http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/ The Latest in Retail, Entertainment, and Development in Raleigh Mon, 14 Sep 2015 21:31:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1
http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/comment-page-1/#comment-24094 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:42:20 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/#comment-24094 Most of that land is in a flood plain. Hatem owns several of those warehouses along that stretch.
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/comment-page-1/#comment-24090 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:40:52 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/#comment-24090 I think this was a very interesting article, and Dan Douglas is definitely a person whose ideas need to be taken seriously. Sure, such a great vision would be costly and take some time to implement, but it is worth pursuing it. A strong alliance between public and private entities is a MUST.
There are two things I would like to share my thoughts on: 1) I do not like the idea of putting such a small height limit for the areas outside downtown. 6-7 floors is ridiculously short, particularly as we are developing multiple “urban” centers across our city. No major European city has such restrictions. Corridors like Capital Blvd and Glenwood Ave are perfect candidates for buildings between 5 and 15 floors, lined up along both sides. 2) Having lived in Europe, I can assure you that many people would rather live in cities like Raleigh and have a walkable center, either well connected via transit or simply offer a lot of parking options. Of course, to each his own. Personally, I think we have cities in the U.S. that combine the goods – and bads – of both worlds.
Hopefully, Dan’s recommendations will not fall on deaf ears. A big thank you to Bob Geary – with whom I disagree 99% of the times – for putting this article together. He did a great service to his paper and readers!!!
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/comment-page-1/#comment-24089
Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:26:25 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/#comment-24089
Anything north of the Cotton Mill would be a massive improvement. There is nothing remotely attractive about that stretch except it’s potential – in that it’s so unattractive it would conjure up zero sense of loss to redevelop it. It’s a main artery to the city from the north. Though I’ve often wondered if the dilapidation is INTENTIONAL … to discourage transplants
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/comment-page-1/#comment-24050 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:36:14 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/#comment-24050 I agree, Jenna, and don’t you know all the NIMBYS who live in those two neighborhoods (which are really glorified cul de sacs) would complain about potential traffic. To me it makes both of those neighborhoods players again.
What’s so interesting is that Capital Blvd used to be so busy, it was treacherous to pull out of Leigh (now TAO Auto). Now it is one of Raleigh’s easiest 4-lane left turns. The concepts he presents are extremely fascinating, and really wouldn’t be all that hard to accomplish. I don’t think there is a single solid object north of the Cotton Mill that people would be upset to lose.
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/comment-page-1/#comment-24047 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:14:04 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/10/08/douglas-envisions-strong-boulevard-revival/#comment-24047 Connecting the Mordecai area over to Glenwood is a GREAT idea. It would certainly relieve a lot of traffic from Peace, and speed up travel time for a lot of folks on their commutes! (Also, it would improve the area’s walkability ten-fold!
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