by Leo Suarez

The Raleigh Comprehensive Pedestrian Plan, A Connoisseur’s Overview

Sidewalk along Peace Street.

The city’s newest plan for improving the pedestrian experience in Raleigh was posted on the city’s website a few weeks ago and public comments are being taken on it until this Friday. Whether you realize it or not, the sidewalks are a significant transportation system and are important for multi-modal trips around Raleigh.

Last year, voters approved a $40 million transportation bond with $4.75 million going towards sidewalk related improvements. The comprehensive plan lists out some of those projects as well as moving Raleigh to a new system of prioritization for future projects.

I found the plan thorough and easy to read. It goes into the design of new sidewalks and intersections, best practices, and uses technical language to explain things but not to a point that confuses a reader. This plan can really empower a neighborhood that’s looking to make changes and allow them to “speak the language” when researching the option to petition for improvements.

Here is my chapter to chapter summary for those preferring an even lighter read.

Continue reading →

by Leo Suarez

The L Building Wants In On The Residential Action

Banners on the Wake County Parking Deck
Photo taken July 2011

I noticed this small update yesterday on the city’s development activity page. The people behind The L, the still yet-to-be built office tower on the corner of McDowell and Davie Street, are looking to change it to a residential building. This five-year-old project keeps getting extensions from the city. That’s a good thing as this project is the missing piece that goes next to the Wake County Parking Deck.

With new residential projects being built and office space more in the renovations category, this may be a good move to build on the commitments previously made, ride the hot rental market, and finally be done with this project.

The site plan shows a lot of retail space on the ground floor and lists 100 apartments for floors 2-6. That should adequately cover up the walls of the Wake County Parking Deck, now only covered by colorful banners.

by Leo Suarez

HUB Raleigh Contributes To The Evolution of Co-working in Downtown

Office space at HUB Raleigh

Last week, HUB Raleigh had its official grand opening. This co-working space on Hillsborough Street adds to the growing startup scene and Innovate Raleigh initiative that continues to spread around downtown Raleigh. The space is set up for established startups in the area to work from so that they can tap the greater HUB network for future growth. I went to the packed grand opening party and returned the next day for a visit.

We’ve talked about co-working before and while I myself do not work for a startup, the community aspect around a co-working space is a natural fit for downtown. Both sides can benefit from the social aspect at HUB and the close proximity to the services in the downtown districts.

I like to compare co-working to the idea of our “third place.” There’s where you live, (first) where you work, (second) and your regular place to socialize. (third) This is a theme that is very alive and true for downtown regulars. With co-working, the community aspect of a third place is weaved into the work aspect of the second. For most, this creates relationships, personal and business, that really help create new businesses and bring ideas into creation.

Others just want to get out of the house and that’s fine too.

Grand opening party at HUB Raleigh
Grand opening party at HUB Raleigh

HUB Raleigh is slowly trying to create that community between visitors and users. For example, they have a calendar where anyone can post an event from business to social. The Click Cafe is the HUB’s on-site gathering space for breaks over food and drinks. And as community goes, HUB has members that are active in Durham’s startup scene and other places around the triangle. HUB contributes to what is going on in the triangle rather then compete and possibly take away.

I mentioned the HUB network that members are a part of. HUB is part of a 28 location network, mostly with locations in North America and Europe, where members have access to those locations and the community around it. If a startup in Raleigh decides to work in San Francisco, HUB San Francisco is now a place for them to reach to if needed. This network helps startups ease into different areas and HUB Raleigh helps visitors ease into here.

Growing startups like The Vital Plan and Spot Trot are already at HUB Raleigh and they were both active when I visited. It got me thinking about the talk of using incentives for new companies to come to Raleigh. Why not help build your own companies rather then attract new ones?

by Leo Suarez

Retail Rises In Downtown Raleigh

Lumina before opening at 123 East Martin Street.
Retail is coming.

Retail in Downtown Raleigh is the next frontier. Compared to the Eats crowd, shopping is just the little brother that’s finally coming out to play. Creating somewhat of a shopping experience here has been the slow moving gear in this revitalization. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) is certainly trying but we’ve yet to hit it big.

Downtown Raleigh has some fierce competition when it comes to shopping. Nearby Cameron Village is established and the development patterns of the city make the malls at Crabtree Valley and Triangle Towne Center a nice fit. So rather then bringing something everyone has already seen, downtown is creating a collection of shops that are unique to the area. And the shops are following the eating/drinking crowd if you pay close enough attention.

The true pioneers of retail in downtown were the art galleries and there’s nothing more unique then a big enough cluster of them, something you can’t find anywhere else in the city. With First Friday giving everyone exposure, other unique retailers set up shop for the downtown eats crowd, who keep things going after work hours.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a slow rise in the pure numbers. Using the internet archive, I took a look at the DRA’s site in April 2010 and compared it to their current website.

2010 2012
Clothing 20 24
Convenience 6 7
gifts 12 16

The numbers are nothing to be impressed with but it is slowly going up. It’s interesting to see that there is a lot of turnover but overall, we’re growing.

Clearly the retail scene is responding to the foot traffic. This foot traffic will increase as more apartments are under construction, more riders are riding transit, more restaurants are opening in downtown, more hotel space is coming, and more jobs are coming. We haven’t quite opened the floodgates yet but the retail scene, I think, is the next piece of downtown to keep an eye on.

For those interested, two new shops will be opening soon and will be celebrating. Cheers to the pioneers!

Grand Opening Celebration of Lumina

Date/Time: Fri., Nov. 2 from 5 p.m. until ….
123 E Martin Street
Raleigh, NC 27601

Deco Grand Opening

Date/Time: Fri., Nov. 9 from 5 – 9 p.m.
19 W Hargett St
Raleigh, NC 27601

by Leo Suarez

Urban Design Lecture Series hosted by the City of Raleigh


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There are some very interesting forums coming up on the topic of urban design in Raleigh. As the downtown Raleigh master plan gets a reboot from the one we are now experiencing, drawn up over ten years ago, these talks are great to get a little educated on the issues the city faces and how they plan to address them. The forums are also free and open to the public. Watch the video above for a previously recorded forum on the topic of “Housing in the 21st Century” hosted by the Urban Design Center.

Urban Design Education Forums

Time: 12 Noon – 1:30 pm
220 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919)996-4641

Schedule of sessions

November 14, 2012 – “Downtown Planning-Then and Now.”

  • Moderator will be Grant Meacci, planning and design manager at the Urban Design Center.
  • Presenters will be Raleigh Assistant City Manager Dan Howe and David Diaz, president and CEO of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance

December 12, 2012 – “Return on Investment-Economics of Downtown Development.”

  • The presenter will be Mitchell Silver, chief planning and development officer for the City of Raleigh and director of the City’s Department of City Planning

January 16, 2013 – “The Fine Art of Enjoying Downtown Living.”

  • The host will be Brian Reece of Downtown Living Associates.
  • Presenters will be Anne S. Franklin, urban advocate and community organizer, and Chris Roberts, associate principal and architect with LS3P Associates

February 13, 2013 – “Bike Share in Raleigh.”

  • Presenters will be Jennifer Baldwin, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the City of Raleigh Office of Transportation Planning, and Mauricio Hernandez, transportation planner with Toole Design Group

March 20, 2013 – “Residual Raleigh-Tapping the Potential of Unused Space in Downtown.”

  • Presenters will be Brett Hautop, an architect with Gensler, and Matthew Griffith and Erin Sterling Lewis, principals with in situ studio, a Raleigh architecture firm

April 17, 2013 – “Downtown Durham’s Open Space Plan.”

  • Presenters will be Tom Dawson, urban designer, and Sara Young, Urban Design Center supervisor for the Durham City-County Planning Department

May 15, 2013 – “Raleigh, A Festival City.”

  • The host will be David Diaz, President and CEO, Downtown Raleigh Alliance.
  • Presenters will be Sarah Powers, executive director of Visual Art Exchange, an organizer of the SPARKcon festival, and Samantha Hatem, who handles media and outreach for Empire Eats

June 19 – “Raleigh’s Pedestrian Plan.”

  • The host will be Eric Lamb, manager of the City of Raleigh Office of Transportation Planning.
  • Presenters will be Lauren Blackburn and Helen Chaney of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Fleming El-Amin, transportation planner for the City of Raleigh.

by Leo Suarez

Renovation on Salisbury Uncovering History

200 Salisbury Street in October 2012

I wanted to highlight this article about the renovation work going on at 200 South Salisbury Street. The News & Observer writes about some great work going on at the corner of Salisbury and Hargett:

Now, workers are pulling down that skin, revealing what developer James A. Goodnight hopes will become a striking historic piece of Raleigh’s revitalizing downtown.

“I don’t know why they did this to this building,” says project coordinator Chris Surrett, as workers cut pieces of the steel frame that was bolted to the building to hold up the stucco. “We’re going to take it back to where it’s pretty again.”

…….

He bought the two adjoining buildings through Paper Clip Properties LLC in July for $700,000 and hopes to turn the ground floor into a restaurant and lease the upper floors for offices.

*Classic downtown Raleigh building emerging from behind modern, stucco shell

Here’s an older photo of the building and while Goodnight’s work won’t bring it back exactly the same, it gives us an idea of what the team there is uncovering.

200 Salisbury Street in the early 1900's.
From the State Archives of North Carolina