thewhister

Another follow-up on the national level. For the NPR buffs, last week the Diane Rehm Show discussed transit issues on her show. Broad base of people and perspectives. The facinating issue is the discussion of Federal policy towards transit compared to highways, etc. Randal O'Toole from Cato Institute will give you a few laughs of their perspective. Enjoy! Diane Rehm Show - US Transportation Infrastructure

I have to give it to the property owner and design team for the challenges that they faced with this project and to propose high-density mixed use development for this area. I had the chance to speak with most of the people invovled and if there was a way - they would have saved this hill. we forget that traffic management is a priority - the drives that service the development were recommended by both the State and City DOT, and let us not forget that we need to have proper grading for our BIG fire trucks to move up such a landform. Ah and the city requirements for parking, let us not forget that - hence the massive parking deck where the hill used to be. Least they are going for a parking reduction. There probably could have been a better development out of this property if there was not a lot of "requirements" that are mandated. The city would need to evaluate these requirements and rewrite new ones to encourge this kind of development. I don't know how the state can fix the Glenwood/Beltline interchange - the bottleneck seems to be at Leadmine and Creedmore - maybe build overpasses so cars can just zoom past Crabrtee and up the hill.

I met up with a friend of mine begining this week. He mentioned that his office was doing some work at Crabtree....the lower level of L&T and the convience center strip. From the sounds of it that the convient center is going to be transformed where some high end Big Box stores may come. Most of the tenants that are there now will leave when their lease is up. He said that the lower level of L&T will be spaces for smaller shops and such. But he did not know of any plans to connect the center with the main mall anytime soon. Of course no company names were mentioned in our conversation.

Yeah...don't think the State will be flipping the bill for another aquarium....since they are funding the 3 that are along the coastal region. Hence the reason the State built the aquariums along the coast...to be an economic generator for the area that they are in and they are geographically located based upon the aquatic characteristics of the state. Now if only Raleigh had a water feature.

Oh yes I agree. I remeber voting on the HSR Amendment when I was living in FLA. Least it was a forward thinking admendment and very ambitious on at that. Now living up in NC - it was pleasant to hear that the state has been very proactive to promote alternative forms of transit - expecially rail service. You can find out more here: http://www.bytrain.org/