I think you keep the cross streets open but with calming measures and ped priorities. This has been discussed off and on in the forum over the years.
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After spening a lot of time on the old & mostly deserted Ped Mall, I prefer it open day to day and closed for festivals. Best of both worlds. Some traffic action on slow, quiet days, and festive ave. on special ones.
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I like Southpointâs outdoor area. Iâve wondered what kind of an effect converting Crabtree to an outdoor mall would be. I like the fact that Southpoint has an outdoor area. Although I havenât been there until 10PM-11PM, Iâve wondered if it seems more active at 10PM compared to Crabtree which would appear to be dead at this time. Looking at it functionality wise, I donât know if it would make much of a difference. Southpointâs outdoor restaurants are Cheesecake Factory, Firebirds, Maggianoâs, Uncle Julioâs, and California kitchen. Crabtree has Seasons 52, P.F. Changâs, Cheesecake Factory, Brio Italian Grille, Flemingâs, and Uncle Julioâs. All of these are facing outdoor and are accessible outdoor. The number of restaurants open until 10PM-11PM isnât really bad considering most places except Glenwood South are closed. A lot of breweries close around the same time. The only thing I donât like at either of these malls is what a lot of people (even myself) consider to be boring chain type restaurants. I also donât like that they tend to be a little more pricey, but are still boring.
Triangle Town Center is an example where there is an outdoor portion, but always seems dead. I havenât been in a while, but each time Iâve gone, itâs felt that way. Epicentre in Charlotte is outdoor and has bars, but has had a lot of financial problems as well.
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Done that before and turned Fayetteville St into a ghost town. Helped drive a lot of DTR stores out.
The former pedestrian mall (1977) didnât create the problems downtown. It was trying to fix the problems that were already created after decades of downtown abandonment. It failed because of its time, not its form. IMO, had the mall refreshed/reinvented itself instead of being replaced, I can imagine it being quite successful today in a rejuvenated downtown. while I doubt that the city will return the street to a pedestrian mall ever again, I would love to see it at least remove the street parking in favor of more pedestrian space.
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Agreed, boulevard style - wide sidewalks, trees and two lanes of traffic.
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Exactly. Especially with RDU not even having a single high-rise building over 20 stories back then. DTRâs population, transportation, traffic and opportunity is greater now.
Suburbanization of the US in the 20th Century killed most non-tourist citiesâ downtown cores typically. Downtown Raleigh was going to suffer regardlessâwhat the shame is really is the lack of city investment into downtown when people are migrating back to urban areas.
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The âcityâ is now mostly suburban residents and voters, and many (but not all) of them arenât interested in what happen to or in downtown. Ironically, the investment in the core continues to build the tax coffers that will one day subsidize the replacement of their sprawling neighborhoodsâ ageing infrastructure.
Sounds like youâve been watching some of the good stuff on Not Just Bikes
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I had seen this video, but I didnât need it to shape my worldview. Iâve been talking about this for decades! Iâm just glad that thereâs some platforms out there that are casting this message more widely!
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The outdoor segment of TTC is completely vacant now except for Menâs Wearhouse. Itâs a shame because the bones are good, but thereâs no signs of life whatsoever. In fact, across the street at Poyner Place, a Fat Tuesday is being built along the perimeter of that large water feature they have, and a hookah bar just opened up near Applebeeâs. Definitely not my scene but it seems to be pretty crowded.
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If there were to be an outdoor âMain Streetâ section at the new Crabtree (aka Midtown Valley?), then when it rained, you could shop via gondolas.
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Thank you for posting this, Iâve always had a feeling that this was the case but itâs good to know that itâs true.
They could go ahead and put in canals. Maybe that would help with the flooding. Weâll just overlook any new environmental issues.
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The Westin in Brier Creek continues to progress. A bunch of land all around it being cleared too, not sure the plan.
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Capital could use a lot more of this. Glad theres a ray of sunshine in all the chain sadness of this stretch.
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I donât miss my old commute down Capital Blvd every day⌠The closer to the Beltline you got, the sadder it got. Not a great way to start (or end) every work day.
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