Look at any new mixed-use development in the Triangle and you’ll see the same thing: beautiful storefronts, polished plazas, thoughtfully branded apartment buildings… and a sea of parking separating it all from the neighborhoods next door. Mixed-use districts promise walkability, vibrancy, and density. Single-family neighborhoods promise stability, privacy, and calm. But between them? Four-lane roads, surface parking, retention ponds, and zoning walls. The result is a landscape of fragmented, isolated destinations.
If we are serious about building connected communities, single-stair housing must be legalized in the building code. It would be the most effective bridge we have between mixed-use districts and existing suburban neighborhoods.
Our Existing Urban Fabric: a Tapestry Torn Apart
Drive through North Raleigh and you’ll see townhomes backing up to strip malls. A wooden fence separates patios from parking lots. While technically adjacent, the built environment creates barriers that d…
