Since we're talking about Wilmington Street and the need to reviatlize it, I wanted to comment on Person Street's potential. First, on the south end, you have Shaw University, the mother of African-American colleges in North Carolina. I had noticed a new building or two (maybe a student center/library?) had popped up across Person Street from the main dorm. Is this part of any larger program by Shaw to revamp some of its facilities? I think that those buildings do alot for the area, and it would be great for the University if it could kind of make that area its own, rather than having to run a barbed wire fence around its perimeter. When you combine this with the Moore Square/City Market area, the Oakwood area, and the Conti's/Mordecai Bridal area, I think that the potential is obvious. I think that, with Glenwood South sort of "expanding" downtown on the west end, we can set up Person as the unofficial eastern boundary of downtown, blending nicely into one of Raleigh's oldest and most beautiful neighborhoods (Oakwood.)
I know that the Blount Street Revitilization is going to take care of that ugly parking lot across Peace from the Krispy Kreme (check out RaleighMSA's "New Projects--Downtown Raleigh" section.) I also know that they're supposed to be getting rid of that horrendous block where the Megabyte and the dry cleaner used to be. Anyway, i just wanted to see what other people thought of this, and if anyone knows of any new projects on Person Street in particular.
