Affordable-housing advocates urge Raleigh to pursue larger bond and require developers to contribute

Advocates from Livable Raleigh told the council the city's current $101 million housing bond proposal falls short and asked elected officials to pursue a far larger commitment and to extract more contributions from developers who profit from rezonings.

"By your staff's count, 51,000 households in Raleigh are cost-burdened," said Tim Niles, speaking for Livable Raleigh, adding that 27,000 households spend half or more of their income on housing. Niles proposed putting an affordable housing bond of at least $200,000,000 on the ballot, saying it should be comparable in scale to recent park bonds.

Donna Bailey, also representing Livable Raleigh, called the $101 million proposal "very disappointing," saying adjusted for inflation it is less than the $80 million bond from six years earlier. She urged the council to assign the issue to a committee to study larger options and recommended asking the development industry to "step up" when rezonings increase land value.

Voices from outside organized advocacy echoed concerns about whether bond-funded units would meet supports needed for people leaving homelessness. Mamakai Sanders, who identified as an unhoused mother, said housing alone can concentrate poverty without supportive services and described personal experience with shelters and transitions.

Advocates asked the council to explore a mix of taxpayer funding and developer contributions, and to convene committees and public engagement to design a larger, accountable bond program. No formal council action occurred during the public-comment period.