RALEIGH — The Raleigh City Council voted Tuesday to commission a feasibility study examining whether the city possesses the institutional capacity to commission a study on the feasibility of streetcar service, bringing the city one step closer to a decision it expects to make no earlier than 2031.
The resolution, which passed 6–2 with one abstention described by its author as “philosophically nuanced,” authorizes $340,000 in planning funds for an 18-month assessment period, after which the city will “evaluate next steps regarding the evaluation process.”
Council member Patricia Lawton, who co-sponsored the resolution, said the move represented “responsible governance” and an acknowledgment that “major transit decisions require a strong evidentiary foundation, beginning with evidence about our current capacity for evidence-gathering.”
“We’re not saying yes to streetcars,” Lawton clarified at a press conference held in the lobby of the planning department. “We’re saying yes to the possibility of eventually having a conversation about whether to say something.”
The two dissenting votes came from council members who described the study as “premature,” and who have proposed an alternative resolution calling for a working group to evaluate the proposed study’s scope before any feasibility assessment is commissioned. That proposal is expected to be reviewed at the May meeting, pending formation of a subcommittee to determine the working group’s composition.
The city previously commissioned a study on streetcar viability in 2017, the findings of which are described in city records as “available upon request.” A spokesperson confirmed no one has requested them.
Correction appended: A previous version of this article described the vote as 5-3. The vote was 6-2, with one abstention. The previous vote count was itself the subject of a brief study, the results of which are pending.