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Raleigh council adopts short‑session legislative agenda focusing on state land, housing and transportation
Summary
Council voted to adopt a short‑session legislative agenda that prioritizes local control over state parcels, changes to the state building code to enable 'missing‑middle' housing, and coordination on transportation planning and local bills in the 2026 short session.
Raleigh City Council adopted a short‑session legislative agenda on March 17 that emphasizes three top priorities identified during staff and council workshops: expanding municipal opportunities to acquire or lease underutilized state or county parcels, modifying state building code language to enable denser 'missing‑middle' housing types (townhomes, duplexes and triplexes), and partnering with regional transportation authorities to assess a comprehensive transportation plan.
Symmetria Jones, presenting the staff recommendation, walked council through deadlines and the mechanics of local bills in the short session and offered examples of potential statutory approaches, such as a first‑right‑of‑refusal model used in other states and single‑stair building‑code reforms that some advocates say reduce costs for smaller multifamily buildings.
Council discussion focused on sequencing and tactics. Several councilors said working with the executive branch on transactions for state parcels could produce earlier wins than a purely legislative path. Others pressed for incorporating housing affordability protections into any changes and for coordination with county and regional partners.
Councilor Lambert Melton moved to adopt the guiding principles and proposed goals, and the motion passed by roll call.
Staff will draft a formal legislative agenda and return it to council for final sign‑off and send the city’s priorities to local legislative delegations and advocacy partners.
