News & Observer reports Raleigh’s “transformational” 40-story tower near the city’s Union Station will now have more affordable housing than originally proposed.
The 40-story tower will be incorporated into the new $111 million Union Station, along with GoTriangle’s RUS Bus station, which will be a hub for the city’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit lines. According to the N&O, “the project was funded, in part, by a $20 million federal grant, but the full cost isn’t known.” Surprise.
The station will also be connected to the proposed 37-mile commuter rail system that was approved by voters in 2016 as part of the Wake County Transit Plan.
No doubt Raleigh’s warehouse district is a happening area, and indeed developers have done a great job of incorporating the “brick” character of the existing buildings. The City Council stepped in out of concern that there was not enough affordable housing, a step they deemed necessary due to one of the unintended consequences of transit-oriented development: most people who can afford to live there have nice cars to get them back and forth.