Raleigh Downtown Living Advocates

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Southern Living Comes Full Circle: What You May Not Know About Raleigh’s Celebrity Rural Roots

June 1, 2010 /

Raleigh used to be a small town in a rural state.  While Raleigh is getting bigger, the movement toward local, sustainable food is picking up steam, which helps our local farmers.  And there is a link to our rural history right here in town.

You may have read the great article recently in  The Raleigh Downtowner about the rural roots of Raleigh and the role of agriculture over the years.  To continue on that theme, we thought we’d point out that Raleigh is home to a celebrity – Progressive Farmer magazine.  That’s right , Progressive Farmer – you don’t have a subscription?  You may laugh, but you very well may actually have a subscription because Southern Living magazine started as Progressive Farmer.  

Let’s take a step back.  Oral history tells us that on his way back from the Civil War, Leonidas Lafayette Polk (L.L. to you and me) realized that for the South to recover, they needed to organize.  Polk was a Colonel and a native of Anson County. Read all about him here. Anyway, he was the first Commissioner of Agriculture and fought to improve farmer’s well being.  He went on to found Progressive Farmer magazine, which, fast-forward to today, is now Southern Living. See! We have more things to be excited about than Clay Aiken.  

What the hell does this have to do with Downtown Raleigh?  Well, thank you for asking! The Polk House Museum is just around the corner on Blount Street, but has an interesting history of its own, having previously been at the site of Krispy Kreme.  While downtown Raleigh is enjoying a resurgence in new construction and activity, just a few blocks away are some jewels of history.  The house has been restored and will eventually be opened as a museum sometime this fall. However, the ties to rural North Carolina still remain.  

Though the museum may not open for a few more months, the foundation is still actively supporting rural farmers.  Through their NC Green Market program, residents can purchase local, seasonal crops in an effort to help support the family farms. 

So, it kind of comes full circle when you think about it.   Wherever you choose to buy your produce, I think LL Polk would be happy just to know that it was local.  


Music to Our Ears – A Dialogue on Outside Amplified Entertainment

May 26, 2010 /

Downtown residents and merchants share a common interest in the ongoing development of our Downtown, and both parties wish to have a strong and open relationship, working together on important issues that ensure a vibrant and balanced growth for our Downtown.  “Outdoor amplified entertainment” is an opportunity which has recently engendered a helpful dialogue between residents and restaurants.  Many have approached the DLA, wondering if we sponsor an official policy on this issue.  

But the DLA, seeing restaurants and merchants not just as service providers, but neighbors, seek to use this discussion to develop a healthy “neighborly” relationship, built on openness and trust.   

As in any healthy relationship, both parties benefit from a common understanding through dialogue.  The DLA has listened to both residents and restaurants talk about this issue on numerous occasions, so we decided it would be helpful to share some important points that may help in future discussions.   

  • Residents are typically frequent customers, and desire a ‘special’ relationship with the merchants located in their neighborhoods that may be different from other customers.  For example, this might include being informed when significant changes are being planned that impact product / service offerings or the local environment. 
  • Residents share a wide range of views with respect to restaurants using outdoor music, and these views differ by residential building and neighborhood.  
  • Unlike most suburban neighborhoods, people who decide to live Downtown are often attracted to the vibrancy and energy in their neighborhoods where outside music is available.  
  • Residents support the use of Outdoor Amplified Entertainment Permits issued by the city that are used to control the frequency, sound limitations (decibel level) and duration of music, and expect these provisions of the permits to be enforced.

 The DLA encourages regular, open communication between residents and merchants.

  • We encourage residents to make the effort to get to know the owners/managers and staff of the restaurants in their neighborhood.  Let them know you are their neighbor and share your thoughts about the neighborhood.  Include what you like, along with suggestions for fine tuning that can often be accommodated between neighbors.
  • Merchants should expect that residents are on their side, and that most residents are likely to be supportive of their customer-friendly plans for growing their business.

As Downtown Raleigh developes, we benefit together.  The DLA is grateful and excited to feel a growing sense of team membership with residents, merchants and city officials who seek a balance that serves the best interests of all.

 

Comments to the post from Downtown residents and merchants are welcomed.

Join Us . . . DLA Greenway Bike Tour!

May 10, 2010 /

Did you know that Raleigh has more greenways than any other city east of the Mississippi?

Did you also know that there is a greenway route that connects Downtown Raleigh with Umstead Park?

The DLA invites all our members and friends to discover the Downtown Greenway with us.  We’ll be taking a beautiful, but often overlooked 10 mile section of the greenway that runs from Downtown Raleigh, south to the Walnut Creek Wetland Center, northwest crossing over the edge of Dorothea Dix Park, through the NCSU campus and onto Meredith College, before returning via Clark Avenue through Cameron Village and back Downtown.

The route was recently documented in a previous blog post titled, “From Downtown to Umstead, A Greenway Guide for Bikers and Runners”.

The bike tour starts at 10:00am, on May 22nd.  We’ll meet at the northeast corner of Moore Square, adjacent to the Longview Center.  Map it.

The circular route should take about 90 minutes to complete,  ending up at Sauced Pizza, for lunch in Glenwood South.

Everyone is welcome to join us, so be sure to invite your friends, and help us get the word out by posting this flyer in your building or neighborhood.

Please RSVP to admin@raleighdla.com.

See you on May 22nd!

 

Note: A rain date will be scheduled if necessary.


Pigeon House Branch, A “New” Downtown Raleigh Waterway

May 3, 2010 /

Looking down from my Glenwood South condo terrace, I see a small creek that emerges from under my building, then disappears under West Street.  

I’ve noticed the small creek before, but didn’t give it much thought until recently.  That’s when I learned that the forgotten creek – today mostly buried in giant pipes – is actually the most prominent waterway in central Raleigh. Unfortunately, it’s also the most abused.

The Pigeon House Branch flows from Edna Metz Wells Park, just down from Cameron Village, through Cameron Park down Johnson Street, into Glenwood South, across Peace Street, down through the former Devereaux Meadows, and then flows north along Capital Boulevard.

Some of you may have read the story of Devereaux Meadows, site of a former minor league baseball stadium that was featured a few months ago in the DTraleigh.com blog.

Devereaux Meadows, Courtesy of North Carolina State Archives

There is a project underway by the city to clean up the creek, but city officials are starting to think BIGGER.  Given the prominent location of the creek, running through the northern gateway into Downtown Raleigh, there is even talk of creating a “river walk”.   This idea was first mentioned last year in the vision of Dan Douglas for the Downtown’s northern gateway, now included in the gateway options under study by city planners.

A waterway / riverwalk could form an important part of the new northern gateway into the city, just as Union Station anchors the southern gateway. 

Imagine walking or riding your bike down the “new” tree-lined green space along Capital Boulevard that borders this “new” waterway, as you watch passenger trains roll by on their way into Downtown Raleigh. 

I see this vision becoming a reality in the not too distant future.  Borrowing the words of John Lennon, “Maybe I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one!”

Glenwood South’s Northeast Corner – Frontier of Possibility

April 26, 2010 /

Taking in the view from the terrace of my condo on Glenwood South, I can see many acres of underutilized land.  Though my street has been transformed into a bustling entertainment district, the tract of land on the northeast corner of Glenwood South has not yet been touched by our Downtown’s development.  But from my viewpoint, I see a frontier of possibility. 

Arial map shows blocks bounded by Capital Boulevard to the east, the rail spine to the south, West Street to the west, and Peace Street to the north. 

Buildings today mainly used to house various city/county services, along with some remaining warehouses. 

(The West condos were under  construction when this photo was taken, as shown on the right side of the map.)  

 

This tract of land is clearly underutilized when considering its location, adjacent to Downtown’s northern gateway, and flanked by the heavily developed Glenwood South and the Blount Street Commons development underway further to the east. 

I’m reminded of the vision of Dan Douglas for the Downtown’s northern gateway, where the “grungy highway” of Capital Boulevard would be replaced with “a tree-lined boulevard, with stoplights, sidewalks and cross streets that connect to a pair of new frontage streets parallel to the train tracks, perhaps including a street car line up the middle”. 

If this could happen to Capital Boulevard, then what could happen with this tract of land, here on the northeast corner of Glenwood South?  I envision a mixed use area, with lots of retail including a full service grocery store, an area with easy walking access from  the Capital district and the rest of Glenwood South, served by underground parking and a pedestrian bridge that would link to the nearby Seaboard Station.   

Now that would be nice! 

Looking down from my terrace, I also see a small creek that emerges from under my building, then disappears under West Street.  I’ve recently learned that this is Pigeon Creek Branch, a heavily polluted creek that today is mostly buried in giant pipes.  And I’m now hearing more about the possibilities for cleaning and opening up this creek into a featured waterway, maybe even a river-walk.  Now that would REALLY be nice!  More about this in another post, coming soon!

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