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The City of Raleigh invites you to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our city by participating in Listening Sessions for the FY25 Budget, where staff aim to provide an overview of how the budget process works and foster discussion around business community priorities. One feature of these sessions is an activity where attendees will participate in a voting process to directly influence the allocation of resources by choosing projects they believe should be funded in the FY25 budget.
 
To get involved, please sign up for a Listening Session using this registration link.
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In-Person Listening Sessions:

• Thursday, October 19, 6 - 7:30 p.m., District E Glen Eden Park Community Center
• Tuesday, October 24, 6 - 7:30 p.m., "Budget & Brews!" at Trophy Brewing on Morgan Street

 
Virtual Listening Sessions:

• Saturday, October 21, 10 - 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday, October 21, 1 - 2:30 p.m.
• Monday, October 23, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 25, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, October 26, 12 - 1:30 p.m.
• Thursday, October 26, 6 - 7:30 p.m.

​Time for a humble brag: thanks to the work of the Raleigh Chamber and area businesses helping pass the City of Raleigh Parks Bond in 2022, the City is getting to determine how best to physically shape Dorothea Dix Park to serve our residents and maximize its impact on our quality of life. This week, the Council heard from City staff and Dix Park Conservancy members on some proposed improvements, including removing 50+ buildings to make way for more green space and future infrastructure to improve the park’s programming and amenities.

They also discussed creating a Municipal Service District, (called an MSD,) around the park that would levy an additional tax on nearby businesses and (non-single-family) properties to create services that otherwise don’t exist. If that sounds familiar, it’s exactly how the Downtown Raleigh Alliance is run, and the idea is the same: local businesses and property owners fund services that enhance the area and benefit the city as a whole by boosting the area’s attractiveness.
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The Council already has many questions on how all of this will be implemented, but the conversation can happen at all thanks to the people of Raleigh overwhelmingly approving the parks bond last year. It’s just another example of how the Chamber is working to make sure our quality of life remains one of the best in the nation.

As we’ve touched on before, downtown safety, (and the perception of it,) are a major concern for the Chamber as we continue to position Raleigh as a vibrant and safe place for people to live, work and play. On Tuesday, October 17, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance held a community meeting with the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) where some important news was shared.
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1. Drop-in “day shelters” will be coming online in early November, where persons experiencing homelessness will be able to find shelter during daylight hours. Currently, Raleigh only has shelters at night, so those who aren’t actively working with social services often have nowhere to go except public spaces. This will give those individuals somewhere to go and provide another potential point of contact for government and nonprofit organizations to interact with them.
2. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance will be contracting with a private security firm to provide additional personnel who will work with RPD to provide additional oversight of public spaces and resources for RPD officers. Unarmed private security will run from October 31, 2023 through June 30, 2024, operating from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
   

To learn more about our GA priorities you can visit our webpage.

By Hannah Madison Smith
Leadership Raleigh 35
Portfolio Management Analyst
Branch Banking & Trust Co.




After my first day of Leadership Raleigh, which focused on the area's quality of life, I felt totally content and confident about my decision to live and work here. There are a couple of main highlights from the day that I will elaborate on in this post.

First, our Leadership Raleigh group had the opportunity to listen to a panel discussion with Smedes York and John Kane. It was interesting to hear about the development opportunities currently underway downtown and planned for the future. In addition, our group got great insight on affordable housing and transportation issues in Raleigh and the Triangle area.

We also heard from Steve Malik from NCFC on Raleigh’s Major League Soccer expansion opportunity and MLS bid. He spoke about the plans to build a stadium right outside downtown Raleigh near Peace Street and Seaboard Station. Soccer is a sport that brings the community together and creates a fun atmosphere, so I am excited for Raleigh to potentially acquire a major league professional sports franchise! It would be beneficial from both an economic and quality of life perspective.

Another favorite part of the day was a presentation about the future of Dorothea Dix Park, which is composed of over 300 acres of undeveloped land! I was truly impressed after hearing about the extensive planning process the Executive Board and Advisory Committee are undertaking in order to ensure that the park is a community asset and provides value to all. I am hopeful I can volunteer in some way as this effort is completed. 

Leadership Raleigh 35 and 36 are underway! Follow along as they learn about the area's economic development, education, law enforcement, media, and more in this series of blog posts. Learn more about Leadership Raleigh here.