3/16/2021 meeting summary: source of income protection, a/c for gyms

We had a 2-day City Council retreat Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13. You can watch a replay of the retreat on the City of Raleigh YouTube.
We also had a regular City Council meeting Tuesday, March 16. Below is a summary:
1. We approved a resolution to prohibit source of income discrimination in city-assisted affordable housing developments. The resolution directs staff to require developers who receive City financial assistance for development of affordable housing to consider all lawful sources of income of prospective tenants and buyers. All sources of income includes housing choice vouchers.
2. We allocated funding to add air conditioning to the last several gyms without it. Ensuring equitable access to city resources was a key issue in my campaign, and I am glad we finally addressed the issue with these gyms. Thank you Council Member Forte for leading on this effort.
3. We authorized text changes for new street section designs for bicycle infrastructure and bus rapid transit. For bicycles, the change will require new bike lanes to be placed behind a curb, rather than within the street, to provide more safety and comfort and encourage more ridership. For bus rapid transit, the change protects the necessary public right-of-ways so that the bus rapid transit lines can operate in their own lane, more like a light rail or train. Both of these changes are important steps in our work to build a less car dependent city.
Our next City Council Meetings are Tuesday, April 6 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
jonathan.melton@raleighnc.gov