Euphorius

Looks like the Triangle has another Fortune 500 company. Quintiles cracked the list for the first time. http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/06/02/3905656/the-pantry-and-quintiles-make.html

Well good for you. Did you have any ideas about how Cary can get better or did you just come to this thread to brag about Charlotte?

Wow! I didn't realize they already had the parking garage built.

Looks like former Herons chef, Scott Crawford, is picking up the idea that the owners of the now defunct Market restaurant/grocery started. I guess Person St. Plaza will get a small grocer after all. He is also looking to expand eating options on the Martin St. side of Nash Square. http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/05/19/3871868/chef-scott-crawford-leaves-herons.html?sp=/99/106/139/1550/

Yeah. I think it was yesterday when they let the public in for tours of the new facility. I'm wondering if they could just use their plans for the hotel tower that was supposed to be between The Dawson and Holiday Inn. That was initially proposed as a 42+ story tower before it was scaled back numerous times.

I was thinking maybe this could be a scaled up version of the 2nd Charter Square tower, but it already has a parking deck. Maybe it's the old Greyhound station that Ted Reynolds just bought.

I wonder if any thought has been put into creating a streetcar line around the Maynard loop. I don't know how well that would work out as far as connecting with the light rail, but it would hit several shopping areas and employment areas in town.

I've always thought an observation tower would be great on top of the hill. I can see the appeal of a zoo, but I think something like a large aviary would be better suited for the location since the NC Zoo is so close. I would love to see the train at Pullen Park extended to loop around the Dix property. The pool idea is cool. It would be great if it was a natural pool that could also serve as an educational area about aquatic plants. That would also tie in with the botanical garden idea.

But what does this state agency need with 64 acres of land? I'm sure parking takes up a lot, but you can fit an average of 100-150 parking spaces per acre. Are there really so many DHHS employees working on Dix Hill that they need all that land for parking? I feel like there is something that I am not understanding about their supposed need for so much land.

Looks like the city is bending to the will of the state. This article says the city will leave the state with the 64 acres they wanted. It goes on to say that the city will lease back 90 acres to the state for 10 years. This is total crap. What does the state need with 154 acres of this land? The only positive I can find in the new deal is the addition of 7.3 acres of the Morehead School property that will help link the Dorothea Dix property with Pullen Park. What started as an idea for a huge park has now been cut in half. This is typical Raleigh. Start out with a grand idea, and end up with half of what it was supposed to be. http://www.wral.com/raleigh-wants-to-add-part-of-morehead-school-land-to-dix-deal/13627084/

It's actually Ashley Christensen.

I don't think this has been posted. It's the State of Downtown Raleigh 2013 report from the DRA. It's packed with cool stats about past, present and future developments. One of the most notable numbers is about the $ amount invested in projects. In 2013 more than half a billion dollars of projects were completed or under construction, and another half billion+ dollars of planned developments. It seems like we are in a bigger boom than the years just before the economy crashed. http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/_files/pdfs/stateofdowntownraleigh2013.pdf

It was also mentioned by Al Roker on the Today Show and in the Daily Mail. Not only is Gail Wiesner being made to look like a hateful you know what here in the states, her needless uproar is even being covered in the UK.

The caption for the 7th pic in this gallery says it is 100 ft x 350 ft. http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2013/01/28/slideshow-check-out-raleighs.html?s=image_gallery

Whatever they come up with can't be much worse than Charlotte's branding slogan "Charlotte's got a lot."

Not really sure where to put this. It certainly doesn't deserve its own thread. KB Homes is building a new subdivision near downtown that they are calling Oakwood North. Supposedly they talked with neighbors and local real estate agents about what types of homes they would like to see in this project. Funny, all of the designs look like typical KB Homes crap that they build all over the place. They all have front loading garages. To me, that completely destroys any character the house may have had without it. They can invoke the name of historic neighborhoods all they want to, but their new subdivision is nothing more than a basic cookie cutter subdivision. http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/2014/03/construction-starts-on-new-oakwood-north.html?page=all http://www.kbhome.com/new-homes-raleigh-durham/oakwood-north

I know there are a lot of people with a negative view of North Hills, but in all honesty, it's one of the very few places you can live in Raleigh that has everything you need within walking distance. I actually kind of think it is coming into its own as "midtown." Placemaking efforts like this speak to that.

How does a project in such a prominent location fly almost completely under the radar? They have some under construction projects on their site. I'm wondering why the Raleigh location isn't listed.

I think we can all see what is going on here. The state has been leaning toward selling to developers since the decision was made to close the hospital. Now McCrory is saying there isn't a better place for DHHS, and that they need to keep 64 acres to keep DHHS there. I call BS. They are trying to play the city. Once the city comes in and cleans up all the pollution and creates a park, the state will decide there is a better place for DHHS after all, and that prime land on top of the hill will be sold to developers. http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/04/09/3771144/nc-rejects-38-million-bid-for.html

I wish more Roses would get shut down. That is a good way to slap Art Pope in the face. Let Family Dollar come in and replace his crap emporium if the community really wants a discount chain.

I seem to remember one of them being a Hilton Garden Inn. I was a little unclear in my description. One of the hotels I heard about is going on the block with Firestone, and the other is supposed to be going on the block with the rental car place just north of the convention center.

The Residence Inn wasn't one of the two I heard about. That one has already been approved. The two I heard about were near the L building. One was across the street from it, and the other was at the Firestone site.

I think this was their attempt at an April fools joke.

I've heard there are 2 more hotels that are in the planning stages that haven't been announced yet.

Not really sure where to put this, but it's noteworthy. Mitchell Silver will be leaving to oversee NYC Parks and Rec.http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/nyregion/mitchell-silver-north-carolina-planner-named-to-head-nyc-parks-dept.html?_r=0