Hopefully permanent Eastern Daylight Time…
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Total agreement on that one.
I still want an observation tower in Dorothea Dix. Maybe a 600 footer?
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Same. That would be fantastic attraction, and a great landmark.
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Dorothea Dix Park is going to become the attraction of Raleigh and has the potential to be one of the most impactful city parks in the entire country.
The kids area under construction is about to change lives…but on top of that you’ll have a water feature in the Creek, athletic grounds, dog parks, beer/wine gardens, art fixtures (way more than what you see today), beautifully redone buildings, a hotel, and (potentially) an amphitheater. It will take time, but it’s not speculation - transformation of the park is going to happen.
A gondola between the park and the city core is more than just a mode of transportation and a fun attraction, it can become an iconic branding element for a city that does not yet have a real identity. Making it happen sooner rather than later means there won’t be issues with “where do we put it” that would come once every thing has been established already and will jump start the establishment of that identity.
Oak City. Americas beautiful, green city that can be explored from the sky.
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I hear you on that. 10 people max per car and very slow (~12 mph). So not much capacity, but also seems crazy convenient, no planning / waiting on arrival schedules, no traffic, just walk up and ride.
… 25 minutes warehouse district to Lenovo Center,
… 12 minutes Glenwood South to Iron Works
… 30 minutes Glenwood South to North Hills main district
It would be soooooooooooo cool if these maps were able to show the actual population for the area cropped. @John, please make it happen! Thank you! 
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what are the odds kane or another developer gets keen on incorporating an observation tower into a new project?
It’s not exclusively profitable, so odds are: not likely
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i know las vegas has its neon sign museum, Is perhaps something akin to that using old store signs or a portion of removed buildings and facades?
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We did have exactly that with Glas, but I am pretty sure they closed it 
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after your comment i went poking around and found the master plan for Dix. It is an impressive vision for what it ultimately may become. Still it strikes me as being more sizzle for locals living in the Raleigh area vs. something that an out-of-town visitor would spend much time at, even after it is built just like the master plan. I mean it looks amazing but I can’t imagine more than an hour or two as a visitor spending time there in its future version, compared to a local like one of us who would really USE the park and all its options.
I just wish there was something truly WOW or MUST DO for visitors, and Dix park now or in the future just isn’t it, in my opinion. Although I am happy with what they have planned for Dix to turn into for us locals. The special event spaces, rooftop with a view of downtown, etc., are all great. But I just can’t imagine it as a convenient destination for visitors if I’m being honest. It’d be great to have something more centralized or actually downtown.
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It’s not too far from downtown. If you go from the south side of the capital building to the north edge of the park, it is a little over 1 mile away. From Raleigh Union station, it is about 1 mile. That’s not too bad as other cities can have their park a bit away from their downtown as well.
I can see people coming to spend time at Dorothea Dix park. People will love to see the skyline views.
It depends on the person. People go visit places such as the High Line in NYC. That doesn’t necessarily take an hour. I went to Kerry Park in Seattle simply for the skyline views.
Twin Peaks in San Francisco is a tourist attraction. Most typically aren’t there longer than a few minutes either. It just offers a good view of downtown San Francisco.
I’ve taken visitors to go see Duke University when they are in town. This was partially for the Duke Gardens and the Cathedral.
I can definitely see people spending time at Dorothea Dix park in the future and it being a place tourists visit. I’m just sad it will take time to implement.
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The city will grow around Dix Park. NY Central Park was out in the pastures north of the city when it was first built. Then the city grew around it.
Now Raleigh isn’t NY, but you gotta start somewhere. It is already spurring development along Lake Wheeler Rd. There simply isn’t a large plot of land anywhere closer. You would have to raze many,many city blocks to build it closer. It’s just not feasible.
Raleigh is lucky to have had the Dix campus available for sale so close to DT. And it was visionary for the city to buy it for a park. It’s going to take decades to realize its full potential. But it will be a gem for the city.
At some point, many years down the road, the prison and the governors school will relocate, and open up that side of the park for development.
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That implementation time will give us time to grow an actual skyline for people to look at 
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Right! Let’s not forget the already planned developments that are scheduled to break ground in 2025 
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My biggest want for Dix is a way to walk to it from DTR without walking on railroad tracks.
Also, the more points of access the better, IMO! 
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It has been a while since I have been on this site, even longer since I have posted. This was the first topic and after reading all of the posts thought I’d give my $.02.
I love the idea of an iconic structure that would symbolize Raleigh. Since Raleigh is the City of Oaks, what about a giant oak structure at Dix, sort of like the Tree of Live at Animal Kingdom. If done properly it could hit on a few suggestions in this thread. Add multilevel, treehouse style observation decks. Could tie into a gondola system. It could house a forestry museum, tropical indoor greenhouse, aquarium, or “fill in the blank” in the base of the tree. Let NC State School of Design and/or architecture students create the design.
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