Rezoning for bus rapid transit line meets opposition
Raleigh residents are speaking out against a first-in-the-state rapid bus transit line.
Construction on the Wake BRT line started in November on New Bern Avenue. The bus line would take people from downtown Raleigh to eastern North Carolina.
The bus line is expected to be completed by mid-2025.
City leaders are considering a rezoning plan for higher-density development along the corridor.
Opponents say that will force existing historic African-American neighborhoods and businesses out.
“All you’re doing is pushing Black people off the bus, Black people off [of] their property [and] Black people off their business,” community activist Octavia Rainey said. “That’s all you’re doing, and it’s a pushout.”
The bus line was the focus of a meeting on Sunday organized by the group "Liveable Raleigh.”
Raleigh City Council member Jonathan Melton supports the BRT line but wants to know how citizens feel about it.
“I think we have to get we have to make sure that we get this right,” Melton said.
There will be a public hearing on the rezoning on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Opponents of the rezoning say they will attend and speak out.
