11 posts were split to a new topic: Smoking in the public realm
Appears the city is finally allowing the little Esso gas station up for renovation and lease.
I always thought this would need to be utilized once the park is complete.
This whole area is really going to change soon.
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Is that the little structure at the SW corner of Martin and Person?
Yep, there is going to be a cafe with restrooms.
I think the below link should take you to the Implementation Presentation that shows detailed renderings.
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The cafe is going to be in the park, you can see most of the structure is in place already although obscured by the trees in a couple comments up. The little structure @Christopher was referring to, I believe, is across the street next to City Market.
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Random thought, this building would make a great little sno ball, ice cream, or fried donut shop. Iād also take street tacos.
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At one point I heard a rumour that gringo a go go was going to open a street taco kiosk here
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Gosh, looking at this makes me sadā¦ what a disappointment the final design turned out to be.
I still canāt get over how badly the city screwed up this entire process. The design that won the competition was progressive, bold, and wouldāve gotten national attention in landscape architecture circles. Where weāve ended up looks amateurish and bland. Barely noteworthy.
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Par for the courseā¦
Welcome to Raleigh, where we have perfected mediocre.
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Yeah, I meanā¦ sorry in advance for the rant, but I just look back at what happened here and I donāt get itā¦ The city held an open competition. We got over 100 entries, many of which were very forward-looking. We picked a respectable one, with some flaws, but one that was bold and had enough meat to it that even with some value engineering it wouldāve turned out great. Politics got in the way, along with controversy about whether or not the landscape architect needed to be licensed in NC to create a masterplan. The city took some elements of that plan, basically fired the original designer, and started over. Rather than looking to the 100+ entries they already had, they issued a new request for qualifications on extremely short notice and got only a handful of responses. Of those, Surface 678 - probably the most highly respected local landscape architecture firm - got the most votes. Iām confident Surface wouldāve still produced something great. Despite them being the favorite, Sasaki was awarded the project and we ended up with the epitome of mediocre.
Itās one thing when the market dictates what we get out of development, but when itās city-controlled and the result is still bad, it makes me fear for the future of other projects like Dix. I hope they donāt continue to screw things up.
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Yeah Iām also beyond caring at this point. As far as I can tell it took like 5 years of planning to take down some trees, put in a new lawn and sidewalks, and a kiosk.
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Do you have renderings to the original design? I would love to see them.
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The entry was called āelevated groundā and featured a tilted lawn. A summary of main design drivers:
In the new Moore Square, visitors will experience a sense of welcome, safety and excitement. The central lawn and entry plazas function as civic theaters, the Squareās edges as a dignified frame, and the central landform as an iconic social generator. The topographic design feature energizes and organizes the site into visually and functionally distinct spaces that accommodate a wider range of uses than the Square currently offers. The Square becomes multi-dimensional ā offering prospect, a continuous expanse of open lawn, places for respite, refreshment, and childrenās play, and a connection to surrounding business and institutions. Walking through Moore Square, one could expect to experience a sequence of unfolding views and a range of diverse landscape types and social activities. The historic oak perimeter will be preserved and enhanced through protective construction techniques which safeguard the trees while allowing for greater occupation of the Square. The design will retain the existing corner entry points and will remove the existing planters to create deep views into the Square, drawing visitors inside. Larger entry plazas on the north and south edge will allow for a variety of grand and impromptu performances, childrenās water play, weekend markets, street fairs and festivals. A natural play landscape embedded in the south-facing slope of the tilted lawn creates an area for childrenās play, while a gentler northern slope serves as an amphitheater and ideal place to sunbathe and people-watch. Collecting and re-using storm water on the site and enriching habitat through native plantings have the potential to make Moore Square a demonstration project of green infrastructure and sustainable design.
And finally, one of my favorite parts of the design was the modern geometry that almost appeared as an abstracted progression from the historical paths of Moore Square. The new one just carves an awkward arc right through through the site.
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Evan, it was a rumor that the Gringo owner was going to open a 24-hour biscuit shop here. He was competing for the spot with the guy who owned el taco cartel (take cart). Then I guess the city decided to wait to lease it
Wow. I now see the reason for disappointment. The tilted lawns and other elements from this entry that add topography wouldāve completely transformed this space.
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Man, this really illustrates what will eventually happen at Dix if we donāt open the doors to interesting private-public partnered development:
ā¦Nothing!
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