Area plans are an important part of how the city adapts to change and addresses key issues, such as housing affordability, walkability, and reducing carbon emissions. To learn more about area planning in general visit the info page.

They offer a chance to dive deeply into issues and concerns in specific parts of the city. In this case, the focus is on neighborhoods along New Bern Avenue. In addition to thinking about making the most of the BRT investment, this process also recognizes that concerns already existed about housing affordability and displacement in those neighborhoods. This plan is a way to address those issues.

Equitable Development Around Transit

We’ve started to think about those issues broadly as part of the Equitable Development Around Transit plan. That process looked at all four BRT corridors and looked to answer two big questions: 

1) To what extent should Raleigh grow more around transit, as opposed to driving, in the future?  

2) How do we ensure the benefits of BRT are shared equitably? 

We heard clearly that Raleigh should work toward becoming a much more sustainable and transit-oriented city, and that affordable housing is absolutely critical.  

We’ve published the Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Guidebook, which outlines a path toward meeting those goals.

It includes strategies and tools for allowing more people to live and work in areas near BRT, to improve housing affordability and choice, and to make it easier and safer to go places by walking or biking.

This process will tailor those strategies to the New Bern Avenue corridor.

What are the main tasks involved in the plan?

We started this process by hearing from you on the most important issues to tackle. We heard that walkability and pedestrian safety are critical, and that thinking about places to live, work, and shop near BRT – and working to address affordability – are key topics.

This process, which separate from the design of the New Bern BRT itself, will involve the following major elements:

1. Study the current conditions of the area. This includes research on housing costs, identifying areas that are challenging to pedestrians, and neighborhoods that have easy access to jobs and shopping.
2. Understand how area residents, businesses, and institutions would like for their neighborhoods to make the best use of BRT and address other issues.
3. Develop Strategies to help residents of all income levels afford to live in the area, make it safer to walk, and look to identify other goals.
4. Create a Plan for each station area that includes zoning changes, new programs, and funding sources to make the plan a reality.

Community Connection and Understanding the Area

This phase involved working with the community to talk about the goals of the project and set up the best ways to communicate. It also involved gathering data about housing, transportation safety, and other key topics. It led to the main phase of the study, which will involve developing plans for each station area.

See the results and key reports from this phase:

The Story of New Bern Avenue document and video.

Maps that illustrate data and key issues.

A summary of input from this first phase.

Affordable Housing Summit

View the presentation and videos of the resident-focused and housing provider sessions from our Affordable Housing Summit held in September.

Community Workshops

This process recently included three week-long workshops, one for each portion of the New Bern corridor. See the links below for initial concepts and presentations!

• Western Stations (Blount Street, Swain Street, Tarboro Street). Held September 20-23
  • Review a presentation of preliminary concepts or watch the video from the workshop wrap-up meeting.
• Middle Stations (Raleigh Boulevard, Longview, WakeMed). Held October 4-7
  • Review a presentation of preliminary concepts or watch the video from the workshop wrap-up meeting.
• Eastern Stations (Trawick Road, Corporation Parkway New Hope Road). Held October 4-7
  • Review a presentation of preliminary concepts or watch the video from the workshop wrap-up meeting.
• Walking and Biking Safety Summit This event explored ways to slow vehicles and create a safer, healthier, lower-carbon Raleigh. See the meeting video.

Project Timeline and Upcoming Phases

This process began with the Community Connections and Community Workshops phases described above. The rest of the project will involve:

Late 2021/early 2022. Conclusion. We’ll go over recommendations for public investments, zoning changes, and other recommendations before making a final report.

Specific events will include:

• New Bern Station Area Planning: Draft Recommendations
  Hear and comment on draft recommendations for growing around transit!
  5-8:30 p.m. on December 14
  Tarboro Community Center or online
  Drop-in beginning at 5 p.m.
  Presentation at 6 p.m. followed by Q&A
• Late January/early February. Presentation of final draft.