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The timeline from this post came from that preso. Figure Iâd connect the bouncing balls here.
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The creators of Peas Street!
Sumit Vohra, Lonerider founder, dropping truth bombs about Raleigh. Raleighâs been successful despite the cityâs willful neglect of its city core. The city hasnât found itâs soul yet because of its disjointed neighborhoods and poor stewardship of downtown as a city asset.
No one has yet made a better case for downtown to be its own municipal district as Vohra.
FYI, heâs opening a 3rd location in downtown Durham.
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City leadership is missing the first part of that word leadership. They are still in shock from last summer and have one foot nailed to the ground.
It really needs batter our reach to partner will all aspects of commercial business and smart planning to make a go of it, itâs seems very disjointed and when folks come before the council it is an us against them feeling instead of a partnership to make the city better for ALL citizens. The money will come from the commercial developer side of things, I think Durham does this much better.
Also, they have missed the boat and now all these outlying multi-use developments are stealing the thunder as these places could have all come downtown.
This is not a massive failure as it does spread out density and offer services across many areas. Also, spreads out the traffic.
The slowness in action and grandstanding over the last year and several years is going to end up with developers wanting to pass the downtown area by as itâs easier to have development approved out of downtown proper.
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This guy gets it, brilliant! Good beer too.
Time to dust off this thread! âŠsince I found an interesting update that doesnât fit any other thread. This past Tuesdayâs City Council work session included this presentation by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (video recording here) that looked into how to re-energize DTR as we start entering our new normal.
Armed with tons of survey data, they made a LONG list of new ways to help some pandemic-inspired benefits like outdoor seating and curbside pickup stick around, as well as how to (re)activate DTR even further. These recommendations were forwarded to the Economic Development and Innovation Committee to be discussed this coming Tuesday. Click any of the dropdowns below to see what they had in mind:
By putting in those policies, we may be able to start making DTR more lively even during weekdays or to the eyes of people who donât go downtown too regularly. For example, those policies could help bring about things like:
Councilmember Jonathan Melton said he âwould be jumping up and down in my living room with [his] camera turned off [âŠ] in shortsâ if the work session werenât in-person, and that this would especially be helpful for small, local nonprofits as well. So this is some really exciting work 
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Some of those bullets are spot on to the suggestions made on the public input call I was on. Great to see some of them making it to the presentation!
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Wasnât sure where to share this, but for those who were interested in Nick Neptuneâs next venture after moving on from day-to-day operations of Transfer Co., here is the new website of his and his partnersâ development firm, which, in his words will be âmaking a robust effort to tackle development in a sustainable fashion for everyone involved while also making cultural contributions to our City â mixed income housing x mixed use commercial (the arts; parks; venues; bars and cafĂ©s; restaurants, etc) ⊠all tied into public transit, greenways and bike paths.â
Enter your email on the site to sign up for their newsletter! He also shared a video with me of a preview of their first project- but it is not yet public so I will share that when I have his permission!
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I think that this is the latest DTR report: 
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As promised, here is a preview of Trailblaze Development (Nick neptune) first project: a park! https://vimeo.com/588185655
Video Caption: Raleigh, NC is undergoing rapid growth, benefiting the wealthy, affluent, incoming transplants and displacing those who call this place home. The Kappa Alpha Psi Raleigh chapter, Trailblaze Development, and Hanbury Architecture have teamed up to challenge inequitable growth in Raleigh, promoting development that is people-driven instead of profit-driven. The idea behind Kappa Achievement Park was created in order to support the neighborhoods that have been disinvested and on the brink of displacement, by engaging with the community and responding to their needs. From early conversations with local residents, it was evident that not everyone has a safe space and sense of belonging. Kappa, Trailblaze, and Hanbury will continue to work together setting a standard for equitable and just development rooted in the community of its place.
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That was sweet, thanks for sharing. Very cool project!!!
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Did you just say, âWhy, bless your heartââŠ? 
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No really the video was sweet, like dude whereâs my car sweet.
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Could this work in DTR? Or possibly as a temporary tool to help with housing?
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article254557857.html
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So⊠The Edge is still scheduled to be built? Does anyone have any updates or more information?
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Asked about a month ago and all signs point to no
Ok, I asked because they put it on the list of projects currently under construction.
Official site just still says pre-leasing https://www.highwoods.com/find-your-space/detail/the-edge
DRA just has it on âannouncedâ Developments | Downtown Raleigh, NC
The most effective thing that council could do to alleviate housing costs is to start rubber-stamping every application for new residential development. Everything else is window dressing