Moore Square to Be, Er, World Class Public Space

Bob Geary at The Citizen has the scoop on the City Council’s vote today in favor of having a public competition for the Moore Square design. Not only running out the homeless, but it looks likes they expect a “world class public space” to come out of the competition. Maybe this means the acorn will be gold-plated.

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Moore Square Lives

Public Competition to Redesign Moore Square

More on the Public Competition to Gentrify Moore Square. I Mean, Redesign.

CITY COUNCIL APPROVES PUBLIC COMPETITION TO REDESIGN MOORE SQUARE

The City of Raleigh will have an open public competition to redesign Moore Square into a world-class public space. The City Council voted unanimously today to approve the project.

The City plans to have an open call for design ideas, conduct a juried conceptual design competition to select the winning design, and develop and implement a master plan for Moore Square. Two objectives of the project are to create a world-class public space and urban experience for the 21st century and to engage broad public participation throughout the process and in the future.

The City hopes to approve a final design plan for Moore Square in early 2010, a master plan for the park by the summer 2010. The State of North Carolina, which owns Moore Square, will have to agree to the final design before construction could begin in 2011 or later, depending upon the economy.

Today, the City Council approved the first three phases of the six-phase project to redesign Moore Square — planning, strategy and start-up activities; open call for ideas and juried conceptual design competition.

An open call for ideas will kick off the public’s participation in the project, and is scheduled to be held from May to September. A series of three planning events will be held to solicit design ideas for Moore Square. Anyone will be able to submit design ideas, including residents, students at local schools and universities, neighboring landowners, park advocates and environmental groups. All ideas will be summarized, mounted and displayed in an exhibition in Downtown Raleigh. The juried conceptual design competition will start in September and include impaneling a jury to review design ideas. A ceremony will take place in early 2010 to announce the winner of the competition.

An interactive website is planned to be created to keep the public updated throughout the project. Mailings will be sent to update interested citizens who do not have Internet access.

TSnow2760404/21 07:29 PM

I think this is great news. Currently, in my opinion, Moore Square has an identity crisis. Is it a park where you stroll through on the paths? Is it a concert venue to be trampled every other Saturday? I think we can do better.

DPK04/21 08:58 PM

The square has identity issues, yes, but I think that’s always been part of what Moore Square is. It has the ability to cater to any event/function. Concerts, festivals, casual strolls, etc.

If they could get the homeless out of there and perhaps light it better so I don’t feel like I’m going to get mugged at night there, that’d be great.

RM04/22 10:31 AM

What if the homeless contributed to being a part of the solution?

News...from our Shoes04/22 12:05 PM

RM…News…from our Shoes advocates for the homeless and is being a part of the solution, but you amd all others must give us a chance to do this.

Being homeless is s omething that will not go away overnight…Admittedly,it was quick to get into it, but the uphil battle to get out of it, is muc more involved, but have just a little patience with us…we are still working on ourselves.

News...from our Shoes04/22 12:09 PM

To DPK,

So are you alledging that only the homeless are the ones who are muggers?, pan-handlers, etc?

If that is the case, WOW! It is time to take the blinders off.

The most recent event…the Craigslist Killer…was he homeless?

No!

He was from a middle class family, in school and doing well in life, but, then transformed into a killer…overnight.

The nursing home tragedy where 8 people were shot and killed….done by a homeless man…NO

That is where NFOS strives to advocate for the homeless to break and defy the negative stereotype that is associated with the homeless.

We may be homeless,but we are not guilty of everything!

Kurt04/22 03:02 PM

Central Park aspirations on a Mayberry budget.

News...from our Shoes04/22 03:08 PM

Kurt…even Central park did not get started on a Central Park budget

DPK04/22 03:39 PM

No, I am not saying all homeless are muggers. What the heck man. Those were completely two different statements that were connected together with a conjunction (and). One in regard to the homeless problem and another in regard to poor lighting making the area feel unsafe at night. Don’t twist my words.

Phillo04/22 07:01 PM

“What if the homeless contributed to being a part of the solution?”

Maybe if you gave them a dollar for a “chicken basket” first.

dd04/22 07:22 PM

I think you would be hard-pressed to come up with a solution in which the homeless contributing anything towards the good of the park….ok well maybe strapping them to rickshaws.

joe04/22 07:36 PM

The simple fact is the entire Moore Square area is underutilized for one ‘glaring reason’; the overabundance of homeless and low-income people who hang around the park. Like it or not, most folks don’t feel comfortable around people sleeping on benches, dropping cigarette butts and trash, and high on drugs, all over the park.

This is an economic development initiative plain and simple. The loitering has to go in order for the Moore Square area to see similar private development that other areas of downtown have already seen.

If we don’t move the soup kitchens, salvation army, etc from the East Side of Moore Square, the park will look the same today 10 years from now and we’ll be having the same discussion.

TSnow2760404/22 08:31 PM

Or we could actually do something to address mental illness among the most vulnerable in our community.

I’ll go back to my original post. Is this a park where you admire natural beauty or is this a concert venue? I don’t think being both works because everything gets trampled during Downtown Live concerts. We end up with large eroding dirt patches. I would like to see the proposed downtown amphitheater actually be built and then we could have our green oasis as well.

Drew04/23 05:54 AM

News…from our shoes,

Because suburban white dudes kill people, that means what? They also are mugging everybody?

You’re comparing two different things. And I’m pretty sure there is no stereotype of the homeless serial killer. Suburban white guy on the other hand…

Ken Metzger04/23 07:51 AM

Here’s another idea: Instead of redesigning the existing park, we could actually create another one. No hotel on Hillsborough? What a great opportunity for some much needed green space. Empire cannot come through with the Lafayette? Awesome, a nice open field would be a great end to Fayetteville Street. Running out of money for Blount Street? What an excellent place for a park. We’ll never get the park back where the Governor’s mansion is, but there are two giant parking lots next door. Guess what I think would be a great use for one of those? Why do we need to “fix” a perfectly good park? So much more of downtown could use the help, and there is a real lack of green space downtown.

Michael Watkins04/23 08:36 AM

Drew…I did not post here for a mudsling and I will not allow you or anyone here to take me there. The point of this post is to discuss Moore Square Park and its future…if we can’t do this in a civilized manner, there is no need for us to go back and forth.

We can be adult and agree to disagree; which we do and that is perfectly fine, but one of us has to be adult about this and I am…so can we just cll a truce…?

Moore Square is a great park that shoud not be redeveloped. It too has a history worth saving and it should be cherished and homored as a part of the history of downtown Raleigh; which hosts such great events as Artsplosure, Downtown Raleigh Live and Friday Night Movies…it could be redesigned, but should not be redeveloped..for preservations sake.

It should be

WiseOne04/23 09:56 AM

Whoever said ‘loitering’ above has hit the nail on the head. Who cares who is who, quit judging people and enforce the (no loitering) laws. We have more cops in Raleigh than class and they should just do there job. And we wonder why Nash square is the Dr. Jekyll of the two…because the RPD HQ. Not trying to sling (too much) mud, but it seems like a valid component to a solution.

arthurb304/23 02:28 PM

In any event, you do not want Moores Square to become like Harget square. Its nice that there are all kinds of folks there not just one economic-social group. It would be boring if it was all white upper middle class yuppies drinking there PBRs and Stouts!

Brian B.04/23 04:14 PM

Wiseone, I am unaware of the loitering laws you speak of is it a law or a city ordinance. Even if such a law exists, I would strongly disagree with its enforcement. What if you had the day off and wanted to read Tolstoy on a park bench? You too would be loitering, such laws are vague and lead to discriminatory enforcement. But, panhandling and open container laws should be enforced.

Ultimately the only way to get fewer homeless in that park is to move the social org’s that are accross the street. The economy will fix that, clearly the highest and best use for that land in the future is not a soup kitchen. Of course if the economy doesn’t turn around our real worries will be whether there is an open cot at the mission and what the soup of the day is…..

But ultimately I agree with the wisdom of Ken Metzgar. More green is the way to go.

WiseOne04/23 06:02 PM

Grow up…loitering is easily definable. Reading a book is obvious.

Brian B.04/23 08:46 PM

WiseOne

If the homeless carry a newspaper would they then not be loitering?

If it is so easily definable please provide us with your definition.

States and Cities have struggled to enforce such laws because they are by their nature unconstitutionally vague and infringe on 1st Amendment rights.

WiseOne04/24 09:31 AM

First off, I enjoy polemics and I am not trying to offend anyone. Secondly, loitering is being somewhere with no obvious reason (Merriam-Webster.) The state (has laws that)gives the right to municipalities to enact ordinances that restrict the public’s access to public property. Even looking in Raleigh’s nascent municipal code, you’re probably correct, there is no definition of loitering. But I would believe there is the term loitering used to define what someone cannot do. (I do know from personal experience that you will get busted for camping/sleeping overnight in a city park.) This kind of public discussion/research is working toward a better Moore Square. Anyways, I guess the bigger issue for me that we choose an architectural solution for a social problem. This to me is way more costly and less effective. It stinks of redlining. And finally, I assuming you are talking about the ‘freedom of assembly’ part of our 1st Amendment. I’m not on the Supreme court or anything so telling someone to move it off the bench is a violation of this? Thanks for the reply, and I now propose we get a beverage, get a bench at Moore Square, get a smile on our faces and ask ourselves…What is homeless?

Drew04/24 10:47 AM

WiseOne,

It’s not really so much a 1st amendment issue, as it is a due process issue, 14th amendment. The very nature of a loitering law gives rise to discriminatory application.

For example, if two business men are standing around with no apparent purpose and two homeless people are standing around with no apparent purpose, which set will get arrested for loitering?

And the Supreme Court has found it to be unconstitutional. Look up Chicago v Morales.

WiseOne04/24 11:51 AM

Now can we apply this legal logic to the redesign project. Let’s see…if a more dressy design proposal wins out over a less dressy proposal we can possibly say it was because of discriminatory application…and therefor not legal. Now, I’m confused. Hey, I’m with you all the way…we’re not in the business of screwing people over (homeless), but who is really getting screwed if we spend millions of $ and the problem still exist. All right that’s about enough for me…thanks for discuss, i’m not use to typing some much and i’ll let some else have a turn.

JeffS04/25 10:05 PM

What exactly is a world class public space? Can someone point me to a “world class” anything in Raleigh?

I will try to keep an open mind until I see the plans, but I’m having a hard time imagining what could possibly be done to make better use of that space at the moment. It serves a purpose at the moment.

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Jedidiah Tuesday, April 21, 2009