On Tuesday, the City of Raleigh approved bringing in 491 new apartment homes across five developments.
The project falls under the city's Affordable Housing Plan, called 'A Home for Every Neighbor'. The 2026-2030 plan outlines goals to improve housing affordability and ending homeless.
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Where is Raleigh building affordable apartments?
The recently approved apartment homes will be spread across five developments.
- Brook Haven: 60 homes along Sunnybrook Road south of Poole Road in southeast Raleigh
- Eagle Trace: 90 homes off Sunnybrook Road south of WakeMed.
- Evolve Living at New Bern: 73 homes on Corporation Parkway, west of North New Hope Road.
- Heritage Park Phase 1A: 112 homes south of downtown near Dorothea Dix Park.
- The Willow: 156 homes near North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus.
When WRAL asked how locations were chosen for affordable housing projects, the City of Raleigh said nearby public transportation, grocery stores and medical facilities are taken into account.
The city expects these projects to break ground in the next 12-18 months.
Housing Authority expects construction of the projects to take around another two years.
What is Raleigh's 'affordable' rent?
The apartment homes are listed as 'affordable' based on how the rents compare to the area median incomes.
In the City of Raleigh, the overall median income for a single person is $92,900, for a two-person household it is $106,200 and for a family of four, it is $132,700.
The city told WRAL News that rents would differ by unit size and number of bedrooms, but could be anywhere from $400 - $2,000 per month. Prices are adjusted annually.
A general guideline is that shelter costs should make up about 30% of a household budget, and those making less than 80% of the average median income are eligible to rent an "affordable" unit.
“The rents are adjusted based on household size. We’ve got all the way down to 20% of the area median are income. That’s really targeting folks who are living on fixed incomes like Social Security, all the way to 70% of the area median income," said Erika Brandt, assistant housing director for the City of Raleigh.
Out of the five new developments, three are designed for senior citizens, with mostly one- and two-bedroom units. The other two developments are designed family living, with one-, two- and three-bedroom units.
Apartments.com lists the average price of a one-bedroom apartment in Raleigh at $1,376.
According to the North Carolina Housing Authority, someone would have to work 3.3 full-time jobs at the state minimum wage of $7.25, or 131 hours per week, to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment.
Raleigh contributes millions to develop afforable housing
The council approved $9.9 million to give to developers for these projects.
The projects are supported through the city's Affordable Rental Development program, which invests alongside developers for more affordable housing.
Since 2016, more than 5,700 affordable housing units have been created and preserved in Raleigh. That includes 4,600 rental homes.
Another 2,600 homes are in the works, according to the city.
A 2023 report showed Wake County had a shortage of more than 65,000 affordable housing units. In 2025, the NC Chamber noted that the state, Wake County and many municipalities have a shortage of available homes, even at market rates, with the wait list for apartments in Wake County reached the hundreds.
