Category / Events

by Leo Suarez

Moore Square Master Plan Open Houses on April 29 and 30

MooreSqOpenHouse

Helping spread the word here about this upcoming event.

The Moore Square redesign has been a controversial topic mainly because of cost. Figures in the $14-15 million range have been proposed for a complete overhaul of the 4 acre green space. At the same time, a lot change could come to the district following this refresh.

Moore Square Master Plan Open House

Date/Time: Wed., Apr. 29 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Date/Time: Thurs., Apr 30 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
City Market
215 Wolfe Street
(same format and information at both sessions)

by Leo Suarez

CityCamp North Carolina May 29-31

Coming up at the end of this month is the fourth annual CityCamp NC, a civic unconference that brings people and technology together to try and solve issues that our local governments are facing. I’m playing a role as an organizer this year and couldn’t be more excited to help make CityCamp great while downtown Raleigh hosts the event.

Any readers that are involved in civic organizations, non-profits, technology, and various community advocates should take a few minutes and look into what CityCamp is. The unconference format allows for attendants to create the schedule, taken straight from your ideas pitched during the event. After participants vote on the best ideas, teams will start to form to discuss and perhaps tackle these ideas head on.

What’s always fascinating to watch is seeing someone pitch an idea and having a prototype built by the end of the weekend. An example that I keep going back to is RGreenway, a greenway navigation smartphone app that was born from a CityCamp weekend.

There’s also the possibility to walk away with some prize money. The team that submits the best idea and pitch will win $3,000.

Register for your spot as seats are limited.

2014 CityCamp North Carolina

Date/Time: May 29-31
Register Here

by Leo Suarez

Jane’s Walk Celebrates a Resilient Downtown

[Today’s post comes from Lauren Pritchett, a Triangle native and resident of Cameron Park, a surrounding downtown neighborhood. Lauren has helped bring the locally led walking tours of Jane’s Walk to Raleigh. You can follow her through her blog or Twitter, @hilgspritch. (Leo)]

“Raleigh’s Second Renaissance” has been a wildly trending phrase since the DRA’s 2014 State of Downtown in mid-April. Raleigh is indeed experiencing a new chapter of development. As much excitement that a renaissance can bring, it can be equally as daunting. We must make decisions that will affect our overall quality of life.

On May 3rd and 4th, Raleigh will be celebrating its inaugural Jane’s Walk to encourage open conversations about the city’s development. Jane’s Walk is a global initiative honoring urban activist Jane Jacobs’ birthday. It is designed to promote urban literacy through locally lead neighborhood walking tours, each focusing on a different theme. As part of the event, I will be facilitating the DTR History of Commerce Tour. We will stop at 10 different landmarks starting at the COR Museum on May 3rd at noon.

Skyhouse Raleigh

I’ve found that evidence of Raleigh’s resilience in the face of challenges can be extrapolated from our commercial architecture. One fundamental example of this is Fayetteville Street’s beloved Briggs Hardware Building. Thomas Briggs inspired our young epicenter during the Reconstruction Era by opening up the city’s first skyscraper for his shop in 1874. The subtle Art Deco style that The Raleigh Building features remind us of our ability to overcome the Great Depression. Soon, SkyHouse will be erected on the corner of Martin and Blount Streets as a symbol of Raleigh’s Second Renaissance!

During my free time, I jot down thoughts about my concerned citizenship on my blog. Usually, my curiosity leads me to wanting to know more about what came before us. What I’ve learned from researching downtown’s history is that we have endured a lot! Since becoming the capital of the “Rip Van Winkle State”, Raleigh has survived population growth spurts, wars, economic downfalls, and civil rights movements. For a small, often overshadowed, Southern city, I’m intrigued with how these milestones affect the wax and wane of Raleigh’s development.

The Raleigh Building

Please join me in discussing examples of our resilience and transformation during Jane’s Walk. Our outgoing Chief Planning & Development Officer, Mitchell Silver, will also be leading a walk starting in Nash Square at 1:30pm. On Sunday, May 4th at 2pm, I invite you to follow urban instigator, Matt Tomasulo, as he explores the opportunities of Dix Park. Jane’s Walk is coming to our city at the perfect time and is sure to be full of inspiration.

by Leo Suarez

Decision Time Nears, Final Public Meeting on Capital Boulevard Bridge Design April 22

Peace Street interchange with Capital Boulevard

Peace Street interchange with Capital Boulevard.

On April 22, NCDOT is hosting a public meeting to show off the final designs for the new Capital Boulevard bridge at Peace Street. According to their timeline, after the public comment deadline of May 23, the decision on which alternative to go forward with will be made.

We’ve discussed the details up to this point but if you need a refresher, jump to this November 2013 post:

*New Capital Boulevard Designs Out, Status Quo versus New Connections

In combination with plans for a new Wade Avenue interchange bridge, not being discussed on this blog, the public hearing on April 22 should show off the most up-to-date plans for the two Peace Street alternatives, those being:

  • The base alternative
  • The P5, or enhanced, alternative.

The base alternative is a one-to-one replacement of what we have today. A new bridge will be built and the same on/off ramps will exist, just like today. It’s possible that this alternative may get a two-lane on-ramp with northbound Capital Boulevard from Peace Street, the right lane being a right-turn lane for the Cotton Mill parking lot, but that is essentially the biggest change here.

The favored alternative, by the city, the state, and informally from readers of this blog, to the best of my knowledge, is the P5 alternative, also known as “The Square Loop.” This plan brings back the grid and creates an area that’s more attractive to development, more pedestrian friendly, and transitions Peace Street to better urban form.

Alternative P5, or Square Loop, for the new Capital Boulevard bridge over Peace Street. Click for larger.

The problem here is that The Square Loop plan is costlier due to the need for more property acquisition and street reconfiguration. The $11 million dollar difference between the two plans does not make the favored plan guaranteed. This is where the city has to step up and make this happen as it will most likely be more expensive to implement in the future if not done alongside this bridge replacement project.

More to come after the public meeting.

Capital Boulevard Bridge Replacement Projects Public Hearing

Date/Time: Tues. April 22, 2014 4-7pm (open house format, drop in any time)
Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Memorial Lobby
2 East South Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-707-6010

by Leo Suarez

First Downtown Plan Visioning Session on April 2

Crane in downtown Raleigh

Here’s an event that downtown enthusiasts should put on their calendars. The first public session for the downtown plan is coming up and your feedback is needed.

First Downtown Plan Visioning Session

Date/Time: Wed., Apr. 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Raleigh Convention Center Room 306
500 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-996-8500

Residents are invited to attend the visioning session to provide input and learn of emerging trends, key issues, challenges and analysis findings. These findings are being compiled by Sasaki Associates Inc., which is leading the consultant team for the Downtown Plan. The visioning session also will include breakout group discussions on how Downtown Raleigh’s role could evolve and transform over the next 10 years.

*First Downtown Plan Visioning Session Is Set for April 2

There will be more sessions in the future as the plan comes together throughout this nine-month process. Organizers are also taking a district-by-district approach with focused sessions on each one. Those are upcoming so stay tuned.

by Leo Suarez

New Downtown Plan Kickoff Event, Feb 11, 2014

Moore Square with Skyhouse Raleigh under construction in view.

Moore Square with Skyhouse Raleigh under construction in view.

The next downtown Raleigh plan is in the works and here’s your chance to participate. Next week is the kickoff event for a process that may take most of the year. Public comments on ideas and suggestions are needed to shape what downtown Raleigh strives to be over the next ten years.

Downtown Plan Kick-Off Event

Date/Time: Tues., Feb. 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Meymandi Concert Hall
2 East South Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-996-4641

You can see a lot more information about this on the city’s website. I’ll of course be following any released materials throughout the year and put them up on the blog for discussion.

Downtown Plan – City of Raleigh

by Leo Suarez

Parklets Could be Popping Up In Downtown Raleigh

Divisadero Parklet - SF Pavement to Parks

Divisadero Parklet – SF Pavement to Parks by jeremyashaw, on Flickr

Raleigh’s Urban Design Center is hosting a meetup next week to discuss parklets. These ‘sidewalk extensions’ or ‘pop-up mini-parks’ are a new trend in urban areas that attempt to bring more public space to pedestrians. Wikipedia states:

A parklet is a small space serving as an extension of the sidewalk to provide amenities and green space for people using the street. It is typically the size of several parking spaces. Parklets typically extend out from the sidewalk at the level of the sidewalk to the width of the adjacent parking space, though some have been built at the level of the street with access from the sidewalk.

Parklets are intended for people. Parklets offer a place to stop, to sit, and to rest while taking in the activities of the street. In instances where a parklet is not intended to accommodate people, it may provide greenery, art, or some other visual amenity. A parklet may accommodate bicycle parking within it, or bicycle parking may be associated with it.

*Parklet on Wikipedia

If you look at the photos in this post, you’ll see some examples of parklets in other cities.

According to the flyer for the event, attached at the bottom, the folks at the UDC will be presenting their preliminary research and want to get your feedback about parklets in Raleigh.

A big positive to having parklets is that it adds more space for pedestrians to sit and linger. Already an area with very low parkspace per citizen, downtown Raleigh doesn’t have room to add more parks in the traditional way so parklets, in combination with other more urban tactics, could be the solution.

There’s also an economic activity advantage because the shops and restaurants in downtown thrive with an active sidewalk life.

One negative is that public street space, more specifically on-street parking spaces, have to be given up for these parklets. While that might make public officials wary of parklets, citing concerns about loss of revenue, I question the reality of it. Does a few less on-street spaces really result in a loss of revenue?

In my opinion, I would think that it doesn’t matter since downtown currently has a gross oversupply of parking spaces in the decks. Hopefully the UDC has some thoughts on this and how other cities have addressed this fear.

Four Barrel Coffee Parklet

Four Barrel Coffee Parklet by mark.hogan, on Flickr

Spring Street Parklets by waltarrrrr, on Flickr

Parklet/Pop-Up-Cafe Conversation Session

Date/Time: Thurs., July 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
220 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-996-4637

by Leo Suarez

Downtown Perceptions Analyzed at Upcoming Listening Sessions

Blount Street

The Raleigh Urban Design Center (UDC) and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance are hosting a few listening sessions this week and next. The topic will be on your perception of downtown Raleigh.

I emailed a bit with the UDC’s Rachel Freyer to find out more.

What can one expect at these listening sessions?
The listening sessions will be held at community centers all around the city. We will provide light refreshments and then have a lively and interactive session to talk about Downtown Raleigh. The sessions should last about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. We will be focusing on 3 main questions: What do you like about downtown? What could be improved? What is your favorite thing to do in your neighborhood?

What is the UDC doing with the feedback?
This feedback will be part of a report on Downtown Raleigh Perception, and serve as a supplement to the Downtown Perception Survey that went out earlier this summer. This is a great chance to dig deeper and find out what people all over the city think about downtown. This information will be really helpful as a new Downtown Master Plan process begins in spring.

What kind of format are these sessions? (break out groups or come as you go style, etc.)
These sessions will start with a large group discussion and then people will have small group discussion at their tables. The sessions will end with a group recap about what people think.

How can people submit ideas that can’t make it?
People can always email one of us with their thoughts if they can’t make it. Rachel.Freyer@raleighnc.gov or Trisha.Hasch@raleighnc.gov

Listening Session about Downtown Perception

Date/Time: Thurs., July 18 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Urban Design Center
220 Fayetteville Street, Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27601

In addition to the session above occurring in downtown, there are three more around the city taking place after typical working hours on different days. See the flyer below.
Listening Sessions about Downtown Perception