Category / Planning DT Raleigh

by Leo Suarez

2011 Top Places of Empty Spaces, Filling Retail Space In Downtown

Some have heard it, others say it. “We need more retail.” And then there are some who make the suggestion that downtown needs more space for this sought after retail. Do we need more space for retail in downtown Raleigh?

Long time readers of RalCon may remember older posts where I went over some of the most important spaces that, at the time, were left vacant. For some background reading make sure to jump here:

Top 10 Empty Spaces To Fill Around Downtown (September 19, 2008)
Follow Up, Top Ten Empty Spaces to Fill Around Downtown (September 28, 2009)

It has been well over a year since the last post on this topic so I thought I would take us through again. Rather than naming and ranking the places, let’s just start with different districts and discuss their evolution over the past few years.

Seaboard Station

I had to investigate this one because of the recent chatter in the comments about the upcoming renovation to 111 Seaboard. Outside of that renovation, there are two main empty spaces amongst the warehouses that make up Seaboard Station.

Rumor has it that Tyler’s Taproom will set up in the old Tookie’s Grill space near 18 Seaboard. Walking up to it, Tookie’s has been pretty much gutted. What is interesting is that a hole in the wall has been made opening it up to the space next door and adding what could be a large restaurant area. The Tookie’s space could hold a bar with a bunch of TV’s and the larger space next to it could be the restaurant area with larger tables. Outdoor seating may be tricky though as there isn’t much room outside the doors. Either way, this seems to be the likely candidate for a Tyler’s type bar/restaurant.

The other space near the rear of Seaboard Station, near Peace China, has been subdivided into, what looks like, offices. From the work that has been done, there is little indication that a restaurant will go in. It’s tough to think that Tyler’s would go here after seeing the Tookie’s space in its current state.

There is your update as of today. Let’s hope for some good news in the near future.

Glenwood South

Glenwood South has been running near capacity from what I have seen. A couple places have changed in the past year or two though, The Rockford has changed owners, Ivy has closed and is now being renovated, The Artisan is now where Sauced Pizza used to be, and a few other minor tweaks.

The most important space that is empty or being worked on in Glenwood South, in my opinion, is the corner space of 222 Glenwood. This huge space could hold a landmark restaurant that shows off its activity through the huge windows that face the street. The corner entrance could really make it a statement to pedestrians and drivers coming up Glenwood. This space has never had an occupant.


I’d like to see outdoor seating instead of parking spaces on the side street but I’m just nit picking.

The rest of the building is pretty much occupied, with signs up now for the upcoming Tutti Fruiti and Zaky, we could be weeks or a few months away from an opening.

The Warehouse District

The Warehouse District is on the rise thanks to the injection of activity brought on by Contemporary Art Museum.

The Depot building is more stable then it has ever been in the last few years with Jibarra leading the way. Tuscan Blu has opened this year and a beer bar, The Union, anchors the historic building toward the back. The upcoming Tasty Beverage Company store will open this year leaving the prime Davie Street space looking for a tenant.

Martin Street is on the rise as well. Raleigh Denim has moved into Commerce Place and Brewmaster’s has filled the old Joe’s place on the corner of Dawson Street. You’ll see more art in the area because of the new museum and the relocation of the Visual Art Exchange nearby.

Over on Hargett Street, The Hue could use a little love. There still is some empty space on the ground floor but it has improved slightly. A real estate agent is renting space and there is work being done on Astoria Cafe. There is still plenty of space and hopefully it gets filled as more renters move into the building.

Fayetteville Street

There’s a lot to cover on Fayetteville Street so let’s start with what was highlighted in the past posts. The following spaces are still empty:

  • 114 Fayetteville Street, next to Isaac Hunter’s
  • Odd Fellows, corner of Hargett and Salisbury
  • Boylan Pearce Building
  • Spaces along 100 block of East Hargett Street


This picture from 2008 still applies.


So does this one.

So there are still some holes to fill along North Carolina’s Main street and the side streets but there is some positive news here.

Finally, one of the ground floor spaces of the RBC tower will be filled. A Pan-Asian restaurant from the owners of Sono and The Oxford are working on something new in this space. The tower still has two other retail spaces that are empty but walking along Fayetteville Street will be complete on this block once the new place opens up.

Ashley Christensen will be bringing three new establishments to the corner of Martin and Wilmington Street. We highlighted this building on one of the older posts on the blog so we can now take it off the list. From the article,

She plans to open three new eateries – a burger joint, a fried chicken and honey place and an underground bar – in a 4,000-square-foot-space in downtown Raleigh in late spring. She says the food will be “simple but with a lot of energy going into the details.”

I had some good times a few years back at Alibi Bar but I’m not sure it competes with it’s successor, Neptune’s Parlour. Pair it with King’s in the upstairs space and you have a killer combination. The ground floor space that used to be Martin Street Pizza will be a restaurant in the future, rounding out the trio of offerings at 14 West Martin Street.

City Market

What I think is the grand daddy of downtown, The City Market building, is sort of half full. Still.

Half of the historic market building is being used as event space while the half facing Martin Street, the one I call the front, sits vacant. Cobblestone Hall is used for weddings, receptions, parties, anything really. They play on the historic charm theme with City Market’s cobblestone streets.

It has been years since the fire at Greenshield’s which used to be in the building. Does anyone have the year by the way? Still, I think City Market is being held for something grand, something that really is a regional draw and a landmark institution for downtown.

The conversation here is really just a subset of new openings, closings, and empty spaces around downtown.

by Leo Suarez

Fayetteville Street Post Office Closing, Lost Service or New Opportunity?

The post office on Fayetteville Street will close this July according to the N&O.

Citing drastic declines in mail volume, the U.S. Postal Service will close its downtown post office in July, shuttering an institution that has stood on Fayetteville Street for 134 years.
…….
There was no word about a possible future use for the ground floor space that will be vacated. Post office officials did not return calls seeking comment, but a note taped to a mail slot attributed the closing to recession-related declines and changing consumer habits.

No one should be surprised by this news as multiple offices have been closing around Raleigh and around the country. The U.S. Postal Service can’t seem to cover their costs so it is only natural that closings like this are occurring. The state of the current economy also doesn’t help things out.

I actually first heard about this news on Twitter. The tweets I read were from people asking others to support the office and demand that it be left open. I do understand that the service is still needed, even relied upon by some but I can’t seem to get behind the idea of keeping the downtown office open.

Am I against the mail service? Not at all. I feel that this service should continue to exist for all citizens but in today’s shift from paper to internet, the service should transform with the times in an appropriate way. This shift is not what this post is about so I’ll stop with that statement in order to stay on topic.

Anyway, the historic, beautiful building on the corner of Martin and Fayetteville Street will have some open space soon and I believe this creates an opportunity for something new. My first idea that I have had for a little while (PROOF!) is for the Century Post Office to be repurposed into a library. Maybe not right away, or perhaps not the first use of the new space but with a growing downtown this would be a perfect opportunity to have a downtown library in a landmark building with a prime address.

The federal government’s current cutting of excess properties makes this an interesting opportunity for, perhaps, Wake County to make a play at moving into the building.

Downtown probably still has a long way to go before the downtown express library is upgraded but you never know.

The postal service may be moving out but the building will still stand and can serve citizens in a new way in the future.

by Leo Suarez

Municipography, Moore Square and Solar Powered Vehicle Chargers

Municipography is a summary of current issues going through the Raleigh City Council and other municipal departments in the city. The point is to try to deliver any video, photos, and text associated with the discussions happening at City Hall or elsewhere. Since this is a downtown Raleigh blog, the focus is on the center of the city.

There are only two items that were discussed in yesterday’s Raleigh City Council meeting that are related to downtown Raleigh that I will highlight today.

The first item was approved through the consent agenda and involves a pilot program with Progress Energy. The pilot is for a solar powered vehicle charging station to be set up on the surface parking lot along Salisbury Street between Lenoir and South Street. There are more details about this experiment below, taken from the meeting agenda.

The next issue was related to the Moore Square Redesign. Concerns about damage to trees during construction were brought up and the Tree Conservation Task Force will comment on the plan soon. See the conversation in the video below.

Solar Charging Station on Salisbury Street

From the consent agenda:

“In partnership with Progress Energy (PEC) the City will undertake a solar charging station pilot project. The project will consist of a two bay vehicle parking structure with integrated solar photovoltaic cell equipment located thereon, and will include two electric vehicle charging stations with battery storage capability. The facility will also incorporate an inter-connection with the electric energy grid, as well as appropriate metering, control, and monitoring equipment and will be located on a surface parking lot owned by the City located at 616 South Salisbury Street across Lenoir Street from the Raleigh Convention Center (City Site 4). The project can be removed or reused by the City after the two year pilot project or can be extended upon agreement of both parties. The City shall provide, or otherwise be responsible for the cost of: (a) electric vehicle charging equipment for two vehicles, and (b) battery for the facility. All other costs of the solar array, equipment, and installation, site improvement, and design work, specifically including design, facility oversight, and other consultation services by Advanced Energy, will be the responsibility of PEC. As construction of the facility progresses, the City will invoice PEC for work completed and equipment installed, to be reimbursed to the City. Funding will be shared by PEC and the City, with the City’s portion funded by Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds.

Recommendation:
Authorize execution of an agreement with Progress Energy as described.”

Tree Conservation Concerns With The Moore Square Redesign


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From the agenda:

During the April 19, 2011, Council meeting, the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board presented the Moore Square Draft Master Plan with the recommendation that the Council adopt the plan as presented and that the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board have the opportunity to review and comment at the 30% Schematic Design Phase as recommended by the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board. Following the presentation, it was reported that some concern had been expressed by the North Carolina Secretary of Administration. It was directed that the item be placed on this agenda to receive a report relative to State approval of structures and to get a recommendation from the Tree Conservation Task Force.

by Leo Suarez

Municipography: Moore Square, Parking and Food Trucks

Municipography is a summary of current issues going through the Raleigh City Council and other municipal departments in the city. The point is to try to deliver any video, photos, and text associated with the discussions happening at City Hall or elsewhere. Since this is a downtown Raleigh blog, the focus is on the center of the city.

Moore Square Redesign


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The Moore Square Draft Master Plan was presented to the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board (PRGAB) on February 17, 2011, at which time the PRGAB heard public comment and asked questions of the consultant and staff. On March 17, 2011, the PRGAB continued discussion of the Draft Master Plan and voted unanimously to recommend the Draft Master Plan for Moore Square to City Council for approval as presented with the recommendation that the PRGAB have the opportunity to review and comment at the 30% Schematic Design phase. The motion includes keeping the restroom and café kiosk in the master plan although they have been objected to by the State of North Carolina Department of Administration which owns the property.

At the April 19, City Council meeting, Christopher Counts Studio and City staff will present the following information:

  • Summary of the Master Plan Process
  • Moore Square Draft Master Plan

Recommendation:
Adopt the Moore Square Draft Master Plan as presented, with the recommendation that the PRGAB have the opportunity to review and comment at the 30% Schematic Design phase as recommended by the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board.

Parking Management

The current parking management fund is in the red. For some background, jump to the last Municipography post on April 6, 2011.


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The Committee recommends removing the stipulation in the City’s booting ordinance that requires that a bootable vehicle must be found in contravention of a parking ordinance before it can be booted.

The Committee further recommends adding a tax intercept amendment to our current Parking Management Service contract to collect delinquent fines for anything $50 and over on tax refunds.

The Committee further recommends that the City seek authority for DMV holds on delinquent citations.

The Committee is holding the item to receive a report from Downtown Raleigh Alliance relative to advertising and increasing revenue in our parking fund by not charging fees for evening and weekend parking in the City decks.

Food Trucks


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TC-5-11 Food Trucks. Amends the Zoning Code to permit ‘Food Trucks’ to locate on commercially-developed properties subject to specific conditions.

Issue moves to planning commission to be discussed and make a recommendation to the city council within 30-45 days.

by Leo Suarez

The Comprehensive Plan’s Number 2, The UDO

The draft for the Raleigh Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) was released yesterday. Jump right into it at this link or keep reading as I’ll attempt to introduce it and explain why this is important.

For those that aren’t aware, the 2030 Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2009. This plan is a guideline for how the city should grow over the next two decades. Different areas of the city are zoned differently and suggestions are made on how to handle many topics like parking or open space. The Comprehensive Plan was simply that, a plan.

So how do you get this plan to actually happen? The plan has some areas being higher density than others. Do you just ask developers to build and hope out of the goodness of their hearts they will oblige? In comes the UDO, the tool to get the Comprehensive Plan to happen.

Let’s compare two situations involving developer A, let’s call him Issac, and developer B, we’ll call him Walter.

Present Day

Isaac and Walter come to Raleigh and want to build stuff to make money. They take a look around Raleigh and read up on the development codes to decide what and where they should build.

After looking through all the codes and regulations, Isaac decides he can make the most money by building single family homes on 600 acres off highway 70 in Northwest Raleigh. He even notices that a development like this doesn’t require much city approval and he’ll save money by not having to gather impact studies or public comments about the development.

Isaac presents his plan to the city and the plan is approved because it meets all the requirements.

At the same time, Walter is looking at building near downtown. He too wants to build single family homes but there isn’t enough room for a neighborhood like the one Isaac is going to build. Walter decides to build a medium density townhome complex along Person Street. He thinks his townhomes being close to Krispy Kreme will be a hit.

Walter has to meet the same requirements that Isaac has to but a higher density development like the one he envisions requires a bit more study. Walter needs to get his development approved by more city commissions and he needs to spend more money on gathering the right information to present to those commissions.

In the end, Walter’s development takes much longer to get approved and he spent more money to build his townhomes. He is also lucky that the nearby neighbors didn’t complain too much because the neighborhood’s opinion could have slowed things down even more.

You see, the current state of things in Raleigh almost encourages these sprawling developments because developers, like Isaac, go after the easy build that will get approved with little cost to themselves. The denser developments that Walter wants to build have to go through so much more scrutiny that its amazing people are building downtown today.

Here comes the UDO

Isaac and Walter’s development will change after the UDO is approved and implemented in the next few years. Rather than developers looking around Raleigh for what to build and then having to get it approved, the UDO will tell all developers what we want, where we want it, and if they want to deliver it will get approved very easily.

For example, if the UDO specifies that we want medium density townhomes along Person Street, Walter can come into Raleigh and say that he is willing to deliver that. Since it’s in the UDO, Walter gets the approval and he can start building. No big review, no long discussion, done and done.

This UDO is important because it now encourages developers to build what we want by cutting out all the red tape. Low density housing in the suburbs or mega-high skyscraper in downtown, it doesn’t matter. Whenever the developer steps up and says they are willing to build what is in the UDO, it’ll be approved.

Now this is a simple way at looking at the UDO but I hope it paints a picture of what the new process will do. You need to care about this, especially if you are a property owner, because development around you will essentially be pre-approved and if someone is willing to build it, it will get done.

RaleighUDO.com

I’m working with Philip Poe and some others at RaleighUDO.com to help digest the draft document that was released yesterday. There are a lot of picures in the document but it stills stings to go through over 300+ pages of development code.

I can see the most comments about the UDO coming from transitions and how dense downtown skyscrapers would step down to neighborhoods with historic housing.

I plan to write up some posts on specific sections of the UDO on RaleighUDO.com so follow along over there.

I also want to highlight some UDO workshops that are coming up soon. This is a great way to learn and ask questions. The kicker about this UDO draft is that public comments on it are only being taken for two months, ending June 6th, so writers seem to be scrambling to try and go through it and get the word out.

Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try my best to help out.

Three meeting times to choose from—
SAME MEETING, DIFFERENT TIMES FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE

Wednesday, April 20, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Fletcher Opera Theater, 2 East South St.
Consultant’s Presentation begins at 12:00 noon

Wednesday, April 20, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Fletcher Opera Theater, 2 East South St.
Consultant’s Presentation begins at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 21, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Optimist Community Center, 5900 Whittier Drive
Consultant’s Presentation begins at 7:30 p.m.

by Leo Suarez

Introducing Municipography!

This is an idea that I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t because of the amount of time it would take. However, it wasn’t until recently that I noticed the video streams on the city’s website had a spiffy update I never noticed before. Joy!

Videography + Municipal issues = Municipography. (Connoisseurs like big words) The idea was to take the entire video feed of every Raleigh City Council meeting and cut out the issues that are relevant to downtown. This is a great way to tap your inner municipal geek or just hear the discussions taking place on issues you are interested in.

I’d like to attempt this experiment a few times to see how it turns out. If there are technical issues, let me know. I’m nervous about the Silverlight requirement but it could be worth it. Also, readers subscribed to the e-mail will most likely have to jump to the main site to view the videos.

I’ll include the agenda items with each video and add any other relevant information. As mentioned, the videos are there also to see how it went down.

City Council Meeting on April 5th, 2011

Review of the City’s Parking Program


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The Finance and Public Works Departments have maintained an ongoing work group to evaluate the current status of the City’s enterprise Parking Funds (442 and 444). This is based on the premise that the Parking Fund is intended to be entirely self-sufficient beginning in FY06, with revenues coming from the parking fees and fines generated within the on and off-street parking programs. The stagnant commercial development and the closing or downsizing of many downtown businesses and corporations has made a significant impact on revenue projections. A detailed report and copy of the updated fund model is included in the agenda packet.

Recommendation:
Refer to the Budget and Economic Committee to review the revenue options.

—-Additional information—-

The projected parking revenue shortfall, if no corrective action is taken, is $1,432,040. The plan cited the weak economy and subsequent loss of off-street parking contracts, lower transient on-street parking revenue than anticipated, and an increase in the debt service as the main causes of the projected shortfall.

The options offered by the plan for correcting the projected shortfall include:

  • Charging for use of parking decks in the evenings and on weekends and installation of automated payment equipment, to facilitate payments from evening and weekend patrons;
  • Focusing on collecting $2,558,746 of unpaid and recoverable parking fines;
  • Receiving legislative approval to boot vehicles with outstanding parking tickets or fines;
  • Initiating a tax refund intercept to collect unpaid fines from state tax refunds;
  • Obtaining Department of Motor Vehicle holds on vehicle registration renewals;
  • Selling advertising space in City-owned parking decks;
  • Reimbursing the enterprise Parking Fund through a General Fund subsidy for the revenues foregone by the fund in support of City activities, such as;
    • Street closures due to City-sponsored or supported special events;
    • Non-charged use of parking spaces by City guests or employees; and,
    • Other City-sponsored or supported activities resulting in loss of revenues.

Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens in the City of Raleigh


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During the 2030 Comprehensive Planning process, staff recognized the importance of the urban agriculture movement as a national trend, and flagged the issue for further study. A long-term action item regarding community gardening was adopted in the Plan (Section C.9 Environmental Education Awareness and Coordination). Additionally, City Council has received citizen petitions requesting public land for the establishment of community gardens. In 2010 the City established a working group of community garden advocates and City staff to look at ways to remove obstacles to City-wide community gardening efforts on private property and examine opportunities for it on public lands. There will be a presentation of the findings and recommendations.

Recommendation:
That the report be accepted.

Options for CAT Service between Moore Square and Union Station


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The Passenger Rail Task Force was asked to evaluate options for providing service between the Moore Square Transit Station and the proposed Union Station. The Task Force has evaluated this deliverable as requested by the City Council and will present recommendations regarding this proposed future service. A copy of the Task Force’s resolution is included in the agenda packet.

Recommendation:
Endorse the findings of the Passenger Rail Task Force regarding this future service.

by Leo Suarez

Moore Square Redesign Cost and Dates

I just added a post about the Moore Square Redesign on Raleigh DLA’s blog. One quote I’d like to highlight to readers:

Estimated completion: Summer 2013 (funding dependant)

Funding is the big question mark but each phase is broken out and my guess is we’ll see a slow approach to this project. Remember, Moore Square is state owned land and they have a seat at the table as well.

There are many opportunities for public comments which I encourage everyone to participate in.

Moore Square Redesign; When and How Much?

by Leo Suarez

Starbucks, Arenas, and Downtown Raleigh

RBC Center by Lalitree, on Flickr

After a hectic hockey filled weekend in Raleigh, the reviews are in. Raleigh was a fantastic host for the 2011 NHL All-star game. Articles and videos from the national media are wrapped up in this great post on Canes Country.

Clicks and Clippings: Soak it up, Carolina

Leading up to the event, talk of a downtown sports arena once again popped up, here and here. Comparisons between Raleigh and Charlotte are included in those articles also. This theme seems to pop up every so often and they all sound the same. If you listen to our local media, Charlotte has it right, Raleigh has it wrong. It’s always the same.

The arena topic in Raleigh is one of those few topics that fascinate me and I feel that no one is having an intelligent conversation about it. People love talking about how to put an arena in downtown but shouldn’t we stop to think about the why? Why do we need an arena in downtown Raleigh in the first place?

I thought this quote was interesting from Michael Farber about the area’s hosting of the All-star game:

The “non-traditional” All-Star venues have been problematic. And by problematic, I mean awful. Los Angeles swallowed the All-Star game without even bothering to chew while the mid-season hockey festivals came and went in Tampa Bay and Florida without leaving a footprint in the sand. The Atlanta event didn’t register within 100 yards from the arena. In all these cases, the tedium was the message.

But the Triangle region of North Carolina faced the challenges of holding an All-Star game — the diffuse nature of the area, the distance of the arena from the modest Raleigh downtown — and stared them down with a smile.

Venue will go down as biggest star of NHL’s All-star weekend: SI.com

The challenges of hosting a national event between areas that are miles apart here in Raleigh were overcome this past weekend and the reviews are incredibly positive. This same event was mediocre at best in cities much larger than Raleigh and with downtown sports arenas on their resumes.

So tell me, why was a sports arena in downtown needed?

Charlotte is Charlotte, Raleigh is Raleigh

One of the things that really gets to me about the downtown sports arena topic is that those that are for it seem to point out that the queen city has done it already. That and their light rail system, seem to be huge topics of comparison.

So what?

Raleigh is Raleigh, and what works for Charlotte does not mean it will work here. Charlotte can offer a downtown arena within walking distance to food and hotels. Why is this scenario seen as the best way to go?

In my opinion, the RBC Center’s current location actually makes more sense in West Raleigh than it would if in downtown. Most readers should know that I am a huge advocate for urban values in this city and hopefully it shows with this blog. But let’s be realistic. The development patterns here in the triangle are focused around moving in your car so the RBC Center on Wade Avenue makes so much sense and makes the experience of getting to it very easy.

I’m not sure of the exact number but I think it is safe to say that close to 90% of attendants to events at the RBC Center arrive by a car. The other 10%, at best, probably would account for taxis or charter buses. Imagine that same 90% figure, driving into a downtown Raleigh arena for an event. The current streets could not handle the amount of cars so more roads would have to be built to handle it. There is nothing urban about more roads in downtown.

Parking decks would have to be built, which cost much more then the surface parking lots at the RBC Center. This would most likely lead to higher parking fees. At $10 per space today at the arena, its anyone’s guess how much deck parking could be for an event.

The way I see it is that the RBC Center’s current location serves the Triangle and the surrounding areas very well. Fans from all over can drive right in and get out easily. A downtown arena would make the experience of getting to it more of an effort for those driving and would therefore deter the most loyal patrons. Those loyal fans are all of us who live here and support the teams that play there.

Charlotte decided to build downtown, or uptown if you live there, in order to better serve visitors from outside their region, visitors that were most likely staying in hotels in downtown Charlotte. That is their decision and it seems to work for them.

The question to think about is what you would prefer; an arena that fits into the development pattern that we have or one that is downtown, allowing visitors from hotels to walk to events and area residents still having to drive.

Stay with me as I try to get to my point.

Arenas Spur Development?

The downtown arena conversation sometimes includes other aspects with it. If the city funded an arena in one area, the thought is it will be a catalyst for development nearby. Let’s not forget that we are still waiting for that development to happen around the RBC Center today.

The reason the media describes the RBC Center as a life saver in the middle of an ocean is because the offices, shops, and condos never happened. At least, not to the extent that was envisioned back in the 90s. Now we are left with an arena all on its own with a few office buildings and no real atmosphere to cater to visitors. (well the Backyard Bistro seems to help out)

This is another reason why the downtown arena topic comes back every now and then. People see downtown Raleigh growing and more restaurants opening up then ever before. The area around the arena needs those restaurants. Downtown + arena seems to be a match made in heaven.

Rather then move the arena to downtown Raleigh, why hasn’t the area been studied and plans made to encourage smart growth around Wade Avenue and Edwards Mill Road? I’m starting to think that the best plan is to re-kindle the development fire around Wade Avenue and come up with a plan for smart growth that serves Raleigh and the arena.

Going forward, Raleigh should never build an arena with hopes to revitalize an area. Lesson learned, we move on.

RBC Center
by llnesinthesand, on Flickr

An Urban Arena For an Urban City

Downtown Raleigh represents only a small portion of urban areas in the city. If a downtown arena was added within a city made of suburbs, the arena would serve the suburbs, not the downtown. The conversation that is not happening is how to mesh an arena into downtown without creating an urban black hole when events aren’t happening and how to handle the massive amounts of traffic when there are.

An urban arena that serves the suburbs is one with a lot of parking decks. According to the RBC Center webpage, there are 8,000 parking spaces there. So how many decks does it take to cover 8,000 spaces? According to the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, the City Center Parking deck has 1,000 spaces so we would need eight similar in size. The City Center Deck is approximately half a block in size so we’re looking at four city blocks worth of parking.

Since no alternative to driving exists, except for walking by the few thousand residents in downtown out of over a million people across the Triangle who will drive, a downtown arena is not practical. When you add the fact that our transit system is in need of an overhaul and a huge boost in support, the idea is very weak.

The conversation we need to have after deciding that Raleigh should build an urban arena is at what point in Raleigh’s urban growth do we move it out of the suburbs and onto the urban grid. That is what Charlotte did, they decided to pair up their arena with some urban form but still maintain suburban aspects. It might not have been reported that way but that’s what it looks like to me.

The arena in uptown Charlotte is surrounded mostly by surface parking lots and a few very large parking decks. The time I went to visit for an event at the arena, uptown was gridlocked with cars looking for parking. Charlotte is still suburban enough to cause the same traffic headaches even though the arena is in an urban area.

Their arena, however, has a light rail station and a major bus station adjacent to it. The opportunity exists for them to grow mass transit around the arena as a way to release some pressure off the streets but that may take a major shift in car culture in this country for that to happen. (or decades of intense urban growth in Charlotte)

If Raleigh wants to build an arena in an urban setting, the city’s own urban areas needs to grow as well. Mass transit needs to link the Triangle and be immersed in our local culture. Downtown Raleigh should be five times larger in size and the amount of people living car-free should be a sizable portion of the Triangle’s population.

In my opinion, an arena doesn’t make sense at all for downtown Raleigh and wishing we had one to serve the events of today is silly and getting a little old. So to sum up, Raleigh isn’t urban enough for an urban arena and we shouldn’t have the conversation of an urban arena until our urban areas can handle it. Make urban sense?

Stand Out From The Crowd

A blog I follow to satisfy my urban planning desires is The Urbanophile. Aaron Renn, an urban analyst and consultant, has an article over at Design Intelligence and I wanted to highlight a paragraph.

While cities may specialize in different economic niches and have a historic legacy that gives them a unique built environment, they increasingly have turned to the same standard issue playbook for their development: boutique hotels, upscale housing, generic offices, international fashion labels, celebrity chef restaurants, and above all, starchitecture. The sameness of so many of these cities can be readily seen by flipping through the likes of the Wallpaper travel guides to various cities. On many pages, one would be hard pressed to determine what city is being discussed without looking at the spine.

Century of the City: Design Intelligence

Renn suggests that for cities to stay sustainable and maintain a competitive edge, they cannot follow the leader and build like their neighbors. If Raleigh copied what Charlotte did, Raleigh would trend toward being that generic, glass towered city with the same amenities as everyone else. If all cities offered the same experience then the only difference would be who can offer it the cheapest and that is not a game I want my city to be a part of.

So Raleigh needs to be different from Charlotte, which should actually be a very easy thing for us. With an enormous creative class, why can’t Raleigh try to stand out in the crowd of American cities and offer something other than Starbucks and flashy urban amenities? Renn’s article points to Portland and how they embraced the street car when no one in America was. Now, they own that space and cities that want to revamp their mass transit is going to Portland for advice.

Back to the arena, who’s to say that the RBC Center is located in the wrong place? If we listen to all the other cities that have put their arenas in their downtowns then we are just standing in line and borrowing their ideas. We should always question the decisions we make in building Raleigh but maintain a focus on being competitive and not catching up to what others are doing.

Some may call it weird or strange to try something different then the crowd but that is how you get noticed.

And don’t tell me that doing things just like everyone else is required to land big time events after the NHL All-star weekend in Raleigh.

Let’s Start Thinking

Instead of copying another city, Raleigh should consider creative ideas on how to enhance the experience of the RBC Center in its current location. Ideas no other city has done and possibly grow new traditions that become known across the country.

There is one unique thing that the RBC Center allows us to do that downtown arenas cannot; Tailgating. Carolina Hurricanes fans are starting to get a national reputation for tailgating before games. I remember seeing extensive coverage of the activity during the cup run in 2006 by visiting teams’ newspapers.

Another idea that I feel isn’t embraced enough is Raleigh’s ‘city inside a park’ look. We have a ton of trees around here and that local resource should be protected and even incorporated into certain areas. What if the RBC Center parking lots had towering trees throughout it? That would most certainly stand out to the national crowds looking upon us.

I’m sure an open forum on this topic could produce many more unique ideas from people that live here. What we should do is recognize what other cities are doing but be smart enough to think for ourselves so Raleigh does not turn into a generic city of the 21st century.

Closing Thoughts

So apparently I have some thoughts on the arena topic.

Even though the idea of walking to and from major events at an arena is something that I want, I still believe it is best that Raleigh stick with the RBC Center’s current location for many more years. Let the naysayers talk and try to stir controversy on a subject that is tired and old. I simply won’t listen.

Raleigh’s execution of the NHL All-star game impressed the nation, we should be proud of that. Next year’s hosts are taking notice. Now that we have raised the bar, we should take a look at how to raise it even more and offer something that other cities cannot.

There is still so much we can do to expand downtown into something for Raleighites to use every day and for visitors to take away something unique. Let’s not copy another city or be jealous that they appear to have more. After this weekend, Raleigh needs a bigger challenge.