Raleigh 2008 Resolutions:  Part 1

To Make Our City Better

The year 2007 is in the back of the mind and it is time to look forward to another year under Raleigh’s bluest of blue skies.  Raleigh had a good year in 2007 with lots of improvement on various fronts.  But to be a progressive 21st century city, it is the job of Raleigh and its citizens to push forward constantly.  Each new year attempts to bring fresh, although sometimes recycled, resolutions which outline things that need to be improved, performed, or simply discussed within that year.  Assembled are 8 resolutions that could push Raleigh into a higher class of 21st century cities in the year 2008.  Presented here, the first four:

1.  Improve Public Transportation

Waiting for a bus in Raleigh is about as painful as standing in the TKTS line in Times Square hoping for cheap tickets to The Producers.  Both happen very rarely and when they do your fingers are either numb or you are sitting behind a column with a cramped view.  Many TTA buses stop at designated benches or signs once, maybe twice, an hour if you are lucky.  Also when waiting for a bus there may be a bench to sit on, but don’t expect cover and protection from rain or extreme temperatures.  Many times there is simply an incognito sign stating that the bus stops somewhere near it.  There have been a couple of design competitions and proposals for bus shelters to be implemented throughout the city, but none have seen production.  Maybe 2008 will be the year of the bus shelter in Raleigh.

Also, 2008 could be the year Raleigh realizes that the TTA train wasn’t too bad of an idea and bring it back to the discussion table.  The feasibility study for the “Proposed Central Transportation Hub” could come back positive and unite the train, buses, and any other public transportation available at that time under one roof.  This could be a good thing for Raleigh to look at, especially if its downtown population continues to grow as it is daily.  In contrast, we are willing to spend $1 Billion on a new turnpike for a bunch of automobiles with one passenger, but had little interest in building a public transportation train that would cost a bit less and carry more people per exhaust.

Bike lanes are not a must for downtown, but while on the topic, biking should be discussed as an alternative and city supported method of transportation in the area.  Bike lanes could act as a “share the road” initiative and increase drivers’ awareness of those without airbags hustling along between the car and the curb.  Consideration in future planning wouldn’t hurt the transportation community. 

Improving public transportation in the city will likely have residents checking off another new year’s resolution, losing weight.

2.  Increase Density and Improve Downtown Living

Raleigh, as a whole, needs more density.  Sprawl was an evil of the 20th century that left many downtowns in America deserted and almost entirely vacant of life (see Fayetteville Street Mall).  The past 10 years has seen a correction of this depletion with what many have termed “urban renewal.”  Money has been pouring into central business districts across the country and “urban life” is now seen as a desired amenity of 21st century living. 

That said, Raleigh has finally grasped a hold on this desire in the past couple of years.  Condo buildings are sprouting up throughout the downtown grid and restaurants are quickly following to accommodate the nightlife and hunger of these new residents.  This trend must continue.  Downtown needs more residents and more businesses.  There are various ways to add more in each of these categories, but the most important aspect when speaking about addition to the grid is density.  One could walk down any street in downtown and easily notice the large amount of empty storefronts that still plague the area.  Many of these could be saved and restored.  Although the addition of new condo buildings with retail on the first floor is a great addition to the density of downtown (replacing desolate parking lots), more importantly is the idea of infill and rehabilitation of the existing structures that carry with them a large part of Raleigh’s history. 

There have been a couple of development forces that have been key in the past to this continuation of Raleigh’s urban history.  Both Greg Hatem’s Empire Properties and Clearscapes (a multi-disciplinary design firm) have been involved in rehabilitating downtown buildings including The Raleigh Times, The Montague Building, The Heilig-Levine and adjacent buildings, and Artspace.  Each of these projects had history attached to them that was retained with the renovation of the building.  New uses were attached to the buildings, allowing the lifespan of each to extend at least fifty more years.  More of this must occur to connect Raleigh’s history with its future and for Raleigh to realize the importance of rehabilitation’s parallel with sustainability. 

On the opposite end of the development spectrum are tear downs (both urban and suburban).  It is inevitable that some buildings need to be demolished, but there should be a conscious debate about the pros and cons of demolishing an existing building.  Materials are wasted, unless they are recycled, and sidewalks have to be detoured, creating a less linear urban walking experience.  Try walking through the west side of downtown, every other block has a sidewalk that has been torn apart and the newly constructed path either puts the walker in the path of traffic or diverts them to a less pleasurable path to travel on.  Many of the previously mentioned condo buildings in downtown have followed this path rather than infill or rehab.  Two examples of buildings that should set a precedent for future residential construction in downtown are the Palladium Plaza Condos on Blount Street and The Hudson on Fayetteville Street.  Both have integrated tight sites, existing infrastructure, and future retail on the bottom floor in their designs.  Also, the RBC tower is set to open in the fall.  Although the scale is slightly disproportionate to the adjacent buildings, it does address density in a historical way, by building up and having a public retail on the first floor.  Future discussion, in 2008 and beyond, about urban density should use these condo buildings and rehab projects as precedents of smart and responsible “urban renewal.”

3.  Support Local Music Scene

We reported last week on Hideaway BBQ’s closing, one of at least three music venues that downtown Raleigh lost this past year.  Live music in 2008 doesn’t seem as bright in the area.  There are rumors of King’s Barcade simply replacing another music venue which randomly books shows and has been back and forth between open and closed over the past few years.  A couple of other bars and restaurants have taken the lead in continuing the music scene in Raleigh including Slim’s Downtown Distillery and Tir Na Nog.  Both venues are hosting shows that would have previously been at Kings or Bickett.  These two venues, along with The Pour House and Lincoln Theater, can’t continue to carry the wait unless there is support from local citizens and ventures.  There is also hope that Berkeley Cafe will step into the gap left by the loss of Hideaway, which will help the warehouse district which is in dire need for live music.

photo by Karen Mann

Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill sporadically sponsors shows in Raleigh, but keeps most of the big names for itself.  Raleigh has a large number of local bands and a desire for a thriving music scene.  Local college radio station WKNC has started sponsoring the shows at Tir Na Nog once a week with only local bands playing.  This was a great sign after King’s closed and it has continued to be successful.  Maybe the larger question is why do venues continue to fail?  Is it management?  Is it not enough support from local residents?  It can’t be the lack of musicians willing to play for little money because they are everywhere in our city.  Lincoln stays open via the vast number of retro cover bands that seem to support their cause.  This allows them to periodically book shows with some clout.  We need more of this trade off. 

While supporting the local bands is definitely key, bringing in well known bands is also another way of creating a spark in the scene.  I have tickets to three shows in the next week, all of which are in Chapel Hill and are all bands that appear on Pitchfork’s front page at least once a month.  The summer concert series on Moore Square attempts this, but the big names are mostly from the 90s and the concerts become a chance for Bud Light to plaque their logo anywhere around the gorgeous oaks between The Salvation Army and The Bus Station.  Koka Booth and Walnut Creek grab the Billboard Top 40 shows, as they are the only venues that hold more than 500 people in town but are both at least 10 miles from the city’s center.  Maybe the reemerging talk about a downtown outdoor pavilion could bring larger bands and revenue in the area.

Raleigh has the rock ‘n roll, now it needs to be heard.

4.  Conserve Water

As if this wasn’t already a pressing issue in 2007, Raleigh’s citizens must continue to conserve water in 2008.  There are multiple ways to save water that will allow Raleigh to move through this year comfortably. 

Without water, the downtown boom may implode.  How exactly are they going to fill that pool on the 10th floor of the RBC tower in September if our water restrictions do not allow the filling of any pool.  Whether we believe that it is global warming or just reoccurring weather patterns that have caused the water shortage in the past two years in Raleigh, the result is evident.  Some say that future wars will not be over oil, but water.  This could be the case and if so, Raleigh doesn’t want to be ground zero of desperation.  New Raleigh has, in previous articles linked below, outlined how you can help the city conserve water in the new year.  This discussion must continue into 2008.

How You Can Help Conserve Water

The Real Top 10 Ways to Conserve Raleigh’s Water

 

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