Peep the Acela in the background 
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but will it fit on the roof ???
I couldn’t catch the meeting, but we’ve discussed that the current option A leaves the door open for tunneling later. If a funding opportunity appears down the road, we can take it. The West st tunnel will happen eventually and only makes sense to us now because of what has developed on both sides of the tracks. In the future, when the lots south and east of RHA build up, who knows, there could be a grant to go after for a tunnel to reconnect the two sides.
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*A rep from City transportation referenced that West St considerations are likely 20+ years out…
Also referenced during the hearing was that Hargett St closure would likely go down first but still likely ~ 5years out…
Still, sounded like this will get there. I wager it passes 6-2 
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From the Co-Founder of Band Together (and a downtown Raleigh businessman)
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Watch the meeting yourself!
Starts at 1:14:48 if it doesn’t start at the right spot with the link below:
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After watching the full presentation, I think the main reason the more southern plot across the tracks to the south west won’t work for this project is the back of house amenities. Positioning the amphitheater there significantly reduces the space for bands, loading, concessions, etc. After seeing the options they considered and the reasons they didn’t work, I think it’s more clear now why this option is THE option.
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Raleigh suffers from a severe NIMBY problem, that has hindered our city government. Shouldn’t many of these instances of preventing development be investigated? Raleigh looks horribly developed for a city of 500,000 people.
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Investigated by who? It’s not illegal for small groups that vote as a bloc to loudly complain to elected officials.
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I’m sorry, are you saying that the West St. extension tunnel is likely TWENTY OR MORE YEARS AWAY??? If so, this is insanity.
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Yep,. Full stop. Breathe Deep. That’s how I heard it - it’s during the council discussion of transpo options around the South St closure as the councilors are posing their follow up questions to Kerry Painter’s (RCC) RHA presentation around the options / timeline in yesterday’s council meeting video posted above.
**Also mentioned - (kinda if you know, you know) were discussions on going around the Heritage Park expansion and altering the roadways within (including a mention of the ‘cloverleaf’- which I took to mean straightening out the MLK / Western exchange 
) to maximize the development opportunity to positively affect the affordable unit outcome of that project.
*Seems to me that some sort of long range plan for the Strollway (along Lenoir), utilizing the Connector / pocket park along Dawson and some sort of extension of West through HP to connect in with the greenway is likely seen as a long term best case for DT bike / ped connectivity tying Chavis and Dix together while West is focused as the North / South spine
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Looks pretty good, and definitely more substantial than the temporary venue we have had for 15 years. Right now the venue is just kind of adequate. I hope this will make it a first class venue where bands enjoy performing and attendees enjoy the experience.
Without a natural feature like a river or a sports venue in downtown, this is one of the top attractions for downtown, so I’d like to see a standout facility.
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I can definitely see this. Venues at this size and above require a significant amount of load-in/out space, storage, covered facilities (green rooms and such). Many venues do a good job of obscuring this — poke around PNC Arena on Google Maps and see if you can find theirs — but the temporary nature of the current RHA actually makes it easier to look at the overhead and see how much space is required. In fact, I think you’d need slightly more with this new venue.
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I was also very interested in the discussions Mary Black brought up around the cloverleaf interchange update. Sounds like they want to make that intersection at-grade and recover that corner of the Saunders south > MLK/Western offramp to use for the Heritage Park redevelopment to get more density. Out of scope mostly for the RHA project, but the spirit of the inquiry was around higher density creating more traffic and how that impacts surrounding streets with South St. closed.
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Self driving wind powered hover cars will exist by then.
100% should happen. Gridify and urbanize south Raleigh! 
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Well, gridify and ungridify (South St).
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I can’t believe NIMBYs could kill this they already killed San Francisco now there killing Raleigh. I hope this is approved.
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Hmm? @dtraleigh where have I heard of this idea before?
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They already exist. They’re called empty plastic bags.
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