{"id":20126,"date":"2013-08-07T15:58:23","date_gmt":"2013-08-07T19:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raleighpublicrecord.org\/?p=20126"},"modified":"2013-08-07T15:58:23","modified_gmt":"2013-08-07T19:58:23","slug":"council-roundup-new-downtown-vision-plan-funded","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/news\/city-council\/2013\/08\/07\/council-roundup-new-downtown-vision-plan-funded\/","title":{"rendered":"Council Roundup: New Downtown Vision Plan Funded"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new vision plan for the growth and development of downtown Raleigh is in the works after the city received a donation from the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.<\/p>\n

The Downtown Raleigh Alliance<\/a> (DRA) made a $250,000 donation to the City of Raleigh for a new comprehensive downtown plan. The money was raised through donations from property owners, business owners and stakeholders in downtown Raleigh.<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/a>

kakissell\/Flickr Creative Commons<\/p>

Downtown Raleigh<\/p><\/div>\n

During Tuesday’s Council meeting, David Diaz, president and CEO of the DRA, discussed the importance of continuing to plan for ongoing growth in downtown Raleigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can’t rest on our laurels with downtown success,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can’t take it for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The donated money will be used to evaluate and create a full vision plan for the downtown area for the next 10 years through a public-private partnership between the City of Raleigh and downtown-area property and business owners.<\/p>\n

It will examine where to focus development: primarily on Fayetteville Street or in the emerging Warehouse District, for example. Opportunities for new commercial, housing, retail, entertainment, amenities, parks and infrastructure will also be examined.<\/p>\n

Councilor John Odom expressed concern about dedicating that much money to the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree we continue to try to keep downtown growing as it is,\u201d he said. \u201cAre we still in the planning stages of downtown Raleigh? I thought we were pretty much headed in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell Silver, Raleigh\u2019s planning director, talked about the city’s expected population growth during the next several years.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlanning is always in a state of evolution,\u201d he said. \u201cWe believe this contribution will take us a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilors voted to appropriate the donated funds to support the Downtown Plan in a 6-1 vote, with Odom opposed.<\/p>\n

Downtown Bus Facilities Master Plan Amended<\/strong>
\nAdditional analysis is needed in order for the Downtown Bus Facilities Master Plan<\/a> to move forward.<\/p>\n

Councilors approved an amendment Tuesday to the contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff, the engineering and design firm working on the project. The amendment enables the firm to conduct further analysis.<\/p>\n

\"bus_station3\"<\/a>

Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p>

<\/p><\/div>\n

David Eatman, transit administrator for the City of Raleigh, said he originally thought the firm would be able to use data from a 2011 study that contained bus origin and destination information. However, the study does not contain information about bus-to-bus transfers however, which caused some concern for planners.<\/p>\n

Eatman said the transfer information will help determine what services will go to each station and how many bays will be needed at each location.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought that origin and destination information could possibly do that to start with, but we just didn’t feel comfortable so we are taking this extra step,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Police Department to Lease Eight New Motorcycles<\/strong>
\nThe police department is getting some new motorcycles.<\/p>\n

Councilors approved a request by the Police Department to enter into a lease agreement with Sparta Commercial Service, Inc. for eight BMW motorcycles.<\/p>\n

The lease is for 36 months and will cost about $168,500.<\/p>\n

One Block Now One-Way Due to High Crime Rate<\/strong>
\nHigh crime rates on North Carver Street have resulted in one block being converted to a one-way street.<\/p>\n