Wake County, Raleigh officials announce plan to handle growing population

WAKE COUNTY (WTVD) -- Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair Jessica Holmes and Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane delivered the 2018 State of the City and County at North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh Tuesday.

Leaders touted the economic successes of Wake County, saying the region is attracting jobs and businesses.

With 63 people a day moving into Wake County, there are also some growing pains.

"Our commutes are getting longer and more stressful and also when it comes to affordable housing," Holmes said. "We're seeing a supply and demand issue that's driving up rental rates."

But officials said the county is dealing with the growing pains well and is tackling those issues. For example, implementing a task force to take on affordable housing and improving public transportation.

"We expanded (bus) service and more hours," McFarlane said, adding the real change will come when bus routes are kicked up to 15-minute intervals.

"We are attracting jobs, we are supporting our small business," Holmes said. "We're supporting entrepreneurs. We're also attracting large corporations like Apple and Amazon."

So are Apple and Amazon coming to the Triangle?

"We haven't heard anything new but we know that we are still in the running and the reason we are still in the running is because of all of the amazing things that are happening here in Wake County," Holmes said.

Leaders also discussed how schools are impacted by the growth.

ABC11 anchor Tisha Powell introduced elected officials.

They also participated in a discussion panel with Wake County Manager David Ellis and Raleigh City Manager Ruffin Hall.