It’s a “NO” zone.
(just reading the signs) 
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I thought that was a really big granola bar 
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Will it stretch to accommodate growth? Otherwise its going to girdle the trees.
It does have some elasticity, as it contains recycled tire rubber, but it’s not as soft and flexible as playground surfaces.
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This looks like it will last about as long as a filter. I wonder what the lifespan of this is before it’s clogged and no longer allowing water to permeate anywhere near the rate as when it was new.
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They did not do any tree collar. The material is right up against the trees
That seems ding-dongish. I like the idea. Time will tell if @OakCityDylan is right and it just gets all clogged up.
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Stuff like this is what sometimes drives me crazy about Raleigh. A lot of time the attention detail on some simple things get often overlooked, this being one. Wonder if this material can be easily cut to let the trees breath & grow?
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This is an issue with all permeable pavement installations. Requires care and maintenance (vacuuming) as the “filter” can become clogged by fines.
Eventual cure is replacement. But we know how that goes.
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Well use of collars are typical. But then that also requires a choice be made as to what surfacing material is used (and maintained) within the collar area. Could be decorative pebbles or mulch but each also has maintenance issues.
There is a technique that uses resin with an aggregate for the paved area and then drops the resin for a “collar” area around the trunk (aggregate only).
On the surface it looks like the pavement runs right up to the trunk. But the cross-section is different and the inner “ring” is flexible.
Benefit of the doubt we can hope this is the case here. Easiest option to maintain.
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The aggregate-only method with a 1/2" expansion joint is Flexi Pave’s detailed method:
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Miami Beach put this in 20+/- years ago on Lincoln Rd around the trunks of palm trees and it’s performed pretty well.
I seem to remember that the product was developed for Miami Beach for this very purpose. I could be wrong, but that’s my recollection. EDIT: I can’t find any dates on Lincoln Road’s install, but I did find information that Key West was also an early adopter. It appears that this is originally a Florida product from Clearwater. Atlantic Power & Infrastructure
![Screenshot 2026-05-27 at 10.57.10 AM|690x456[]](https://d3tmycllq5yp1y.cloudfront.net/original/3X/e/1/e1403fc5eaa9e3dfeb03ef1c73b7da8946392672.jpeg)
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Part 1 of 2:
Most, if not all of these parking spots should be converted into:
- Parklets (for extra gathering and club line space)
- Streeteries (for extra outdoor seating)
- Permanent Micromobility Spaces (scooter/bike parking/storage corrals/repair stations)
- Occasional Handicap Parking Spaces
- Rideshare and Delivery Drop-off Zones
This would allow for more daily sidewalk activation, community crime prevention (eyes on the street), and overall traffic safety (narrower roadway, chicane design).
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Covers above the parklets would really help awareness/safety but also the experience. I love these!
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When I compare the two previous photo laden posts in this topic, it sure is clear to me that the city isn’t doing enough to make Glenwood South all it could be. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite. In the 3 decades that I’ve been in the district, it seems to me that it just keeps looking more tired, unkempt, and trashy despite the district generating more and more revenue for the city as it grows.
The city’s strategy to let private developers improve the sidewalk experience as each parcel is developed is not working. It has resulted in a haphazard district experience and signals that the district is not something to be proud of or to enjoy in daylight. We’ve missed the opportunity to create consistent sidewalk and crosswalk experiences that would have signaled to retailers that the city was serious in creating an environment that would attract customers to their businesses by making the street a pleasant place to be at all hours of the day. We could have been 20 years or more into a tree canopy that looks more like the @trueurbanist post than what we have now.
The developer led sidewalk strategy works when a single developer brings a huge multi-block development like Smoky Hollow or The Dillon, but it doesn’t work when smaller parcels are developed or redeveloped individually over decades, and we have Glenwood as a perfect example of that. The city should put in a standard sidewalk experience framework (wide sidewalks, a planting strategy, trash/recycling, basic seating, lighting, etc.) and then let the personality of the neighborhood evolve within that context (North Street & Clockwork as examples).
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The city couldn’t even get it together for improving the basics of Peace street. I have little hope of anything that nice for glenwood.
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That one is a shame. Peace Street really should be improved to connect the Village District to Oakwood. There’s really just a small section left that needs improvement. I voted for that bond referendum specifically for that project.
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