Want a clearer way to fund what matters without writing a blank check? We sit down with Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn to break down a voter-friendly bond approach that keeps the tax rate steady while letting residents approve nine priorities one by one. The hook: a refinancing question that must pass to unlock the rest. The payoff: modern infrastructure, smarter amenities, and the capacity to grow without tripping over our own pipes.From there, we get candid about housing. “Affordable” looks different to a software hire shopping for a $325k home than to a neighbor living outdoors and waiting for a shelter bed. Both needs are urgent. We talk about the missing middle, duplexes, triplexes, and small apartments that zoning still blocks in much of the city, and why permitting should be simple, predictable, and fast. Builders want to deliver; the city’s job is to remove needless friction, align code with reality, and make room for homes that match how people live now.Capacity starts underground. Roads, water, and drainage are the foundation for any new housing. That is where the bond earns its keep, funding the systems that prevent moratoria and sprawl. We also explore solutions beyond the market: a reset at the housing authority to rehab unfit units, deeper partnerships with nonprofits serving unhoused neighbors, and a new path to put underused public land to work through transparent requests for proposals. More multifamily, not limited to student-by-the-bedroom leases, can open doors for families, teachers, nurses, and service workers who keep the city running.Culture matters, too. Fayetteville can keep its values and still embrace three-to-four-story living on corridors, corner duplexes on quiet blocks, and mixed-use places that shorten commutes and lower costs. Other university towns have found that balance; we can learn from them without losing what makes us us. If you care about bond mechanics, housing affordability, zoning reform, and restoring trust in local government, this conversation offers a practical roadmap and a hopeful tone. Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about city building, and leave a review with the one change you’d prioritize next.

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