What is going on with the Transit Overlay District along New Bern Avenue?
WakeUP Wake County has long supported transit-oriented development along Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes and was heavily involved in bringing about the Wake County Transit Plan approved by voters in 2016. Transit Overlay District (TOD) zoning is one way we can make sure BRT routes are successful in helping us reach our environmental, affordability, and land use goals.
The four planned BRT routes have been identified as critical corridors into Downtown Raleigh that are currently car-oriented. TOD zoning to support BRT has already been passed on the Western and Southern corridors with relative ease as they have more industrial, commercial, and public lots along the corridor. The New Bern Avenue corridor has received more pushback from the community as the corridor passes through or is adjacent to historic and residential neighborhoods such as College Park and Oakwood. Therefore, TOD zoning on New Bern Avenue is still being planned as construction of the Bus Rapid Transit route along the corridor was set to begin this summer. Community members have been engaging with Raleigh Planning Commission members and City of Raleigh Staff during the rezoning process.
Many residents are understandably concerned about the changes that investments like BRT and zoning changes like TOD will bring to their neighborhoods. For some residents, like homeowners in the historically Black neighborhoods of College Park, Idlewild, and Hungry Neck, concerns about gentrification, displacement, and erasure of the history, culture, and character of their neighborhood are top of mind.
These concerns stem from local, state, and federal policies that have historically neglected or harmed marginalized communities. In fact, neighborhoods like College Park exist as historically Black neighborhoods because racist deed covenants did not allow non-white residents to live within the city limits. Moreover, the history and prominence of single-family zoning has further caused segregation and a lack of affordability.
Black residents built and purchased single-family homes along New Bern Avenue in the early 1900s. Over time, the area has seen increased development and now gentrification is quickly affecting homeowners who are struggling to keep pace with rising property taxes, maintaining their aging homes, and adjusting to changes in the community. While most of the older homes are modest in size, there has been an increase in buyers demolishing these homes in favor of large, modern homes that take up nearly the whole lot, or investors coming in to flip these houses and charge exorbitant rent prices.
Policies like ‘Missing Middle’ and TOD zoning have been blamed for the creation of multi-family units that further fuel gentrification and push out residents currently in “naturally existing affordable housing,” especially as many of the newer townhomes and apartment complexes are built as “luxury” units. However, the reality is that the prices of even older, modest homes have skyrocketed, and within neighborhoods, multi-family units will still be less expensive than single-family homes. Additionally, smaller homes are no longer being built despite an increasing desire by many to live in smaller units and denser areas for walkability and environmental or financial reasons.
The purpose of TOD is not to push existing residents out or destroy neighborhoods in favor of fancy condos and townhomes. However, the reality is that change is already affecting this corridor, and in addition to bigger homes and less affordability, there have also been other consequences such as unsafe roads and increased traffic, pollution, and noise. This type of piecemeal development will only continue with the current exclusionary zoning regulations, which include restrictions on the types, heights, and lot sizes of buildings that lead to more expensive housing. TOD will make it easier for the city to regulate for and incentivize more affordable housing and denser, mixed-use areas that benefit current residents and future residents alike as the city continues to grow at a rapid pace.
There is a great deal of evidence that adding housing stock reduces housing prices overall. However there is debate about whether new housing stock and neighborhood amenities attracts only wealthier households and in turn causes surrounding landlords to raise rents. In truth, desirable places to live will always face these pressures. However, Mitchell Silver (formerly the NYC Parks Commissioner and then a principal urban planner at McAdams based in Raleigh) argues that doing nothing due to fear of gentrification means continuing to neglect communities that have lacked investment for decades. This is why it is important to create regulatory and market incentives to include affordability in new development as well as support existing tenants and homeowners to reduce vulnerability to displacement.
While certain aspects of the BRT and TOD planning have been controversial, the value of having mobility options through transit and walkability are not. In a participatory process that sought to engage the community on what they would like to see for the BRT, residents overwhelmingly responded that:
- they would like to live in an area that is walkable to restaurants, shopping, and fast and frequent transit
- it is important that new growth take place near transit
- new development around transit lines should focus on affordable housing options
So, how can we meet the needs of a growing city with new and long-time residents who are seeking safe, walkable neighborhoods with more services and economic opportunity? We are currently at a fork in the road: do we allow things to proceed “business as usual”, where policies borne out of economic and racial segregation continue to change the neighborhood and exclude all but the highest-income residents, increase traffic and lower environmental quality, and maintain car-dependence and unsafe roads? Or do we support long-term, strategic planning that embraces the growth of the city, takes necessary steps towards reducing emissions from cars and unsustainable land use, and allows for consideration around righting the wrongs of the past through initiatives like Equitable Development Around Transit?
With the BRT already coming, we need to ensure the success of this investment by supporting the Transit Overlay District so that the change that’s coming can feel intentional and beneficial to these neighborhoods as opposed to scary and disregarding of existing residents. We hope to support the expansion of transit and transit-oriented zoning to all of Wake County’s municipalities and to see where successes, challenges, and opportunities exist to support thriving communities.
What opportunities exist for New Bern Avenue with BRT and TOD?
Safer conditions for pedestrians and cyclists
New Bern Avenue is currently difficult and dangerous to traverse as a pedestrian or cyclist, due to the sprawl that single-family zoning has caused, lack of sidewalks and crosswalks, multi-lanes with higher speed limits, and car-oriented infrastructure like drive-thrus and strip mall style shopping centers. For example, sidewalks currently stop at Poole Road on the south side of the street and at Raleigh Boulevard on the north side of the street, and existing crosswalks across New Bern Avenue are about 6 blocks (or an 8 minute walk) apart.
Cycling infrastructure is also lacking on this corridor. Currently, the dedicated bicycle lane on New Bern Avenue that starts in downtown only reaches S State Street, after which there are “share the road” markings between S State Street and Tarboro Street.
As part of the BRT planning, a 10 to 12-foot-wide multi-use path from Blount Street to the Wake Med campus will be constructed along the south side of New Bern Avenue. On the north side, there are plans to fill in existing gaps in sidewalks and add a 6-foot-wide sidewalk from Tarboro Street to Sunnybrook Road. These additions allow for connection to the Crabtree Creek Greenway, making Raleigh’s greenway network and outdoor recreation opportunities more accessible for residents. TOD zoning also imposes requirements for wider sidewalks and bicycle parking, further supporting the investment in pedestrian and cyclist safety. See this news clip for more examples of how the city is improving walkability around the corridor.
Economic opportunities and access to services
The city of Raleigh recently purchased a plot of land at the intersection of New Bern Ave and Raleigh Blvd, which is currently underutilized as an abandoned gas station and shuttered businesses, to develop into affordable multi-family housing, commercial space, and services like medical and daycare that residents currently have to drive elsewhere to access (for more information about this development, see this recent news clip featuring WakeUP board member Erika Brandt and Executive Director Nathan Spencer: Raleigh hopes to develop plots on future transit corridor into affordable housing and mixed use). Investments like these in more density and mixed-use developments are critical for the coming BRT transit project to be effective and for the area to become a place where people can afford to live, have opportunities to work, feel safe, and support the climate initiatives set by the city.