Interesting. I wasn’t familiar with the mobile grandstand in the Chase Field picture. That’s a cool innovation. I wonder what it does to the outfield grass if you put it up 17 times (for MLS home games) but other than that I could see how I might be wrong.
It’s likely that none of these events would happen in-season. If they did however, replacing Sod is a much different game than it used to be.
They can cut up and lay down new sod in a day and have it immediately playable. They do this by cutting the sod much deeper, bringing the entire root system and soil along with it.
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True. Kenan Stadium has had to resod their field MULTIPLE times this season because they’re currently building a new practice facility and are having to use the stadium’s field for practice.
The more I look at the Cargill site, the more I think it’s the best spot in our city for a baseball stadium.
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Sandwiched between Hammond Rd and S. Wilmington St (two roads that could be designed to handle stadium type traffic)
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Bordering I-40 ,giving easy access to anyone making the trip from Apex (18 min drive) , Cary (14 min drive) Morrisville (20 min drive) . Durham (30 min drive) /etc.
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Space for both the stadium and parking along with a small amount of mixed use.
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Bordering an undeveloped warehouse district that could be completely rebuilt (Hoke St) and used as an entertainment district (along with the entire block surrounding the Shell Station and the large cleared block behind it)
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Rail running right along it’s border.
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Greenway running through it
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potential Skyline view of the city
The only thing it dosent have is the fact that its not in the city grid.
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Agreed, it’s really grown on me the more I’ve looked at it.
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Concerts happen all the time during baseball season at Fenway and Wrigley. I’m sure others have them too but those are just the ones I’m familiar with. However, the acoustics are not good.
PNC Park in Pittsburgh has concerts in season as well. And if bad acoustics were enough to prevent a place from having concerts, Red Hat would sit empty all year long 
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NC State has wanted Fraternity Court gone for a long time. As part of that I drew out a map a while back too, that extended Centennial Pkwy to Fraternity Ct …what I had not done is think about what could be built or consolidated there. NC State owns that formerly private set of apartments at the Avent Ferry/Centennial t-bone and certainly didn’t buy it just for that sweet $600 a month rent per unit…
My absolute #1 problem with Dix being called Raleigh’s Central park is that it’s NOT central. If the prison is going to go away, the park needs to take its place. This would make the park reach into the SW edge of downtown. I agree that this land is way too valuable to place a stadium on it, should it become available.
The Gov. Morehead School could be moved up Dix Hill and into a renovated existing structure(s) on the Dix property and Raleigh could have an incredible central park that runs from NC State to Boylan Heights and across Western Blvd.
The Spring Hill site just beyond DIX, and into Centennial Campus should be densely populated with mixed use to activate the park from its southern boundary with lots of walking patrons.
Count me among those who think that the sports venues should activate marginal sites, not occupy prime sites. Gargill is one example, as are numerous other locations south of DT proper.
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I agree @Loup20. I have been an advocate of the Cargill site for quite some time.
To increase available land for redevelopment South Blount St. could be closed with parcels to the east added to the mix. These parcels are now in private hands but are owned by only two companies. Perhaps a change of ownership could be negotiated? The city already owns the 5 acre tract directly south of the Cargill site on City Farm Rd. which would complete this recombination effort. The city also owns a considerable 45 acres directly to the south. I don’t think this land is buildable (flood plain) but could perhaps be put to a use that complements the stadium such as a sports facility with ball fields?
Closing South Blount St. would sever connectivity from Blount St. proper to Wilmington St which is a problem for the South Park neighborhood. As a solution Hoke St. could be extended to the west across the railroad tracks. The elevation of Wilmington St. is too high for a direct “T” connection so turn the extended Hoke St. left (south) and parallel to Wilmington St. until the new Hoke St. connects with City Farm Rd. This new path would wrap around the north and west side of the stadium and could be used on game days as a quick drop-off circuit for rapid transit buses coming from Moore Square which is only 1.3 miles away!
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This actually reminds me of something that Kate Pearce, who is now the senior planner for Dix Park, told the N&O in 2015: “The most audacious thing (architect Frederick Law) Olmsted did with Central Park was to name it that because it was not central to the city at first. But the city grew to it and that’s what will happen with Dix Park, too.” That will be the work of many decades, of course, but you can already see the first green shoots of that happening, with things like the Cargill redevelopment and the proposed S. Saunders development. It will definitely feel more central in a few decades’ time, which is really cool, I think, and as that development happens, it will just make the case for shutting down the prison more and more compelling.
I totally agree about the sports stuff. The more I think about it, the more I’m coming around to the idea of using that land to create a “super park,” if you will, connecting Dix and Pullen. (And moving the Morehead School into structures on Dix Park land if need be.) The challenge is that it will be easier to get the state to agree to shut down Central Prison if taxpayers can score a big windfall by selling off the land. Obviously, you can square that circle if Raleigh stumps up the money to buy the land. That would require a big political push, but I think it’s feasible. Looking at what’s happening to the land around Dix, as noted above, the purchase of the land for Dix Park is likely going to end up being one of the wisest investments the city has ever made.
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The only problem is that Raleigh does not have a history of developing in the manner that Manhattan was, and it’s foolish to think that Raleigh will ever mimic the sort of density experience one has in Manhattan. Simply put, Dix will never be experienced like Central Park is in Manhattan. Unless there’s an enormous cultural shift that happens right away (as in before its edge properties are developed), most access to Dix will be by car, not foot. The same will be true for a downtown sport stadium.
A more realistic approach is to use opportunities to activate more urban experiences outside of the city’s actual core. Instead of trying to wedge/shove a sport stadium into Raleigh’s small footprint, use it as an opportunity to extend the core beyond its edges. Leave the core of the city for daily active uses that create more 18 hour experiences in more places.
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Mama, we hit the big time! Haha.
ITB Insider is one of my favorite reads. You should check it out too for legit development news as well as some of the best Raleigh satire out there!
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Congrats on your multi-billion dollar empire!
I too like reading ITBInsider, and have enjoyed it since the beginning.
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Indeed, on the development patterns. In fact those patterns are being slowly cemented in with master planning processes, such as Centennial Campus. Nothing fronting Centennial Pkwy at all.
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Calling the Dix park “Central” would ignore the fact that geographical center of Raleigh – and so far as I can tell, the population center of Raleigh also – is roughly at North Hills.
Perfect reason to call North Hills midtown.
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FWIW, “Raleigh’s Central Park” is an informal title/marketing campaign comparing Dix Park to Central Park. The official name remains Dorothea Dix Park, and I do not believe there are any plans to change that.
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I am relieved to know they have settled on that name. With the land bridge in the works I was worried the combined Pullen Park/Dix would be named something else.
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If the central prison site doesn’t get a stadium, then the more I look at it, the more I think it could house district that is branded around the park, but not part of the park.
They could even build another land bridge over there to connect to a more commercial district that FEELS like part of the park