I will have to read the details, but no way are 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 “Big ideas”.
I love 3, 5, 7, 9 and 10. Though 10 will not be great for the street. It will be great for Raleigh.
We were in Ventura CA a while back and were astounded with the activation of their downtown on a Sunday morning before the restaurants were even open. Frankly, it’s a bit worn out, but that didn’t matter. All the storefronts were full. And it was more retail than food/drink establishments.
I have no proof of this, but I immediately thought the only way that would be possible is through rent subsidies. Make it easier / cheaper for businesses to open and operate and they will. Who wants to throw 60 grand in rent (1 year at 5K a month) for an unproven concept. Maybe trust fund kids and money launderers. j/k
They dance around a big idea but never actually say it, and that is to focus on growing/supporting/nurturing Fayetteville St. as a neighborhood.
All well and good to add housing but without a plan to create a viable neighborhood out of that, then what’s the point? I see big ideas around developing Fayetteville St. as an attraction, but I just don’t see the same focus here on developing it as a neighborhood.
I’d also say that it’s WAY more important to connect Fayetteville Street to its east (Moore Square District) and its west (Warehouse District) than it is to Downtown South. IMO, first things first! Grow, connect, and improve from the inside outward.
I’m excited for the future of this street and district . I hope the city is able to fulfill the majority of these recommendations with the current funding sources.
Overall I think they gave a good report. It is all achievable and it is basically the same that we’ve all been saying and more only in an organized, focused way and with clear instructions in how to get started. I’m excited for them to get started implementing it!
I’m less grumpy cat and more optimistic on this. There’s a lot of really good idea here that I hadn’t even considered. The fact that they were independently validated by a third party means a lot when it comes to stopping arguments against.
Completely strip Fayetteville Street of all those random benches and planters. Let’s turn it into a place where we can take some risks and make it a comfortable destination.
I did like the section about parking. We do not lack parking, but I don’t think people know where to go. Better signage and direction could go a long way to address the complaints.
It’s a bit mystifying. You’ll walk down Fayetteville Street full of cars, then walk into a nearly empty Highwoods parking deck right close by. You’ll walk through City Market and Davie Street next to it completely full of cars, when the parking lot directly behind it is almost empty.
i feel like bringing back micro retail with those vendor stalls could be one of the smartest and most cost effective ways to get people really using fayetteville street.
Vendor stalls would be great. The image on page 30 talks about lighting and greening. That image on the left shows a very large street which is park of the lacking of color and activity. I don’t know the legality of it, but it would be nice to see the street narrowed to a one way street (if we really need to have auto access on it) and one side of parking (again if we really need to have parking on this street). With the remaining space, I would like to see some of these vendor stalls permanently implemented.
I still say that, if you are going to have a list of ten, it should contain a clear statement about creating and nurturing it as a neighborhood. It deserves to be a statement at the top level.
Yeah, I’m old enough to remember that 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8 were all pretty much the Plan to begin with, back when the Meeker Council did the street renovation.
SoDoSoPa vibes are high on those pages. But all told I think it was an ok effort. B-. All these consultant reports deliver basically the same flavor, and this one is a little hamstrung by being commissioned by what is basically a merchant’s association. I thought the point on sidewalk use was good and they did a good job emphasizing that most of the street is too sterile
. I hope the city is able to fulfill the majority of these recommendations with the current funding sources.
