“Yeah, converting surface parking into housing is an amazing idea. (Columbus, OH)” - Hayden Clarkin
Source: https://x.com/the_transit_guy/status/1761056446525944062?s=46
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To be fair, there’s a lot of new housing being built at Seaboard where a lot of surface parking previously occupied much of the land.
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Yeah that’s a good thing, now we need city leaders to convince state leaders to sell off some of the state’s surface lots nearby.
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Who dug that hole? 
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Cary is at it again!! lol. Two new parks open in western Cary with more options for family fun
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Posted here:
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The powers-that-be in the General Assembly may be reluctant to sell surface parking lots owned by the state, since it would limit their options in the future. I agree that surface parking lots are not the highest and best use of governments property, and the city would benefit from their reduction/elimination. But keep in mind that the city has limited influence with the General Assembly and has to prioritize their wish list. Just ask Phillip Isley, Raleigh’s lobbyist. He spoke to the city council at their retreat not too long ago. I watched a recording of his presentation but I don’t remember if state parking lots were a topic of discussion.
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Highwoods, West Coast Division. 
Okay so summing “in lease-up” and “under construction” gives us, roughly:
4k units downtown / 30k in Wake county total = 13% of new units are in downtown
That’s better than I feared actually, even if it isn’t as much as I’d hoped. Making some very rough assumptions:
(1.5 average occupants per unit * 4k new units) / 12k estimated current downtown residents = 50% growth
vs
(2 average occupants per unit * 30k new units) / 1.15M estimated current residents in Wake County = 5% growth
So downtown is growing (proportionally) 10x as fast as the county as a whole, but ex-downtown areas are still adding 10x as many residents.
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Well, considering that downtown is just over 1 square mile and Wake County is over 800 square miles, it puts the " adding 10X as many residents" into perspective.
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I just drove I-40 from California to NC. Here’s some pics.
Crooks.
Route 66, Fenner California
Somewhere in New Mexico.
Cadillac Ranch, Texas
Oklahoma City
Memphis
Nashville. I don’t know how many cranes they had up, but my guess is at least 20.
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I don’t know whether to be jealous or just super impressed that you were able to cover nearly the entirety of I40 (presuming you stopped in Raleigh).
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Yup, stopped in Raleigh. It was fun but I wish I would’ve had more time to screw off. I’ve now driven I-5, I-10, and I-40 in their entirety. This trip was a quick one. I did it in 3 days (58 hours, 32 minutes), including 12 hours for sleeping. Day 1: Oceanside CA to Flagstaff Arizona (575 miles). Day 2: Flagstaff to Ozark Arkansas (1083 miles). Day 3: Ozark to Raleigh (1008 miles). There was lots of coffee involved. 
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HOLY SHIT!
I regularly drive 803 miles between Raleigh and Miami Beach in one day, but that completely wipes me out. I can’t imagine doing a drive like that 3 days in a row. I suppose that you got a late start and that’s why you have your long days back loaded on the trip?
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Jeez John, you should be walking that. With all that mileage saved, you’d be able to drive 2 blocks to Publix. 
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Not really, I gave myself 5 days for the trip. It became more of a “how quickly can I do this” challenge for no reason other than I like to push myself. Raleigh to Miami is still a long trip! I start getting cranky around Jacksonville.
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I have gamified the drive in the past and pushed to beat my best time by not stopping for gas until I was on fumes and holding my bladder. I think that my best time was like 10 hours, 50 minutes. I haven’t challenged that time in 15+ years though, and I now stop every 200 miles and walk a mile+ at a rest stop to stretch my legs and get the majority of my daily miles under my belt before I finish the drive.
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I have complicated feelings about this. Obviously not a long-term solution but maybe better than the alternative?
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Durham just released their 20-year tourism masterplan
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