A Raleigh Parks Bond on 2021 Ballot Could Fund The First Phase of Dix Park Redevelopment B efore COVID-19 altered life as we knew it, 2020 was supposed to be the year Raleigh taxpayers cosigned the biggest check in the cityâs history: an ambitious bond package that included funds for affordable housing, parks and greenway maintenance, and the first phase of Dorothea Dix Parkâs redevelopment. Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin and an incoming slate of development-friendly council members were quick to throw the weight of their campaign promises behind the referendum. Plans were quickly downsized, however, once the pandemic hit. Instead of the moonshot trifecta, voters were left with an $80 million housing bondâwhich they overwhelmingly approvedâand an âI owe youâ for parks.Â