I wish that all of these new projects had more retail. It sure seems weak.
It shows 25,000 sf of retail space (in orange) in the image Leo posted.
Nice recognition for RUS here.
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It is still my personal wish that the city would add some color or art to the inside of this building and to all of that concrete retaining walls as you leave…much to bland and dreary imho
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I keep thinking larger potted ndoor trees inside the station would really enhance the experience. The large south facing glazed walls would be excellent for some varieties of green life.
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GoTriangle has won a $20 million federal BUILD grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help construct a unique bus transfer facility that will connect to the new downtown Raleigh Union Station.
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When this sort of thing happens, does that mean basically that now we will have 20 million back in the budget to use for other transit items like service expansion or BRT? Or does this 20 million have to be used on top of the money already budgeted for the RUSBUS project? Will this basically be used in place of NCDOT funds so the money is put back in the DOT TIP budget or even the NC general fund?
Similarly, earlier this year the Blue Ridge Road grade separation project got a $20 million federal cash infusion even though the project was already fully funded from state TIP sources. I am really curious about where that 20 million wound up going as well.
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Many times these projects can’t actually happen without the federal contribution. IE, they assume that $20 million in their initial budgeting. One of the reasons light rail has gotten de-railed at times in Orange / Durham is due to state funding not coming through. If federal funding was not appropriated it would not be able to move forward.
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The most important thing here is that they carve out a special place in the new development for Five Star. 
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OMG, this for sure!!!
is the one thing that I worry most about. They won’t be able to recreate the ambiance of their current gritty, hidden-in-plain-site location. #ineedcrispysesamebeef
If MSFH could expand into that church next door, then maybe a larger chunk could be carved out for 5Star?
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One of the things that really jumps out to me is the statement of President and CEO of Go Triangle Jeff Mann:
“Density around transit stops – we know that drives transit ridership,” he said. “We know that land values in the area support an overbuild such as this, you look can look at development just next door at The Dillon, with the Citrix headquarters just across the street.”
Mann said that a multi-use facility is emblematic of the symbiotic relationship they hope to grow in the area by increasing public transportation options.
“One, the market was already calling for it,” he said. “Two, we saw affordable housing opportunity. And three, we see density at a transit stop as being supportive of transit.”
More housing and office space for foot traffic, the more customers for public transportation. Kind of setting yourself up to succeed. 
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Interesting. Let’s hope that someone is also working on transforming the bus rider experience so that it’s something that people want to do, rather than being seen as a last resort option.
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Kind of dreading the awesome up-and-coming Warehouse District turn into the Moore Square bus station area. Hope they have a plan for that.
This is good news for our growing and more useful transit system in Raleigh, Wake County, and the Triangle.
To those that worry how bus stations affect the experience in a district such as the Warehouse District, please attend meetings and be apart of the voices that will help this bus station become the best designed bus station in the US. We should not let ourselves fall into a self fulfilling prophecy that perpetuates the idea that buses and the people that ride them are inherently bad.
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I absolutely agree with you here. This is why I mentioned that the city should be exploring how to make the bus riding experience better. If we allow any bus system to be sub-par, it will only ensure that its effects on the Warehouse District will be unnecessarily negative.
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This may not be the right place for this, but what are some options to make Moore Square and RUS better than typical bus stations?
I think it’s too late for Moor Square? Bus has left the station on that one…very bad pun intended!
Now, on the RUSbus, as it’s in the planning stages this should be a good time…
Will 5 Star be include? etc…
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buses and the people who ride them are not inherently bad. the vagrants who are allowed to hang around the bus station and inside it who harass the public walking by, smoke, yell, fight, panhandle, publicly pee, do drugs, etc. are not what we need in every district that has had millions pumped in to be revitalized. that’s all i’m saying.
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Nah, this is the perfect place (and timing) for that; if GoRaleigh wants to market RUSbus and Moore Square as two peas in a pod, we should hold them to it.
I think the perception-of-safety/cleanliness problem @GucciLittlePig mentioned is worth addressing. They already built an open space to make the stations feel less claustrophobic, so I think the next step is to be intentional about making the stations more active and welcoming.
For example:
- Ensure regular police presence (doesn’t even have to be constant; just enough to deter loitering. Heck, this could even be a volunteer/community policing thing like this, which could be a way to keep retired citizens engaged)
- Provide lighting along walkways that are bright but not too harsh
- More commercial activity inside the stations (for example, GoRaleigh Station has an area between the bathrooms and Wilmington St. that’s open to the backs of restaurants. Why not have a mini-cafe or food stand there?)
- Continuous art exhibits -maybe to engage more Wake County school students to be a part of the urban community?
All in all, if you don’t want a bus station to be somewhere you’re disgusted by going to, all you need to do is to do things so you’d want to go/stay there.
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Interesting article on RUS and the Dilion 
The beauty of The Dillon and Union Station is revealed when they’re viewed together:
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