Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell laid out priorities for the next 2 years
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The Raleigh skyline as seen from the south. Photo: Visit Raleigh
Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell says building more housing and hiring additional police officers and firefighters top her priority list for her first term.
State of play: Cowell, a veteran of both local and state politics, said in her first state of the city address Wednesday that growth is the "defining issue in our city."
Driving the news: Cowell has been in office for a little more than 100 days, a period marked by several key decisions like taking initial steps to moving Red Hat Amphitheater and launching a pilot program to address homelessness.
- She's also used the time to build relationships with City Council members and staff, and to lead strategy workshops for the rest of her term.
Zoom in: Cowell laid out four areas that she will prioritize: housing, public safety, transportation and quality of life.
Housing continues to be a paramount issue, with Cowell saying there is a 37,000-unit housing shortage in the city today.
- "One of the things we all agreed on at our workshop is that we need mixed-income, mixed-use housing ... so that we can continue to make progress to house people in the city," she said.
- In her first 100 days, the council has approved a potential 3,000 new units across 13 projects — five of which had elements of affordable housing, she said. "We are definitely working on trying to increase the housing supply."
Public safety: Cowell is hopeful that after the next police academy class graduates this summer, the Raleigh Police Department will have no remaining vacancies.
- But she said over the next two years she wants to increase pay for public safety workers in the city to increase retention and grow the number of police officers and firefighters to keep up with the population growth — something outgoing Police Chief Estella Patterson has called for.
Transportation: Despite some uncertainty in Washington over federal dollars, Raleigh will continue to prioritize its transit projects, like the Bus Rapid Transit project and S-Line rail expansion, Cowell said.
- "We are going to be lobbying the federal government to try and keep our money," she said. "I am working with the other mayors of Wake County to write letters to the whole delegation. In fact, the mayor of Holly Springs is up in D.C. right now delivering those letters."
- Raleigh is still trying to re-work its bidding process on the New Bern Avenue section of the Bus Rapid Transit line after failing to receive a suitable construction bid.
Quality of life: Cowell, the former CEO of the Dix Park Conservancy, said she is committed to increasing the number of parks and green spaces that make the city more resilient to extreme weather.
- She noted her council has already approved a master plan for the future Smokey Hollow Park and Neuse River Park, improvements to the Walnut Creek Trail and funding for other watershed projects, like the Durant Nature Preserve Stream.