Raleigh Downtown Living Advocates

Page 40 of 51

DLA Membership – If you live or work Downtown, you’re one of us!

July 7, 2010 /

If you haven’t joined us for one of our general meetings or mixers, you may wonder who you’d find at one of these gatherings.  The answer is anyone living, working or supporting Downtown Raleigh, from any of ten neighborhoods and ranging in age from 20 to 55+.  Here are some of our statistics:

          This chart breaks down our membership by major area or district.

We’re excited not just about our growth in numbers, but also across the variety of building types and neighborhoods that represent the Downtown area of Raleigh.  DLA Members live in condos, townhouses, apartments and single family houses.  The location of resident buildings and neighborhoods of DLA members can be shown on this map.

Click map for full size imageArea shown is a 1.5 mile radius of the Capitol Building.

While a little over 70% of our members are between 25 and 35 years of age, nearly 25% of our members are over the age of 45.  

                      Age distribution based on DLA’s over 450 Facebook Fans

 

So grab your baby bag, your briefcase, or your beer!  Come join us!

You may simply want to know what’s going on in Downtown Raleigh, or become active in working with city officials in Raleigh’s Downtown revitalization.  You may also choose to help your neighborhood champion in planning activities to bring people in your area together.  As a member you’ll be informed of all our meetings and events, as well as receiving this monthly newsletter.

It’s free and easy, so be sure to tell your Downtown friends and neighbors about the DLA.  Encourage them to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and to also become a member.

Public Leadership Group For The Moore Square Redesign

June 29, 2010 /

Chris Counts Studio 7 (Via Flickr)

In the summer of 2009, the city ran a few open call workshops to get feedback from residents and interested groups about the idea of making changes to Moore Square, both in the square’s design and its use. After the three meetings, all the comments received can be described as:

Attendees value openness, activity, and versatility. They also want simplicity, diversity of people, and safety. Making it accessible and interesting to everyone – adults, children, youth, people with disabilities, and elderly – is a value shared by all. Many suggested making it a place for kids since the population of families in Raleigh continues to rise……

If you would like to read more comments, raw and un-edited, go to the city’s website here.

After all this input, the city started a design competition in order to better engage the design community to help drive the accessibility, diversity, and sustainability goals that came from the public feedback. Their hopes were for someone to create a space that would:

– Create a unique public space and urban experience for the 21st century;
– Engage broad public participation throughout the process and in the future; and
– Establish the conditions to develop a sustainable economic development strategy for the Moore Square area.

In the Fall of 2009, the winner and finalists were announced. Chris Counts Studio of Charlottesville, VA won the competition and their final design can be seen here on Flickr. If you would like to see some of the other submitted entries of the competition, they are here.

What’s next?

The open ideas have been recorded and the design competition is in the books. The next step is to draft a master plan for the square based on the winning design and public feedback. This starts in August with various community representatives meeting with the design team. Those reps will be part of a Public Leadership Group (PLG) and the Downtown Living Advocates will be represented by me in those meetings over the next several months. The focus of these meetings will be to get your input into the master plan for Moore Square. Once the plan has been finalized, it will go up for review, approval, and then adopted in the future.

I’d like to ask for comments from anyone, DLA member or not, about what they think about the design and what questions they have about the future Moore Square. Please comment on this post so we can get a conversation started or e-mail me anytime at Leo@DTRaleigh.com.

Also, consider joining the Downtown Living Advocates if this topic and other future plans in downtown Raleigh interest you.

Buses, Trains and Automobiles… All Aboard Raleigh’s Public Transport Network!

June 17, 2010 /

Imagine yourself living in North Raleigh a decade from now.  It’s early morning and you want to take the kids to Washington, so you park your car at the light rail station, jump on the light rail into Union Station in Downtown Raleigh, and board the high speed train, arriving in DC in time for lunch.

Traffic congestion could choke off city’s growthSeem like a fantasy?  It’s not.  City officials are working hard to share this vision with citizens, as they find their way through the maze of transportation options.  Mass transportation, including commuter rail between Raleigh, RTP, Cary, Chapel Hill, and the airport (among other regional destinations), is seen across local government agencies as “one of the most important issues facing the Triangle Region.”

 

Confused?  Even skeptical? 

I’m starting to appreciate that while the big changes are 10+ years away, our city has truly embarked on this journey, one that will fundamentally alter the way we get around.    But given the variety of agencies involved and the scale of capital investment, the process requires an incredibly complex amount of planning on the part of officials, what Mitchell Silver, the City Planning Director, refers to as “a lot of moving parts”, but perhaps more importantly, an even more daunting effort to get citizens on board.

Transit covers various modes of public transportation, and can get very complicated, so I’ve collected information here that will hopefully help explain the key components of our transit process, and what is happening now.

  1. Regional Transit System
  2. High Speed Rail
  3. Union Station / Transit Oriented Development

Regional Transit System: 

What is it? A multi-county (Wake, Durham, Orange) effort focused on future transit improvements that includes buses, commuter rail and light rail.

When? Ongoing, for example, additional train service was recently added between Raleigh and Charlotte.  A new route from Downtown Raleigh to RDU has also been recently proposed.  

Key issues? An ambitious transit system plan covering an expansion of bus service and the addition of commuter and light rail is being developed.  The plan is a first step to secure needed funding through a 1/2 cent sales tax to be voted on by referendum – date not set, but likely next fall.

What’s happening now? A Public Meeting is schedule for June 28th, as part of a Federally prescribed alternatives analysis needed to support federal funding of major capital investments.  See a preview of the presentation here.

High Speed Rail: 

What is it? The Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) is part of a project to extend high speed rail from the Northeast (Boston / Washington D.C.) through Virginia (Richmond / Petersburg) and North Carolina (Raleigh / Charlotte).

When? That’s the big question, and most people think we’re still 10-15 years away.  But, there is a federal push for this project, and NC was recently awarded $520 million in federal recovery funds for the section between Raleigh and Charlotte.

Key issues?  A study is underway that reviews two alternatives for the project corridor that could have major implications on the Downtown area.  A recent article from the Raleigh Connoisseur blog provides a good understanding of the alternatives for having the corridor follow the existing Norfolk Southern (NS) line, or the Eastern Branch following the existing CSX line.

What’s happening now? The City Council appointed an 11-member Passenger Rail Task Force to advise the Council on issues related to the passenger rail service.  A Public Hearing is schedule for July 26th to review the recently completed draft environmental statement, a key step towards implementing the service.  


Union Station / Transit Oriented Development: 

What is it?  Union Station is the name given to a Multi-Modal Transit Center, sometimes referred to as Raleigh’s “Grand Central Station”.  In addition to serving as a rail station for high-speed, commuter and light rail, ‘Union Station’ would provide bus platforms for Greyhound, Triangle Transit and Capital Area Transit.  

The 2030 Comprehensive Plan provides guidelines to encourage integrated mixed use transit oriented development which can be served by and support a regional transit system, including the development of and around Union Station and the rail corridor. 

When?  Probably a decade away, but as the station is being designed as a hub for retail, commercial and residential growth, there’s a need to finalize the design parameters that can start to attract the needed private investments.

Key issues?  The proposed location along the intersecting tracks west of Downtown is described as the most complicated section of rail crossings and junctions in the state.  A phased approach is planned, but the overall price tag of Union Station is estimated to be in the range of $200 million, with the expectation that federal funding will cover 80% of the cost.  

What’s happening now?  A draft report on the Multi-Modal Transit Center was released in April, followed by a public review meeting on May 12th.  There is an excellent summary of the report written by the Raleigh Connoisseur. 

A public workshop has been scheduled for June 24th, to study Capital Boulevard’s unused land along the rail corridor, and how best to to transform Capital Boulevard into a vibrant mixed-use northern gateway into Downtown Raleigh.  The vision even includes a riverwalk.

 

I appreciate living in one of the fastest growing cities in the US.  It takes foresight and imagination on the part of our city officials to manage this growth.  Join me in letting them know, if they build it, we will come!

Water Matters, by artist Marty Baird

June 10, 2010 /

Water Matters is an exhibition of paintings and drawings that document my experience of the waters of four North Carolina Rivers and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

In 2007 on daily bike rides and walks I recorded in drawings the shifting fog, changing ocean colors, unexpected sightings of birds, animals and manmade objects along the California coast for a few months.   This process evolved into working in the waters of the Pacific, and later the Atlantic, letting the waves themselves create patterns and textures thus documenting a specific moment and location.

After I returned to Raleigh, extreme weather conditions around the country and NC, drought, heavy rains, and floods, launched me into thinking about the importance of water and a river project that begins with four NC Rivers:  the Neuse, Tar, the Cape Fear and Roanoke.  While tramping along the trails, the river banks and wading at the edges I record what I find.  The rivers change as their waters move toward the sea, when the rain falls, and as the light varies. The works trace each river’s movement and document human interactions at specific sites.   The NC River Project was funded in part by a 2009 Regional Artist Grant from United Arts Council, and gave me the opportunity to explore the rivers in a concentrated way over an extended time. 

Working outdoors in our rivers and their basins allows me to physically and sensually experience the topography, climate, time and space of each river. I think about permanence, transience, the relationship between beauty and danger.  The water and its currents stain and create patterns by moving over the papers and canvases. I might use sticks, fish hooks, or shells as tools. When I bring the pieces back into the studio I work to make visible my experience of being at the river.

The need to protect our waters in North Carolina’s rivers and tributaries is critical.  Two decades ago I worked with TLC on an exhibition.  I’m happy for the Water Matters exhibition this June at The Mahler Fine Art to support TLC’s efforts to conserve our rivers and natural areas both for the quality of our drinking water and for our recreational pleasure.  

Megg Rader, owner of The Mahler Fine Art, says,  The exhibition explores artist Marty Baird’s experiences with several NC Rivers (the Neuse, Tar, Cape Fear, Haw and Roanoke) as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  These paintings and works on paper incorporate each body of water’s movement and documents the human interactions at specific sites.  The extreme weather conditions over the past several years – drought, heavy rains, and floods – provided Marty with the back drop for exploring the importance of these bodies of water. 

The Water Matters exhibition is now open, and runs through July 3rd.  The Mahler Fine Art is located at 228 Fayetteville Street. www.themahlerfineart.com  


Be a Buddy! Have a ‘Pig Pickin’ Good Time and Feed a Child!

June 5, 2010 /

My husband and I are members of The Triangle Breakfast Club (TBC), a young professionals group that seeks to affect positive change in Wake County.  This year, TBC has decided to support the Interfaith Food Shuttle’s BackPack Buddies program and has a goal to sponsor 30 kids at Brentwood Elementary on this program by raising $9,180 through community events.

Chad (my husband) and I learned about the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle last year, and we both became more excited about their mission when we attended a fundraiser for their organization last fall.  As big fans of local sustainably grown produce and lovingly prepared family meals, we knew it would be a cause we would want to continue to support.  

The BackPack Buddies helps underprivileged students by discreetly providing them a backpack with essential food items to take home each Friday or Holiday Vacation so they can have healthy meals to eat when they don’t have access to the free or discounted lunch program at their school. 

To reach its goal to sponsor 30 kids at Brentwood Elementary, TBC is partnering with Isaac Hunter’s Tavern to sponsor a Cornhole Tournament / Pig Pickin’ at  

Isaac Hunter’s Tavern . . Saturday June 12 from 12 – 4 pm


The City of Raleigh and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance have agreed to shut down the 100 block of Fayetteville Street for the event. There will be an old fashioned Pig Pickin’ with all the fixings courtesy of Carolina BBQ.   As part of the entertainment, Isaac Hunter’s has hired the local band Mystery Sushi to play outside during the event. In addition, there will also be a beverage tent on site providing cold beer, wine, and mixed drinks for the adults.  

The deadline to sign up for the tournament is June 7th, though there may be limited slots available on the day of the event.  Use this link to register for the event.  Additional details about the tournament are also available at the Issac Hunters website.

Come join us for a fun day of games, food, drink, and friends, all to support a great cause!  Even if you are unable to participate in the tournament, I hope that you can make it out for part of the event or consider a donation to the BackPack Buddies Program.

 

This post submitted by Caroline Hope Griffith, A DLA Member.


« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2025 Raleigh Downtown Living Advocates

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑