City Council Wrapped

Here are the highlights of City Council’s last meeting for over a month. 

Raleigh’s City Council needs an occasional break too—but before they were able to get away, they had a hefty agenda stacked for July 1, the last session until Aug. 19… and a lot went down. Here are some of the biggest highlights. 

Six Forks Road Improvement Project Update

With no ability to overcome the huge budget deficit the project faced, City Council canceled the Six Forks Road Improvement Project. The initial plans included a six-lane road with a median and bike and pedestrian paths with a budget of $60.1M. 

After the cost escalated to $93.5M, Council found no feasible way to move forward. Opting to keep the money in the district, the project’s budget will now go toward closing the sidewalk gap in front of Carroll Middle School and funding design of the Midtown multi-modal bridge, followed by completing the Lake Wheeler Road and Barbell Road projects, and lastly, improving Old Wake Forest Road. $9.3M had already been spent on over a decade of work surrounding Six Forks.  

Fire Master Plan Updates

RFD revealed only 54% of units made the first due NFPA target time—or arrived within 240 seconds to 90% of incidents—in 2024. Performance was highest in DTR (81%) and lowest near Station 23 in Northwest Raleigh (31%). To combat this low stat, station replacements and relocations were recommended to City Council, plus four new stations, more ladder trucks and strong recruiting strategies. 

Newsworthy Notes

Red Hat Amphitheater is working toward a final design with utility work already underway, with the aim for a 2027 opening. 

The Convention Center expansion is in the design phase with an anticipated 2029 opening. 

Updated terms surrounding the Convention Center Hotel (Omni Hotel & Resorts) include additional rooms, a room block agreement of 50 years, a projection completion guarantee, and a land sale to yield property tax. 

The new City Hall is 25% complete at Floor 8, with a final completion aimed for March 2027.

Fire Station No.1 is in its concept design phase with an amendment forthcoming for a safety-themed playground. 

The Chavis-Dix Strollway honoring and uplifting the Fourth Ward is in the final design process with a detailed project design expected summer 2026. 

Design is underway for pedestrian safety improvements for Downtown and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.