Idea: before selling off the block to the East of Moore Square… build 3 levels of underground parking for the whole block and retain the open spaces and center area for a library/community center. And then sell of the remaining ready-to-build pads to developers.
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I love this for many reasons 
On the eastern side of DTR
Across from Moore Square Park
Damn we would finally get a real water fountain 
Could really be so many things to so many people… 
If I even thought that this were possible I would be willing to add a monthly $$$$ to its backing!!! 
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The city could really benefit from a thoughtful development of this block, and this block is significantly distanced from The Village District for the city/county to make an investment in a downtown library branch. One note, any office tower is going to need a much larger footprint than what is shown. Frankly, all of these towers can be either residential or hotel and it’s perfectly fine with me. The only real impact of bringing in so many residents next to Moore Square is that there is going to be a huge demand for a place for dogs to pee and poop. This could cause issues with Moore Square unless a dog park is created within that block.
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I’d be fine with all residential. Maybe add a grocery store on the ground floor at the corner of Bloodworth & Martin too.
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You would hope the downtown dog park project CityPlat is doing would help with that? I think that’s about a mile (if that) from there. I don’t mind a walk with my dogs but some people just want an in/out quick potty experience so who knows with that one.
I think an additional library is definitely far enough away from the Village District for this spot. I use to work out at the YMCA on Hillsborough Street in college. I think the new one they built downtown is at most 1-2 miles away. I think a library incorporated into a greater community center/affordable housing/office development could work. This + greater activation in City Market dead zones = 
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There is also a Wake County Library on New Bern Ave at St Aug St…
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A dog that needs to poop isn’t going to walk a mile to do so! Dog parks need to be plentiful where people live or you end up with dogs pooping everywhere, and despite folks picking up after their dogs, you still don’t want dogs pooping and peeing on the lawns of Moore Square where folks lay in the grass.
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I’m not sure dogs going to use the outdoor “facilities” and a dog park are the same thing. I don’t think people drive to the Dix park dog park so they can poop/pee. I agree there needs to be some kind of green space for dogs at the block in question if there’s dense residential, and for the existing east side, but I don’t think a proper dog park and a green space for bathroom activities should be considered the same.
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I’d rather a dog poop where it plays instead of where children play.
Agreed, if those are the only 2 options.
Which begs the question why we don’t specifically address designated dog pooping areas within our cities. I realize that it’s a tricky thing to make happen because dogs go where they want to go after sniffing around.
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Yeah, I think the effort-to-results ratio there is just too skewed. Just have enough grassy areas/tree plantings/etc and doggy bag stations and it should be mostly fine.
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Dog owner who lives downtown here- I would love to be able to control where and when my dog poops but the reality is it’s just not possible. One thing I would love to see is more dog waste bags publicly available around grassy areas. Maybe somehow better enforcement on the cleanup? Culturally we are really missing the mark here though because it is really annoying how much dog crap ends up left on sidewalks and surrounding areas.
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I couldn’t agree with you more, and I thank you for being someone who cleans up after your dog.
The overlay fee (property taxes) that many of us pay downtown should cover more of these stations. Also, individual multifamily complexes should be required to provide them for their residents. I know that many already do.
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Having sat for a dog for the last 3 months in our high rise condo I can definitely say that the dog is going to poop at the first available spot outside. I’m just relieved to make it down the hall and elevator. I’m appreciative that we have 2 dog waste bag dispensers and garbage cans on our corner and I’m amazed every day to find poop that someone didn’t pick up.
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This was in the Washington Post today. The story is behind a paywall, but the headline, “Tools are costly and take up space. Tool libraries are popping up so people can share.” really captures the essence of the story.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/01/05/tool-library-gift-economy/
Most of these are nonprofits that are run separately from the local library system, but there’s no reason why they couldn’t be incorporated seamlessly into a regional library. Either way, it would be fantastic to have one or more of these in Raleigh. It would be a valuable amenity for local residents, and make life easier for people who’ve made the decision to live in smaller houses in higher-density neighborhoods.
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The city-that-cannot-be-named has a great charitable tool bank that their local construction companies (including Raleigh’s own Clancy & Theys) are big contributors to: https://charlotte.toolbank.org/
One that’s run as a community amenity is a great next step.
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charlotte usa has ZERO billionaires. Raleigh has at least 4, maybe 5 and none of them do anything like this. WTF
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What Charlotte lacks in billionaires, they fully make up for in a plethora of corporations that want to throw their money around to put their name places.
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But this story is not a corporation but David Tepper who lives in Florida & Pittsburgh