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Have any Big Ideas for Raleigh?


dand65

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It's Mr. Douglas himself. :shades:

I'm looking forward to this. Sounds like a great idea to get the community involved over drinks. Also I really enjoyed your talk a few weeks ago in my LAR class at State. Thanks again for giving us your time!

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little things like sidewalks on streets that really need them (Atlantic Ave, Capital accross the Beltline, Raleigh Blvd under the Beltline) and connect Lane to West St so that Hillsborough and Peace are not the only inbound streets to Glenwood South from downtown proper...and remake Peace....its a poor connector between Glenwood South and Blount Street Commons, especially for what I see more of...pedestrians......

Edit: Dan, as always we appreciate your willingness to listen to us...there is a lot of brainpower on this board...creative and practical alike....

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Dream Plan:

-A functional subway/ streetcar system like New York. Lines on Hillsborough, Capital, Falls, Six Forks, Creedmoor, Glenwood, New Bern, S Saunders, Rock Quarry, with connections to the Airport, Durham, Cary, and Chapel Hill. Can be elevated or underground, but stops can be at high-density res. areas and popular gathering places (Glenwood South, North Hills, Crabtree, etc.) I would totally use this system.

- COMPLETELY revamp Capital Blvd. from downtown to Durant- sidewalks, streetlights, crosswalks, and only allow mixed- use fronting the road, on-street parking, plant trees in the median... could be a nice avenue, seriously, there's hope

- A downtown arena...

Practical Plan:

- "little things like sidewalks on streets that really need them" would be great. I would add Glenwood avenue along the entire stretch, some residential neighborhoods, creedmoor north of howard/bridgeport, add 2 sided to millbrook

- Improve the rural roads! Add sidewalks, especially leesville between lynn and strickland (I know this is on the plan, but that stretch could be really nice)

- More mid-rise infill downtown, especially over the surface parking... bring back the classic brick building with stone, it will give the city more charm than a concrete/ stucco one

- Connect Wake Forest Rd. to the other Wake Forest rd. near Mordecei. That would make travel much less confusing.

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Set up a central superstructure in RTP, where future relocating companies can set up their campus as an addition to the structure. All the campuses are linked, all of them are built so as to allow future additions after them. Someone could take interconnecting hallways to anywhere in the structure. After several years of expanding, it would surpass the Pentagon to become the largest indoor building in the country.

There would be a transit hub in the building that offered quick rail service to downtown Durham, Raleigh, the Airport, and all of the major universities.

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I don't live there anymore but after 8 years of residency I hope I still count!

If I were going to be there, I would throw this great far fetched idea out there, and laugh with everyone else.

I want a giant sculpted archway over I-40 coming into Raleigh. I think it should go right before the Wade Ave split East Bound and another on the West Bound side right before the 1-440 merge.

And it should be HUGE! Have the likenesses of famous NC'ers like our Presidents or the Wright Bros plane. How about Sir Walter Raleigh? Or the logos' of the Triangles Universities?!

I always wanted to see something cool on my commutes on I-40. And sometimes I would drift into seeing this huge piece of art or ancient archway into the city rising above on the horizon.

:wub:

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I would like to see Capital Blvd. changed drastically into a freeway from Downtown Raleigh northward past Wake Forest. If the city plans now and effectively, I don't think that accomplishing this would be too difficult, and I think that it could be highly beneficial to the quality of life in Raleigh if done in connection with good planning practices.

I would also like to see an arena downtown.

A train included in the public transportation system.

Major redevelopment of blighted areas.

Urban Growth Boundary.

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Raleigh still has a dearth of in-town attractions, compared with other cities our size. We'll never have a riverfront or a harbor, or a French Quarter or Little Italy or Old Salem, or a mountain like Pittsburgh or Birmingham or Roanoke, or a Duke campus. I suppose we'll never have a downtown art museum or stadium.

But we could have a Chinese garden like Vancouver or Durham, or a Japanese garden like Birmingham or Portland or Fresno or Fort Worth, or an aquarium like Baltimore or Seattle or Boston or Monterey or Charleston or Chattanooga or Albuquerque. Or a zoo like most cities. Or a tower to climb like Baltimore or Washington or Birmingham or St. Louis or Seattle.

I'd love to see Pigeon House branch daylighted from Peace St. to where it runs into Crabtree Creek. I'd love to see all the flood-prone buildings on that stretch torn down, and the whole thing turned into a big park. Some of the branch could be turned into ponds, maybe with a fountain. There could be a botanical garden, a little zoo, an aquarium, and other interesting attractions.

It's embarrassing when out-of-town friends and family come, and the best I can show them is the capital and Oakwood Cemetery. We're a great place to live; we need to be a great place to visit as well!

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Raleigh still has a dearth of in-town attractions, compared with other cities our size. We'll never have a riverfront or a harbor, or a French Quarter or Little Italy or Old Salem, or a mountain like Pittsburgh or Birmingham or Roanoke, or a Duke campus. I suppose we'll never have a downtown art museum or stadium.

But we could have a Chinese garden like Vancouver or Durham, or a Japanese garden like Birmingham or Portland or Fresno or Fort Worth, or an aquarium like Baltimore or Seattle or Boston or Monterey or Charleston or Chattanooga or Albuquerque. Or a zoo like most cities. Or a tower to climb like Baltimore or Washington or Birmingham or St. Louis or Seattle.

I'd love to see Pigeon House branch daylighted from Peace St. to where it runs into Crabtree Creek. I'd love to see all the flood-prone buildings on that stretch torn down, and the whole thing turned into a big park. Some of the branch could be turned into ponds, maybe with a fountain. There could be a botanical garden, a little zoo, an aquarium, and other interesting attractions.

It's embarrassing when out-of-town friends and family come, and the best I can show them is the capital and Oakwood Cemetery. We're a great place to live; we need to be a great place to visit as well!

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Hey folks,

Lots of good ideas - but so far few have said they will come to the meeting on Monday. After all the great ideas and brainstroming I have read on this list over the years - I really want to get as many of those ideas as possible on the table for discussion and the best way to do that is come and participate.

The best ideas will be selected for publication in a book that represents the creative spirit of this fine city. Please join us Monday at 4pm, Tir na Nog Irish Pub, just off Moore Sqaure on Blount Street.

ps - the Indoor Ski Slope was just a joke to get you thinking.

Dan

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Not sure exactly what your point was, but in urban areas, lights are complimentary, not competitive. Busy streets and freeways need to be lighted, and I will never accept cost as a valid argument.

If you go to any relatively large city you'll see what i'm talking about. It's actually an embarrasment for Raleigh, and as always, our city leaders don't even notice.

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