 2004, the release of the acclaimed Staying on Top: Winning Job Wars of the Future report—an analysis inspired by Dr. Michael Porter’s ‘Clusters of Innovation’— organized efforts for the Triangle to further develop and nurture its economic competitiveness regionally, nationally, and globally. The report highlights ten industry clusters on which to focus for job growth and industry expansion, including pharmaceuticals, biological agents and infectious diseases, agricultural biotechnology, pervasive computing, advanced medical care, analytical instrumentation, nanoscale technologies, informatics, vehicle component parts, and logistics and distribution. While Raleigh does not have the capacity to cultivate all of these industry clusters, areas such as advanced medical care, pharmaceuticals, informatics, and agricultural biotechnology already have a presence within the city and/or have a support base provided by the city’s universities. To align with the region’s economic strategy and maintain its economic stability, Raleigh should capitalize on these strengths in the years ahead.

Raleigh shows promise in several new or emerging industries. Medical devices and diagnostics is a sector that has gained momentum during the past decade. Much of that growth has been the result of entrepreneurial initiatives cultivating the technology and talent found within the local university and research communities.

Veterinary medicine, pre-clinical trials for new drug research, and innovations in technologies and research are also growing industry nodes being fostered by strong university programs and biotech clusters in the Triangle.

Raleigh has emerged as a hub for companies developing the advanced, environmentally sustainable technologies categorized as cleantech. The Research Triangle Region Cleantech Cluster (RTCC) drives the area’s economic and technological growth in smart grid, energy efficiency, advanced transportation and alternative energy. With phenomenal advancements in video game entertainment and global trends favoring digital and distance learning, virtual gaming and advanced learning technologies and simulators have quickly become competitive industries. Raleigh’s existing and expanding network of small businesses focused on game and digital learning advancements and information technology will continue to create future jobs and employ locally-trained talent. Lastly, trends in recent years have seen noticeable growth in the software development sector, including defense technologies, application development, analytics, and Software as a Service (SaaS).

The Economic Development & Employment Trends chapter of the 2008 Community Inventory Report — the data and analysis companion volume of the Comprehensive Plan — provides background information on employment trends, the region’s economic base, and forces impacting the city’s older commercial districts and corridors. In the Community Inventory Report, the following issues were identified that this Section intended to address:

• The need to maintain Raleigh’s competitive edge in attracting and nurturing key industries that provide much of the region’s economic prosperity;
• A diffuse economic development organizational structure;
• Aging commercial corridors that are unable to compete effectively with new retail development;
• Declining neighborhood commercial centers that blight the community and no longer serve residents’ retail needs, particularly in modest-income neighborhoods;
• A need to expand the city’s base of small businesses, particularly minority-owned businesses, for further economic diversification;
• Young adults and other residents that lack the training and skills to compete for 21st century jobs;

Economic Development

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• Inadequate employment opportunities for persons who currently have a weak attachment to the labor force;
• A desire to increase the amount of base employment;
• Pressure to convert competitive employment sites to residential and commercial uses;
• Opportunities to harness the benefits of culture, arts, entertainment, hospitality, and tourism to create jobs and enhance the city’s quality of life;
• An important base of creative industries, including the arts, sciences, research and development, and architecture and engineering, that should be expanded and enhanced;
• A need to target the city’s resources to areas of identified need that also provide opportunities for economic development; and
• The need for one city agency to be responsible for Economic Development. Currently, city economic development initiatives are conducted by a variety of city departments.

As of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update, substantial progress had been made on several of these:

• A new Office of Economic Development & Innovation has been created within the City Manager’s Office to be the lead agency on all economic development activities.
• The City Council has adopted and implemented new economic development tools to attract industry and spur reinvestment in areas of the city in need of jobs and commercial activity, including a Business Investment Grant and Building Upfit Grant.
• The city has decided to make small business development a strategic focus of economic development efforts.
• The new Raleigh Arts Plan highlights the link between economic development and the arts.

Economic Development

Raleigh’s Economic Development staff work closely with Wake County and of a number of non-governmental agencies to promote job creation and investment in the city. Thus, the Economic Development Section focuses on local initiatives that will advance the city’s economic competitiveness through land use planning for employment and mixed-use centers and corridors; fostering entrepreneurship; augmenting workforce development; and enhancing the city’s hospitality/tourism sectors. The city will continue to work with its local and regional partners on advancing the regional economy and its healthy economic growth and diversity, with an equal focus on recruiting new business, retaining and expanding existing business, and revitalizing lagging priority areas.

Economic development encompasses and cuts across many of the topics covered by the Comprehensive Plan. Central to this Section is the theme of Economic Prosperity and Equity. All policies and actions within this portion of the Comprehensive Plan are integral to achieving this vision theme. Increasing the financial resources of Raleigh’s residents, particularly low- and moderate-wealth households, is also a key step in achieving the Comprehensive Plan’s themes of Expanding Housing Choices and Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities. Creating new jobs with good wages and helping low- and moderate-income residents develop the skills to compete for those jobs will help them increase their personal assets, buy houses, and better maintain and improve their homes. Developing new economic activity within the city limits will be critical to Coordinating Land Use and Transportation. Finally, expanding the city’s economic base will generate fiscal resources to fund the infrastructure and programs essential to achieving all of the Plan’s themes.

Additional guidance on neighborhood revitalization is addressed in Section 7: ‘Housing.’ Section 3: ‘Land Use’ and Section 11: ‘Urban Design’ address opportunities for mixed-use development. Section 4: ‘Transportation’ provides further information on the transit and road network investments required to maintain business and employee access.

To track the efficiency of the city’s policies, any of the Comprehensive Plan’s vision themes that may be relevant to a particular policy are indicated by one of six icons. The vision themes are:

⬚ figure Economic Prosperity and Equity ⬚ figure Expanding Housing Choices ⬚ figure Managing Our Growth ⬚ figure Coordinating Land Use and Transportation ⬚ figure Greenprint Raleigh ⬚ figure Growing Successful Neighborhoods and Communities

In this Section and throughout the Plan, Key Policies used to evaluate zoning consistency are noted as such with an orange dot (●).

6.1 Commercial Corridor Reinvestment

Over time, needs change, standards and technologies progress, and consumer preferences evolve. Without reinvestment to help shopping centers and business districts stay current with these changes, some commercial corridors will suffer the ill effects of obsolescent facilities with corresponding low rents, high vacancies, deteriorating building stock, and general decay. With the constant outward drive of sprawl, it is easy for private retailers to abandon these older commercial districts and move on to modern shopping centers further out from the center city. Facilities are left behind physically and economically, blighting otherwise healthy adjoining neighborhoods. Renewal and re-use can counter this trend, but they often require public investment. Long-term economic and environmental sustainability demands re-use and re-invention of the city’s aging commercial corridors. This is particularly true along gateway corridors, which frame visitors’ and residents’ image of the city.

Policy ED 1.1 Corridor Revitalization

Stimulate the revitalization and redevelopment of Raleigh’s aging commercial corridors and centers through the use of targeted economic development programs, zoning, land use regulations, public investments in infrastructure, and incentives.

Policy ED 1.2 Mixed-use Redevelopment

Promote mixed-use redevelopment strategies as a means of enhancing economic development in commercial corridors and creating transit- and pedestrian-friendly environments.

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Policy ED 1.3 Gateway Reinvestment

Focus reinvestment efforts on those commercial areas that also serve as key gateways to the city and downtown, such as Avent Ferry Road, Six Forks Road Corridor, and South Saunders Street (Southern Gateway Corridor Plan).

Policy ED 1.4 Focusing City Interventions

Emphasize and focus intervention efforts on those aspects of corridor improvements that are directly under city control, such as transportation enhancements and public realm improvements.

Policy ED 1.5 Retail Property Code Enforcement

Actively enforce city codes to assure that commercial centers contain well-maintained buildings, parking facilities, signage, lighting, landscaping, and pedestrian amenities.

Action ED 1.1 Strategic Revitalization Plans

Undertake strategic revitalization plans for select retail corridors to identify appropriate zoning and the infrastructure and public realm improvements necessary to catalyze economic development.

Action ED 1.2 Completed 2014

Action ED 1.3 Shopping Center Revitalization Incentives

Offer incentives in targeted areas to owners of aging shopping centers with consistently high vacancy rates or visible deteriorating physical conditions where the market indicates potential for effective revitalization.

Action ED 1.4 Converted to Policy 2016

Action ED 1.5 Promoting Commercial Reinvestment

Identify incentives and other economic development tools to promote reinvestment in underperforming commercial corridors.

Economic Development

6.2 Neighborhood Reinvestment

Raleigh’s outstanding neighborhoods have allowed the city to attract and retain residents and workers. Successful neighborhoods can benefit from easy access to support retail and services. Quality retail in or near a residential neighborhood can provide a gathering place for residents while reducing the need to drive to meet basic needs. The increased “sense of place” and convenience of such neighborhoods can provide a competitive advantage when attracting “knowledge industry” workers. It can also help retain existing residents.

Sustainable economies need quality housing and neighborhoods in close proximity to jobs, including opportunities for residents at all income levels. Revitalization can be a long process, but it is most effective when efforts focus block-by-block rather than being spread thinly over many neighborhoods simultaneously.

Policy ED 2.1 Neighborhood Reinvestment

Encourage reinvestment to improve existing neighborhoods and to attract skilled workers to Raleigh. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 2.2 Resource Allocation

Provide resources through existing and new programs to revitalize targeted under-performing businesses and residential areas. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 2.3 Focusing Redevelopment

Focus redevelopment efforts on a small number of neighborhoods each year. Continue public involvement until the economics shift and private investment can take over. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 2.4 Attracting Investment to Emerging Neighborhoods

In neighborhoods with little private investment and low social and economic indicators, encourage additional development and density to enhance these neighborhoods and create a larger market base to support more and better goods and services for existing and new residents. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 2.5 Blight Abatement

Reverse conditions of decline and deterioration that have affected some older areas of Raleigh. These conditions are detrimental to economic and equitable growth. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 2.6 Targeting Infrastructure Investment

Invest in public infrastructure (e.g., parks, schools, sidewalks, streetscape) in a targeted manner in older neighborhoods and business districts to enhance residents’ quality of life and improve the neighborhoods’ ability to retain existing residents and attract new residents. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 2.7 Technical and Financial Assistance

Promote neighborhood reinvestment by providing technical and financial assistance to neighborhood businesses and merchant associations. ⬚ figure

Economic Development

Action ED 2.1 Completed 2016

Action ED 2.2 Removed 2019

Action ED 2.3 Develop Funding Resources

Develop specific funding resources to encourage private reinvestment in targeted neighborhoods, including the provision of infrastructure that will make private development of targeted areas economically feasible.

Action ED 2.4 Site Acquisition

Acquire property to package for redevelopment in priority revitalization areas.

Action ED 2.5 Completed 2021

Action ED 2.6 Completed 2013

Economic Development

6.3 Entrepreneurs and Business Development

Continuing to grow and develop Raleigh’s business base to provide good jobs for city residents is critical to long-term economic vitality and sustainability. Business attraction efforts have helped the Triangle evolve into a technology powerhouse with a diverse research and development base. The region has reached the level where it generates many new businesses internally through spin-offs from existing businesses and start-ups by entrepreneurs who may have gained deep industry knowledge and experience in local companies. All economies experience continual shifts as existing businesses close or move and new businesses are born. To be successful, more new businesses must be created than are lost, and a share of those new businesses must achieve good long-term growth.

Raleigh has a vibrant and flourishing startup ecosystem that includes more than 500 companies. The support community of entrepreneurs, service providers, academia, corporate partners, non-profits and governmental agencies rallies around our startups, enabling founders to quickly integrate into the entrepreneurial environment with an unprecedented range of resources. A growing number of venture capital firms, angel investors and incubators are also emerging to take advantage of the fertile startup landscape. The Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the Triangle-wide Council for Economic Development also offer a variety of services to foster interaction, collaboration and growth.

Recruitment should target businesses most likely to find Raleigh an attractive location with an appropriate workforce. Raleigh can be selective in the industries it seeks, emphasizing those compatible with the city’s vision. These industries are the target of focused marketing and recruitment efforts, although all sectors are encouraged to grow and invest in Raleigh and the region.

Raleigh can draw upon State and Federal tax incentive programs as part of its recruitment efforts. Several census tracts in Raleigh are eligible under the federal New Market Tax Credits program, which is locally administered by the Raleigh Area Development Authority (RADA).

Policy ED 3.1 Targeting Growth Sectors

Continue coordination with local economic development organizations and institutions to identify specific industry growth sectors on which Raleigh should focus local development efforts, such as knowledge-based businesses, research and development, life sciences and biotechnology, green technology, and advanced learning industries. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 3.2 Green Industry Preference

Recruit and grow industries and businesses that are environmentally-conscious, promote sustainable practices, and reduce negative impacts on the environment. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 3.3 Green Collar Job Opportunities

Encourage and support green-collar business development that is consistent with the city’s goals, particularly those with potential for locating within easy access of unemployed or underemployed workers. ⬚ figure

See also ‘14.3 Economic Development Initiatives’ in Section 14: ‘Regional and Inter-Jurisdictional Coordination’ for additional policies and actions.

Policy ED 3.4 Reducing Barriers to Core Sector Growth

Assist Raleigh’s largest employment sectors, including the education, health care, social services, and public administration sectors, to resolve land use constraints so that they can continue to grow, expand job opportunities, and provide a stable economic base.

Policy ED 3.5 Technology and Bioscience

Nurture technology and bioscience industries as a means to further diversify Raleigh’s economy and maintain the city’s competitive edge with this sector.

Policy ED 3.6 Small, Minority, and Women-owned Businesses

Provide training, technical assistance, and incentives to foster small, minority, and women-owned businesses to help create a diverse and sustainable local economy. Provide incubator facilities in targeted areas, as appropriate.

Policy ED 3.7 Small Businesses and Underserved Areas

Encourage small businesses and entrepreneurs to locate in underserved communities.

Policy ED 3.8 Home-based Businesses and Cottage Industries

Support low-impact home based businesses and “cottage industries” in mixed-use districts, on appropriate industrial lands, and in residential areas, while ensuring those proposed for residential areas do not negatively impact residential neighborhoods.

Policy ED 3.9 Venture Capital for Tech

Encourage private sources to increase the availability of venture capital to support the creation and growth of innovative, high technology business as a keystone for the city’s economic future.

Policy ED 3.10 Research-based Start-ups

Work with Raleigh’s many higher education institutions to encourage commercialization of research innovations to fuel growth of start-up businesses.

Policy ED 3.11 Growth Industries

Support the needs of growth and budding niche industries and pro-actively provide the programs, space, and infrastructure necessary to support these industries.

Policy ED 3.12 Business Attraction

Focus business attraction efforts on those sectors and industries for which Raleigh has ample trained workers.

Policy ED 3.13 Transit and Economic Growth

Provide high-quality transit service as a basic and necessary component of the region’s transportation system in an increasingly competitive arena for attracting employers, linking businesses to workers, and maintaining a high quality of life.

See also ‘4.4 Public Transportation.’

Policy ED 3.14 Corporate Headquarters

Target Raleigh as a location for corporate headquarters, with a particular emphasis on downtown locations.

Economic Development

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Action ED 3.1 Business Assistance Program

Maintain the Business Assistance Program for minority- and women-owned businesses.

Action ED 3.2 Entrepreneurial Education

Work with North Carolina State University and other institutions of higher education to offer practical entrepreneurial education for students in business, engineering, science, and other majors.

Action ED 3.3 Wake Tech Green-Collar Program

Work with Wake Tech to provide training support to emerging “green-collar” industries to support green industry innovation in the region.

Action ED 3.4 Completed 2013

Action ED 3.5 Green Technology Strategy

Develop a regional strategy for attracting and supporting businesses and start-ups in the green technology industry with participation from regional economic development entities and research universities.

Action ED 3.6 Financial Assistance for New Retailers

Explore the creation of a loan pool, grant provisions, or revolving fund to provide gap financing to entrepreneurs interested in starting viable retail businesses throughout the city.

6.4 Workforce Training and Access to Employment

Increasingly, a region’s greatest economic asset is its workforce. The Triangle thrives in large part because of its educated workforce and the area’s many fine universities and colleges. As the national and regional economies shift to depend on knowledge-based industries, a skilled and trained workforce is essential in competing successfully for new businesses. Providing all residents with good jobs depends on helping them prepare themselves with the full range of necessary skills, starting with basic literacy and life skills and extending through college and post-graduate training. Participation in the region’s booming economy by the city’s low- and moderate-income residents would reduce income inequalities and associated social issues. Many of the residents’ housing and other economic needs are best addressed by providing them with the training and opportunities for jobs that will improve their economic status. Reducing barriers to employment by providing public transit access to job centers is an important strategy as well.

Policy ED 4.1 Diversified Business Recruitment

Provide a broad range of employment opportunities for all residents by recruiting a range of business types.

Policy ED 4.2 Education and Employment

Work with the Wake County Public School System, training providers, and the private sector to ensure that Raleigh’s workforce has the basic skills, literacy, and job-specific training necessary to gain employment. Provide basic skills and literacy training to residents in need.

Policy ED 4.3 Partnerships for Workforce Development

Encourage partnerships with existing organizations that provide training in “soft-skills,” vocational skills, daycare, and other services that enable people to enter the workforce and earn a living wage. Ensure that training and services are accessible to and located near those with the greatest need.

Policy ED 4.4 Training for Workforce Transitions

Develop job training and supportive programs to allow Raleigh’s workers to transition from manufacturing to other sectors of work as the economy continues to shift, including strategies to transition from blue- to green-collar jobs.

Policy ED 4.5 Targeted Workforce Training

Provide targeted workforce training and job placement programs to improve access to employment for Raleigh’s low- to moderate-income workers.

Policy ED 4.6 Academic Sector Partnerships

Encourage cooperative efforts between local employers and universities, colleges, and technical colleges to develop education, workforce training, and research programs. Foster collaborations that provide employment options for Raleigh’s youth.

Policy ED 4.7 Supporting Colleges and Universities

Promote economic stability and prosperity by supporting the area universities and colleges that contribute to developing Raleigh’s educated and creative workforce.

Policy ED 4.8 Workforce Training in Expanding Industries

Expand workforce training options for the city’s expanding industries, such as tourism, arts/entertainment, medical device manufacturing, clinical research, and environmental technology.

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Policy ED 4.9 Workforce Transit Improvements

Increase access to job opportunities by providing improved transit to all of Raleigh’s major job centers, as well as regional employment clusters.

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Policy ED 4.10 Human Capital

Emphasize investments in human capital (e.g., job training and recruitment of Raleigh residents) when providing economic development incentives to attract new businesses to Raleigh.

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Policy ED 4.11 Internships

Encourage the Chamber of Commerce and other private-sector organizations to develop and support internship programs to connect with local university students and retain them in the area.

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Action ED 4.1 Education and Emerging Sectors

Work with the business community, the Wake County Public School System, and higher education institutions to assure that students are receiving training for jobs in emerging sectors.

Action ED 4.2 Summer Job Programs

Work with the local business community to offer summer job opportunities for Raleigh youth.

Action ED 4.3 Wake County Retraining Coordination

Work with Wake County to provide job training and education for those who need to re-train for new industry jobs.

6.5 Economic Development and Land Use

Land use policy shapes the urban form, creating memorable places and amenities that help Raleigh compete for businesses and residents. Mixed-use environments that allow residents to walk, bike, or use transit to reach their jobs, shops, services, restaurants, and entertainment can help Raleigh attract and retain its skilled workforce. Reducing residents’ and employees’ dependence on single-occupant automobiles will help reduce their costs of transportation and traffic congestion – one of the biggest threats to the region’s quality of life. Protecting prime sites for industrial and office use from competing demands for residential and commercial development will help to ensure that Raleigh can continue to offer competitive locations for new and expanding businesses.

See ‘3.4 Land Use and Transportation Coordination’ in Section 3: ‘Land Use’ for related policies and actions.

Policy ED 5.1 Economic Development Amenities

Invest in and leverage parks, leisure, and cultural amenities as key economic development assets and part of the city’s economic development infrastructure. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 5.2 Creating Investment Opportunities

In areas needing reinvestment and revitalization, create investment opportunities for new housing and employment through land assemblage incentives, site preparation, and public infrastructure improvements. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 5.3 Creating Attractive Development Sites

Create attractive and functional sites for new and growing businesses through streetscape improvements and other public realm investments. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 5.4 Niche Office Development

Encourage office space development in mixed-use and urban centers to create a competitive advantage for Raleigh by providing a product type lacking in the regional marketplace. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 5.5 Retrofitting Older Office Environments

Encourage the intensification and retrofitting of existing office clusters with new pedestrian-friendly residential and retail uses to provide attractive and competitive live-work destinations that reduce dependence on auto travel. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 5.6 Designing Knowledge Industry Workplaces

Encourage the development of high-quality environments that combine office/lab space, housing, and support retail and services, such as Centennial Campus or North Hills, to compete effectively for and attract knowledge workers to Raleigh. ⬚ figure

Policy ED 5.7 Workplace Investment in Underserved Areas

Use capital investments and incentives to create competitive environments for new employment centers and retail development in underserved areas of the city, such as Southeast Raleigh. ⬚ figure

Economic Development

Policy ED 5.8 Supporting Retail Infill and Reinvestment

Ensure that land use patterns and zoning regulations support retail infill and do not push new retail to edge locations or promote the abandonment of existing retail centers.

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Policy ED 5.9 Defining New Retail Niches

Encourage re-emerging retail districts, such as downtown, to identify and capitalize on those specific characteristics and niches that make them distinctive and desirable to patronize.

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Policy ED 5.10 Jobs-Housing Balance

Target a jobs-housing ratio for Raleigh based on the ratio of resident workforce to households (currently around 1.3) and implement land use and zoning policies to achieve this target.

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Policy ED 5.11 Prioritizing Investment

Prioritize incentives and programs for public and private investments in commercial and industrial areas based on criteria evaluating need and effectiveness. Need is demonstrated by socioeconomic indicators and evidence of physical disinvestment. Effectiveness means that the priority area is appropriate and ready for economic development.

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Policy ED 5.12 Equitable Development around Transit

Support the creation and maintenance of employment and retail options near bus rapid transit stations, with a focus on assisting existing small businesses thrive and grow.

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See also Section 3.4 ‘Equitable Development around Transit.’

Action ED 5.1 Removed 2019

Action ED 5.2 Targeted Economic Development Plans

Facilitate economic development plans and projects for targeted areas that have not participated in the city’s economic expansion.

For more information about areas targeted for economic development, see Text box: Areas of Intervention: A Geographic Focus for Economic Development.

Action ED 5.3 Infrastructure Investments in Underperforming Areas

Identify the infrastructure investments required to make sites in under-performing areas more competitive for economic development.

Action ED 5.4 Capital Improvement Funding

Identify funding sources and mechanisms for undertaking and maintaining public realm and capital improvements to support economic development.

Economic Development

Action ED 5.5 Completed 2014

Action ED 5.6 Completed 2019

Action ED 5.7 Equitable Development around Transit

Assist small businesses in BRT corridors during and after construction through communications and marketing support and grant funding for façade improvements or interior renovations.

Areas of Intervention:

A Geographic Focus for Economic Development

An analysis of Raleigh was conducted to identify areas that demonstrate a need for economic development intervention and that also present opportunities for economic development. Areas were scored according to a number of variables. Each of these areas appears on Map ED-1: Priority Areas for Economic Development. Areas shaded in blue correspond to geographies, measured in block groups, that meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. Census Block Groups in which 40% or more of the Block Group are zoned for non-residential uses; and that are considered “high poverty” or are adjacent to “high poverty” block groups. High poverty for this purpose is defined as those Block Groups where the percentage of individuals with income below the poverty level exceeds 150% of the citywide poverty rate.

2. Census Block Groups in which 40% or more of the Block Group are zoned for industrial use.

3. Redevelopment Areas designated according to North Carolina state statute as well as closure of gaps created by inclusion of Redevelopment Areas.

4. Other areas deemed appropriate for inclusion by the City Council.

Additionally, parcels located directly across a public right-of-way from the areas shown are also considered priority areas for economic development. The map is based upon quantitative analysis and is intended to provide the city with an identification of under-performing areas that can benefit from economic development activities.

Economic Development

Map ED-1: Priority Areas for Economic Development

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Economic Development Priority Area

Map created 6/21/2021 by Raleigh Planning and Development

6.6 Hospitality and Tourism

The city has recently invested in a new Convention Center and convention hotel to expand its hospitality industry. As the state capital, Raleigh has long benefited from interest from statewide organizations. It now has the facilities it needs to compete for more national events as well. Tourism provides important support for local-serving retail and restaurants as well as many entry-level jobs for residents with more limited skills and experience. The city’s many cultural, historic, open space and recreation resources offer valuable opportunities to enhance tourism and expand the local economy.

See also ‘13.4 Economic Development Through the Arts’ in Section 13: ‘Arts and Culture’ for additional policies and actions.

Policy ED 6.1 Cultural and Entertainment Hub

Position the city generally, and downtown specifically, as a regional and super-regional destination for conventions, the performing arts, sports, and special events.

Policy ED 6.2 Hospitality Support Services

Provide programs and services to support the city’s expanding hospitality and tourism sector.

Policy ED 6.3 Special Events and Attractions

Promote recreation, events, and attractions that extend and enhance existing strengths of Raleigh’s tourism sector.

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Policy ED 6.4 Cultural Resource Promotion

Work with local historic preservation and arts groups to identify and promote Raleigh’s cultural resources.

Policy ED 6.5 Lodging

Work with developers, investors, and other local organizations to plan and provide diverse and accessible lodging and accommodations to support tourism growth.

Policy ED 6.6 Downtown Marketing

Coordinate with the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau to ensure downtown Raleigh attractions are marketed effectively.

Action ED 6.1 Downtown Cultural Investments

Target downtown locations for major public investments in culture, arts, and entertainment venues and facilities.

Action ED 6.2 Tourism Itineraries

Develop heritage and cultural tourism itineraries that package multiple destinations and activities.

Action ED 6.3 Cultural Resource Preservation

Provide development incentives for preservation of cultural resources.