Folks, I was thinking this, and please hear me out
We need a nice big coffee shop somewhere at the bottom. I have one in mind, I think it would kill it. How about Joe Van Gogh? Like their spot in chapel hill but much larger. They need to take their biz to the next level and we need that vibe, and coffee…and someone has to bite eventually, we are going to have space here and in seaboard eventually…someone will be coming here one way or the other, even if from out of state! I am also thinking Peet btw! (does Mr Kane read this here?). I also have other ones in mind too (like Blue Stone Lane and Philz…Philz would kill it)
This day in age, I think that a coffee shop is a given. You can’t have 800 apartments, a nine story office building, and a collection of retail outlets outlets without coffee!!!
One thing is for certain, people take their coffee and coffee shops in different ways…
Hopefully SmoHo leans into something more cafe-oriented. I’m not sure why, but I envision something like the Maman group from NYC. Certainly, to John’s point - there will be a place(s) to get your fix.
This is my dream/personal goal (to open a book/zine/art/streetwear shop with an in-store cafe, and if there’s space, an attached art gallery). If anyone has capital and wants to partner with me, I’ve got the vision (and the product). I just need my sugar business-daddy!!!
Now that Phase 2 is entering its home stretch for completion, it’s time to start thinking about how Johnson St. operates for both pedestrians and vehicles. The stretch of Johnson from Harrington to St. Mary’s is more or less flat and is seeing a lot more foot traffic since the opening of Publix. This will only increase when Phase 2 opens and more options are available to the community. The problem is that there isn’t a strategy for supporting the pedestrians with the proper infrastructure. Most concerning is that there isn’t even a crosswalk across Glenwood. With Glenwood Towers, the Paramount, both Devon buildings, St. Mary’s Square, Revisn, and soon to be 615 Peace to the west of Glenwood, there should at least be a crosswalk at Glenwood to support all of those residents.
At Johnson’s crossing at Boylan, the crosswalk that’s there is so worn out it’s nearly impossible to see from your car. At St. Mary’s St., there once again isn’t a crosswalk.
All in all, I think that there should be a pedestrian priority path from Harrington all the way to the west side of St. Mary’s.
Of course, there’s also the issue that the new square loop exit on Johnson has made it the go-to access to Glenwood South from those traveling south on Capital Blvd. This too is a problem because Johnson St. only has priority at the square loop itself (Harrington) in the westbound direction. Right now at West, there’s a 4-way stop, but at Johnson’s crossing of Glenwood, Boylan, and St. Mary’s, it has to yield all priority to those roads. IMO, these intersections also need either be a four way stop or a traffic light. It’s easy to imagine a traffic light at Glenwood in particular since it’s the most traveled of the grouping of N/S roads. It could be timed with the light on Tucker to minimize the effect on N/S traffic.
In any case, providing either 4 way stops or a traffic signal will also make the neighborhood safer for pedestrians, and along the one road that’s emerging as a highly traveled pedestrian corridor.
Re your comment John that the exit on Johnson has made it the go-to access to Glenwood South from those traveling south on Capital Blvd, I’d like to see the GSNC lobby to have Glenwood South on the exit sign.
I just inquired about the Line Apartments in Smoky Hollow, thinking about moving over from the Devon Four25. Sounds like they’re hoping for a December 1st move in date.
I really wish that the interchange of Harrington and Johnson was a roundabout with a fountain in the middle. The square loop still could have had a dedicated lane and priority for its right turn, but a roundabout would have been so nice there. A smaller roundabout could have put at West & Johnson as well. These two roundabouts would have efficiently moved traffic through the corridor like it does on Hillsborough, and at a speed that would have been appropriate for a walking neighborhood.
what would a phase 4 consist of, the GSA property?