This week the Raleigh City Council approved rezoning for Downtown South, a $2.2 billion development project that will bring shops, housing and a soccer stadium to southeast Raleigh. The space was previously zoned as an industrial district. Downtown South’s mixed-use zoning clearance is just an early step in the project’s progress.
As developers move forward, activists continue to express concern that the new space will displace the few residents left who have been able to retain affordable housing in southeast Raleigh. Since developers will need to appeal to the City Council for public funding and tax incentives, some believe local government may be able to insist that developers include more affordable housing plans in their building proposal. Host Anita Rao talks to WUNC data reporter Jason DeBruyn about this most recent in a string of developments that have led to gentrification in urban communities statewide.
