Fourth Ward resident urges council to fund $300,000 start for redevelopment work

Octavia Rainey, speaking during the public-comment period, urged the council to include $300,000 in the city budget to begin work on restoring Fourth Ward and to secure records from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"To this council, you need to put the $300,000 in the budget," Rainey said. "Three hundred thousand dollars is a start. Under the consolidated plan, under the citizen participation plan, you can do it. You can really do it."

Rainey said she has asked HUD in Washington, D.C., for records about Fourth Ward when it was demolished and referenced the Raleigh Redevelopment Commission. She said the entity she named in the meeting that holds local records had none available and that she planned to meet with HUD staff to seek documentation.

Rainey framed the request as a restoration and accountability effort, saying the community has been neglected for decades and that the funds would be a starting point for work on Fourth Ward. She specifically asked Dr. Jane Harrison and the Fourth Ward Association to help ensure the money is included in the budget.

The public comment did not record any formal council response or a specific budget motion during the meeting. No council action to allocate funds was taken during the session; the item remains a public request for council consideration.

Rainey said she will travel to Washington to seek HUD documentation and asked local advocates to support placing $300,000 in the upcoming budget. She called for the matter to be handled by the redevelopment committee if the council pursues it further.