avery

I found the development site for Crabtree Mall and it has a flyover video. Looks like a 2-story Barnes & Noble is in the works. http://cvmeng.com/pb/wp_7f0e268e/wp_7f0e26...729878121388702

I think the renovation of Terminal C should buy the Triangle a sufficient amount of time before an additional terminal will be needed at RDU. If the airport authority decides to proceed with renovations/replacement of A, they could always start at one end and reopen it in phases. I personally like the idea of a two terminal system. In my opinion, it makes it easier to travel. Splitting up the traffic count into seperate terminals relieves the congestion. Also, not many travelers will be going from Terminal A over to Terminal C to catch a flight. RDU is not a place where people make connecting flights. Even if this did happen in the future, I would imagine that individual carriers will stay within a single terminal. As far as the layout of RDU goes, there is still plenty of room for expansion. The northern end of the airport would make a good connection for a future terminal to A and C. As long as airfares do not increase too much, I could care less how much the airport authority spends on a new airport. If the demand is there, then the revenue is there to expand.

Not sure if this has been posted, but here is an image of the proposed development. http://cll.bizjournals.com/story_image/85758-400-0.jpg?rev=2

Found these too.

I found these updated renderings on the interior of RDU's new Terminal C. There are 4 total pics and a Powerpoint presentation. Here are 2 renderings and the link. RDU Renderings

Found this rendering

I would be interested in hearing his rationale for the vote.

Once the new addition is complete and assuming they redo the service center similar to the Best Buy, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire mall gets an exterior facelift. I still love Crabtree. It could be that I live only 5 minutes from there, but they usually have everything I need when I go to look. I only venture to Southpointe for Nordstrom.

Maybe increasing traffic count on Western will help bolster support for regional rail.

The 100% park idea is all but dead in my opinion. I just don't see this happening. They should be proud that their lobbying efforts have gotten the amount of dedicated park they are looking at.

I wouldn't be surprised if the wholesaler they are working with provided all or part of the loan. Expenses can pile-up quickly in a grocery store. There are so many perishable items that must be trashed if they do not sell within a few days time. All of this on top of the fixed expenses of rent, utilities, insurance, etc. I stopped by there the other day with my wife and left feeling bad for them. I think there are several problems with this store. The first being its hidden location. Second, the downtown market is not fully developed yet. The product offering is too limited. Lets face it...how many times will you go there to shop if you can't find what you are looking for? The produce department was really small. They invested a huge amount into wine inventory. I think too much. There is a wine store just across the way from them. Maybe they should have downsized that department and invested in more grocery and produce variety. This store has to find its niche. I wish them the best of luck. It will be hard to get another loan if they can't correct the current woes. It is easier for a chain to sink money into a failing operation to turn it around than it is for an independant.

There is one big problem that I have with this new proposal and I'm interested in what others think. The information provided in the paper shows 2 lanes of traffic seperated by a brick median and parking on one side of the road. Is this going to be parallel parking or angled parking? How in the heck can one park in a parallel space or back out of an angled parking space with the amount of traffic volume anticipated? Sure, there will be no traffic signals, but having to stop for every person vying for a parking opportunity sounds like a huge traffic tie-up. Also, people will continure to circle the roundabouts to continually search the drag for a parking spot. The amount of people circling the roundabout can tie-up traffic on those progressing down Hillsborough Street too. Heck, it may be difficult to merge onto a roundabout from one of the roads just to get onto Hillsborough, especially during rush-hour. They would be better off doing some streetscaping, leaving it four lanes and adding some public parking areas.

It's hard to beleive that they recently remodeled that store. Everytime I go in that store, I am amazed at how cluttered it is. I think they could have definitely done better with the renovations IMO. So what is the deal with the service center area. I like the look of the new Best Buys with the red-brick, but it doesn't fit in too well with the rest of Crabtree. Are they starting a new trend for the mall? Will the B&N and Post Office remodel to match the exterior of Best Buy?

I agree. The city has a more vested interest in this land than the state does. I don't feel too comfortable having the state decide on the appropriate use of the land. I'm excited to see this area revitalized. It will spark development in this corner of town which really needs it. I love the Boylan Heights area, but there is a notable difference between the northern and southern end of the neighborhood. The area in and around the farmer's market has always looked shoddy to me. I'm excited to see what will happen here. It is so convenient to the beltline and downtown which is why it surprises me it has taken so long to rejuvenate. Why is it that North Raleigh has grown so much as compared to South Raleigh? The area around Lake Wheeler and Gorman is so prime for development???

I don't like that small wrap-around deck at Belk either, but if they ever intend to create an outdoor shopping area to connect Belk to the Barnes and Noble area, this deck may not be that bad. At SOS they have a drive bisecting the pedestrian area. Being raised at Crabtree could create a completely walkable strip with no vehicle interuption. This is, of course, if theyevr plan on doing this...