Both remarked that community engagement has become critical as Raleigh charts a course for its future.
"We're not anti-development, but we realize there needs to be balanced development, and we realize that we can't really look at cookie-cutter policy," Taylor said.
She said that in her 30 years in and around Raleigh, the effects of the city's rapid growth have become glaring.
"Being someone that has lived here, you know, since 1991, going to NC State and just seeing how Hillsborough Street itself has changed to see how NC State is partnering with local developers who built luxury housing, I would have never thought that was possible," Taylor said.
Meeker, who is tied for Raleigh's longest-serving mayor, oversaw a period of immense growth and change in the city during his tenure from 2001 to 2011. That time also included major projects, such as the Fayetteville Street redesign.
"We need to have reasonable growth and also more density in the city. That doesn't mean putting it right in the middle of neighborhoods," he said.
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Meeker said that the city's growth is great for business and young people, but it's created housing shortages across the board that need to be addressed.
"What it means, though, is we need to have more housing, more affordable housing, but also more market-rate housing. So over time, that market-rate housing often isn't as expensive as apartments age. They become more affordable. So we really just need more housing in all categories," he said.
For homeowners in attendance like Tim Niles -- a founding member of Livable Raleigh -- it means organizing at a grassroots level and pushing city leaders to stick to Raleigh's comprehensive plan.
"As long as you follow the guidelines that are in the comprehensive plan, we can handle the growth. In fact, we're having less growth than the plan anticipated. So there's no reason to up-zone from what the plan said because if you follow the plan, we can handle the growth," he said.
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