The city desperately needs a skatepark. Maybe not at this site, but there is a large need for a new permanent park. I promise you there are much more than 50 people within a mile of downtown that skateboard.
Isn’t a skate park one of the main features of Smoky Hollow Park?
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I hope. I only see “skate spot” listed in the schematic available on the COR webiste here. It looks like the space they allotted is only about 1/4 the size of the current Skate Raleigh park. To me, that sounds much more like the Carpenter Fire Station skate spot than a full fledged park.
These are enjoyable, but these work better as neighborhood adjacent parks than the gathering points many larger skateparks are.
I don’t want to get too off topic, I just wanted to emphasize that skateparks are important to many cities, especially in urban environments. You could argue that parks like the Durham skatepark and the Apex skatepark really helped to revitalize the surrounding areas. They are gathering points for not just the city, but for the region. Skaters will travel, often pretty far, to go to a skatepark that they see as worth it.
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Have you ever driven by the Conlon Family Skatepark between West St and Capital Blvd coming into downtown? There’s like “50 people” that skate there any given day….
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Not trying to get too off topic either, but here’s a shot (not mine) of a skatepark in Encinitas CA. I’d love to see something of this scale get incorporated into Dix Park eventually, maybe even featuring a pump track for bikes, and a concession stand/food truck parking area. This place is always crowded and draws in visitors from all over SoCal. It’d be a huge win for Raleigh. Anyways, I digress. Going to shred some curbs now. 
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The current one was only ever meant to be a temporary “look at how popular and successful a skatepark in/near downtown could be!” - and since it has been so popular and successful, they are now considering incorporating a permanent skatepark into Smoky Hollow (I’m still rooting for “Pigeon House Park” lol) HOWEVER, they have already stated it would be in a different location, and not where the current/temporary skatepark exists. So time will tell how they incorporate it into the park plans, but as of right now I believe that’s the only info we have (YES there will be a permanent skatepark, but NO we do not know where it will be located)
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Ahh, I didn’t know they actually chose the location yet! So the current spot is more on the corner, and it seems like the new spot will be a BIT smaller - but if they actually design it better with a bowl and more ramps, it may not need as much space anyway (current spot is mostly flat pavement with a few ramps here and there):
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That looks kind of pathetic.
Raleigh could use a real sake park for sure. And a good Mt Bike park as well, especially with the closing of the Lake Crabtree trails. Like this one in Boulder.
Not downtown, but in the area. Perhaps it would be a good use of the land where those car dealerships always flood by Capital Blvd and Crabtree Creek.
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