RaleighLover

I stated the reasons why in a previous post. Read up.

Angus Barn is apparently good enough to have their top chef compete on "Iron Chef America."

Right, it was never a mall because it never had a chance in hell to become successful or encourage the new business growth necessary to make it become the mall concept it was envisioned. A mall will not work downtown. Not in sites 5 or 6, not anywhere downtown.

It seems to me that lately the city council as ended their "it's too tall!" attitude and have actually asked for real improvements in otherwise cookie cutter designs and encouraged height, such as the case with RBC and Reynolds.

I'm surprised no Angus Barn.

A downtown shopping complex will not work in Raleigh. Fayetteville Street Mall proved this and with so many other options available without going downtown (Crabtree, Triangle Town Center, et al.). no one will bother. What's needed to get people downtown first off is an easy transportation route into downtown i.e. the light rail. Once people have an easy way to get downtown, and leave, they'll actually consider going, then you worry about giving them a reason to go (i.e. attractions). Plensa would have been a good start. Raleigh seems to be banking on the new convention center to do this and make the Raleigh revitalization work. Indeed, the convention center is the cornerstone of the revitalization. The hope is that the convention center gets people downtown which causes new businesses, restaurants, et al. to open up to take advantage of the new business potential and these new business attract even more people downtown and so on and so forth. It's a chain reaction. But truth be told, at least in the near and semi-distant future, you can forget about downtown shopping complexes, arenas, etc. as being part of that. It's going to be things on a much smaller scale and scope for some time.

There's no way a lot of the buildings such as Briggs Hardware will be allowed to be torn down.

The 'Broughton Angle'

I love Ed McKays. I go there all the time. I've been going for years since about the time they first opened at the old location back before everyone else discovered it.

I'm not a fan of Round-abouts. I find them really, really annoying. But maybe if they stick something in them, like Dana's LED fountain, it wouldn't be so bad The two main things I'm looking for are improved lighting and underground powerlines.

Wow! That's impressive and great news!

It's time to ask ourselves which area to we care about more: Downtown Raleigh or areas outside of downtown?

My vision for the site is something like the American Tobacco Project in Durham except with much more green space, art and trees. Almost like a park without being an actual park. And I do agree with building the two pedestrian bridge to link to the trails.