So Where Do We Go From Here?
Zebulon has come a long way in the last four years. We weathered a pandemic, jump started our downtown, added lots of programming and events, and with our new master plans and ordinances, are growing smarter than ever before. Now let's talk about our next steps.
While I am so proud of the work I have done both on the Board and in the Community over the last four years, there will always be ways to make our Town better and ways to improve our quality of life in Zebulon. Below are some areas I will be focusing my attention on.
Workforce/ Affordable Housing
Zebulon is second fastest growing municipality in the State, yet we have the lowest median salary in the County. Affordable housing needs to be discussed and while I am proud to say that I have started the conversation, we still have a long way to go. What HUD considers affordable in Wake County is not affordable in Zebulon. We need to work with developers to address this discrepancy and push for state and federal funding to aid us in finding a solution.
Preserving Green Space
As our population increases, we need to not only make sure that we have enough green space to recreate in but also set aside enough land to preserve species. Trees are our best carbon sinks in this part of the country and without them our air quality and climate will continue to deteriorate. Saving greenspace is not just good for the environment, it is critical for our survival.
Economic Development and Smart Investment
If we are going to bring the types of businesses to town that Zebulon wants and needs, we will need to take a more aggressive approach to Economic Development. This is going to look very different to how we have done things in the past. It may mean that we build sites so that they are investor ready, allowing us court the type of businesses that we want to move to our Community.
Transportation and Infrastructure
Not only do we have to find solutions for our growing traffic problems, we also need to provide alternate ways for people to get around. This is going to mean working with the County to get more bus routes, building roads for bike and pedestrian traffic, and installing traffic mitigation measures. We will need to break ground on the North Arendell Widening Project shortly and that is going to require completion of project re-scoping as well as encouragement of CAMPO members for funding support. In addition, we will need to be more aggressive with stormwater improvements. All this is doable and we need to keep pushing to get it done.