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With Rezoning Approval For Downtown South, Affordable Housing In Raleigh Remains A Concern

WUNC | By Anita Rao,
Stacia Brown
Published December 18, 2020 at 11:38 AM EST
Credit Kane Realty/Gensler

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. Host Anita Rao talks to WUNC data reporter Jason DeBruyn about a proposed multibillion-dollar development project Downtown South in Raleigh.

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. 

Copyright 2020 North Carolina Public Radio
Anita Rao
Anita Rao is the host and creator of "Embodied," a live, weekly radio show and seasonal podcast about sex, relationships & health. She's also the managing editor of WUNC's on-demand content. She has traveled the country recording interviews for the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps production department, founded and launched a podcast about millennial feminism in the South, and served as the managing editor and regular host of "The State of Things," North Carolina Public Radio's flagship daily, live talk show. Anita was born in a small coal-mining town in Northeast England but spent most of her life growing up in Iowa and has a fond affection for the Midwest.
See stories by Anita Rao
Stacia Brown
Stacia Brown comes to WUNC from Washington, DC, where she was a producer for WAMU’s daily news radio program, 1A. She’s the creator and host of two podcasts, The Rise of Charm City and Hope Chest. Her audio projects have been featured on Scene on Radio, a podcast of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University; BBC 4’s Short Cuts; and American Public Radio’s Terrible, Thanks for Asking.
See stories by Stacia Brown