Downtown Raleigh West Gateway, Multimodal Transportation Center In Trouble

click image to begin slideshow

For more than twelve years, the City of Raleigh has collaborated with multiple organizations on the planning of a new Multimodal Transportation Center (MTC) that will serve as the transit hub for the entire Triangle region. This project will catalyze intense urban development surrounding the MTC, and generate unprecedented economic development for downtown Raleigh. The city’s plans for this area are now in jeopardy.

Progress Energy has been looking for a site to put a new substation to serve downtown Raleigh for some time. They had previously studied the site of the proposed Metropolitan residential project, but a legal dispute along with a financial disagreement prevented the sale of that property. In recent weeks, Progress Energy has been negotiating to purchase 5.5 acres, currently owned by PSNC Energy, immediately adjacent to the proposed MTC and Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) stations. Sources report that they are close to closing a deal on that property.

The site falls directly in the center of the West Gateway plan. If Progress Energy builds an electrical substation on this property, it could prevent a significant amount of development, as well as connections between Glenwood South, Dix property, Saunders North redevelopment, and a new artery into downtown from the south and west. According to the City of Raleigh’s Comprehensive Plan, this area is projected as “transit oriented, higher intensity development occurring as regional transit facilities come on line during the next several years.“ Specifically, the Comprehensive Plan calls for residential, office, and retail developments anywhere from 2 to 7 stories tall.

Progress Energy has an unique opportunity to act as a steward for the City and development projects in that area. There is also an opportunity for the City to step in and purchase the property on their own, perhaps with the TTA, to construct a greenway in the future and turn a portion over to a private developer. A significant remediation of the site was recently completed and the area is ready for such a project. We need to step in immediately to convince them that such an idea is a viable alternative to a substation and that their facility would be better located further down the road, perhaps along the Wilmington/Saunders corridor closer to highway 40. It would be worth the added cost, especially given the importance of this potential link between the new multimodal station and and future projects at Dix.

The current plans for the Saunders redevelopment may be rendered impractical if plans for a substation are executed.

Progress Energy can serve the citizens of the Triangle by adhering to the city’s Comprehensive Plan, and becoming a central figure in the development of the region’s new center of activity. The City of Raleigh needs to shape the future development of this area by being proactive and involved in this urgent issue. We need strong leadership from our politicians in order to create a successful hub of transit for the Triangle.

This potential purchase of this site has been kept from public. Please contact local representatives and business leaders to express your concerns.

Marty Clayton
Public Affairs at Progress Energy

919.878.5300

Angie Townsend
Public Affairs at PSNC

919.836.2321

Mayor Charles Meeker

919.890.3050

Mitchell Silver
City of Raleigh Planning Director

919.516.2626

Councilman Thomas Crowder

Steve W08/27 04:37 PM

That’s really scary. It sounds like it would be an incredible missed opportunity.

DPK08/27 05:04 PM

“For more than twelve years, the City of Raleigh has collaborated”

Well there’s your problem. I understand both sides point of view, but if the city is going to drag things out forever with the MTC then is everyone supposed to wait on development?

Don’t get me wrong, I want to see that area thrive into a multi-modal transportation meca, but at the same time “Progress” needs more power and they’re moving to deliver it.

I’d hope they see the value of the property they are trying to purchase and not put a substation there.

Betsy08/27 06:40 PM

Oh, fabulous! Another foot on our neck, in the form of a hulking, windowless, activity-proof, equipment storage fortress, right on top of one of the most promising parcels of real estate in the whole state.
* Very nice piece, Mark and Chad, and the graphics are beautifully presented.
* I hope your readers will scroll through all the images before closing the slideshow—since the plan diagrams really show how this location is right in th heart of the mixed-use district, and obviously crucial to its success.

Tom08/27 06:47 PM

Progress needs to find another location. This transportation issue is becoming a joke, now they want to put an ugly hub in the middle of downtown (like that pathetic AT&T;building)!

Wow, Raleigh get off your (^&%^*( butts!

Jeff S08/27 09:49 PM

I feel like you guys are trying to punk me or something…

It’s barren. It’s been barren for decades. Any serious hopes for that area collapsed with the failed light rail proposal.

A motivated developer could have rebuilt that entire corner of town in half the time that the city has done… I’m not sure what. Of course, that’s assuming the Boylan Heights people wouldn’t oppose any and every new construction - and entirely unrealistic goal.

Don’t get me wrong, I would hate to see this land become a substation, but I’m not prepared to fault Progress for trying to run their business. I mean, is everyone supposed to just put everything on hold while we wait to see if the city is actually going to follow through on something? Theoretical multimodal center aside, this is probably the most appropriate land in downtown - other than possibly Bain, but I’m sure people would object to that building being torn down.

But, for all I know, a substation would be just as effective a mile or two south off of 70.

Richard Johnson08/27 11:02 PM

Mark and Chad: this is an excellent synopsis of the situation. I am a developer with a plan currently in permitting for a tract adjacent to this one. Some notes:
1. The substation would negatively impact (and may stop) our $12 Million adjacent development.
2. The Multi Modal Transit Center has just been revised by the city. Our taxes are paying for a study specifically targeting was to get developers interested in pursuing the properties adjacent to the transit site, and the airspace above it. The substation will negatively impact the chances of making this 100million plus investment in the area happen.
3. I know of at least 3 other developers with land in the area who have plans to develop, but have been waiting for the city to follow through with some of its as yet unrealized re-development plans specified in the western gateway plan. The substation could push all of these plans towards industrial and warehouse uses instead of the presently envisioned mix use and retail plans.
4. They call it a “gateway” plan because it is a critical gateway leading to the new zillion dollar convention center only 3 blocks down the road.
5. This section of West Cabarrus St has just been designated as one of the new “Green Streets of Raleigh”
6. This area was specifically designated as “blighted” to give the city eminent domain rights just to avoid this kind of thing.

Betsy08/28 01:23 AM

Jeff S—The point of a small-area or neighborhood plan is that as each parcel develops over time, it will be done in conformity with a coherent overall strategy. This means that over a decade or more of incremental change, the entire district as a whole will be a coherent place, and more than a random accumulation of stuff.
* It is not uncommon for a 10 or 15 year interval to pass before the plan vision is realized, as all parcels are not built at once, but come forward on the market at different times and under different ownership or management. This is NORMAL in city planning, especially in infill locations.
*
This is very different from what happens when a planned development occurs under one major landowner, so if you’re thinking that the transit hub would pop up in a year or two like North Hills or Wakefield.

Also, under Mayor Paul Coble, nothing good happened to any downtown place, so that explains a lot of the delay. It was only last year that City Council finally got a decent coalition together on stuff like this, so, no big surprise in your observation that the place has been “barren for decades.“

Richard Johnson08/28 02:05 AM

Great comment Betsy. Things do move slowly in the development world, which is why it is so critical that something like this is not allowed to knock the wind right out of the redevelopment momentum that has been slowly nurtured by the city and community since 2001.

Steve W08/28 02:19 AM

This deal is still in the “idea” stage, and I am hopeful that Progress Energy will do the right thing.

Barden08/28 10:41 AM

Don’t forget our two at-large councilmembers…Stephenson and Baldwin.

cabarrus08/28 11:29 AM

As much as I oppose such a facility downtown, there is actually an opportunity here to create an artful installation/screening device (ala the new shimmer wall) along the tracks, aka the Gateway. This could even be done in conjunction with a greenway and/or park, etc.

Jeff S08/28 11:36 AM

Is there no way for the city to block such a facility to maintain their plan?

(assuming they wanted to)

Robert E Leebowitz08/28 01:14 PM

In all fairness, Progress should put that substation immediately adjacent to the site of the Metropolitan.

JT08/29 11:01 AM

Mark/Chad

Keep us posted on this one. The DOC/Central Prison caught us napping. Let’s not let it happen again. The City’s Comprehensive Plan was drafted and approved to protect us from such an assault. We cannot allow a utility to retard the positive redevelopment that is occurring in this area. The City needs this area to acheive the vision defined in the small area plan.

Steve W08/29 05:22 PM

I got the following reply from Angie Townsend at PSNC, who said I could share it here:

***

Thank you for sharing your concerns with PSNC Energy.

Our company has been part of downtown Raleigh’s landscape since the early 1940s, but because of our need for more space, we are exploring the possibility of relocating our South Raleigh Operations Center, which is located at 600 West Cabarrus Street.

Over the past few years, several parties have shown interest in our Cabarrus Street property, including Progress Energy. However, at this time PSNC Energy has not signed a sales contract with anyone nor have we made any type of verbal agreement regarding the potential sale of this property.

I hope this information is helpful. Again, your comments are appreciated.

ctctct08/30 05:26 PM

Doesn’t the PSNC site have a long-standing ground pollution problem?

Aaron08/30 07:15 PM

This is serious BS.

Can’t “Progress” Energy and PSNC find another parcel of land in Raleigh that’s not surrounded by future multi-million dollar development??? Oh and ctctct, wouldn’t you just love to have a Superfund cleanup site in the heart of the Triangle, as well as the missed opportunity to have a regional railway corridor?

cabarrus08/31 05:59 PM

ctctct..

they’ve actually just wrapped up the final phase of an extensive environmental remediation of the site that began in 2001. The site is now clean and officially on the market, available for sale and private development.

Aaron08/31 07:58 PM

I think he/she was referring to the company as a whole.

poshnoshcatering09/01 05:20 PM

I will not be voting for anyone not outspokenly against the Progress plan.In fact, I will not be voting for any politician not outspokenly in favor of the Transit plan. I mean, I will not vote for them ever, again. Didn’t the state already procure thousands of federal dollars for this light rail system? Hasn’t the city already spent thousands of tax dollars putting this plan in motion? Where did all that money go? Didn’t rights to CSX lines againt I-40 get paid for? The transportation issue in the triangle is too important for the next round of politicians to ignore, and if they do, they won’t get my vote, EVER!

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Mark, Chad Wednesday, August 27, 2008