Cargill/Purina plant south of downtown

[ncwebguy]

This is a spin-off from the off-topic "skyline view" thread elsewhere.

To me, the Cargill/Purina plant facilities disrupting the downtown skyline view is the least of it's problem.

The *smell* has eliminated any chance at development in every direction, from 440 to MLK and lowering the appeal of the Wilmington Street to Garner Road corridors. Residents of the homeless shelter and housing projects just west of wilmington are powerless to do anything about it. If southwest winds are strong enough, I can smell it at my house due east of Moore Square.

Houses just north of Bragg have plastic on the windows, or just plywood. This allows crime to go unchecked, with people just walking around selling drugs, etc. Maybe they're so out of it they don't notice the smell?

Does anyone know how many jobs does the plant creates? Are they high paying jobs for less skilled workers? Does it employ nearby residents or even Raleigh residents, or do they commute from other cities, pollute our air, and then go home? If the soybean processors weren't there, it could be the center of a mixed use community right near EastTrans train tracks!

There's plenty of land to the south of it being used as a *junk yard* now. Why is there land inside the beltline being used as a junk yard???

[DwnTwnRaleighGuy]

If I am not mistaken the N&O ran an article a time ago mentioning that this plant also added a lot more rats to the area. Also these rats were found going from this plant to other places,(Nash Sq park, restaurants, etc.) via the sewer system. Sounds gross but it points out that there is more to this plant than a visual sore spot, which I think it is. I would think that the land value is getting up there though. I wonder if the taxes will make or brake it's future?

[pack-man]

Industry does have some negative drawbacks, but that is the price you have to pay.

I do agree, this plant would make more sense being out in Johnston county somewhere more accessible to all the farmers that visit this plant on a daily basis.