The Edison Redesigned: Service, Not Brilliance
Yesterday the Raleigh downtowner released some renderings for the new, scaled-down vision for the Davie Street side of The Edison . Previously the plans for Gregg Sandreuter’s development called for four towers of 30-40 stories each, containing office and residential components on a retail base.
It is disappointing to see the project being scaled down, but frankly, with the bath that Sandreuter ended up taking on the oversized West at North Project, it is obvious that banks are putting pressure on Sandreuter to do something with the land. The truth is that the economy is worse than the media is portraying, and a project like the one originally proposed for The Edison is now probably more than 20 years away for Raleigh. In fact it will be at least 12 years before anything changes the Raleigh skyline.
With conditions as they are, we are lucky to see something proposed for this land. As it stands now, the block stands as a blank and a few run-down old buildings in the middle of a downtown that has much organic energy. We are now at the 3-year mark of a development drought in downtown Raleigh, and if we get too arrogant, we will lose all of the roaring momentum that Raleigh had six years ago. In other words we cannot afford to be too choosy now about downtown projects. Given the number of empty lots in downtown, we can afford to put up some bad projects because the momentum is what will eventually bring good projects, not our own stubbornness. Too much of that will make us a has-been. We need energy on the street, and this project does that.
Much hand-wringing has been going on over the last two days regarding the design of the project. I will caution readers, though, that the proposal looks more like a massing portrayal than a specific design, so even with this sized project, it can be something appealing. That said, the images look waaaaay too much like the horribly bland project on Glenwood where Tobacco Road is.
Hopefully the mass of building can be broken up with varied materials, colors, window frames, and window heights. Designers at North Hills East attempted this kind of breakup with windows and color on an EFIS-faced building, but forgot that relief also has to be in the design. Some sections should set back, others protrude. Another facet ignored is massive projects is the window height. North Hills is a godo project, but could have been great if the windows for each section were at differing heights. IT would have added some authenticity badly needed over there.
Nevertheless, I’m glad to see something going forward. I just hope that developers will still have some sense of pride in their developments while they try to please banks. Perhaps the name of the project should be renamed The Gillette, as the focus has clearly gone from being a brilliant idea to being something serviceable that we will one day throw away.
Mia Francesca Now Open
Mia Francesca
, a Chicagoland chain of nice Northern Italian restaurants, today opened their third location outside of the Windy City. The restaurant’s
menu
(.pdf) features a small selection of pastas and entrees that land in the middle-teen price range. Items like Costoletta di Maiale della casa and the Linguine al Sugo di Gambori look particularly interesting.
I’ve been looking forward to the opening of Mia Francesca, and am ecstatic that the price point is as low as it is. Located adjacent to the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel in North Hills, the restaurant is situated in a prime spot for travelers, especially.
What is curious is that this is North Hills’ fourth Italian offering. While Piola is more of an informal dining experience, it seems that Mia Francesca’s location (in view of Cinelli’s) and extremely similar menu to Vivace are sure to ruffle many feathers in the North Hills dining market; especially when Moe’s stands as the only representative (and a bad one at that) of the Mexican craze that currently is sweeping through America.
How to Handle a 14-Team ACC Tournament
There was a lot of discussion at yesterday’s Operation Basketball about how to align a 14-team ACC Tournament. The answer is simple:
Use GoLive to Plan Area Transit Trips
Area transit just got easier. Today
GoTriangle
introduced
GoLive
, is a free automated tool providing public transportation riders with real-time arrival predictions for
Triangle Transit
,
Chapel Hill Transit
,
Durham Area Transit Authority
,
Capital Area Transit
and
North Carolina State University’s Wolfline
buses.
C-Tran
, the Town of Cary’s transit service, will also be part of the
GoLive
system beginning in early 2012.
GoLive leverages Google Maps to assemble transit trips between two destinations. One can change walking, transfer, and layover priorities among many other options. What’s most valuable is the system’s integration of all of the area’s fragmented services. The service appears to be web-only for now, but does offer links to other area mobile apps .
It appears that TransLōc has done good job with the online application. After using the outstanding Transit Genie app to navigate Chicago, TransLoc’s had to do a lot to impress me. While the service does integrate the systems, there are still some logic holes with the routing. For instance some of the transfer choices in Chapel Hill so not seem efficient.
I planned about a dozen trips at different times of day, and one of the ?un/intended? effects of the app is the realization that using transit takes way,
way
more time than using a car. For example a trip to the DPAC from the North Hills area requires nearly two hours for transit, while a car trip usually takes right at 30 minutes. Trips to Chapel Hill from most places but the Hillsborough Street spine take around 1.5 hours. While high-occupancy vehicle transit will never match the efficiency of a car when connecting a remote area to others, it seems that the transit system still could be much more effective. My conclusion after using the app is that the area still really needs more comprehensive bus service before people think twice about using it. Personally I would love to see TTA launch express buses to the Dean Smith Center, DPAC, and DPAC from Raleigh for nighttime events.
Nevertheless, public transit system is an evolutionary process, and an integrated routing service is clearly the next step the area’s progression. In fact, this isn’t just a mundane hurdle, as the integration of so many services is commendable and perhaps unmatched in the US?
The service will certainly encounter some bugs, but as soon as this is worked out, it is imperative to develop apps for Android and iOS, as the target audience for transit expansion is consistent with the heaviest app users. If GoLive can offer an app that is as much fun to use and as impressive as TransitGenie, they can actually make the process of riding the bus a huge selling point for transit.
Harlem Globetrotters Returning
On Friday, March 2, the Harlem Globetrotters return to Raleigh’s RBC Center. Tickets go on sale this morning (10/17) at 10am. Tickets start at $18. Here is more from the press release:
The outstanding rookies include Paul “Tiny” Sturgess , the world’s tallest pro basketball player at 7-8, Jonte “Too Tall” Hall , the shortest Globetrotter ever at 5-2, and Fatima “ TNT ” Maddox of Temple University, the team’s first female player since 1993 and ninth female in team history.
The new Globetrotters also feature the top three finishers from the 2011 College Slam Dunk Contest, including the reigning champ Jacob “Hops” Tucker . At 5-10, Tucker sports a 50-inch vertical leap, and his YouTube videos have garnered well over four million views. Tucker joins slam dunk runner-up John “Jet” Williams of UNC-Asheville and semifinalist Darnell “Spider” Wilks of the University of Cincinnati.
The 2012 rookie class has a total of three seven-footers including 7-4 Jermaine “Stretch” Middleton , the third-tallest player in team history, and 7-foot Anthony “Biggie” McClain . At 7-8, Sturgess becomes the tallest Globetrotter ever after a career at Mountain State University (W.Va.). He is the 19th internationally born player in team history, hailing from Loughborough, England.
“The Globetrotters are excited to welcome a new generation of stars to carry on the storied tradition of the world’s most entertaining basketball team,” said Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider . “This year’s rookie class features some of the most talented and promising players from across the world.”
Current Globetrotters stars Special K Daley , Big Easy Lofton , Flight Time Lang , Dizzy Grant , Scooter Christensen , and many others will team up with the world class rookies for nearly 270 games on the North American portion of the World Tour, bringing the Globetrotter magic to over 230 cities in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and five Canadian provinces.
Player rosters in each city will vary and are subject to change.
Lululemon Coming to North Hills
Recently Total Wine completed their move into the left half of the former Harris Teeter store in The Lassiter. The right half is about to become the next location for
Lululemon
. The Vancouver-based chain offers athletic apparel for yoga, running, and dancing, as well as in-store events for yoga, self-defense, and more. No opening date is set yet, but the store is currently training employees, so it won’t be long.
Raleigh Clothing Icon Closing
After 45 great years, a local retailer of nice women’s clothing is shutting its doors. Tyler House, one of North Hills Mall’s original tenants, is closing their doors. No word on whether this is a business failure, a casualty of the economy, or the simple choice to walk away by the owner.
Tyler House was one of the crown jewels of North Hills Mall. Owned by the Tyler family who lived only a handful of blocks away, Tyler House had a personal touch and was one of the area’s favorite clothing stores. Its success led to the opening of a store in Chapel Hill’s University Mall in the mid-70s. However around 1980 North Hills began losing its luster as Crabtree slowly attracted more local businesses. Seeing the success of the Nowell’s Hooper’s store, for example, the Tylers broke down and took the Crabtree plunge with a store that always felt bland and impersonal. Some time in the mid 80’s or so, the Chapel Hill store closed.
I can’t remember the details, but around the time of the Crabtree store’s closure and a bit before North Hills Mall’s failure, the Tylers moved to Cameron Village with a single store that served them well until their retirement.
One of the first signs of life in the New North Hills, was the opening of a Tyler House store in The Lassiter, in the space that so long held a hair salon. The store endured multiple construction obstacles, with the facelift of the North Hills Plaza (The Lassiter) and the construction of The Alexan.
Raleigh is losing a piece of its history with the closing of Tyler House. It is difficult to run a small, reasonably priced store as national chains have figured out better how to deliver consistent styles at a lower price. The trend also presses heavily on shopping center owners seeking ways to differentiate themselves from any other shopping center in Anywheresville. As the economy continues its tumble, Tyler House will likely be just one of several pieces of Raleigh’s DNA that is lost.
The Civil Wars Coming to Duke
The Civil Wars
have inked a concert in Durham for October 20 at Duke’s Page Auditorium. The show is presented by the Cat’s Cradle, and
tickets are $22 and $25
.
Lowe To Assist for Jazz
Sports reporter Andrew Jones found an article yesterday from the Salt Lake Tribune reporting that Utah Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin will name former NCSU coach Sidney Lowe to his coaching staff . Lowe will join skills-centered assistants Scott Layden and Jeff Hornacek, and will be more of a X’s and O’s piece to the team. No word when the hire will become official, and his status in limbo may be protracted as the NBA still dickers over a new collective bargaining agreement.
While Lowe’s time as coach at NCSU did not satisfy fans’ production goals, there isn’t a soul in Wolfpack Country that doesn’t wish Lowe the best in his next endeavor.
UPDATE (Noon): The Utah Jazz made the official announcement this morning.
Bobcats/Heat Game Cancelled
Due to the ongoing lack of a labor agreement between NBA owners and players, the Bobcats vs. Heat game scheduled for October 19 at the RBC Center has been cancelled. This was the exchange game resulting from an agreement between the Hurricanes and Bobcats to play a home exhibition game in the other’s arena. The Hurricanes played their game in Charlotte, and Raleigh got the shaft. Hopefully the Bobcats will make this up next season.
The 66th NBA season is scheduled to begin on November 1, so the two parties have three-and-a-half weeks to reach an agreement. I wouldn’t sweat just yet, as cancellations of regular season games carry huge losses of television revenue, unlike the exhibition season games. We’ll see…
Twongo Deal Features Raleigh best Mexican
Today’s Twongo deal
features Raleigh’s best Mexican restaurant with the worst name,
Fonda y Birrieria Jalisco
. The deal is a $20 gift certificate for $11 (currently). This is a great deal as FBJ has the areas best birria as well as the best al pastor items. Located in the Wal-Mart parking lot off of Rock & Roll Blvd (New Hope Church Rd.), FBJ is not to be missed!
Oktoberfest Coming Saturday
This Saturday marks the first ever
Downtown Raleigh Oktoberfest
. The event runs from 4pm to 9pm and takes place at the corner of North Person and Pace Streets (near Pie Bird and Krispy Kreme) and features beer as well as German sausages and sides (from PieBird), Swabian style pretzels (Café Prost), and Klausie’s Pizza Truck. There will also be a bounce room for children and a “side area for them to run around”. The $5 wrist band for entry includes one beer ticket.
“High Speed” Rail Plan Put On “Life Support”
The “High Speed” rail plan pitched by President Obama a couple of years ago
was given $100 million of “life support funding”
by a Democrat-controlled Senate subcomittee last week. The funding came a day after the Senate’s transportation subcommittee omitted any funding for the “High Speed” rail plan altogether.
What is newsworthy here is the fact that the plan, which would bring a line through Raleigh requiring elevated segments and closure of some streets in downtown, is a lot further off than we thought. Just a year ago we were debating the merits of NC5, NC1, and the like. Now, however, these concepts, like so many, seem decades away, not years..
Raleigh planners have been busy deciding how to adapt development planning for the ensuing variants of high-occupancy rail transit, however it is clear that these operations cannot survive without massive amounts of federal funding; money that isn’t there and isn’t going to be there for a long, long time. Cyclists like Paul Farrell and John C. Dvorak have actually called for the Great Depression 2 hitting in 2012, rendering the winner of next year’s presidential election irrelevant. While it seems that an Obama re-election gives “high speed” rail a better chance at seeing the light of day any time in the moderate future, the stark reality is that Washington isn’t going to have money for new projects like this for a while. Infrastructure maintenance will trump new projects for a while even after the economy eventually turns around.
What this means to us as a region is that we probably need to do what we can as a region within fiscal means to mimic the actions of rail. Because a light rail system would rely on heavy federal funding, in the moderate future out focus should be on better integration of the Triangle’s bus services. A merger between Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary, and Triangle transit groups will not happen, for political reasons, however we can still meld these five systems to seemingly create a cohesive network that provides short, medium, and long distance travel in the region. For sure, these groups must come together and provide good shuttle networks to large sporting and music events in the region.
In lieu of “high speed” rail, we can still work on presenting a marketing effort focusing on the advantages of train over plane for short-distance trips. Free internet connectivity on board would be a start. Perhaps a more elite line of regional bus services that more closely resemble charter services than a bus-of-the damned could do well.
Great bus services sure isn’t as sexy as the dream of multilevel trains through downtown Raleigh. However the role of our government here is to provide reasonable means to move people, and we have those means.
Recent Stories
- North Carolina Loses The Great Teacher February 9, 2015
- City Lays Markings for Currituck Obstacle Course February 4, 2015
- History Making Heels and Wolfpack Prepare for Battle January 14, 2015
- 25 Predictions for 2015 January 5, 2015
- Raleigh’s 10 Biggest Stories of 2014 January 2, 2015
- 2014: The Rain Year January 2, 2015
- Tupelo Honey Sets New Casual Standard December 1, 2014
- 2013 Predictions. A Look Back November 18, 2014
- Wicked Taco Bringing Fresh-Mex to Western Blvd November 17, 2014
- DOT Unveils I-440 Widening Plans November 12, 2014
- County Power Shift Brings Major Changes to Raleigh’s Future November 5, 2014
- Jarrett Bay Store Coming to Crabtree September 25, 2014
- FirstWatch Coming to Glenwood Avenue September 9, 2014
- Big Shindig Releases Set Times September 5, 2014
- Appearance Commission to Review Residence Inn September 3, 2014
