• Request for Qualification: This is the process of selecting a consultant to assist staff with the study. RHI, a private planning firm, was selected to assist with the project.
• Communications Preference Survey: This survey has informed the planning team on how participants preferred to engage in the study. This survey will remain open to inform our engagement outreach as new people join the conversation!
• Listening Sessions: A series of 7 public meetings were hosted to introduce the project team and the study to the community. A summary of the sessions is now available for viewing.

Couldn't make the meeting? Watch the recording below.

The Listening Session presentation is also available in Spanish below.

Neighborhood Ambassadors

The Neighborhood Ambassadors are community members who help with outreach and engagement and act as a bridge between the community and the government.

Brock Elliot

Brock Elliot lives in Walnut Terrace in the Dix Edge Study Area, and is fluent in Spanish. He loves spending time with his wife and dog, and in his free time, you can find him volunteering at Neighbor2Neighbor or biking on the greenways. He became an Ambassador because he enjoys spending time with neighbors and serving his community. He believes that to be a Neighbor is a verb that requires positive action. Brock would love to speak with you at any time about this project, to do so please email Brock Elliot.

Dieneaker Shaw

Dieneaker lives in Gateway Park in the Dix Edge Study Area. She became a Neighborhood Ambassador to support community changes and to help communicate the community voices by assisting with public meetings and surveys. Dieneaker says, “Getting involved in public meetings is a great way to communicate your concerns and ideas.” If you would like to speak with Dieneaker about the Dix Edge Study and how you can participate, please email Dieneaker Shaw.

The goal of the Visioning Workshops was to gather community member input on any worries they have and what they would like to keep, change, and plan for their community. The results of that feedback were used to shape the next steps in the study.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Visioning Workshops! A meeting summary of these workshops is now available as well as a survey summary. You can also view the presentation materials in English and in Spanish.

Thank you to all those who attended the Affordable Housing summit! If you were unable to make it, here are the daytime presentation and the nighttime presentation. The goal of the summit was to learn more about the issues that renters, homeowners, and housing developers face when it comes to affordable housing. Read the Affordable Housing Summit White Paper to get a summary of the topics discussed and the next steps in the planning process. Do you have comments, feedback, or questions on the white paper?

Thanks to all of those who took the Phase Now Survey and participated in the workshops! The survey closed out with 512 combined online responses and paper surveys distributed to community partners in the study area, here is a summary of the results and the full survey. The workshops wrapped up with about 70 participants, and you can view the summary of the discussion or if you didn’t make the meeting, view the Affordable Housing and Infrastructure presentation, and the Connectivity and Urban Design presentation.

The Issues & Opportunities Report documents what is working, what is not working, and what should be planned for as the study moves forward. Inside you will find the four main themes of the study;

Retain - maintain the unique spirit of the community

Stitch - Connect the neighborhoods together, and to greater Raleigh

Grow - Ensure housing options for all are available

Collaborate - Shape a shared future with the community

The study is currently in the adoption review phase. While the phase is ongoing, work is being done to implement the affordable housing recommendations of the study. City Council has authorized staff to file a petition to rezone city-owned property near Eliza Pool Park for the purpose of developing affordable housing. The first neighborhood meeting took place during the second neighborhood meeting, planning commission, and city council review. These are all opportunities for public input. Following the rezoning, staff will look to form public-private partnerships to create subsidized affordable housing. These projects will produce nearly 300 new affordable housing units.

Phase Later kicked off in August 2021 and focused on presenting draft recommendations on affordable housing, land use, and the future of Lake Wheeler Road in front of Dix Park and S. Saunders Street north of I-40.

Two meetings were held, each covering a different topic:

• Future Land Use and Housing for All
  
  View the presentation. View the meeting recording.
• Connectivity
  
  View the presentation. View the meeting recording.

The Environmental Sustainability Report is broken down into four “Focus Areas” within the Dix Edge Study Area, defined by their close proximity to ecologically sensitive natural features such as streams and wetlands. Recommendations for this area include improving connections to and from greenways and key locations within the study area, protecting sensitive ecologies, placemaking, and providing educational opportunities.

The Phase Soon planning process wrapped up in June and focused on affordable housing and connectivity. Workshops on both topics occurred the week of May 17, and a summary is available online. Thanks to all those who participated! The survey closed out with 503 participants between paper and online surveys, view a summary of the results and the full survey. Couldn't make the meeting? View the presentations on Future Land Use and Housing for All and Improving Connectivity, or read the Connectivity Recommendations.