Raleigh Downtown Living Advocates

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Old Raleigh Water Tower is FOR SALE

August 23, 2010 /

Walking home to Glenwood South from Fayetteville Street, my wife and I have often been drawn to the unique, historic building at 115 W Morgan Street, which served for many years as Raleigh’s primary water source. Made of stone and brick and built in 1887, it’s on the market for the first time since 1938, when it was converted into architectural offices, later becoming the AIA state headquarters.  

At $685k, it seems like an amazing opportunity for living, working or even entertainment/dining space.  We can just imagine eating outside by candle light in the little private outdoor courtyard nestled amidst the crepe myrtles.  

A little history . . .

As an historic structure, the Raleigh Water Tower holds double significance. Its construction signaled the dawn of local municipal water service.  Half a century later, its renovation became one of Raleigh’s first examples of adaptive reuse. The stone and brick structure was erected in 1887.  

Prior to the tower’s construction, water in the city was primarily drawn from private wells and cisterns. Concern for water quality in the 1880s led to the decision to develop a municipal system.  A private company was contracted to draw water from Walnut Creek immediately south of the city. There, water was conveyed from a dam by pipes to a nearby pump house.  Steam pumps forced the water through sand filters and either into a large reservoir on site or through pipes to the water tower downtown. The tower’s upland location and 85-foot height assured constant pressure for subscribers. Originally, its octagonal tower supported a 100,000 gallon water tank.  An attached two-story building facing Morgan Street housed offices, while a stand-alone building to the rear contained a maintenance shop.

Historic view of Raleigh Water TowerBy the early 1900s the system was supplying the entire city. A subsequent burst of residential growth, however, stressed capacity. The city acquired the operation in 1913, and soon thereafter created a larger impoundment upstream, removing the 1887 dam. The downtown water tower was abandoned in 1924, its tank removed and a larger metal tower erected further west. The city long considered demolishing the earlier structure, but in 1938 sold the property to Raleigh architect William Henley Deitrick. Deitrick, who chose to convert the aging tower into his architectural offices.  Renovations included removing the nine 12×12 inch heart pine columns which once supported the tank, and creating four interior floors.  In 1963, Deitrick deeded the water tower to the North Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which undertook a significant renovation of the site in the 1990s, continued to maintain the property as its state headquarters.


Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week: Time to Dine

August 6, 2010 /

As the sweltering summer heat continues to linger, finding the motivation to venture out unless it involves an exciting vacation or event isn’t necessarily easy. If life has you tied to the day to day routine in Raleigh with no vacation in sight, then perhaps downtown’s second annual summer restaurant week beginning Monday, August 23 through Sunday, August 29 will add a little spice to your agenda.

More than 25 of downtown’s most popular restaurants are cultivating creative three-course prix fixe menus priced at $20 and $30 (excluding beverages, taxes, and tip) for the special seven-day food fest.

Satisfy your appetite with Spanish cuisine one evening at Tasca Brava, make it Italian the next night at 518 West or La Volta, head over to Jibarra for some Mexican flair, and eat like a Cajun king at The Big Easy later in the week.  The choice is yours, and there are many more worldly flavors from which to sample.

Downtown Lebanese favorite, Sitti ($20 & $30 prix fixe) is involved, as is global street food-inspired Buku ($30 prix fixe).  Asian cuisine is also on the list from Five Star ($20 prix fixe), The Duck and Dumpling ($20 & $30 prix fixe) and Sono.  American Continental fare from stalwart downtown spots 18 Seaboard ($20 prix fixe) and Poole’s Diner ($30 prix fixe) are also in the mix.  

Visit HelloRaleigh.com for the rest of the story.

Public Hearing on Monday: The DLA Position on High Speed Train Pathways into Downtown Raleigh

July 24, 2010 /

Major Implications for Downtown

Key streets could be permanently closed.


BE SURE TO ATTEND THE PUBLIC HEARING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS FOR DOWNTOWN!  JULY 26TH, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, RALEIGH CONVENTION CENTER

 

Our DLA Recommendations:

  • Downtown-wide quiet zones at all rail crossings
  • Trains entering/exiting Downtown to travel along west side of Capital Boulevard (Norfolk Southern Tracks)
  • Tunneling the tracks at Jones Street and parallel to Glenwood South, so as to permit Jones Street to remain open


Raleigh’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan recognizes the importance of developing urban centers as a critical element for the sustainable growth of our city, identifying street connectivity, pedestrian and bicycle access as specific needs to be addressed.

In alignment with these objectives, the Downtown Living Advocates (formed to encourage continued growth of the Downtown residential community), supports the expansion of the public transport network in Raleigh, as well as connecting Raleigh to other cities along U.S. rail corridors by way of passenger rail.  Plans for the new Southeastern High Speed Rail (SEHSR) connection to Raleigh provide an important choice between alternative train pathways through our Downtown area, a decision that could have a significant impact on our Downtown’s livability far into the future.

Street connectivity and pedestrian and bicycle accessibility must be maintained throughout the Downtown, particularly in the areas of West, Harrington and Jones Streets, which serve as key connections between the mixed use developments of Glenwood South and the Capital District.  This is an important opportunity for Downtown residents and our city government to join together in support of the train pathway that best protects and fosters mobility and accessibility across our Downtown neighborhoods.  

A draft environmental impact statement has been prepared that lays out the various alternatives for the SEHSR project corridor.  Each alternative calls for key Downtown streets to be closed or bridged – see chart below.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click map thumbnails below to see a full size view of the transit alternatives

 NC1/NC2 alignment (CSX)              NC3 alignment (NS)         

Given the present alternatives, the DLA strongly recommends that high speed passenger trains follow the Norfolk Southern tracks north from Jones Street along the west side of Capital Boulevard (alignment NC3), and is strongly opposed to the alternative that the trains travel along the east side of Capital Boulevard, using the CSX tracks (alignment NC1/NC2). 

  

Norfolk Southern Tracks (Recommended)

CSX Tracks (Not Recommended)

Keeps key North-South streets of West and Harrington open to vehicle traffic.

Permanently closes West and Harrington Streets to all vehicle traffic.

Avoids the need for a bridge that spans four city blocks over the highly populated and commercially active area of Glenwood South.

Requires a vehicle bridge over Jones Street that would negatively impact pedestrian and commercial activity in the area.

Allows for a pedestrian bridge or underpass to be installed to maintain existing access along Jones Street.

Without a separate walkway, pedestrians would be inconvenienced with having to walk over a 25-foot high vehicle bridge. 

Completes Downtown-wide ‘quiet zone” with installation of Four-quadrant gates at existing train crossings at West and Harrington Streets.

Not applicable, as West and Harrington Streets grade-level crossing would be permanently closed to vehicle traffic.

 

The DLA encourages all residents of Downtown Raleigh to attend the public hearing on July 26th.  The public comment period is scheduled to end on August 30th, and can provide your inputs on this important issue to the SEHSR website.

The DLA is Proud to Announce CAR SHARING! Now available in Downtown Raleigh

July 20, 2010 /

 

Is your car is gathering dust in  a Downtown parking garage because you use it so occasionally?  

Go ahead!  Dump the extra car, put that cost to much better use and start car sharing!

 

Though car sharing programs normally begin when big businesses or universities get involved, (offering their cars when available to nearby residents as a way to offset their costs), the DLA recognized the benefit for residents, so we decided to take it upon ourselves to get things going and went about finding a sponsor.

And, we did it – car sharing in Downtown Raleigh starts today!

Ann-Cabell Baum Andersen, a board member of the DLA and owner of Glenwood Agency, is sponsoring the initial two cars for the program.  On behalf of all Downtown residents, we thank her for stepping up and making it all happen.  

“I’m confident that other downtown businesses will want to join me in supporting a car- sharing program that provides alternative transportation options for their employees,” said Baum Andersen. “The people in the downtown Raleigh community have always supported my business and I wanted to give back to the community. What better way than to help launch a car-share program?”

The city government agrees that this kind of alternative transit option is needed, and now that the service is here, we expect other businesses government agencies, and possibly even local universities to jump on board.

“Providing a car-sharing option to the residents and business community in downtown Raleigh is a step in achieving our mission of supporting balanced and sustainable growth for downtown”, said Mayor Meeker. “Offering residents and downtown workers an efficient and convenient transportation solution through WeCar, makes using other methods of transportation a more viable option for day-to-day commuting.”

 

What is Car Sharing?

Car sharing is a group car rental program in which members share a common vehicle, each reserving the vehicle for specified periods of time, paying a $10 per hour (fuel included) for the use of that vehicle.  The cars sit ready and waiting 24/7 at convenient locations in the city.

To take part, members simply go online and reserve a car for as long as they need it.  The process is fully managed online, and vehicles are picked up and dropped off at designated locations.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car located at 431 S. MacDowell Street is the service provider under their car sharing service known as WeCar.  One car will be parked on their lot, and the other located in Glenwood South (off West Street, next to the Mirage Night Club).  Both locations are conveniently located, just a short walk from stops on the Downtown Circulator, the R-Line.

Advantages of Car Sharing for residents – Save Money!

  • Rent only for the time you need the car
  • Allows Downtown residents the option of forgoing the expense of owning a second car 

And, car sharing has the potential for making Downtown living more affordable as multi-unit building owners begin to uncouple parking from the cost of the unit for those residents who forego a car.  And likewise, developers may be encouraged to construct buildings with fewer parking areas and pass on the savings to reduce housing costs.

 

Come celebrate the launch of car sharing in Raleigh at our DLA Mixer tomorrow tonight (5-7pm) at The Mint,

. . where DLA members can take advantage of a members-only promotion. 

 

 

Note: The DLA is a volunteer organization and is supporting this service for the benefit of Downtown Raleigh residents.  The DLA receives no financial benefit from Enterprise or WeCar for their support.

 

 

 

Reinventing Capital Boulevard – Northern Gateway into Downtown Raleigh

July 8, 2010 /

The kickoff public meeting for the Capital Blvd Corridor Study was held on June 24th with over 200 people in attendance, most of whom either lived in, operated businesses, or owned property in the immediate area.  The intent of this study is to reinvent this northern corridor to Downtown Raleigh and design a plan on how to redevelop this area from the near to long-term.

Following an overview of the study, participants broke into groups (8-10 people) and discussed four main topics that the Planning Department wanted to make sure it captured through public involvement:

1) Did the study boundary include all of the areas that should be under consideration for redevelopment, or were any left out?

2) What are the biggest issues that redevelopment of this area could address?

3) What are the biggest opportunities that redevelopment of this corridor could accomplish?

4) What are the biggest obstacles standing in the way of making our visions a reality?

The ultimate goal of this study is to create a list of priorities based on the final recommendations, in order to create short-term, mid-term, and long-term development goals of this area.  Eventually these will be presented to the City Council to get funding and begin action.

It is critical that other efforts of the City Planning– be integrated into this study, including both the plans for high-speed rail along this corridor (including the planned new Union Station), and the Unified Development Ordinance, which will address new zoning regulations for Raleigh.  This study will also open up the opportunities to create a “gateway” into Raleigh, including a greenway into Downtown that connects with the one just south of I-440, cleaning up Pigeon House Branch Creek (possibly creating a “river-walk” experience), enhancing landscaping along the corridor, controlling traffic patterns between downtown and I-440 in a more logical manner, and countless other opportunities. 

The next public meeting is expected to happen in September or October of this year. You can stay up to date on this topic and other development related information by subscribing at the City of Raleigh’s Planning Department site.

 

Report provided by Chris Roberts, DLA Representative for the Capital Boulevard Corridor / Northern Downtown Gateway. 

DLA member Leo Suarez of the Raleigh Connoisseur also attended the kick-off meeting, so you’ll also want to jump over to the Raleigh Connoisseur to read what he has to say in his recent post “What is the Future of Capital Boulevard?”



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