Department
Message from Council Member Lambert-Melton
As an at-large member of Council, I am working to ensure that our city remains a great place to live and work for everyone – those who have lived here for generations and those who have only recently started calling Raleigh home.
Council Member Lambert-Melton’s Priorities
Housing
Raleigh is a rapidly growing city. It’s an exciting time to live here. But with that growth comes challenges, like the need for more housing that is affordable. Council has supported the City’s efforts to provide over 5,500 affordable housing units in Raleigh by 2026, including an $80 million affordable housing bond that was approved by voters in 2020. We have also supported efforts to increase and diversify our housing supply; we voted to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by right citywide and to expand different types of housing options in more places, including duplexes, townhouses, and tiny homes. We also voted to eliminate parking minimums citywide and to establish parking maximums in an effort to build a more affordable, resilient city.
Transportation
We are working to add improvements to our bus stops, including more benches, lights, and shelters. We have also started construction on North Carolina’s first Bus Rapid Transit route. I have also pushed to build more bike lanes and other non-car infrastructure.
I am also working on supporting new developments along transit corridors that increase our mixed-use buildings so residents can walk to get their groceries, visit a park, and grab a coffee.
Resilience
Council is actively working to enhance our resilience in a time where we are expecting to increase more frequent and severe weather events. We are working on improving our community’s resilience through investment in our stormwater infrastructure, urban tree canopy and green spaces, and strengthening community partnerships.
I am also a supporter of innovative programs that work on getting people out of cars and onto our greenways. I led our efforts to create an e-bike incentive program, called "Ral-E-Bike." The program assists Raleigh residents in purchasing e-bikes, through a point-of-sale voucher at participating local bike shops. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program.
About
Jonathan Lambert-Melton has served as an at-large Raleigh City Council member since 2019. He serves as Chair of the Economic Development and Innovation Committee and is Vice-Chair of the Transportation and Transit Committee.
Council Member Lambert-Melton is an attorney, exclusively practicing family law. He is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Family Law and is a partner at the law firm of Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor & Gibbs, PLLC. He earned his undergraduate degree in political science from North Carolina State University and his Juris Doctor degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Council Member Lambert-Melton has lived in Raleigh since 2004 and is the first openly LGBTQ person elected citywide in Raleigh. He is a founding board member of Stonewall Sports, Inc., a national LGBTQ and allied philanthropic sports league, and served on the board of directors for TLC (formerly The Tammy Lynn Center).
His hobbies include biking, riding a scooter, and playing kickball. Council Member Lambert-Melton and his husband Stephan share two dogs, Bishop and Rook, and two cats, Pocono and Ande.
Contact:
Email Jonathan Lambert-Melton: jonathan.lambert-melton@raleighnc.gov
Email the entire City Council: citycouncilmembers@raleighnc.gov