This week, the city council received an update from Jim Greene, Assistant City Manager, and Bill King, President of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, on the latest efforts to help and even reactivate downtown Raleigh as we continue through the COVID-19 pandemic. The riots over the death of George Floyd also had a big impact earlier this year as there are still storefronts with boards over their windows.
Today I’d like to ask readers to catch up with your downtown and take part in a short list of to-do’s that you can do to help downtown Raleigh.
Before we get in to the details, let’s get your responsibilities out of the way.
- Fill Out the 2020 Census to Help Downtown Raleigh’s Future. Do that here.
- Read about 7 ways to support local businesses.
- Bookmark this page and become a DTR foodie pro with takeout and dine-in options always changing.
Now how is downtown Raleigh doing?
You can jump to the video below and hear the report but some key takeaways include:
- The city has a priority to reactivate downtown Raleigh
- A majority of damage from the riots have been repaired with plans throughout the rest of the year to replace planters, transit stops, and the remaining glass
- The city will expedite applications for outdoor dining on streets and parklets
- The $5 parking fee on weekend nights in parking decks has been suspended
- Food and beverage sales were at an all time low in April 2020 but have only been increasing
- Public health is priority #1
- 55 storefronts still have boards on windows but 66% are down
- Board art is being kept and documented by Raleigh Arts
We’re getting there slowly and as the health crisis subsides, downtown vitality should only increase. As the look and feel of downtown comes back, so too will shoppers and visitors.
The video is below. [youtube link here]
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