I am on the citizen task force for the development on the former DMV site on New Bern Ave. While the task force doesn’t have much power to influence what happens, we do have the city’s ear so I wanted reach out to this forum and get your ideas. Affordable housing is a priority, of course. However other ideas are an enhanced BRT station, hub for small business, community gathering spaces, a museum about the neighborhoods surrounding the site. What do you think?
We have a meeting at 6pm tonight at Martin Street Baptist Church in the Johnson room.
There’s lots more info on the city website if you search for “DMV site”, such as
Here is the news release on the working group: Meet the Project Working Group for the Former DMV Site | Raleighnc.gov
The goals of the working group are:
Honor and preserve the rich history and culture of Southeast Raleigh;
Elevate the voices of legacy residents and those who will be most affected by this project;
Explore creative approaches to gathering input from community members; and,
Share information about potential site possibilities with the public.
I think it would be great to have a small business hub like you mentioned but also micro-retail units available that allow entrepreneurs to start their businesses. Maybe something like Maker’s Alley in North Hills but with more units. It would also be great if a small grocery store were included in the development to increase food accessibility.
Grocery store is definitely priority number one on my list. Someplace nice people can walk/bus to and pick up some good produce.
I’d also love a tool lending library, something like this one in Durham or this one in Asheville.
Mixed used development with a large grocery store on ground level, residential units on top. Looks like some portions of the current facility are 4-5 floors and that portion of the structure (assuming it is not altered dramatically) could be the housing portion… Perhaps a small museum as you alluded to that is dedicated to the history of the surrounding neighborhoods.
A grocery store is mine and all of my neighbor’s number one priority as well.
An area dedicated to some outdoor greenspace or park too, this corner feels surrounded by concrete.
I feel pretty certain that the existing structure will come down, due to the asbestos and water leakage concerns.
A grocery store in the area is definitely a priority, but one in either this site, or 601 New Bern would be sufficient.
I can envision a “SE Raleigh welcome center” space combining enhanced BRT station, green space and history(green box). Maybe with some of those community owned micro-retail spaces fronting it(blue boxes).
Definitely want to see density - a large apartment building, ideally built over a grocery store, but would be fine with a bunch of retail - I feel like this stretch of Tarboro would do really well with some retail frontage/small restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.
Loving a lot of the ideas here. Groceries is definitely a need in this area, although it does seem like if the 601 rumor pans out that will at least cover it.
Besides a lot of residential, some community-oriented spaces and retail opportunities for local residents would be really cool. I’d love to support neighbors starting businesses here.
Something that comes to mind for me is there have been a couple laundromats that have closed along the corridor in the past several years (901 E Hargett, 331 New Bern). I do think the area is changing with a lot of new builds including a washer and dryer, but many of my neighbors are still renting duplexes or apartments without these, and it doesn’t seem like many remain that don’t require taking a car or bus. Might be worth polling the local community to see if there’s a need there. A laundromat could be combined with a different business and smaller footprint and still help folks who need it. Not that you get to decide what retail actually gets included, but at least ensuring the plans make it an option if there are any special considerations.
It would also be great to have a community garden somewhere on-site and minimum car parking given the planned BRT line. I think active transportation (transit, biking, walking) should be prioritized over car usage and storage.
Housing becomes more affordable when you don’t have to worry about the costs associated with owning a car. The city could potentially muster up a partnership with Zipcar or other rental car companies to allow non-car owners to take longer trips if needed.
A community garden is a good idea. Lots of folks around here do gardening on their plots or have an interest in it. Could also be a great community-building and mutual aid avenue.
Yes, a bit of green space would be a hit, too.
I’ll second the focus on active transportation. I REALLY want to see the city lead here and put some real thought about parking, as in providing a very limited amount of it. I recognize that we are still a car-centric city so maybe design the parking in a way that it can be retrofitted to human spaces at some point in the future. Again, very small amounts of parking with incentives for residents to gain other things. “Trade in your parking space for free transit, free wifi, and free water bills.” Something like that, especially for those in the affordable units.
Grocery, yes, also small retail spaces. In addition, coworking spaces of all sizes. A place where residents can just find a desk, get online, and do some remote work or just manage their digital life. Make it a technological extension of the Harrison Library perhaps.
It’s really important to stress to your colleagues that the more parking available = the less space you’ll have for other uses (bike parking, green space, housing units, etc.).
Exactly. The more parking that the city planners say that’s needed for all these uses, that means less people will be served by it. We could really do something unique here, lots of space for lots of people.
I think everyone’s mentioned everything possible… grocery, retail, food, etc.
The only thing I can think of that hasn’t already been mentioned above: maybe some sort of physical fitness facility. There are no gyms or health clubs along the entire BRT route (or anywhere in East Raleigh that I can find). After Alamo opened, there were rumors of one going into Longview but I think the pandemic gave them cold feet.
What about a bowling alley, a fountain, or a library? Everyone’s favorite ideas…
Gotta be housing to generate tax revenue. It cost like 20mil, right?
I like all the ideas but Olivia Raney library is right across the street. Are y’all suggesting moving it? It could be made into a larger and more energized/welcoming library.
Yes this is a great spot for our missing landmark, signature downtown library that would benefit everyone. The library nearby is certainly under-resourced and in need of upgrading/replacement. This makes sense
A privately-owned library open-to-the-public might be the best as it avoids some certain realities. Andrew Carnegie built almost 2000 libraries around the US. Raleigh didn’t get one, Durham, Greensboro, and Charlotte did however. Most of them are gone however. Shame we don’t have local billionaires that care for that sort of thing and if they do they’re from Cary or some other part.
If we build one in downtown it should not just be a utility but architectural marvel or at least somewhat interesting to look at as well as very pleasant to spend time in.
Some recent examples of cool libraries:
