Development News in Raleigh

The next installment of the city’s Planning Department’s Designing a 21st Century City lecture series will take place next Wednesday, September 20st.

Details on agenda and speakers are below the fold.

Wake County is one of the ten fastest growing counties in the nation, according to CNN Money, but can the recent supply boom of condos in downtown Raleigh be sustained?

Many of the condo projects in Raleigh still have several units left as buyers cannot differentiate the product.  Granite counters?  Check.  Maple cabinetry?  Check.  Rooftop pool?  Check.  Let’s face it, people are not jumping at each others throats to live in Downtown Raleigh.  But why would anyone chose to live somewhere else?

More below the fold…

In grade school all of the developer’s kids were the ones with that extra sense of privilege- it seems so obvious now that they got it from their parents.  Raleigh is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation; as it grows, you have to wonder how the developers who profit most from this growth, acquired their sense of privilege.  It seems they are justified in this because much of the city and county commissioners agree developers should get what they want at the expense of citizen’s dollars. You may have been following our discussion of John Kane’s plan to get every tax paying citizen in Raleigh to pay for his parking decks.  After all, it is the citizens that will be blessed with his forth coming onslaught of Starbucks (the existing North-Hills-mush includes 3) and pseudo urban pastiche.

More Below the Fold

Mayor Charles Meeker denied developer John Kane on thursday by sending a memo to city council opposing potential plans to provide the developer with $75 million in public financing for a planned project.

The mysterious Over the Top / Inside the Beltline blog has been such a wonderful resource for tracking the irresponsible construction occurring inside of old Raleigh.  The two authors seem to be writing under pseudonyms, Fallonia Parker and Irena Dorton,  inspired by local landmarks. Regardless of their identity- they are pointing toward both thoughtful and ignorant commentary on the subject of McMansion-biggie-sized development that is occurring at certain Raleigh addresses.

Recently they cited the share.triangle.com triangle ongoing ‘discussion’. 

Read the post below the fold