News
Dos Taquitos Opens Downtown Location
David and I had a chance on Friday to pop in for a preview lunch at the newest, and soon to be trendiest, lunch spot in downtown Raleigh: Dos Taquitos Centro Click for photos, more detail and the lunch menu.
Raleigh’s Art on the Move: Fitzgerald, City Artists Grace Buses
Last night Meeker presented the the new “Art-on-the-Move” campaign. Twelve artists where chosen based on applications submitted earlier this summer. The campaign features some great Raleigh artists like Patrick Fitzgerald and Timothy Postell. Click the thumb below to start our slide show of the 12 artists, and see the City’s website for more information. Click the image below for a slideshow
Leukemia and Lymphoma Benefit Concert at Slim’s
Slim’s Downtown Distillery will hold a concert benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society this Sunday, Sept. 23 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Local bands including The Motion, Dakota Darling, Silver and Man in the Shower are schedule to play at the event. More…
Call in Sick: Spark Con is Synergy, Your Creative Agenda?
Things started off with a bang tonight at Spark Con. The 2nd annual event ramped up at 7:00 pm to a modest but engaged crowd. The opening of the event, the speaking events and the workshop portions are being held at the appropriate and funky new Vintage 21 space (in part of the old Jillians). Lead organizer, Aly Kahlifa, humbly presented the event as something that was, for the people by the people, and noted the diversity of creative genres participating in the overall event. Dan Dougla’s Keynote and My plan for getting you Downtown Today Below the Fold
2007 AIA North Carolina Design Awards
In a clean sweep across the board, Triangle-based architects took all ten design awards at this year’s AIA North Carolina Annual Design Conference, held in New Bern last week. The Triangle chapter of AIA-NC is only one of seven that comprise the whole. Clearscapes, the design architect of Raleigh’s new convention center, received the coveted AIA North Carolina Firm Award for this year. Images and details of the state’s highest recognition for architectural design… Below the fold.
LWV and WakeUp’s Candidate Forum
UPDATED WITH VIDEO BELOW THE FOLD Thanks to the League of Women Voters and WakeUp who put on the candidate forum last night. About 100 people showed up at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, mostly an audience of senior citizens but with sprinklings of other age groups. Thomas Craven, Nancy McFarlane, Questions were asked in turn to each district with the at-large candidates being split into two groups. Paul Anderson, Will Best, and Russ Stephenson were in one group and Helen Tart, David Williams and Mary Ann Baldwin were in another. The first set of moderator questions as well as the candidate’s initial introductions focused around Impact fees. Most of the candidates said they did support them while Craven, Menendez, and Williams did not. Taliaferro, an incumbent who claimed to have whole heartedly supported them is largely considered to only support them in a capacity enough to pacify her constituents. As our reader Ann describes below the fold.
Raleigh’s “No Hand King”- Rodney Hines
Rodney Hines is a special asset of the city. RDUWTF did a great profile of the man a few weeks ago. Today Jedidiah passed me a link to this video and we wanted to share it.
Two Artspace Residencies Available
Two important deadlines are coming up at Artspace in downtown. One for the Emerging Artist Residency (NC only) and the other for the Established Artist Residency Program (national). Both applications are due OCTOBER 2, 2007. Read Full Information On Both Here.
Canvassing for Russ & Rodger in Wakefield
A local grassroots effort prior to the election: If you haven’t heard, Mary Ann Baldwin recently had a fundraiser hosted by Elizabeth Dole’s Treasurer (Brent Barringer). Folks, he raises money to defeat Democrats. He’s supporting Mary Ann Baldwin because she is bought and paid for by the real estate and development industries. Unfortunately, the other main Dem candidate, Paul Anderson, was also listed on the invitation. The stakes are high. We need 25% of the vote on Oct. 9th to avoid a runoff. Full Letter Below
Public Policy Polling says the Council Races are Close
In anticipation of tonight’s candidate forum, the Public Policy Polling Blog has released the results of a recent survey of almost 900 Raleigh voters. You can read the full report here: PDF Report and PPP’s take on things here. PPP Blog’s details are telling: At-Large First Choice, Second Choice (Vote for 2) Stephenson: 20, 7% Baldwin: 16, 10% Anderson: 12, 6% Williams: 3, 2% Tart: 2, 3% Best: 2, 2% Undecided: 46, 69% Russ Stephenson and Mary Ann Baldwin have a clear lead for the two at-large seats on the city council, with Paul Anderson a clear third. However, neither is anywhere close to the 25% needed to avoid a run-off. If everyone voted for two candidates as they are allowed, Stephenson and Baldwin would currently have the support of 13.5% and 13% of the votes respectively. A whopping 57.5% of the vote is still up for grabs. Much More Below The Old New Raleigh Fold
Follow Up: Zoning Hearing
How many egoists does it take to prove they are unconcerned with the destruction of Raleigh’s aesthetic and environmental integrity? Just one… but three can really screw it in. Rallied by undeserved applause, unifying t-shirts and the very audible comment of “she’s a socialist,” the re-zoning opposition group banded together to show their true colors—a zoning opposition based solely on the individual property owners’ right to as large a fiscal return on their property as possible. This large fiscal return would come from selling or renting of a property (hopefully NOT zoned R-4 in their opinion) as multi-unit dwellings or to have another behemoth mansion playing king-of-the-hill. More below the fold…
City Council Election Focus: David Williams
When I sat down with David Williams, candidate for Raleigh City Council At-Large, he told me he was running with “enthusiasm and fire in his belly.” In our conversation he stood by those words and explained what ideas he would bring to the city council.
Public Realm and Walkable Cities Lecture
Need answers to these questions? What does it mean to be pedestrian friendly? Why is pedestrian friendly important? What characterizes a pedestrian-friendly city? How do we create a pedestrian-friendly city? What is the connection between design, development, and sustainability? This week you may get them! As part of the Raleigh Department of City Planning’s Designing a 21st Century City Lecture Series, Adrienne Schmitz, Director, Residential Community Development, Urban Land Institute , and author of various books including Creating Walkable Places with Walter Kulash, P.E., Principal and Senior Traffic Engineer for Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin, of Orlando, Fla. will speak about The Public Realm and How to Create Pedestrian-Friendly Cities this Thursday September 20, 2007 at Kennedy Theatre in The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. More Lecture Info Below the Fold
Run Raleigh Run
I ran the Raleigh marathon when it debuted in 2000. Okay, I ran a portion of the marathon by being part of a five person relay. I ran five of the 26.2 miles, which at the time, was the most mileage I had ever run in a race. I was nervous as heck but also extremely excited. It was COLD. I believe it was in the 30s that day. It wasn’t a pretty day but it was the first marathon that Raleigh ever held, so it didn’t really matter. Excitement was in the air. More below the fold.
Hillsborough and Morgan Street Roundabout Design Meets Public Criticism
A skeptical audience voiced their critique of the Hillsborough and Morgan St. roundabout designs at the public hearing on August 15th. If the concerns raised were any indicator of the public’s view as a whole, then the designers will need to re-evaluate their concepts if they want their plan to meet the approval of the citizens… much less be approved by city council. While some positive comments were made there were many criticisms of the designs. Before showing the feedback, I am first listing the goals and design elements of the initial plans as presented by the project engineer and consultant project manager. Animation of the traffic design below the fold
Lulu.com Relocating Headquarters to “Yellow Bulldozer” Building on Hillsborough Street
I received a tip this morning that Lulu.com may be relocating their headquarters to the “Yellow Bulldozer” site. Earlier this year the company’s founder, Bob Young, purchased the site. While Young’s original plans have continued to evolve, it looks at this point that he is considering moving the headquarters there, a scenario that was originally ruled out. If things go as planned the site would be redeveloped to meet Lulu.com’s needs and become the new North American headquarters for the company. That part of Hillsborough Street is very much a college area. Up until recently Google kept a Satellite office on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. This kind of strategic locating of offices allows company’s to build brand awareness and encourage local recruiting. It is assured that Lulu and NCSU graduates would benefit from this location. With Lulu acting as one of the few public facing, Web 2.0 style companies here in the Triangle, Raleigh’s downtown would benefit immensely from its presence. The number of startups in the area is only rivaled by silicon valley. Increasing the profile of the Web startups locally can only help enhance our image and encourage more of the “creative class” to move here rather than away.
Fallon Park, Five Points Rezoning Public Hearing
As the teardown issue continues to steamroll across the public eye via blogs, articles and community groups a critical juncture is forthcoming. The public hearing for the possible rezoning of the Fallon Park and Five Points area is tomorrow, the 18th at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber of the Avery Upchurch Municipal Building. More below the fold.
Tommorow is the Last Day to Register to Vote
Don’t forget that you have to have your registration postmarked by tomorrow in order to be eligible to vote in next months elections. It’s going to be a big one folks, and if you have any interest in the future of our city - do your part! Chad’s excellent guide can be found here: Register to Vote in Wake County.
City Council Election Focus: Will Best
I sat down with the only Independent running in the at-large race, Will Best, at the Raleigh Times and discussed what the two biggest things he hopes to bring to the City Council: youth and fresh ideas.
Follow Up: Raleigh Condo Market
From Housing Bust, Credit Crunch Hurt Jobs by Jeannine Aversa, AP [Monday September 10, 2007]“The first significant crack in the economy’s foundation appeared when a government report last week showed employers cut jobs for the first time in four years. But what’s going to happen next?... Q: What happened with housing? A: After a heady five-year boom, the housing market went bust more than a year ago. Sales cooled and so did home prices. The housing slump—the worst in roughly 16 years—has been the biggest weight on the national economy.” Since mid-2005, there has been much speculation of a nationwide real estate bubble, particularly in the residential housing market. Of course, each part of the country, and each city for that matter, has its own unique set of demographics, growth patterns and economic circumstances which factor differently into various financial ratios and economic indicators that help economists forecast numbers and trends in housing markets. For instance, median home sale prices in Raleigh rose a whopping 8.3% in the second quarter of this year, earning Raleigh the status of one of the Best US Housing Markets. More forecast and analysis below the fold.
