RALEIGH, N.C. — The Raleigh-Cary area saw the 10th largest numerical growth of any metropolitan statistical area in the country in 2020-21, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. With that growth comes construction and rezoning, and that’s where the organization Livable Raleigh comes into play.

The group is made up of people who want the community’s voice to be heard when it comes to how cities approach development.

What You Need To Know

  • The Raleigh-Cary area in 2020-21 saw the 10th largest numerical growth among the country's metropolitan statistical areas

  • The group Livable Raleigh is working to make sure the community’s voice is heard when it comes to how the city grows

  • Four members of that group say they want the city to reinstate Citizen’s Advisory Councils as a way to get the public more involved

“If there's any property that's vacant, has a tree on it, it will be developed no matter where you live in Raleigh,” Larry Helfant, the chair of Raleigh’s Midtown Citizen’s Advisory Council, said.

Members of Livable Raleigh are focused on construction in the City of Oaks.

“I’ve said for years Raleigh has issues that a lot of places would love to have debates about. We're a very healthy city. We're growing rapidly, and with growth comes some growth pains,” Michael Lindsay, the chair of the Hillsborough-Wade Citizen’s Advisory Council, said.

Helfant says his area’s CAC is part of the reason Kane Realty recently withdrew a rezoning request that could have allowed for a 37-story highrise in Midtown.

“I think we were successful with the North Hills project because we have an active CAC and we have an active community and people see how it directly affects them,” Helfant said.

Donna Bailey has lived in Raleigh for almost three decades. She’s active in public input opportunities because she believes it will help better shape the future of the city.

“There's got to be a balance because when you have community input, it's a win-win for everybody. So even if things have to slow down and even if there are some compromises, it makes Raleigh a better place to live,” Bailey, a member of Raleigh’s Community Engagement Board, said.

Wanda Hunter was born and raised in Raleigh. She’s seen construction project after construction project and wants to make sure there’s a place in Raleigh for families like hers.

“If you're not at the table, you're on the menu, you know? So I'm at the table. I'm invested. I just purchased the home. I'm a first-time homeowner and I'm invested in my community. I love Raleigh and I want to see more of people that look like me, that have lived here, be able to continue to live here because we're continuously wiping them out,” Hunter, a member of Livable Raleigh, said. “Stagger the development from like 40 stories down to single-family homes so that you're not in a single-family home and you're right beside a 40-story building.”

“These 40-story buildings are just being plopped everywhere. There's no strategy behind this building. There's no sustainability behind the building. The community benefits that are being left on the table. There's no affordability in what's been built and so these are the crises that we face in the city,” Hunter said.

These four members of Livable Raleigh believe the four newly elected city council members are off to a strong start when it comes to listening to the public’s input on growth and development. However, they would like to see the city reinstate Citizen’s Advisory Councils.

The former city council voted to no longer support the groups. But Raleigh officials say city staff still regularly attend CAC meetings when invited to provide updates on certain items.

The city’s community engagement board recently conducted a poll about the public input process. Those results will be shared during the March 21 city council meeting.