I agree that this “temporary” parking will likely end up being in place for many years.
If we’re willing to make “long-term temporary” accommodations for people driving cars to get to the park, let’s also make “long-term temporary” accommodations for people walking or riding bikes or taking public transit to go to the park.
Installing and maintaining ~5 acres of gravel/asphalt for 5-10 years isn’t going to be cheap. Why not reduce costs and serve multi-mode travelers at the same time by building a “long-term temporary” multi-use path between Dix and the farmer’s market?
Right - the multi-use path along Lake Wheeler is one of the Phase 1 projects. According to the Phase 1 Implementation Plan, Phase 1 is expected to take 10 years to complete (page 5). The Multi-Use path should be done around year 7 or 8 (page 11).
Here’s the part that speaks to my point: “The existence of high power electrical lines, and the eventual reconfiguration of Lake Wheeler Rd. make this a complicated and layered project.” (page 21).
So we can’t do a multi-use path until Lake Wheeler Road is reconfigured? Or at least until it’s determined how Lake Wheeler Road will be reconfigured? Why not throw down a temporary path now that gets the job done for 5 years? When/if Lake Wheeler road is reconfigured then move/alter/re-route the temporary path.
This is just one example. The point is that there are opportunities to provide real benefits to multi-mode citizens now even if projects are temporary.
$2M for the study/design of the gateway and play attraction area does seem steep. I could be wrong but I thought the entire master plan cost about $1M?
It never was going to be sold to developers. The commissioned master plan made recommendations for alterations/transformations that will make it more of a destination and better interfaced with Dix park; the community.
I believe the only thing that was going to be lost as a part of the redevelopment were the wholesale warehouses that don’t really cater to the general public (as I understand it).
No offense to the wholesalers, but they should be thinking about renegotiating the leases at the FM based on the Dix Master Plan. The fact that there is a Master plan for the FM is great. Yes, things could change. Likely those sweetheart deals the wholesalers have could get bumped closer to market rate when they renegotiate. Good luck in that as with any wholesaler / landlord scenario. Hopefully the state will be mindful of collaborative outcomes for what the FM COULD be.
Evolution is never easy. No need to burn the scrub fields via social media as they (wholesalers) have been. It’s too far down the road for that to work for them. Instead, they should belly up to negotiate a spot there and tweak their model for the influx that will be coming. Leaning into it on your toes typically is a better outcome than falling back on your heels.
So far, I think Troxler is playing the opportunities well. That’s pretty shocking but promising.
As others have said, it has been confirmed since the day the master plan was announced. The “Save the Farmers Market” campaign is literally just the wholesalers spreading misinformation to try and rally public support when they should really be focusing their efforts over the next decade (the earliest they would even be in jeopardy) either A: seeking a new location, or B: trying to work with the state to remain on the FM property in some capacity as @NoRaAintAllBad has suggested above. Their current bullsh!t campaign is only going to make them look bad in the long run. They lease their space, they are not entitled to it. And, again, this phase of the Master plan wouldn’t even be implemented for AT LEAST another DECADE.
That chunk of land just south of the beltway on Hammond, which CBRE is hocking (and we’ve talked about on another thread), would actually make a lot of sense for a produce wholesale location.
When I was in the Dix Park planning workgroup advising on the master plan, we were brainstorming/discussing ways to integrate the FM with the park, and it was known then that the FM was going to draft their own master plan. You’d think the wholesalers would have wanted a seat at the table for Dix planning. I didn’t hear of any pushback until years later after the FM plan was finalized.
Considering that the farmer’s market planning effort is a state initiative, and Steve Troxler is very pro-farmer and pro-agriculture (as he should be as NC ag commissioner), I’d be surprised if he would leave those stakeholders out of the process.
That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, though.
I’d also be surprised if he supported a plan that he felt would be detrimental to agribusiness.
Well, we can all stop holding our breath (as if any of were), now that we know for certain for certain that the FM isn’t going away. I LOVE that the FM will be integrated with the park, and it’s my hope that it’s REALLY integrated with the park, and not just next to it.
