feels like this will start to shift a bit now that a number of projects around the Triad are complete/nearing completion. Definitely has been a lot of activity there between the Greensboro Urban Loop, W-S northern loop, W-S Bus 40 rebuild (which I think was a waste of resources), and a few other projects. Think the only major projects left in the Triad for the foreseeable future are upgrading US 220 to I-73 north of GSO to the state line, and upgrading US 52 to I-74 north of W-S, but I think those are a long way from starting construction. US 421 will become I-685 from GSO to Dunn but most of that (especially in the Triad) is already basically an interstate.
Iâm pretty sure the I-26 rebuild in the Asheville area is going to be one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in NC history once itâs complete, certainly on a per-mile basis. The southern section (about 17 miles long) currently under construction between Hendersonville and I-40 is well over half a bil, and the I-240 section (about 7 miles long) is slated to be well over a billion.
I know we lament the speed of projects around here, but that I-26 rebuild/widening between Hendersonville and Asheville definitely can say âhold my beer.â I have family in both Hendersonville and Asheville and, from the clueless non-traffic engineer POV, it seems like itâs been in the same state for years. The NCDOT website says 2024 will be the completion date but I was up there over Christmas on that road and Iâd be hella surprised if thatâs accurate.
Given your post above about having âskin in the gameâ this might come off as odd to you but youâre not the only one who has owned/owns a house/townhouse/condo in the core of Raleigh. A lot of us on here have also lived in other larger metropolitan areas and have decided to purchase properties downtown. Yet youâre the only one who whines about normal day to day city issues around downtown. Get off your high horse.
Donât appreciate the tone, Do you currently live in downtown Raleigh? I state that because actually living and investing in a neighborhood gives a different perspective than just coming downtown occasionally for dinner. Not disrespecting renters at all, but by owning, zoning, crime,transportation etc, has a more direct impact on your investment and thus personal finances. Not saying owners may care more, but are more impacted financially.
When I first purchased downtown during the presales of the Cotton Mill in early/mid 90s, there were lots of perceived risks associated with the location and the price reflected that. There was a halfway house next door and the old Halifax Court housing project was still on the other side of the tracks. Glenwood South wasnât a thing yet, and the closest things to dining and entertainment were Finchâs, the old Pizza Hut (now Starbucks), and the Sizzler (now Mellow Mushroom). Even so, the price reflected the existing market and those of us who got in were able to get in at an affordable price. The risk was that nobody really knew exactly where things were headed. The condos were offered with builder grade finishes, kitchens and baths, and folks could upgrade if they wanted to.
These days EVERYTHING offered for sale seems to push the market higher with luxury finishes and appointments, even in areas where those offerings substantially leapfrog the local submarket, and before those areas are fully replete with the sort of things that usually accompany a luxury urban neighborhood. In that regard the west side of downtown is still many years ahead of the east side, but the prices on the east side mirror the prices on the west side or are sometimes even higher. While we all love the vibe of Transfer Co. Food Hall, itâs underperformed vis-a-vis its west side competition, and itâs slow to spawn the sort of periphery development once envisioned. For example, the market expansion behind it has yet to materialize, even though thereâs a new $2M sfh being built around the corner. While the de facto new housing supply on the east side of downtown continues to grow, it does so primarily with small luxury townhouse projects that offer a quasi urban/suburban experience but not enough density to pique the interest of retail in the way that is finally happening on the west side of downtown. Unless the east side gets serious about significant housing density increases, I have to believe that it will just continue to gentrify and displace legacy residents until it operates more like other wealthy city edge car-light neighborhoods.
If someone moved downtown to enjoy the pleasures of being out nâ about, walking to bar or restaurants, parks etc. Then a new restaurant opens up 1/2 a mile from their front door, but wonât go because of the parking situation. Well then downtown living just isnât for them, regardless of how many homeless people or lack of investment in their neighborhood.
Ehh, need more quality and density of amenities to make it worth the hassle. I was hoping development would come quicker. Lost patience.
We need more nightclubs, shops, retail, maybe close off a portion of Glenwood South on Thursdays and Fridays.
We moved downtown in 2011 and have really enjoyed watching it grow and evolve. Now we have over 100 restaurants in walking distance. We have 2 grocery stores and a pharmacy. We walk to the ballet, symphony and theater, We walk to live music at multiple venues, even outdoors at Red Hat. We walk to the train station to ride to Charlotte and DC. We enjoy many festivals on Fayetteville Street. Also, we love watching the developments rise and imagine how the city can continue to evolve in a positive direction. Sure, itâs not done yet but thatâs part of the fun because you can dream about how it could develop over time. We love it!
Can you name them all though?
(This is just a trick by me to get these posts moved back to the Restaurant thread from whence they came!)
Yes. I have a list that I made. 106 with no fast food or food hall. Now DRA maintains a great up to date list.
I bet Charlotte has better restaurants.
Yes, I do live downtown and yes I also own my townhome downtown. Not close to downtown but actually in the city. Just like you did. Your post again proves my point that you value yourself above others on this website. The fact that you constantly think youâre the only who has owned and experienced downtown is a joke. I have lived here since 2004, both in and around the city. I bought my most recent townhome downtown in 2019 and could not be happier. This is where I live and pay the same taxes etc that you have. Like I said above, âthis most come off as odd to youâ looks like I was correct.
Iâve owned in downtown proper since 1996.
my first recollection of risk downtown was the small group of units where new bern flows eastward and edenton flows westward at n. person s, in the 80s⌠as a younger person i recall cotton mill being rather sought afterâŚi assume because everyone was just going to drive everywhere anyway then, and after 530 driving downtown was pretty stress free. i guess as you have mentioned earlier the downtown density and per acre prices is vastly higher than the rest of townâŚand prices are reflecting that.
As a presales buyer at The Cotton Mill, I can confirm with you that it was sought after, especially since there really wasnât much of anything that could compete with it at the time. Even then, it was still a bit of a word of mouth sort of project. For example, I personally knew 3 others who bought in presales after telling them that I had signed a contract. Many of those units went under contract at less than $100,000. I think that the most expensive one was like $140,000.
Iâm adding to the Raleigh vs. Charlotte flame here lol. My Uber driver who happens to work for a big tech company in Dubai told me that he has multiple tech friends working in Raleigh 
. And when I told him that most of the people Iâve met so far in Boston only know people in Charlotte, he reacted as if he had never heard of Charlotte before.
It is all in who knows you, not how many know you.
Surprisingly Cary is right behind Raleigh when it comes to density. If Cary is not a city then Raleigh is probably not much of a city either. These are the top 5 cities in density in NC.
| Rank | Name | 2023 Population | 2020 Census | Annual Change | Density (mi²) | Area (mi²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 244 | Lake Park | 3,224 | 3,269 | -0.46% | 4,386 | 0.73 |
| 31 | Morrisville | 32,945 | 29,630 | 3.47% | 3,779 | 8.72 |
| 48 | Carrboro | 21,808 | 21,295 | 0.79% | 3,368 | 6.47 |
| 2 | Raleigh | 486,796 | 467,665 | 1.33% | 3,337 | 145.89 |
| 7 | Cary | 186,568 | 174,721 | 2.16% | 3,177 | 58.73 |
Oh Hi â thank you â yes, I am aware of those statisticsâŚGood data.
Density is surely one component to the âlarge townâ transition to becoming a city.
Raleigh (and Durham) has only barely eked out of the âlarge townâ realm in my opinion recently to feel like a cityâŚ(*in certain areas one might argue).
Still a long way to go. Keep that density coming and hopefully that density drives a more urban, vibrant feel that makes a city a fun place to live /experienceâŚ