Triangle Metro Center (Davis Park) in RTP

[DanRNC]

Yea, I feel like we have a couple of threads talking about this before.

[Subway Scoundrel]

I think those are good ideas. Here is another thing you will see. I work in RTP and have seen this happen in other areas in the US, especially tech centers.

Some of these large campuses, in years to come will most likely not grow and will be split up into numerous companies. An example of this we have seen already is the Cisco campus where NetApp came in and took over part of their campus. This does not solve the problem of "campus sprawl", but creates a multi-company atmosphere. To be honest, all they do is lock each other out of each other's officespace but they share the same cafeteria that is already there.

Right now, RTP offers companies exactly what they need. A central location, relatively cheap property, near an airport, enough business hotels to handle their business, all within a few exits. You do see more apartments but many are foreign workers or short term leases who companies have set up for short term employees who are here to work and not live the "Triangle" life. I know many people who have come from Asia and live in RTP for short term basis.

I do think the issue from a business standpoint is lack of restaurants for business meetings. You can only go to the Angus Barn and Capital City Chop house some many times and quite honest, people will rarely go to Raleigh unless it is on the western edge. The same with Chapel Hill. Durham is a little easier due to closeness and ease of the Durham Freeway. Brier Creek is good but lacks a true upscale business dinner location. You can always go to Johnny Carino's, but not suitable for a more upscale meeting. I do think Streets of Southpoint has taken over some of the RTP traffic as a place to go out, shop, maybe see a movie for a business traveler, but still lacks a true business restaurant (outside of Maginano's--but still a chain)

I would like to see more dense development and the Craig Davis property is the best concept I have seen, but only if the TTA proposal happens. I think if the Metro Center takes off, it will take over the Nortel site there as Nortel has more office space than it needs.

Just have to let it grow from there.........

[Raleighsfinest]

I think the idea of a central location is a great idea, albeit a little unrealistic.

[JDC]

http://www.craigdavisproperties.com/images...cent_master.jpg

This may be a rendering of the park center. I don't know if it's what you guys are talking about.

[sax184]

Without the rail project, Triangle Metro Center is not likely to be built in any significant urban fashion. Instead, look for the land to the get the Toll Brothers/Brier Creek treatment. Crap, crap, and more crap.

[ncwebguy]

Park Center already exists... it is where the TTA transfer center is northwest of the Davis/54 intersection.

That image is plans for an update covered in this article .

I would *much* rather have seen the 12 million, two story office over retail redo vs the now planned 3 million "slap a fresh coat of paint on thing" plan. But it's not my money either. That block is not that far from IBM, EPA, and GSK campuses, and walking distance from the Radisson, so it could be a prime candidate for another "high end" business restaurant to compliment Angus Barn, Capital City Chop house, et al. Fast food is well covered on Miami and 54/55, but I could see something like Panera (nearest location is in Southpoint), a coffee shop, and/or a diner doing well there, but what does Craig Davis expect to get per square foot here?

It sucks that the TTA station has *nothing* but a couple of newspaper racks, a drink machine, and a payphone. No newspaper/magazine/candy/snack stand though Moore Square and Downtonw Durham transit hubs don't have this either. Are rider demographics so bad to not even consider this? Or is the "just in time" bus transfer nature of the terminal not conductive to something along those lines?

Triangle Metro Center is being built further south on Davis Drive closer to the Cisco campus.

There is some discussion about it at the end of this article that talks about devloping RTP with mixed use in mind. It iwll incorporate the TTA's multi-modal station, allowing commuters to swtich from the train to shuttle buses as needed. I have a feeling this is why the current RTP TTA hub doesn't get any loving. I *really* hope the TTA is able to get something going in some fashion to justify the goals they have for TMC.

Also for the "heart of RTP there is the work in progress Central Park on the southeast corner of the I-40/Miami intersection. Some of it (hotel, Rudinos) is already built, but they are not near finishing their plans. In recent years, more development has been done in the area just east of the Miami/54 intersection.

[DanRNC]

It looks like the Metro Center project got the go ahead finally. This probably a good move as growth in the Park will probably see its largest growth in recent memory. Steifel Research Institute will bring 200 jobs in the next 3 years, Eisai Pharmaceuticals announced they are adding 84 new jobs in the next 5 years in a $100 million expansion, Credit Suisse will increase its new hires from 400 to 800, and potentially Fidelity may add 5000 jobs. There are potential other moves that could add a lot more folks in the park. I still think rail should be considered looking at these numbers.

[Transplant]

For rail to be effective in RTP, a better system to move people will be needed. The current bus system is a joke. The routes they take are not effective, time consuming, and irregular

I watch a bus come into the parking lot where i work. The bus drives into the parking lot, drives around in a loop, then stops. The entire process takes 5 minutes, and I'm not exaggerating.

TTA needs to work with companies to place bus stops effectively, and build special busways to the different stops. It would be cool to see something futuristic to move people around. An ondemand people mover would work. The cost would be prohibitive, so they should start with that idea, and once its shot down, offer up the busway idea.

[thewhister]

Also for the "heart of RTP there is the work in progress Central Park on the southeast corner of the I-40/Miami intersection. Some of it (hotel, Rudinos) is already built, but they are not near finishing their plans. In recent years, more development has been done in the area just east of the Miami/54 intersection.

Seems like this Central Park is the opposite of what Craig Davis is proposing to do across the street from it. Nothing but 'hodge-podge' in a sea of parking again! When will we learn! (Hopefully that concept has changed...looking at the date...goes back to 1997!)

From the looks on Craig Davis' site that the Triangle Metro Center plan has not changed from the original plan. Looks like they added another village center near Davis Drive and have labeled the whole development, Davis Park.

[Green]

When I first started reading this forum several months ago, I remember a thread about plans for a planned community near RTP and 540. It was to consist of mostly townhomes and there was even artists depictions of it. I realize this forum's focus is on urban living but does anyone know what I'm talking about? If so, can you point me to the thread or give me the name of the project?

[Bull City Rising]

When I first started reading this forum several months ago, I remember a thread about plans for a planned community near RTP and 540. It was to consist of mostly townhomes and there was even artists depictions of it. I realize this forum's focus is on urban living but does anyone know what I'm talking about? If so, can you point me to the thread or give me the name of the project?

[DanRNC]

Its called Davis Park.

Davis Park

[Green]

Thank you! Thats what I was looking for.

[Jones_]

Its called Davis Park.

Davis Park

[ncwebguy]

I think that is NC 54 on the northeast corner, with the train tracks creating the diagonal eastern edge.

Davis is north/south and Hopson runs east/west along the southern border. I haven't been by there in a few months, but they were building the townhouses/condos west of Davis on the northern edge of the property then. I wouldn't mind living there, but they want a lot of money for something so far from everything but work. It will be interesting to see what kind of community develops there.

[orulz]

I'm not a big fan of how Davis Park seems to be shaping up. This will be an extremely suburban conglomeration of outparcel retail surrounded on all sides by moats (literally: retention ponds, or figuratively: parking lots). This will probably have some vertically mixed use structures, but it's all internally-focused, and all designed exclusively for the car. Triangle Metro Center (closer to the future rail stop) looks to be more of the same, only denser.

Dense, urbanish development has little point, unless it focuses externally as well as internally. This is so it can connect well with the "outside world" and allow other developers and property owners to get in on the action with developments of their own, to form a real walkable "district" rather than just an internally walkable development.