Wake County commissioners moved forward with a plan on October 19, 2026, that could eventually turn portions of five school properties into affordable housing.
The potential sites stretch from Cary and Morrisville to Raleigh, Wake Forest and Apex.
For anyone looking for a place to live now, the October action doesn't open housing applications or approve a development. It authorizes a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to guide negotiations over a potential property exchange with the Wake County Public School System.
And despite the school-employee housing pressures behind the proposal, Wake County's October 19 announcement says any household meeting the eventual income requirements could qualify for housing developed on the exchanged land—not just teachers.
Why School Employee Housing Costs Started the Conversation
School employees' housing costs helped put the idea on the table. In a district survey cited by county officials, 52% of respondents said they couldn't afford to live in Wake County, while 38% said they'd considered leaving the school system because of housing costs.
The district's employee housing survey report, labeled 2024–25, covers responses collected from October 2023 through February 2024. It received 8,549 responses from 21,444 employees, or approximately 40% of the workforce.
Participation varied by job category. About 43% of teachers responded, compared with 19% of bus drivers. Among respondents, roughly 55% of teachers and instructional assistants and 60% of bus drivers agreed or strongly agreed that they couldn't afford to live in Wake County.
The district cautioned that participation differences, along with the absence of employees who had already left, limit how broadly the results can be applied.
Considering leaving a job isn't the same as actually leaving, and the survey cannot establish how any future housing would affect employee retention. The county also hasn't set income limits or other qualifications for these potential homes; working for the school system alone wouldn't guarantee eligibility.
Where the Five Potential Affordable Housing Sites Are
The October county staff report and proposed property-exchange agreement identify approximately 24 acres spread across five candidate school-property portions.
Earlier WRAL reporting connected those sites to the following schools:
- Cary: 3.5 acres at 2100 Morrisville Parkway, associated with Carpenter Elementary School.
- Morrisville: 2.05 acres at 1519 Morrisville Parkway, associated with Morrisville Elementary School.
- Raleigh: 4 acres at 7100 Hilburn Drive, associated with Hilburn Drive Academy.
- Wake Forest: 12.72 acres at 0 Foundation Drive, associated with Heritage High School.
- Apex: 1.8 acres at 6150 Old Jenks Road, associated with Salem Middle School.
The portions total approximately 24.07 acres—not the acreage of five entire campuses. The October agreement considers them as possible housing sites; it doesn't approve development on them.
Four of the five candidate portions would need to be subdivided before being declared surplus. The Wake Forest site at 0 Foundation Drive is the exception identified in the county's staff report.
The school system also needs to check whether subdivision would leave the remaining school property within applicable limits on impervious surfaces—features such as roofs and pavement that prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground.
Appraisals, environmental reviews and final boundaries could affect which portions enter the exchange; not every candidate must be included. The MOU doesn't approve housing site plans or specify home counts, housing types or prices. Living beside a school wouldn't determine a future resident's school assignment.
The School System Wants Land, Too
While Wake County is interested in obtaining property that could support affordable housing, the school system wants approximately 85 acres near Battle Bridge Road and Auburn Knightdale Road in Raleigh for future educational purposes.
That land is part of the larger Randleigh property, which has a complicated ownership arrangement.
According to the county's October staff report, Wake County and the City of Raleigh jointly own approximately 415 acres there.
An earlier interlocal agreement gave the county exclusive use of an approximately 110-acre southern tract. The county plans to place an animal center on the northernmost portion of that tract, while the school system wants the remaining approximately 85 acres for future school uses.
The proposed agreement lists the 110-acre tract as an exchange component. It isn't another 110 acres being offered for affordable housing.
Wake County also wants the school system's existing office property at 1351 Sunday Drive in Raleigh for additional county office space.
That creates the basis for a trade: land serving future school needs, an existing office property serving county needs, and potentially surplus school-site portions that the county could pursue for housing.
But the properties have to be valued, and the exchange must be equitable.
North Carolina General Statute 115C-518 governs the disposition of school property that's unnecessary or undesirable for school purposes. It gives county commissioners the first opportunity to acquire qualifying real estate at a fair-market or negotiated price under the applicable procedures.
Raleigh's co-ownership of Randleigh adds another step. The city would have to consent through an amendment to the existing interlocal agreement before the relevant land could be transferred to the school system.
What the October Approval Actually Accomplished
Wake County commissioners authorized the County Manager to execute the memorandum of understanding on October 19, according to the county's meeting recap published October 20.
The school board also approved the proposed MOU at its October 20 meeting, as confirmed by the official recording of the vote.
The MOU is intended to bind the parties to a process, not transfer land, select a housing developer or authorize construction. Appraisals, further due diligence, any necessary subdivision and surplus declarations, a mutually acceptable exchange contract and final approval by both governing boards remain ahead. Development-partner selection and housing plans would follow through the county's processes.
June 2027 Is a Land-Exchange Target, Not a Move-In Date
The county anticipates final consideration of the exchange before the end of fiscal year 2027. As Wake County's adopted budget defines it, that fiscal year runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The target concerns a possible land transaction, not finished homes.
The proposed MOU separately sets a one-year term from full execution and allows termination on 30 days' written notice under its conditions. The publicly posted copy doesn't establish when that one-year term began.
Even if the exchange is finalized, housing development would still require decisions about funding, development partners, building plans, infrastructure and applicable local approvals.
The county hasn't announced unit counts, rents, sale prices, affordability periods, committed construction financing, income limits or move-in dates for these sites.
Its separate countywide goal of creating or preserving 2,500 affordable homes by 2029 isn't a construction target for the five candidate parcels.
For a household renewing a lease or considering a purchase in 2026, the exchange offers no move-in date to plan around.
What Wake County Residents Can Do Now
Residents looking for affordable rentals now can use Wake County's existing Find Services page, which links to affordable-rental resources and housing authorities. Those programs determine their own eligibility, applications and current availability; the October school-land proposal doesn't open applications for the candidate sites.
For households deciding whether to continue renting or pursue homeownership, HomesRaleigh's Buying vs. Renting and First-Time Homebuyer Programs guides explain the broader choices and potential assistance options. Program administrators and lenders determine eligibility under their actual requirements.
Residents considering a purchase can also contact Raleigh Realty to discuss their budget, timing and current home-search options. That service is separate from county rental assistance or applications for income-restricted housing.
Conceptual editorial watercolor of public-school land and possible future housing. Not an actual campus, parcel map, approved development or completed homes.