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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
