jthomas

LOL - guess we're both doing the same thing instead of working. The potential for freight traffic on this line is an interesting angle and perhaps can help tip the scales in its favor. The article mentioned how it would provide a more direct connection to the CSX container hub in Rocky Mount. I would love for the state to buy the entire line between Goldsboro and Wilmington (I believe they already own the abandoned ROW between Wallace and Castle Hayne?). Perhaps CSX could be given access to Morehead City in exchange for NS getting access to Wilmington? That would definitely be in the best interests of both ports (and the state by extension).

Feasibility study complete on Raleigh to Wilmington: https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/2024/04/23/rail-study-estimates-wilmington-to-raleigh-passenger-service-would-be-810m-connect-through-goldsboro/ The price tag is not surprising considering the level of work needed on the line. Only thing disappointing to me is the proposed frequency - 2x/day to start with potential to expand to 3x/day.

I agree with you about the interior being the most important part - it's a first-class venue and a huge asset for the city. One day, those surface lots will become to valuable to remain as parking, and the sides and back will be hidden better. The bigger problem for the Tanger IMO is the surroundings - just look at that aerial picture. Three bland office buildings with no ground-level activation, a parking deck, and the horrible 1970s concrete bunker that is the Marriott complex. You have to walk at least two dead blocks in any direction from the Tanger to reach any other street-level activity. This is the kind of stuff that DGI should be working on, rather than chasing flashy big projects or gimmicks like self-driving shuttles.

The Alexander Company is the same company that recently completed the renovation of the Printworks Mill in northeast Greensboro, adjacent to Revolution Mill: https://alexandercompany.com/projects/printworks-mill/ I agree that this is a much better outcome for the site than the standalone Lidl. Would be great to finally see something happen on this corner. At first, I had some reservations about the size of the proposed parking deck (530 spaces for 160 apartments). But it makes more sense if they are still pursuing a grocery store for the site. I also know that the city has been pursuing options for additional parking to serve the South Elm area, and this deck would fill that need.

Yeah - it's true that the cost would be quite high. But if NCDOT was able to think holistically, it would be evident that any future road-based capacity expansions would be quite expensive too. IMO, there are only three justifiable freeway expansion projects left in the entire NC urban crescent: I-40 to six lanes between 40/85 split and Chapel Hill (in progress) I-85 to six lanes between 40/85 split and Durham I-40 to six lanes in Forsyth County Otherwise, the freeway network should be considered to be mature, and all future expansion should be focused on growing rail capacity. Adding additional lanes along the length of 40/85 would be a multi-billion dollar project with marginal additional utility, so the rail investments begin to look more attractive in comparison.

I wonder what would be NS's price to be bought out of their last 15-year option on the NCRR which would begin in 2029, if such a thing is even possible? It seems that the terms of the current lease really limit the use of a crucial piece of state-owned infrastructure. Buying out the lease could well be less expensive than the over-engineered projects that NS seems to insist on, not to mention the opportunity cost of waiting until 2044 to renegotiate the lease to more favorable terms. Thinking outside of the box - could it be cost-effective for the state to fund freight bypasses and upgrades to secondary lines which would allow most freight to move off the NCRR, clearing the way for much higher frequency of passenger service on the existing infrastructure?

Where do I sign up to perform this study? Step 1 - sell the city-owned surface parking lots to somebody who wants to build something. Step 2 - make sure the new plans contain more floor space for people than for cars. Step 3 - Profit It ain't rocket science, folks. Where's my $500K?

Good for Kansas City. The financials on that deal were horrible for the community.

It's Li'l Sebastian!!!

Yeah - I believe the legislation which authorized I-74 names either Myrtle Beach or Georgetown as the terminus of I-74. But you are right that the route makes zero sense, especially if I-73 gets built to Myrtle (which does make more sense). IMO it would be much more logical for I-74 to terminate in Wilmington, and for I-140 to extend down to Myrtle as a US 17 bypass. That configuration would fit the actual traffic patterns much better, but apparently would require an act of Congress for it to happen.

I'm sure either would be better than that terrible Lidl plan. But I agree on the need for more residents downtown. I know I've said this before, but if we 3x'd the downtown residential population, everything else people want to see downtown would happen organically. Building residential buildings on the abundant vacant land downtown should be the #1 goal bar none.

Agree - BRT only looks attractive because of this country’s complete inability to build rail at a reasonable price. Most of what gets billed as “BRT” is really just what regular bus service should look like.

This may be the tiniest of nits to pick, but I'm not a fan of these small landscape buffers at the base of new buildings which seem to be a trend. IMO, a truly urban building interacts with the sidewalk (the public realm). To me, a landscape buffer belies a very suburban attitude - withdraw from the public realm and interact only where necessary. I'd rather see hardscape all the way up to the building and planter boxes used for greenery if desired, but YMMV.

I look forward to the grand opening of both hotels in 2034.

It's inevitable that the first wave of projects will stick out like a sore thumb in exclusive single-family areas. This is the phase where leaders will need to have courage to stay the course as the urban form evolves into something new. I also don't think smaller missing-middle like triplexes and rowhomes should be thought of as creating transit-supporting density. Rather, they are building blocks towards walkable, 15-minute neighborhoods. I don't know what the UDO says (if anything) about small-scale neighborhood commercial, but that is a crucial component to avoiding the worst-case scenario of auto-oriented density. 16-to-20 dwelling units per acre is regarded as the minimum density to make neighborhood commercial viable. That density is achievable with triplexes and rowhomes. The goal would be for gently higher densities to enable neighborhood businesses which residents can reach without a car. That, I think, is a more palatable evolution for most neighborhoods to aspire to, rather than wholesale teardowns.

IF (and clearly that's a big if) anyone cared about the intercity rail portion of this project, you could build a sidewalk and dropoff lane in the space available now, knock out the panels circled in red, and start running trains uptown in a matter of weeks. Heck, you wouldn't even have to close the current station if it was important to have station facilities somewhere - trains could stop at both stations. Just give people the ability to get on/off the train uptown if they want!

Wow - that is the most "Atlanta" idea I have ever heard. Americans really will do anything to avoid the transit and land use solutions that work everywhere else in the world.

It would make a great location for a baseball stadium - home plate backing up to 77/277 interchange, outfield opening towards the skyline, plenty of room beyond for development.

Count this Greensboro resident as someone who would make more day/overnight trips to Charlotte (for museum visits, games, etc.) if I could get off the train in uptown. Right now, I go to Raleigh instead because of how many places are within walking distance of Union Station there.

I know FSU's discontent has been brewing for a while, but I think the hurt feelings from their outrageous CFP snub are clouding their judgement. With the CFP going to 12 teams next year, they have a better chance of making it as an 11-1 or 12-0 ACC team than as a 9-3 SEC or B1G team. And I agree that there's a very real chance that the SEC and B1G don't want them - what would they bring to the table that those conferences don't already have? Obviously the revenue gap to those conferences is significant, but it has not hindered FSU's success to date. I still think the current path of college athletics is completely unsustainable and likely to completely implode within the next decade. IMO, those in charge are following the NASCAR mistake of destroying the essence what the makes the sport special (in this case, regional rivalries) in search of a broader national appeal.

To me, the purpose of this board is to have conversations like this. And IMO, the reason the dead horse keeps getting beaten on this project is because it so perfectly encapsulates everything that is broken about modern American urban development. We have a building with an almost 1:1 ratio of car space to people space, directly adjacent to a multi-billion dollar public transit investment, in an extremely prominent location. This fundamental flaw is exacerbated by cheap, ugly, copy/paste modern architecture that is completely devoid of human scale and texture. Every time I see a picture, it offends me all over again, because there was no reason why it HAD to be this bad. Personally, I'm interested in analyzing this building both from a design perspective and to understand the regulatory and financial forces that shaped it. It's too late for this project, but those things CAN be changed for future projects. That's why this discussion is worth having. When the best that can be said is "well, maybe it won't be so bad from ground level when it's done" - well, that's a pretty damning indictment of a multimillion dollar investment. And below are some ground-level views where it is indeed still terrible - the contrast with the human-scaled surroundings is shocking.

Since Virginia owns the S-line ROW all the way to Norlina, I wonder if funding for that portion of the line will come through them? Also, if I am understanding correctly, there will be multiple years of these grants, so NC and VA could apply for more federal funding next year. Thinking optimistically, both the Long Bridge project and the Wake County work were funded this year, and both with target completion dates of 2030. I'd have to think that those are two of the most complex pieces of the entire Raleigh to DC corridor, requiring the longest lead time. Perhaps we will see an application next year for the S-line reactivation work, which already has a completed EIS and would presumably be easier construction than the urban projects, with the goal of the entire line becoming active in 2030. The Long Bridge project is useful both locally and nationally, but the Wake County work makes no sense without the rest of the S-line project. That's why I think (hope?) that its approval is a sign of future additional funding to come.

I'm aware of the different requirements for cladding a space for cars vs. for people. My commentary is that, just like mom jeans, the architects of this building (and the Line, and others like it) have deliberately chosen to draw attention to the most unflattering part of the building through wildly different material choices that have no relation to the rest of the building. Recessing the facade at the ground and sky deck levels only reinforces the gargantuan mass of parking at the midsection of the building. Again - mom jeans. I have made clear my dislike of podium buildings, but I can begrudgingly accept the reasons why they exist. But it's OK to call out terrible architecture. I'm glad that the noble developers are trying to keep the rents down, but they are creating structures that will be around for 100 years. They have a responsibility to the city at large as well as their own bottom line.

Yeah I don't understand why the architectural trend du jour is to emphasize the massing of the parking podiums, rather than making them blend with the rest of the building. It's like the mom jeans of architecture - it doesn't look good on anyone!

Interesting article here about the potential of electrified routes in Virginia and North Carolina. https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/01/09/electrified-rail-is-the-future-is-virginia-all-aboard/ There were a couple of new-to-me nuggets in the article, but the biggest was a claim that NCDOT wants to build the Raleigh to Petersburg S-line restoration with catenary. This would be great news if true. Hopefully the design speed will be significantly higher than 110 mph as well. I feel like the specifics of the S-line project have been pretty opaque the last few years, and also that environment around the project (such as state ownership of the right of way, and Amtrak's new trainsets) have changed significantly since the project was originally conceived. Hopefully, this means that they are planning to build a more modern railroad than the original proposal.