You may have already heard about it but if not, the Raleigh city council has approved the implementation of parking meters in certain areas of downtown. This letter from the Downtown Raleigh Alliance is a key read. To sum up the major points:

• The first phase could come as early as June 2009.
• ‘Pay by space’ stations would be used, accepting paper, coin, and plastic.
• Rates would be $1 for a one hour spot and $2 for a two hour spot.
• Enforcement time would not change; Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm.

The point is to increase turnover of on street spaces as well as making parking decks more attractive. The rates in decks will not increase and a more uniform hourly rate will eventually be implemented.

What this really means

There are ways to park downtown for free; you just have to know how to work the system. Shockingly, there are people out there that play this game, you know who you are, and the parking meters should stop this. If you want to park downtown for more then two hours you should park in a deck and take advantage of the cheaper rates. With the decks more full, the streets are less crowded and therefore parking is easier. Simple, right?

I had to think this through and I think I get it; charging for on street parking will encourage people to come downtown. I also think it will put to rest the ‘It is so hard to park downtown’ mentality. This only applies to the enforcement time of 8-5 during the week remember. Let me try and paint you a picture.

For a short trip, parking downtown right now involves crowded streets. However, these crowded streets are free so the majority of drivers circle the block and look for that gem of a space to appear. That spot may come, where then I would consider you lucky, but if not most drivers would scream in anger, ‘It is so hard to park downtown!’ Now that that free spot can not be had, driver must pay up and go to a deck a few blocks away in a furious rage (and possibly hurting driver’s image of downtown Raleigh). All that work just to meet a client for a coffee.

Let’s fast forward a couple years after the meters have been installed and driver now has to visit downtown again. The streets are not so crowded as before and a few spots are available. However, this time driver must pay two bucks for two hours. Driver now has two choices, pay the two bucks for the convenience of parking so close or save a little by circling the block and going straight to a deck. Driver decides to pay the two dollars and has a better experience then before because driver is close to the coffee shop.

That story really wasn’t that good and could have gone many ways but it does, sort of, describe a possible scenario in the future. I think the free choice versus cost choice that we have now is not helping. Unfortunately, money wins in this situation and if ALL parking cost money, people would know about that cheaper alternative. When the meters are in full effect, drivers will have two options:

• Park on the street: Pay more, convenient location
• Park in a deck: Pay less, walk a little

Each option can never be stressful unless its just one of those days that the entire city wants to come downtown and everything is full (which happens maybe twice a year). Businesses should enjoy the higher turnover on the spots around their block. With more turnover and more available spots, the ‘It is so hard to park downtown’ mentality should diminish and people will start visiting more often.

…..in theory anyway. What do you think?

Now that the holidays are over, and you now have time to read the blog, we can discuss a couple of ideas for what downtown should have in 2009. What is possible to create within a year’s time that will add to the vibrancy of downtown, serving residents as well as visitors? Here is a short list to get the ideas flowing.

Grocery store

A lot of conversations I’ve had with people considering to move downtown are about the lack of a grocery store in the area. They hesitate to move because of the fact that they still need to get in their cars and drive somewhere. There are not that many residents yet in downtown so it will be a gamble for someone to open the first within the core downtown.

I do believe that if done properly, it can be successful. Most people that visit a suburban grocery store buy enough food for days, some weeks even. If downtown, this store needs to do the opposite and provide me with fresh food and other products for only a couple days. This leads to repeat visits from customers, a much more personal experience, and I really feel that downtown residents will support a locally owned store with local produce.

Music venue

Another music alternative to Lincoln Theatre and The Pour House would be great. It could possibly fill the void ever since King’s was demolished or maybe head in another direction. My guess would be a larger venue but I’m also not into the current market for it. Maybe the demand is not here in this area but I see tours all the time skip over Raleigh completely, at least the music that I’m paying attention too. If they even come to North Carolina, Charlotte usually grabs them and I’m tired of making the 2 hour drive out there and back in one night.

24 hour food

My dream would be some kind of diner that is always open, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner 24 hours a day. The food does not have to be gourmet at all, more like home-cooked at a reasonable price. Right away, I could see the nightlife crowd lining up until 4am to get some breakfast. It would be the most reliable spot to send people looking for a bite when they check into a hotel late, are up extra early for work, or anyone that doesn’t want to spend much at a restaurant.

By the slice pizza and delivery

If you have been reading RalCon for awhile now, you know my personal desire to see a good, hole-in-the-wall, pizza place. It would be nothing fancy at all except damn good pizza. An added bonus would be delivery in and around downtown. I could see a couple people running all over downtown taking pizza up to the condos or riding bikes out to Oakwood or Boylan Heights making deliveries.

At least one corporate re-location to downtown

The current economy may have a play here but office space is being built in downtown and we need companies to fill them. Charter Square is the obvious candidate and I’d like to hear of at least one announcement of a major company moving to downtown. A couple hundred more employees to the 9 to 5 scene may help the other suggestions above actually happen.

Online Raleigh scene

As a blogger and tech enthusiast, I’d like to see the current internet scene about the city pushed even more. I want more blogs to get started, more pictures to be uploaded, and just more internet chatter about this great city. Video blogging is still in its infancy and podcasting is pretty much silent. If you have any good links or know someone that is doing some interesting work online about Raleigh, post it or let me know about it.

I was invited to be on ‘The State of Things’ on WUNC radio to talk about the comprehensive plan today. Listen in to me and the N&O’s David Bracken.

[audio:https://dtraleigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/sot1204a08.mp3]

Run time: 11:10

I’m slowly reading through some of the plan but the quick guides are keeping me busy for now. They help get the idea across pretty easily so I would start with those first. Downtown Raleigh is heavily involved in the document and if all goes according to plan downtown will grow larger and become the transit hub of the region.

Jump right into the online material

I was first interested in the “What will Raleigh look like in 2030 and how will the plan affect me?” guide. Here are some interesting bullet points.

The size of the downtown will grow in size southward toward I-40 with new office buildings, residential buildings, shops, parks and entertainment venues.

Raleigh will have public transit such as high-speed rail, commuter rail, streetcars, bus and express bus routes that connect the entire city and region. Getting around the region without a car will be much easier.

The City will hold itself accountable by updating the public on the plan’s progress annually.

The southward growth of downtown makes sense since I-40 has the heaviest traffic and is probably the easiest route to take when heading downtown. There is also a lot of room along South Saunders for more office and residential towers. I’d like to see the side streets to South Saunders, Hammond, and Wilmington become a north/south grid and extend the current grid of downtown. The side streets can become neighborhoods with mass transit moving along the major roads to move people in and out.

“Getting around the region without a car will be much easier”

What a great quote. If you look at the “What places may change over the next 20 years?” guide, you will see a list of areas that are planning to change as well as some roads that may become huge transit corridors. Downtown is all over this list and many of the roads mentioned go through or near downtown. Connecting these high-growth centers is very important so it is good to see that there are plans for transit between these areas.

The plan does a great job pushing urban values all over Raleigh. It is still important for everyone to realize that it is just a plan or guideline and not what WILL happen in Raleigh’s future. If you support this comprehensive plan, or have any input at all, please leave feedback for the city. The city is taking input through January and only by commenting can we let the city council know what aspects are important for Raleighites. If you support it, so will the city decision-makers.

There are two events Wednesday night related to urban revitalization and transportation choices. The first, organized by the Sierra Club, is a showing of the movie “Sprawling from Grace: Driven to Madness” at Colony Theatre from 7-9pm. The second is the City of Raleigh’s open house for the draft Raleigh 2030 Comprehensive Plan at the new Convention Center also from 7-9pm (registration begins at 6:30pm.)

Since both of these events occur at the same time, I would say the movie showing is better for people you know who are more interested in “why” urban planning is important, while the Comprehensive Plan event is better for people who are more interested in “how” urban planning can be improved in Raleigh specifically.

***

WED 12/3. 7 – 9pm. Sierra Club sponsored Film Sprawling from Grace: Driven to Madness

Colony Theatre, Six Forks and Millbrook, Raleigh

The film is a documentary feature film about the unintended consequences of suburban sprawl. The suburbs, while being an integral part of our nation’s maturation over the past half-century, contribute substantially to air and water pollution, increasing health risks, and decreasing quality of life. Suburbia has trapped Americans behind the wheels of their automobiles as they commute longer distances to find good paying jobs. Given the inevitable depletion of non-renewable fossil fuels, it’s clear that we will have to find solutions if we want a sustainable future in a post-fossil-fuel world. For more info see http://www.jashaw.com/film.html and http://www.nc.sierraclub.org/capital/

WED 12/3. 7 – 9pm Raleigh Comprehensive Plan Roll Out and Public Meeting

Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh.(Registration begins at 6:30pm)

You are invited to the official release of Raleigh’s updated draft Comprehensive Plan at the Raleigh Convention Center. The program will include short presentations and an open house. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet and talk with members of the City Council, Planning Commission, city planning staff, and other city boards and commissions. The project consultants also will be in attendance. Summaries of key elements of the updated Comprehensive Plan will be available. Important policy maps from the plan will be on display, including a new land use plan. The draft Comprehensive Plan will be available for review and comment both on-line and at City of Raleigh offices and Wake County public libraries. A special website will allow anyone with an internet connection to comment on every policy and action statement in the plan. ( Comments will also be accepted in any form that citizens may wish to use, from letters to phone calls. The comment period will be open from Dec. 1 through Jan. 31, 2009. For more information and to register to attend, see:http://www.planningraleigh2030.com/

Thanks Steven.

That was a nice little break. Now that the post-vacation excitement is starting to wear off (New York city to be specific), I’m trying to get back into the blogging routine. I’ll keep it short and sweet with an e-mail I received about the opportunity for public feedback on the City of Raleigh’s comprehensive plan.

The program will include short presentations and an open house. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet and talk with members of the City Council, Planning Commission, City Planning staff, and other City boards and commissions. The project consultants also will be in attendance. Summaries of key elements of the updated Comprehensive Plan will be available. Important policy maps from the plan will be on display, including a new land use plan.

The updated Comprehensive Plan draft is the culmination of 18 months of work on the part of City staff and consultants. The plan will provide the framework to guide the city’s growth through 2030.
December 1 the Plan will be available for review and comment both on-line and at City of Raleigh offices and Wake County public libraries. A special website will allow anyone with an internet connection to comment on every policy and action statement in the Plan. Comments also will be accepted in any form that citizens may wish to use, from letters to phone calls. The comment period will be open from Dec. 1, 2008 through Jan. 31, 2009. During this time, the final three citywide public workshops will be held to provide another vehicle for input. Public briefings will be held to answer questions about the Plan.

Register here for both the Draft Plan Rollout & Open House and Citywide Public Workshops
For more information visit www.planningraleigh2030.com.

Thanks Trisha