dwntwnraleigh

FYI - The planning department is currently conducting a residential capacity analysis.

Damien, You are correct - there is a plan to open a starbucks in the ground floor of the Marriott facing F Street. Although many renderings often depict such retailers without actual agreements in place, I am fairly certain that Strabucks will want the location at the doorstep of 400,000+ conventioneers. The GAP, and other such retailers will not work until the downtown population greatly exceeds 20,000. There are benchmarks for the retail recruitment business, and most folks are noth going to drive past the GAP at their local mall to come to the one downtown. A retailer like Urban Outfitters is more likely, because of their underrepresentation in our market, but we are still a ways off. The first phase of downtown retail will be boutique driven - a store like accipiter or 10,000 villages is MUCH more likely than a Barnes & Noble. This will take time, folks. It will come in waves - the first wave (which we are still riding) is entertainment and dining oriented. We are doing that pretty well and are fortunate to have generators like the state museums and the performing arts center to build upon. After a large residential boom (we still need another 1000 or so units on top of the 2600 coming), other uses will start emerging. There are catalysts that some communities use to jump start retial growth - incentives, rent abatement, etc. - but those are largely unavialable right now. For a ten-year horizon that may be a good thing, since what we do get will largely be organic and market-driven. The recent announcements of companies like Cherokee and Stewart are noteworthy. DT Raleigh is struggling to brand itself nationally - the one area most folks can agree upon is innovation. Such companies help to legitimize that brand, which is the promise of an experience for visitors and patrons to downtown.

Be patient, everyone. July 29th was "Day one" for the new Fayetteville Street. Very few investors, restauranteurs, or retailers have much of an imagination to see past a construction zone. Now that the street is finished, RWO was a success, and some new places and threatening to open...the progress of the street will proceed beyond the bricks and mortar. RBC will break ground next month, and as the article says, 114 Fayetteville was finally sold (long story there), but hopefully the new owner will get the renovation underway. There has been some reception by a couple of first-floor office users to "move up" into higher floors, but the market and potential user types will largely encourage that transition. We must make it beyond the next few months, as the period between RWO and new businesses opening is an intimidating one - especially for the street's reputation. Please frequent those businesses who do decide to expand their hours (both on Fayetteville Street and in emerging activity centers like Sosta Cafe on Davie), since they have short memories and will need constant assurance of the decision to stay open. Do so and others will begin to follow.

2008 is just the target date for the projects associated with the Livable Streets plan. There is considerable stirring right now for a new, post-Livable Streets strategic plan for downtown development that is more holisitic and and tied to encouraging the highest and best use for downtown opportunity sites.