Greater Raleigh Chamber Blog

​As Raleigh plans for its future, Transit Oriented Development has emerged as a key strategy for sustainable equitable development. Over the past five months, the Raleigh City Council has been developing a vision aimed at supporting growth and development alongside sustainable transit solutions. Central to this vision is the Transit Overlay District, a zoning innovation focused on bolstering transit lines such as the upcoming Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system by providing them with the density they need to ensure ridership. On July 2, the council completed rezoning over 600 individual property parcels along the New Bern Avenue corridor to complement the BRT system, aligning future development with the new mass transit system.

​A Transit Overlay District is a specialized zoning tool designed to maximize the effectiveness of transit systems by promoting compact, mixed-use developments around transit hubs and stations. These districts encourage the density necessary to sustain and enhance transit ridership, aligning with Raleigh’s commitment to sustainable urban planning and improved accessibility.
Raleigh’s initiative to establish Transit Overlay Districts is part of a broader strategy to integrate transit planning with urban development goals. Transit systems need density to be able to function. By concentrating jobs, retail spaces, and multifamily housing near transit hubs, the city aims to create vibrant, walkable communities that reduce car dependence and enhance the urban environment.

​With the recent groundbreaking of the Bus Rapid Transit system on the New Bern Avenue corridor, there is a high level of interest from both city council and local citizens to get the development around this first BRT installment right. By dividing zoning decisions into 6 zones along New Bern Avenue, instead of rezoning the whole line at once, the City Council was able to better tailor zoning decisions to diverse community needs—from historic residential areas to bustling business zones and healthcare facilities.
The success of the New Bern Avenue Transit Overlay District is not only about immediate impacts but also about laying the groundwork for the three remaining legs of this system: North up Capitol Blvd., South down Wilmington Ave., and West along Western Blvd. A thriving transit corridor here could strengthen public support and attract additional funding for further transit developments, benefiting the entire city.

​As Raleigh continues to evolve, initiatives like the Transit Overlay District demonstrate the city’s proactive approach to urban planning. By integrating transit infrastructure with thoughtful zoning policies, Raleigh is paving the way for a more sustainable and connected future.
Stay informed about developments like the Transit Overlay District and other legislative updates by visiting our webpage or following us on all social media platforms at @raleighchamber.
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For more information on Raleigh’s Transit Overlay District and related projects, please visit the City of Raleigh’s official webpage.

Our September workshop from the BRT Business Resource Collaborative was a success as multiple small business owners gathered at Martin Street Baptist Church to learn more about the local financial resources available to them.

Small business owners received professional advice and insight from a variety of financial experts. Members were reminded of the BRT Business Resource Collaborative's  Business Resource Guide and received more information on how this guide can take their business to the next level. They also heard exclusive updates regarding New Bern Avenue’s Bus Rapid Transit system from Het Patel, City of Raleigh’s Senior Transit Planner. Attendees were excited to see pictures of the new bus system and hear about Wake Transit Plan’s four big moves which include providing Wake County residents with frequent and reliable transportation.

Guests at the workshop also enjoyed learning about grants that will help their business be successful. The City of Raleigh’s Small Business Development Coordinator, Ferdinand Rouse, encouraged small business owners to apply for Building Up-fit Grants, which are matching reimbursement grants awarded to owners looking to improve their small business owners, and broke down each process of the application process. Ferdinand ended his presentation by telling our members “The City of Raleigh wants to make sure that you know about this opportunity so you can be successful.” The next round of applications for the Building Up-fit Grant begins this Friday, Sept. 15.

Frank Del Villar of Carolina Impact Community Fund and Scott Wolford of the U.S. Small Business Administration also discussed counseling services available to small businesses and explained how their business's financial opportunities can aid in our leader's future success. Attendees at the workshop were interested to hear Frank discuss Kiva, a small business financial tool, which gives owners 0% interest loans that are community crowdfunded. There was also a panel with all the guest speakers where attendees were able to ask important questions about how to access financial opportunities specific to their industries.

Those who joined us left the workshop prepared to take advantage of the variety of financial resources discussed. Find more takeaways, quotes, and images of the event using our social hashtag #WakeBRT, and if you are a small business owner looking to prepare for your future success, then join us at our next workshop on Oct. 5 to learn about small business lending!​

By Joe Milazzo II, PE
Executive Director
Regional Transportation Alliance




The Research Triangle region is actively engaged in the national competition to win Amazon's new "HQ2," as this new microsite demonstrates.

While no region in North America has a "lock" on winning an economic development opportunity of $5 billion and 50,000 jobs, in reality, Raleigh, Durham, and the entire Research Triangle region have been winning the competition for top jobs for decades.

This week's business news clips provide a great demonstration of our market’s success, and a clue or two as to why.

A Bloomberg article this week noted that Raleigh and Durham were both in the top 7 nationally in the Bloomberg "Brain Concentration Index." This index compares metro areas with at least 100,000 people, and assesses them on several factors, including: concentration of full-time STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workforce, advanced degrees or science and engineering undergraduate degrees, and net business formation.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Census Bureau, focusing solely on the attainment of bachelor's degrees, noted that both Raleigh-Cary and Durham-Chapel Hill were in the top 5 nationally in college attainment. 

Why does our market consistently succeed? The reality is that our strengths continuously reinforce themselves: our educational prowess attracts both people with high degree attainment and jobs that require advanced education.

In addition, you get the best of all worlds here: East Coast location without eastern seaboard hassles, metropolitan amenities and 18-hour city convenience without large urban headaches.

From a mobility standpoint, our market has clearly, and uniquely, hit what I might call the “sweet spot of dispersal and agglomeration.” We are spread out enough to keep severe traffic at bay, but still close enough—​ and increasingly connected enough—for us to take advantage of our collective strengths.

Those strengths begin with our three tier one research universities, and they grow - and we go - from there.

Do I think we will win Amazon? I think we have a great opportunity. Our region does not need to land HQ2 to be successful—we already are successful, and will continue to be—but an HQ2 investment from Amazon here would make our market even better, faster.

We wish Amazon well, wherever they choose to invest.

Joe Milazzo II, PE, is executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, the voice of the regional business community on transportation. Learn more about how RTA leverages the strength of more than 100 leading member companies and 23 member chambers of commerce working in concert with regional partners to advance transportation solutions that grow our economy. 

Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, was recently honored by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce with the Chair's Award for Public Private Partnership.

Full citation of the award presentation is below. 

Now 14 years as the executive director of their organization, this individual convenes elected officials, senior government staff, technical experts, and the business leaders to solve problems. He is delightfully impatient and jokes that the mission of his organization is not “Let’s get ready to” nor “Let’s think about doing something,” nor “Why don’t we study this, but not do it.”  Instead, the impactful motto of his organization is “Let’s Get Moving.”   Please join me in recognizing the CEO of one of this region’s most relevant and effective business leadership organization, The Regional Transportation Alliance’s Joe Milazzo, the recipient of the 2017 Chair’s Award for Public Private Partnership. 

When you are on the road—whether in your car, on the bus, on the sidewalk, or even the shoulder—you should think of and thank Joe Milazzo. RTA is a chamber of commerce-based regional business leadership and advocacy group focused on advancing transportation policy, priority, and funding solutions in our entire region. Under Joe’s leadership, RTA has successfully advocated for the construction, enhancement, and advancement of more than 250 miles of freeway and improvements at seven existing or proposed interchanges. He also spearheaded the Multimodal 54 initiative, which ensures that Chapel Hill and Carrboro are not cut off from the rest of the Triangle region. Joe launched the Air Service Advancement Project (ASAP) private sector marketing initiative as well, culminating in a Paris flight in 2016, making RDU the only non-hub U.S. airport with two nonstop transatlantic flights. Additionally, Joe coordinated the creation of our state’s first “Bus on Shoulder System” or “BOSS” to reduce transit travel times between Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh, now including 60 shoulder miles as one of the largest BOSS systems in the United States. 

Congratulations, Joe—what a BOSS you are! We’re grateful for your leadership in the region and in our Chamber.

(Thanks to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber for the citation. See a full list of winners and more here.)

A program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber, the Regional Transportation Alliance is a membership group of nearly 100 companies across the Triangle and 23 member chambers of commerce in central North Carolina. It is the regional business voice for transportation initiatives and policies including strategic funding, transit, freeways, streets, air service, and rail.
 
Learn more at www.letsgetmoving.org. Follow RTA on Twitter at @RTATriangle. 

By Joe Milazzo II
Executive Director
Regional Transportation Alliance



Last year our region launched a second transatlantic flight and passed dedicated funding for a bold and flexible transit plan in our region's largest county. In 2017, the Regional Transportation Alliance will focus on accelerating 540, funding the RDU Master Plan, and creating a FAST Mobility Fund, along with advancing the other priorities listed below.

Top Priority: Accelerate 540
The regional business community's top priority will be to accelerate the construction of 540 in southern Wake County to I-40. The draft state TIP was released last week, and it contained both good and challenging news for 540, with some segments accelerated to 2020 and other portions delayed to 2020.

For more information about 540, read NCDOT's response to a letter we wrote last spring in cooperation with the Southern Environmental Law Center regarding anticipated costs, revenues, and time savings associated with the proposed freeway.

Fund RDU Master Plan
RDU has created a solid Master Plan for the next 25 years to guide the growth of our hometown international airport—now we need to fund that plan to complete essential improvements including reconstructing our primary runway. 

As RDU CEO Mike Landguth says, "Air service development is economic development," and nearly 50 nonstop flights, including two daily transatlantic flights, provide essential connections for commerce and tourism. If we want to continue that momentum for our growing region, RDU needs to grow right along with us, and that will require a sustainable funding mechanism.

Create a FAST Mobility Fund to Accelerate Simpler Improvements
As I mentioned during our annual meeting last month, we are seeking a faster way to fund lower cost projects. A "FAST" mobility fund would focus on accelerating smaller projects to provide congestion relief in a timely manner. 

The Strategic Transportation Investments law has removed politics from transportation prioritization, and that has advanced a number of major projects for our region and state. A FAST mobility fund (or similar) would complement the success of STI for smaller projects, such as advancing potential rapid intersection improvements to the Multimodal 54 corridor between I-40 and Chapel Hill and various roads and streets regionwide.

Other Focuses of the Regional Business Community
We heard three terrific presentations on the future of mobility at our annual meeting last month—if you want to relive them, you can download them here. In 2017 we will continue to support solutions that will move our region forward and improve our multimodal future:

• We will push for a successful launch this year of North Carolina's first on-ramp signal system on 540 westbound on-ramps in North Raleigh.
• We will lobby to advance a pilot express shoulder lane on 540 in North Raleigh. This project scored well in prioritization and we will push to refine, fund, and accelerate it.
• We will focus on advancing enhanced regional transit with a terrific customer experience to maximize our community's investment. Areas of focus include the creation of an enhanced frequent network, five new bus rapid transit lines, regional commuter rail between Durham and Raleigh and accelerating the Durham-Orange transit corridor between Durham and Chapel Hill.

2017: Another Vital Year for Mobility
We have had a great story to tell since 2002, and with the help of our current members and new investors we will continue to move the region forward.

See the full RTA 2017 Action Plan here.