I’ll agree that an arena/stadium at the proposed site is not a good idea at this current time. Raleigh’s auto-centric culture calls for a sports venue with easy auto access and that is why we have the RBC Center in its current location. 99.9% of patrons get there with a car. I can probably say 100% if you include buses but they are still 4 wheeled vehicles that use the highway. Anyway, you get my point.

This location, as I see it, has the potential for something large but not now; 20-30 years into Raleigh’s future. With the right infrastructure in place then, a huge arena or stadium CAN work here. There are rail corridors on two sides and the planned Multi Modal Transit Center can be connected with easy pedestrian bridges. This allows people to travel in four directions from downtown and the arena. For the car drivers of the future, Western BLVD can still be used and its wide median can then accommodate a streetcar system connecting more people to this area and getting them off the road and out of their cars.

The easiest way to get pedestrians to this area from downtown that I can see is to provide access over (under?) the tracks at Mountford, McCulloch, or Cabarrus St. You could also shoot Snow Ave. and Mayo St. over the tracks to provide some connectivity from the north. If you are willing to walk from Moore Square to Glenwood South now, then a walk straight down Hargett or Morgan St. from Moore Square to the site is no different. Plus, forget walking; if we do not have a DT circulator system set up at this time in the future then we have failed miserably.

I do agree that putting an arena right in the middle of downtown, such as the Lincoln Theater block you suggested, would have the highest economic impact. If here, the transit needs would be much much higher. The arena/stadium idea is based on A LOT of factors so I’m glad you do see this post as a ‘dream’. We’ll just have to wait and see how things turn out and decide later.

I find it really interesting how the decisions of today can affect the possibility of something grand like this ‘proposal’ coming to life. Great discussion!

The fatal flaw of the proposed site does little achieve a more concentrated land use pattern, or more importantly: capture the consumer spending potential of arena patrons. Siting the arena this far outside of downtown proper would only result in just a new physical location that fails to significantly reduce auto-dependency. How many folks are going to walk from there to Moore Square / Fayetteville Street / Glenwood South, etc.? Further, its context west of Boylan Heights presents a palpable barrier to foster connectivity and access to/from downtown.

To maximize potential economic spinoff, it may be more prudent to look for sites that offer a higher amount of connectivity to established activity centers. Like others have said, increased density and transit are complementary actions that would enhance the accessibility of such a site and position it to guide land use in such a way that favors conditions that lead to a virtuous economic climate. Personally, I’ve often favored the site just west of the Performing Arts Center, or the block that currently houses the Lincoln Theater.