By BEN LEDBETTER
RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina cities have been growing like tobacco crops in several rural areas.
According to a news release from Raleigh city government, it gets 17 new residents daily. Along with increasing land prices, finding a place that's affordable can be difficult.
Raleigh has finished building or nearly built 92 affordable homes in the East College Park neighborhood adjacent to St. Augustine's University. There are 98 total lots in this first phase. In the second phase, the city will build townhomes and the project's total to 150 new homes.
A statement from the city of Raleigh states Fisher Street Park has been relocated and expanded to include a new playground, basketball court, walkways and centralized mail kiosks. The expected finish for the park is sometime in July 2022.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines affordable housing as when the rent or mortgage does not exceed 30 percent of a household's gross monthly income.
According to the city of Raleigh, more than 33 percent of households are spending over 30 percent of their gross income on housing expenses.
"Young people now have an opportunity to grow up in a stable environment and families can look to grow generational wealth," said Raleigh City Council Member Corey Branch in a statement.
In 2016, Raleigh city government established a goal of building 570 affordable housing units per year for the next 10 years. The final goal is 5,700 units by 2026. As of May 31, 2022, the city has completed about half of the 10-year goal.
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