I think the obvious answer here should be to delay to look for alternatives and confirm some of the unknowns about the current plan before solidifying the plan.
I’ve got another question. Suppose you have to choose between the CC expansion and Red Hat Upgrade. What are you choosing?
WRAL headline:
“Raleigh residents don’t care to expand the Convention Center and instead just want to headbang”
RHA is almost certain to win this because people directly go to shows and enjoy them, while the convention center’s benefits are more indirect for everyone but nearby business owners (the people coming to the conventions stay and shop nearby, which incentivizes more businesses and hotels, which locals then patronize). They’re both important.
“Raleigh residents don’t care to expand the Convention Center and instead just want to headbang… to Creed!”
Really? I’ve been to conventions in Vegas, Austin, Charlotte, and Phoenix… I’ve never shopped near by. Usually conventions are heavily programmed from 8 am to 6 pm, there’s some organized dinner, then back to the hotel (bar).
I think expanding the CC is a boondoggle for local residents. Sure they’re great for the convention center, adjacent hotels, and especially hotel restaurants.
Concerts provide culture, a benefit to the local music scene, “things to do” for transforming Raleigh into something besides a safe, sleepy city for growing families, and are largely attended by local people. I’ve biked to concerts at Red Hat from OTB.
The point of the poll is to realize that what we could be facing is an expansion of CC and elimination of RHA, which is a net loss to the city in my opinion.
I go to a fair bit of conventions as well.
I can’t stand Vegas or Orlando, so I don’t stick around there (national parks near Vegas excepted), but I usually try to have a weekend day on the end to bop around if it’s in a more interesting city like Chicago or NYC.
Let me see if I have this right. Now suddenly people are chirping up about trying to protect ROADS?
to make it easier for people to DRIVE?
like in CARS?
Downtown?
On this forum? lol
What did you all do with the “car light living” activist participants I’ve come to expect! haha
Nope, you have it wrong. Thanks for making sure. To clarify: I did not mention cars, or driving. Street is a term that long predates cars, and the word transportation is mode-neutral.
If it were just about cars, I actually wouldn’t care. Drivers can go ahead and deal with a bit of traffic and a 30 second detour for all I care.
But for quite a few cases (eg: walking from Dix to Memorial Auditorium), with or without the “slip lane” this adds a good bit of extra walking and two more streets to cross. Kind of a pain in the ass. The slower the transportation mode is (walking), the more important it is to have the most direct route possible.
And actually - if that’s really what it takes to “save” Redhat, then so be it, let’s do it. But based on the public communication so far they have never seriously considered any other locations, even though there are quite a few other nearby city-owned properties.
It’s not a road, it’s a street. See: STROADS
Jk jk but yeah it’s not about the car network, it’s about the platform for creating and sustaining wealth along the street in future
Yea I’m not worried about cars either. As @John said, Lenoir is the better option for thru traffic.
If it has to be blocked off, maybe they could add some sort of pedestrian path around this way to make it as direct as possible and maybe have a development with active faces here.
Better than making a 3 block detour through a dead zone to the north side.
I don’t mind if it takes a little longer to walk. I’ll drive it instead.
Yeah I think the city should sell this lot to a developer so that the planned shared-use path would be less isolated and potentially unsafe. Based on the renderings, it’s supposed to stay a surface parking lot.
This lot will have very little value for development once south street is closed. It will be facing the cul de sac stub of south street, and otherwise stuck essentially in the median of the Dawson/Mcdowell expressway.
That is another reason the plan for RHA is not ideal. Swap it, put the development where they want to build RHA, and build RHA down there.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here yet, but they should also keep South Street open.
When is city council meeting to vote on this?
It will be a signaled crosswalk away from the Maeve and the South Street district and a block with no streets from the new RHA. It’ll probably have a parking podium on the bottom shielding the traffic noise (which would be there South Street or not) and be some pretty decent apartments.
Why not a walk-path right through RHA with some gates / fences that can be closed for events, but open otherwise?
Vandalism (extra characters)
True - but some fencing in the right spots could limit the through access to the path.
We had a great meal at Whiskey Kitchen tonight. Good crowd from the concert. We’ll lose it if Red Hat goes away.
I believe it’s next month (September).
