by Leo Suarez

2016 Transit Tax Passes Along Proposed Bus Lines

Voter Distribution of 2016 Transit Tax Referndum

Click for larger

I posted this up on Twitter earlier but wanted to put it here on the blog for posterity. If you don’t know already, the transit tax passed in yesterday’s election and the graphic above shows the precincts that voted for and against it. You can clearly see that areas receiving expanded bus service were pro-tax versus areas that were not.

Maybe a little lack of support along the western edge of 540. I wonder if the presence of tolls in that area played a role in voters’ decisions?

At the same time, most of the outlying precincts in Wake were not horribly against the transit tax, only opposing by smaller margins. (some exceptions exist though)

by Leo Suarez

Pic of the Week

New bike corral on South Street

Sticking with South Street this week, a new bike corral has been installed outside of Boulted Bread at 614 West South Street. To my knowledge this is the second one after the widely popular install of the one on Hargett Street outside of The Raleigh Times.

There will also be more corrals installed according to this tweet.

by Leo Suarez

New Site Plans Show 42 New Residential Units for South Street

Looking East on West South Street.

Looking East on West South Street, October 2016

That momentum thing? West South Street seems to have it.

We’ve taken a look at the area before and now new site plans at the city show 42 residential units for a fairly large, combined parcel at the corner of Saunders and South Street.

Lambert Development South Street LLC will clear out most of the properties from Saunders to Florence Street and bring two new residential buildings. At 3-stories in height and a combination of surface and covered parking (covered by the units) it looks like townhomes and/or apartments are planned.

Site Plan Map of 611 West South

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Site Plan Map of 611 West South

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Simply called 611 West South for now, the plan will take out the Ice Market and Grill building, some empty lots, older homes, and auto-oriented business buildings on that side of South Street.

West South Street, October 2016

West South Street, October 2016

West South Street, October 2016

West South Street, October 2016

West South Street, October 2016

West South Street, October 2016

West South Street, October 2016

West South Street, October 2016

This area of South is a hugely neighborhood retail area so the lower-scale apartment/townhome combination (or whatever it ends up being) seems like a good transition out of the Boylan Heights neighborhood heading towards downtown Raleigh.

I enjoy seeing units brought up to the sidewalk as well. With 42 units and 78 parking spaces provided, it isn’t the most urban of setups. However, some residents might prefer a quick trip down Saunders and to I-40 for commuting by car.

As the two-way conversion of South Street continues, more residents may find that the 600 block of West South becomes closer to destinations that it was in the past.

by Leo Suarez

RalCon Supports The Wake Transit Referendum

On Nov 8, or now if you’re into early voting, Wake County residents will see this little box on their ballots. This blog, along with a list of other fine persons and organizations, endorse a FOR vote for transit and the sales tax to pay for it.

For downtown Raleigh, and anyone that wants to see the area notch it up on transit-related infrastructure and service, this is a huge addition to the central role that the area plays in the movement of people in our city. The map below shows you how key the core of Raleigh becomes in this 10-year plan.

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If you’re looking for a summary of the transit plan that this sales tax increase will fund, along with maps, FAQs, and a breakdown of the monetary side of things, head over to the Regional Transportation Alliance’s wrap up page.

by Leo Suarez

Fall 2016 Restaurant Roundup

Email readers: This blog post has a virtual reality image in it. I recommend you click through to the site to see it.

New eats are tasty but what can also be exciting, to me anyway, are reasons to revisit some places as they are doing new things or new folks are bringing a new twist on it. This season’s update shows a lot of new concepts in old places, hopefully bringing you back in for a fresh take.

For a complete list of eats, drinks, and coffees in and around downtown, make sure to bookmark the DT Eats page. Try something new!

  • Kicking things off are new brews from Oak and Dagger. The pub is now opened, shown at the top of this post, in the former Tyler’s space in Seaboard Station. In addition to their already running bottle shop, the brewery has a small menu of eats and lots of space for large parties.
  • Sort of near the Person Street area, Brewerks, a cafe and bakery in the former Quality Grocery space, is now open.
  • Scott Crawford’s new restaurant, Crawford and Son, in the former Piebird space was on schedule to be completed by the end of October. The place seems to be close to opening and you can subscribe to updates on their website.
  • In the Warehouse District, Parkside is now open on the corner of Martin and Dawson. They are open for lunch and dinner every day.
  • The Morgan Street Food Hall has a running website and is taking applications for those interested in setting up inside. It was reported that Ed Mitchell is bringing Que to the location as one of the first ones to sign up.
  • In Moore Square, Empire Eats was chosen to run the food kiosk in the upcoming Moore Square redesign. Called Square Burger, they will be serving burgers with (wait for it) square patties on potato buns.
  • City Market Sushi is planning to open in November. Located in the former Troy Mezze space, the folks behind the new restaurant want to offer a more casual, and less expensive, approach to sushi.
  • Amorino, the gelato shop coming to The Edison Lofts, is still being worked on. Last I saw, it looked like there is a lot of work to be done.
  • The Outpost will be a tiki-themed bar located in the house at the corner of Hargett and Person. In addition to their casual atmosphere, the space will reach out to non-profits looking for space for events. They should open very soon.
  • Even though Niall Hanley is busy with the Morgan Street Food Hall, he’s working on a new concept for the basement under Caffé Luna. Named Watts & Ward, you’ll enter the 6,000 square foot bar from the steps facing Blount Street under the Montague Building.
  • Raleighwood Provisions is a new project from those behind Bittersweet. Located in The Edison Lofts, the shop will sell a wide variety of high-quality, local foods. The plan is to open before the end-of-year and you can follow them on Instagram.
  • The new restaurant in the former Battistella’s space will be called Royale and hopes to open by the end-of-year.
  • On Hillsborough Street, Dram and Draught is now open, serving beers and whiskey out of the old Esso gas station.
  • The District, going in the former Hadley’s space in The Dawson, is now hiring. They will serve “asian-inspired cuisine with a southern influence” and hope to be open mid-November.
  • In Glenwood South, Vidrio, the Mediterranean restaurant for the corner of Tucker and Glenwood Avenue, is now hiring.
  • In the West at North building, Little City Brewery is now open.
  • Remember the Tobacco Road Sports Cafe? Well, they were supposed to be open sometime soon but still no update on their new location in Powerhouse Plaza where Natty Greene’s used to be. They were doing some hiring about a month ago so hopefully it’s any day now.
  • On Fayetteville Street, Bare Bones is now open and serving up beer, burgers, and ribs. The new restaurant from Eschelon Experiences is located in the PNC Tower where Zinda was formerly located.
  • Nearby, Carroll’s Kitchen, the non-profit restaurant with a mission to help homeless women, is now open at the corner of Martin and Wilmington Streets.
  • Living Kitchen, the raw and organic restaurant, has now opened in Charter Square.
  • Wahlburgers, a burger chain started by actors Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, is coming to The Hudson where The Oxford was formerly located. It’ll be the first in North Carolina.
  • Bolt Bistro is changing concepts. In a month or so, the place should reopen as Pizza La Stella, serving pizza to Fayetteville Street patrons.
  • The London Bridge Pub is adding a kitchen. With their expansion into the next door space, they have plans to add a small menu and build from there. The food should start cooking in mid-November.

by Leo Suarez

Pic of the Week

Fiber is indeed coming as Google’s ad campaign continues on. It’s no secret now that the building at 518 West Jones Street will be home to the area’s Google Fiber offices. Or maybe showroom? Storage room? Who knows.

Either way, Google has been very hush about the work that’s taken place in Glenwood South and now you can see the new branding on the building windows. Hopefully there will be more additions to the sidewalk area cause I’ve always found it to be a desert in the summer. (or extra cold in the winter)

Google Fiber may be great for the area but I’m still eager to see how this building will be used once they are up and running.