by Leo Suarez

RalCon Polls

Along with a couple other site tweaks, I’m also going to have a poll up for readers to participate in. It is displayed on the site’s sidebar so make sure and check back on the current voting progress. I’ll also update everyone with the start and end of a new poll. I plan to do this at most twice a month.

The first question I ask relates to the Moore Square redesign. Its actually a very simple question; do we need to redesign the square at all? Currently, the city is having a design competition where groups will submit their plans for a new Moore Square. Upgrades are great but we first must identify a reason for this redesign. In my opinion, I do not see a problem with the current setup and feel that the real focus should be elsewhere in downtown. However, there is some real talent in this area and if a world class design comes forward, it may be worth considering.

The poll will be open through August 31st so cast your vote and leave your comments below.

by Leo Suarez

RalCon Updates

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that I’ll be doing some behind the scenes work on the website. Regular visitors to the site should see a couple changes throughout the week. RSS and e-mail subscribers will see business as usual so jump to the main page when you have a chance and explore the new additions.

by Leo Suarez

Raleigh vote on concert venue set – Local & State – News & Observer

City Manager Russell Allen will ask the City Council today to allocate $59,760 to design a 4,978-seat venue to host summer concerts under the Shimmer Wall. The venue, to be built on the site of the old Sir Walter Chevrolet dealership at McDowell and Lenoir streets, would cost about $1.5 million and could open as early as May of next year.

via Raleigh vote on concert venue set – Local & State – News & Observer.

by Leo Suarez

Glenwood South Ripe For Hotels


Corner of Jones and West Street

When you talk about nightlife in downtown, the conversation must include the five or so blocks of Glenwood Avenue that make up Glenwood South. The mistress of downtown really gets lively on the weekends and if anyone has walked down her sidewalks on a nice Saturday night, then you know what I mean by lively. To me, there is a lot of energy in the air when the streets are crowded with cars and people are walking around, enjoying themselves in this entertainment district. Fayetteville Street is real nice and I have fun in that area but the crowds and traffic really do hover around Glenwood; you can’t deny it! With all this traffic, car and foot, it is good that hotel developments are in the works. The convention center helps drive this as I’ve seen many times convention goers riding the R-Line through Glenwood South. A hotel that is right in the middle of so much activity would be very appealing to those visiting the city.

Recently, there have been reports that two hotels are to be built in Glenwood South but no real work has begun yet. We await the start of the 10-story Powerhouse Plaza located on Jones and West Streets. Right now, the lot has been cleared and a sign has been placed out front letting people know what the future will be. The rendering looks promising and plans for ground floor retail are included. This would be a great addition to an already busy pedestrian intersection at Jones and West.

A Hampton Inn hotel is said to be in the works at the corner of Glenwood and Johnson Street. The initial reaction of the online peanut gallery has not been favorable to ‘just a Hampton Inn’. I believe we should wait and see what is proposed rather then speculate off very little information. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to the rest of the houses on the 600 block of Glenwood as the area becomes more popular and more traffic moves down it over the years.

Source – News & Observer, Glenwood South Hotel Proposed


Corner of Glenwood and Johnson Street