top of page

BROAD PROSPERITY INITIATIVE

Growing Ownership. Growing opportunity. Growing Wake.
Together.

Wake County is growing rapidly, but growth alone doesn't guarantee prosperity for working families. Too often, opportunity concentrates into fewer hands while housing becomes less attainable, small businesses struggle to compete, and taxpayers see rising costs without clear results.

​

The Broad Prosperity Initiative is a comprehensive plan to ensure Wake County's growth benefits everyday families, strengthens local ownership, protects our land, and demands accountability from government.

​

This initiative is built on five pillars.

Pillar 1 - Ownership for Working Families

  • Legalize and Fast-Track Starter Housing

    • Expand by-right zoning for starter homes, duplexes, triplexes, and small multi-family housing in unincorporated Wake County

    • Reduce unnecessary lot-size, parking, and setback barriers that inflate entry-level home prices.

    • Create a “Permitting Fast Lane” for code-compliant starter housing projects

  • Give Local Buyers a Fair Shot

    • Establish a First-Look Homebuyer Initiative that prioritizes owner-occupant buyers and community organizations before investor bidding

    • Coordinate with lenders, nonprofits, and housing partners to increase early access opportunities

  • Preserve Long-Term Affordability

    • Expand partnerships with community land trusts and nonprofit housing providers to keep homes permanently affordable and locally owned

    • Support acquisition strategies that prevent speculative loss of attainable housing

  • Expand Down Payment and Closing Cost Support

    • Target assistance toward working families, first-time buyers, and long-term Wake residents

    • Pair assistance with financial education and stable homeownership pathways

  • Support Small Builders and Infill Development

    • Level the playing field for local builders against large national developers

    • Encourage redevelopment of underused lots and neighborhoods with existing infrastructure

Pillar 2 - Local Business First Economy

  • Local Procurement and Small Business Access

    • Expand local vendor participation in county contracts within legal guidelines

    • Break large contracts into smaller bid packages so local firms can compete

    • Increase transparency and accessibility in the bidding process

  • Small Business Growth & Entrepreneurship

    • Create micro-grant and revolving loan programs for startups and small enterprises

    • Develop incubator and maker spaces using underutilized county facilities where feasible

    • Provide technical assistance for permitting, compliance, and expansion

  • Permit Streamlining for Local Operators

    • Accelerate approvals for small businesses and local expansions

    • Reduce redundant inspections and administrative delays where safety allows

  • Targeted Economic Incentives

    • Prioritize incentives for employers that create high-quality local jobs and reinvest locally

    • Avoid subsidy races that favor outside corporations with minimal community return

  • Workforce-Aligned Business Development

    • Align recruitment efforts with Wake Tech and local training pipelines

    • Encourage employers who invest in apprenticeships and local hiring

Pillar 3 - Invest in People, not Bureaucracy

  • Outcome-Based Education Funding

    • Tie supplemental funding and capital investments to student performance metrics

    • Require program evaluations and sunset provisions for underperforming initiatives

  • Merit-Driven Program Review

    • Conduct regular audits of major education and workforce investments

    • Prioritize programs that demonstrate measurable improvement

  • Workforce Development Pipelines

    • Expand partnerships with Wake Tech, employers, and high schools for skilled trades, biotech, healthcare, and IT pathways

    • Support credential programs tied directly to job placement

  • Broadband and Digital Access

    • Expand rural and underserved broadband access to support education, remote work, and entrepreneurship

  • Public Health and Workforce Stability

    • Strengthen preventive care access and mental health partnerships to support workforce participation and productivity

IMG_3110_edited_edited.png
Pillar 4 - Smart Growth, Strong Land Stewardship

  • Infill and Redevelopment Priority

    • Direct growth toward existing employment corridors and underused commercial properties

    • Incentivize brownfield redevelopment and adaptive reuse

  • Permanent Farmland and Open Space Protection

    • Expand conservation easements and purchase-of-development-rights programs

    • Support agricultural protection zoning in rural areas

  • Infrastructure Discipline

    • Limit utility extensions that encourage sprawl

    • Prioritize infrastructure investment where growth is planned and sustainable

  • Environmental Performance Standards

    • Tie incentives to water conservation, stormwater management, energy efficiency, and environmental mitigation

  • Balanced Transportation Investment

    • Ensure transit investments prioritize Wake County residents, performance, and fiscal responsibility

Pillar 5 -  Accountability and Fairness

  • Public Performance Dashboards

    • Publish clear metrics on spending outcomes, project delivery, and program performance

  • Independent Audits and Oversight

    • Regular third-party audits of major programs and capital projects

    • Clear corrective action pathways when projects fall short

  • Transparent Procurement

    • Improve visibility into contracts, vendors, and outcomes

    • Prevent unnecessary concentration of public contracts

  • Results-Based Budgeting

    • Shift funding toward programs that demonstrate results

    • Reallocate or sunset ineffective programs

  • Public Safety Accountability

    • Data transparency for justice system performance, pretrial outcomes, and resource deployment

bottom of page