NCSU - Main Campus

[foodpainter]

Ok, but to be fair, the university is more interested in boosting its "stature" by focusing on academics/research like recent research on turning fats into biodiesel, that's how they improve rankings, not by a trolley or redesigned streetscape.

[RaleighRob]

Well, that depends on what the improvement is and who's doing it.

Take for instance, the Rocky Branch stream restoration that's been going on. (In various phases...some parts of it still have a ways to go.)

Not only is this aesthetically (and ecologically) a boost for the campus, but they've been using it as a teaching and research tool in many different departments on campus. Enviro Sci, Bio Engineering, Hydrology, etc.

It's a win-win for everyone.

If they found other ways to incorporate other types of improvement with education, it'd also be great. Hillsborough Street improvement, could be a learning tool in the School of Design, the Political Science & Economics classes, architecture, etc. There are many possibilities.

[foodpainter]

Those are excellent points. I know it all makes sense, from what I understand there's just this web of beauracracy that prevents the streamlining of such obvious ideas such as these. There's that quote, "a camel is a horse created by committee." I sort of think Centenniel Campus is like a camel.

[pack-man]

i know that there has been a lot of student response and advocacy in the engineering college for hillsborough street improvements. the students are trying to make some noise as to what they would like to see happen to hillsborough street.

[ChiefJoJo]

The school just kicked off a plan to build a new greek village, just off Western Blvd. The fraternities and sororities would own and build their buildings on leased land from NCSU. Obviously, for anyone who has been to "Frat Court," it's one of the lousiest I've ever seen, and is frankly an embarrassment to the school. It's positive that NCSU is finally doing something nice on that prime land across Western.

Here's the link to the project website and site plan:

[Jones_]

I am glad to see the streets being reconfigured too. Varsity should be an emphasized street and gets three connections here instead of the one there is now. I haven't driven through in several years so there could have been some changes already I am not aware of though....

[dmccall]

I simply love that monorail placement in that pdf on the last page. Awesome. If I were looking at colleges, ceteris paribus, I'd take the one with the monorail.

That Greek Village looks like a nice design. The way they are treating fraternities, though, I can't imagine that the amphitheater events would be as much fun as they would have in the 80's. They are trying to treat these people like 1st graders, but then again I am vehemently opposed to the 21yo drinking age.

The row is a fantastic case of modernist architecture gone awry. How about a plan to replace the Audio Buys building with a fraternity house, too!

[RaleighRob]

They are trying to treat these people like 1st graders...

No, really? On NCSU's frat row? First graders?? Really?? You don't say...

[ChiefJoJo]

...continuing the lack of student housing/dorms from the Centennial campus topic here...

Yet another reason to build more dorms... so students can actually walk or bike to class and not have to crowd onto the Wolfline. My perception is that despite some public/priavte hybrid efforts (Wolf Village, College Inn) the university has simply moved out of the dorm building/operating business... or maybe the modern student expects to have his/her personal room (which i think is a definite change from even ten years ago) and the University somehow cannot provide that service in a traditional dorm concept. I dunno, after billions in bond money approved for the system and hundreds of millions of that going to NCSU, it seems like housing has been left behind while the school sprawls outward.

I'm sure the lack of close-in housing is the impetus behind the Stanhope Center & the Cresent Cameron Village projects just approved this week: both are apartment projects & a short walk or bike ride from campus. I think the university would be smart to rethink some of its plans for the Brooks parking lot and North Hall, which are both right on Hillsborough Street and in prime locations for new mixed use project IMO. Particularly North Hall has potential, as it will be adjacent to the new Hillsborough Street redesign (which should have a great pedestrian streetscape) and it is a large enough parcel to do something significant...

how about 8-10 stories with ground floor street retail & patio seating (coffee house, sandwich shop, etc), 2-3 floors for university office space, and 5-6 floors of student housing... or two buildings with one student residential over retail and one office over retail, side by side... and imagine in 10-15 years, you could walk from there over to the rapid transit station near Reynolds Coliseum and get to Durham, Chapel Hill, RTP, RDU, etc, via rail. Either I've got a clear view of the future or just dreaming...

[ChiefJoJo]

NC State is considering a major (up to $150M) renovation & expansion of the Talley Student Center on campus. The key will be an October 5th vote of the students on whether to support a fee increase ($150-200/yr) to support the project. Here is a site from the boosters of the effort, with descriptions, photos and videos of the proposed project, which would more than double the size of existing building, built for 14k students, instead of the current ~33k. The building would be targeted for a LEED silver rating.

[orulz]

I wonder if current students will be willing to vote for a fee increase for a facility that they won't be able to use...

Something else they mention on that web page (FAQ page) is another crossing of the railroad tracks, this time a bridge. It would be constructed as part of a renovation of Brought on Hall. Although it wouldn't be part of the Talley project, it will be connected to Talley and would probably be completed around the same time.

[Gard]

This isn't exactly a project, but it will likely lead to some....NCSU has just received the largest gift in its history....$40 MILLION. The money comes from the founder of Waste Industries, Lonnie Poole. $37 million of that is going to bolster the college of management and 2.5 million is going to build a clubhouse on the golf course.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/12/17/867027/transformative-gift-for-ncsu.html

[orulz]

I guess this is probably the best thread for this:

CAMPO has published a http://campo-nc.us/RFPs/Western-Boulevard-Multi-Modal-Crossing-RFP.pdf=RFP for a firm to study the pedestrian/transit grade separation at Western Boluevard.

The study seems pretty open-ended (Will transit be included at all? What form of transit? Where will it be? How many such crossings will there be? Etc.) This is going the opposite direction of turning Western Boulevard into a complete street, but did it really have any chance of becoming one in the first place?

The RFP includes this tidbit of truth: "To be successful, the facilities must be designed to intercept existing pedestrian and bike desire lines, and seamlessly redirect them to segregated crossing locations." Nobody will use a tunnel if you have to walk far out of your way for it, but it will be popular and helpful if it's on the natural path that people would take anyway.

[Jones_]

Is this Western/Avent Ferry? Other crossings too?

[orulz]

Is this Western/Avent Ferry? Other crossings too?

I think the Scope of Work kind of leaves that up for debate.

I see three possible crossing locations, the study could presumably recommend any one or a combination of these.

1. Avent Ferry/Western has a seemingly by far the greatest volume of crossings, plus a significant problem with jaywalking students weaving in and out through 45mph traffic, since Mission Valley, College Inn, and the Avent Ferry Complex dorms are right there.

2. A crossing near Pullen would provide the shortest straight-line distance to Centennial Campus for bikes, peds, and transit, and could connect Rocky Branch Greenway across Western

3. Dan Allen is where students walk back and forth to Greek Village.