Raleigh councilors narrow 3‑year priorities at retreat: housing, safety, transit and business support rise to top

Raleigh council members collectively identified a short list of priorities to guide city work over the next three years during a facilitated retreat, with housing security, community safety, a more seamless transit experience and modernization of business support processes emerging as the top‑ranked items.

Facilitator Elena Keegan, working with city staff, led a series of small‑group exercises in which councilors first wrote individual priorities and then paired to craft a consolidated top‑seven list that each pair presented to the full group.

Several pairs selected housing as a top goal; councilors repeatedly referenced pilot programs aimed at people experiencing homelessness and said they want measurable reductions in housing insecurity. One councilor summed that goal as seeking “reduction in housing cost burden and homelessness in our city by some reasonable 3‑year number.”

Public safety was the other area of near‑unanimous priority. Council members framed success in measurable terms such as reduced violent and property crime and improved staffing and response times. One councilor urged a “place‑based” approach that focuses on downtown and other high‑concern locations, while others emphasized also addressing safety broadly—covering identity‑based safety and perceptions of safety—as a way to keep businesses and visitors coming downtown.

Transit and multimodal mobility emerged as a third common priority. Councilors called for fewer gaps in pedestrian and bicycle networks and for better experiences accessing frequent transit, including crosswalks, signal timing and bus shelters. “The pedestrian network … is absolutely key,” one councilor said, adding that the walking experience matters as much as new routes.

Business support and economic development also made the list. Councilors asked staff to prioritize modernizing and streamlining business support processes, such as permitting and contracting, to reduce barriers for small and growing firms.

Facilitator Keegan and staff captured the overall results visually for council and the public. Several items received broad support from all four pair presentations: enhanced housing security, community safety, improved resident transit experience and streamlined business support. Two items were selected by multiple pairs: support for high‑density, multiuse housing linked to transit and clearer customer‑service standards for city interactions.

What happens next: staff will use the retreat results to refine cross‑departmental objectives and will return with more specific initiatives, performance metrics and a proposed list of seven priorities for the council to consider and adopt as part of the city’s three‑year strategic plan.

Ending

Councilors said they plan to hold themselves accountable to the priorities by revisiting progress in six months and urged staff to develop measurable performance indicators that reflect the goals they prioritized.