Washed-up Morrisville outlet mall to get Chinese makeover (via WRAL)

I was able to visit Section 120 recently and saw that not only are the seats a solid, fairly bright red (though not as bright as Memorial Auditorium’s, thank goodness), the new frames for the seats are black, insuring against color slump from exposure to the arena’s bright playing surface lighting. The chairs are the same size as before, however the armrests feel slightly shorter and are bowed slightly.

Sections containing only the large chairs are being replaced first, so I still have not determined what style chair will be used in the upper rows in the end sections which previously contained smaller, less confortable chairs.

While the chairs themselves are a nice replacement, the aisle lighting is emphatically not. The RBC Center has followed the technology bandwagon and installed white LED lighting under the last armrest of the row. Unfortunately the lighting is distractingly bright during a concert and has a yucky, almost blue hue that probably reaches the upper 5000K range of temperature. The lighting from the original seats was an extra-warm amber that was a perfect balance during dark events.

The seating replacement is expected to be completed before the first exhibition game for the Carolina Hurricanes in mid-September.

…Since 1985, Gallery C has been instrumental in North Carolina’s art scene featuring contemporary artists as well as historically important North Carolina art, Haitian art, folk art, animation art and antique prints.

The new gallery will be located at the corner of Blount and Peace streets in the
Historic Russ-Edwards House c. 1901. The property has served as the development and
sales office of Blount Street Commons Redevelopment project which is creating a rebirth of
one of Raleigh’s most prestigious historic streets and neighborhoods. Located just blocks
from the Governor’s Mansion, the Capital, and the museums, the neighborhood vision is
focused around integrating 25 historic homes, dating from the late 1800s, with newer urban
living concepts. The new space will allow owner Charlene Ferrell Newsom to expand the
gallery’s services and to feature outdoor art while providing an aesthetically prominent
anchor to the Blount Street Commons project.

Can you say “lipstick on a pig”? First of all, I don’t understand architects’ fascination with pulling rainwater back into buildings. This is a design that has failed time and time again. Secondly, what in the world are we doing dropping a dime into this facility for anything other than tearing it down? The terminal was originally supposed to be a hangar, and got a last minute upfit for short-term terminal space. Renovating this terminal is another step in the airport authority’s history of blowing money hundreds of millions of dollars at a time. There is a reason that people love airports like TPA, they are designed well and handle future growth well.

[Renderings at TBJ]

Many of the Southeast’s premier classic cars be featured at the Carolina Classics at the Capital, including a 1940 Cadillac LaSalle, a 1961 Chevy Impala Bubbletop and a 1969 Camaro RS/SS, just to name a few.

Top vendors already committed to the show include Danchuk Manufacturing, Pypes Performance Exhaust, Northern Tool and Equipment, Hamlett’s Chevy Parts, Detailer’s Dream, Page’s Custom, Ausley’s Chevelle Parts and Quality Air Tools.

With no charge for viewing the classic cars that will be parked on the closed-off Fayetteville Street, plus just $10 for admission to the Convention Center, this first-of-its-kind event is expected to attract thousands of attendees. Tickets can be purchased on site at the Raleigh Convention Center.

The festivities will culminate with an awards ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. on the Fayetteville Street Stage, with awards for Top 50, Sweet 16 and the Sir Walter Raleigh Cup.

“We’ve gotten great cooperation from the City of Raleigh, the Convention Center and automobile enthusiasts to make sure that everyone will have a good time,” said Greg Cox, one of the event’s organizers. “We hope this family-friendly event will become an annual tradition on the auto show circuit.”

As before the even takes place on Fayetteville Street, from the Capitol to the Marriott. The street and all cross streets will be closed in order to facilitate four main music stages (Cherry Bounce, World, Raleigh Rocks, Free Spirit), as well as a beer tent and other entertainment venues and booths. Additionally the space in front of the convention center will be used as well as the new downtown Raleigh amphitheater.

My experience has been that the best place to park for the event is in the municipal parking deck at Morgan and McDowell. A short walk puts you right in the heart of the action. Other options are the parking garages lining Wilmington Street, but be sure to swing several blocks wide of the Fayetteville Street axis in order to avoid stagnant traffic and pedestrians.

The Raleigh Wide Open crew has once again put together a very nice flyer (.pdf) which includes a map of the RWO territory as well as a schedule of the day’s events. Gogoraleigh adds to that experience, however, by publishing this calendar to Google Calendar. Simply subscribe to the Raleigh Wide Open Calendar or just add events that interest you to your personal Google Calendar by clicking on the calendar link, selecting “Agenda” in the upper right, then selecting the desired events.

We recently went to Taste of Chicago and Milwaukee’s Summerfest, both events with rolling musical events at different stages throughout the days. Each even had its own iPhone app, and it made the event much more fun to select events beforehand and let the app plan the day for us. While this isn’t a dedicated app, it still affords you the chance to add events to your calendar and turn on notifications to remind you of them as they approach!

 Subscribe in Google Calendar

Here is the RWO schedule:

11:00 am – Parade down Fayetteville Street
From Morgan through the City Plaza with marching bands, floats, and local celebrities!

Noon – Festival Opens
Food and art vendors, street performers, 4 stages throughout Fayetteville Street

RebBull Motocross Mayhem with Geoff Aaron 
Fayetteville Street between Hargett and Morgan St. Performance times are 2:45; 5:00; 7:15 (add according to time)

King BMX Stunt Show
Salisbury Street in front of RCC. Performance times are 1:30; 3:30; 5:00

Cherry Bounce Wrestling
Hargett and Fayetteville St. Performance times are 5:15 and 7:30

Fire Circus
Flames and high flyers set City Plaza ablaze. Performance times are 8pm and 10pm

Eating Contests
*Free Spirit Stage. Krispy Kreme Donuts at 3:00; Lumpy’s Ice Cream at 5:00

Cherry Bounce Stage

• Jews & Catholics 12:30-1:15pm
• Cherry Bounce SPECIAL Guest 1:45-2:30
• North Elementary 3:00-3:45
• Lake Inferior 4:15 – 5:00pm
• I Was Totally Destroying It 6:00-7:00
• Bomba Estereo 8:15-9:15
• Javelin 9:45 – 10:45pm

World Stage

• Crucial Fiya (reggae) 12:15 -1:45pm
• Shana Tucker Trio (soul) 2:15 – 3:30pm
• Mel Melton & The Wicked Mojos (blues / americana) 4:00pm – 5:00pm
• The Barn Burners (country) 5:30 – 7:00pm
• Old Habits (bluegrass) 7:30 – 8:45pm
• Rubberband (funk / hip hop covers) 9:15 – 10:45pm

Raleigh Rocks Stage

• Adam Pitts and the Pseudo Cowboys 12:30 – 1:15pm
• Will McBride Group 1:45 – 2:30pm
• Big Mama E & the Cool 3:00 – 3:45pm
• Wax Planet 4:15 – 5:00pm
• Sleep Control 5:30 – 6:15pm
• Airiel Down 6:45 – 7:30pm
• Design 8:00 – 9:00pm
• Nigthshift 9:30 – 10:30pm

Free Spirit Stage

• Kappa Xi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi (stepping) 12:15 to 12:30
• D.LIV(E) (spoken word/hip-hop) 12:45 to 1:05
• Schizophrenic Octopus (breakdancing) 1:30 to 2:00
• Sabrosa (spoken word/hip-hop) 2:15 to 2:35
• Krispy Kreme Donuts (Eating Contest) 3:00 to 3:30
• Spotlight Creative Studios (Bollywood Dance) 3:45 to 4:00
• Dasan Ahanu (spoken word) 4:15 to 4:45
• Lumpy’s Ice Cream (eating contest) 5:00 to 5:30

Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater

Barenaked Ladies 9:15 – 10:45pm (ticketed event through www.LiveNation.com and also avalable at the Amphitheater box ofice.)

10:45pm – Fireworks

Note: I will repost this on Friday, July 30, as a reminder.

After these buildings are removed, the center will have new sidewalks, bike racks, improved accessibility for the disabled, additional parking, and additional public art. The gas station will be replaced with a charging station for electric cars. There will be no new retail space added.

Ridgewood Shopping Center has transformed itself nicely through the years. While it did have Villa Capri and a great stereo store for a while, it also had a Winn-Dixie and the most depressing sewing store on the planet. Through the last two decades they have done an outstanding job of finding tenants that make the center unique.

Some of the plan’s choices are a little bizarre, though. While the gas station is outdated and is no longer the last chance to get gas before Durham, it still is needed in a part of town where gas stations are less common than they were 20, 30, and 40 years ago. Five years ago there were 241 billion cars on the road. Only a few hundred have been replaced by plug-in models. The McDonald’s in Cary has a pair of plug-in stations, but employees I spoke to have never seen anyone use them yet. A renovated gas station that isn’t a cookie cutter (one that houses a cool coffee shop or has drive-thru full service with grocery pickup) could be a great source of new revenue for Ridgewood.

Very small retail spaces in a safe part of Raleigh are extremely rare. Perhaps some creative thinking could be implemented to utilize the aging offices as a source of revenue, rather that just putting up a parking lot.

The additional parking spaces will be the most inconvenient ones in the whole center. People wanting to go to lower level shops like Brueggers will benefit from the spaces, but nobody seeking stores on the main strip with Whole Foods will be happy settling for a space beyond the drug store.

This plan looks like a way to spend a lot of money and get nothing in return. With a very big 3rd recession dip likely looming, Ridgewood ought to hold tight and do whatever they can to keep rents as low as possible for at least a couple of years. We are getting ready to see a big wave of retail closings in the second half of the year, and local merchants, including restaurants, will be greatly affected. This is not the time to spend tons of money trying to cutesy-up a retail center.

Today that Site Plan (.pdf) hit the web. It mainly details egress, ingress, and streetscape improvements. There was previous word that the business would be serving lunch during the day, and the site plan does include outdoor cafe tables in the ally adjacent to The Pit. However, the site plan and website make no mention of food delivery, and the club appears to be a membership club, which usually ties in with a non-food business.

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I really can’t complain since I didn’t enter, but damn!, I mean DAMN! I should have entered! After seeing the results of our “world-class plaza” and this? This week is a peek at the great vision of downtown Raleigh? [thump] [thump] [thump]. Let me tell you all about Windows Media Center with CableCARD tuner integration, since that’s where my mind has been the last few months…

Garbage Disposal Ban – Based on absolutely no scientific evidence, the entire city council (with the exception of Philip Isley) voted in a ban on new garbage disposal installations. The ban was later overturned after a political firestorm. During discussions Rodger Koopman stated that “we are at war” with soldiers living in less than ideal conditions and it is “our duty” to “suck it up once in a while”. Councilor Crowder stated that this would be the “only logical step toward healthy water”, yet the evidence actually points to the contrary.

Water Restrictions – This city council, in the aftermath of a highly unusual drought situation, imposed a water use policy that restricts residents from properly maintaining a drought resistant lawn. Watering laws are irrationally based on days of the week, rather than ideal watering times. There is a prodigious amount of information published by N.C. State University and the state’s Cooperative Extension Service, yet this city council never even considered conveying some of the simple and proven best-practices for drought resistant lawns.

Water Rates – After restrictions and diligent citizen behavior reduced water consumption by 7%, the city council voted to raise water rates 8.5% because the public works division was suddenly losing money.

House Replacement Law – Russ Stephenson and Thomas Crowder were strongly in favor of limits on homeowner’s abilities to renovate or replace their houses. Crowder wrote in an email “If a new house is to be developed on a site where a house was torn down, it would go to the Planning Commission for approval unless it does not exceed a reasonable increase in the existing area of the structure – say 10 to 20 percent in area and 10 percent in height.” Later he wrote “I spoke with Russ and I believe we are on the same page . . .The house being replaced is no more than 30% greater than the gross floor area of the original structure and the height is no greater than 10% of the original structure height.  To sum it up . . .if you have a 1,500 SF home you can increase it to 1,950 GSF.  Same analogy goes for height.”

Can you imagine living in a 1,500 square foot house and only being able to add 450 square feet, regardless of the neighborhood’s setback scheme, the condition of the house, the height of neighboring houses, and the condition of those houses?

* * *

The problem with some of these incumbents is that they are willing to take drastic measures without thinking through the consequences. A garbage disposer ban would have led to scores of improperly DIY-installed disposers, additional loads on garbage hauling, increased animal control problems, and, as the research suggests, a sewer system with more clogs than is currently seen. The city imposed water restrictions, only to raise the rates, keeping the total burden on families the same or worse than before!

A severe limit to house replacement sizes would destroy the value of older homes inside Raleigh, and directly cause more suburban sprawl. Who would want to renovate a 1,200 square foot house in Five Points when all you could add is a little utility room and a closet? Young people would completely lose interest in older houses that were improperly built, and flee to the outskirts of Raleigh much like they did after World War II, collapsing the housing market in established neighborhoods.

Another problem with this quantitative approach to a qualitative problem is that many of Raleigh ugliest replacements and renovations would have still been allowed under these restrictions. Conversely, some of Raleigh most beautiful replacement houses would have been denied. (Link 1, Link 2). It would turn the Planning Commission into a draconian architectural review board, putting architects at the mercy of the commission’s whim.

Do we really want a City Council that makes irrational, negligent decisions? These decisions have direct effects on our lives, our savings, and our children. People were intensely interested in the presidential election last year, but to be honest, this city council election means far more. Only 10% of registered voters bothered to vote two years ago, and the effects have been chilling. We heard a lot about “change” in the last year. I’ll take some change! It’s time to instill some common sense, freedom, and empathy in the Raleigh City Council. Vote very, very carefully today, and make this city more attractive, more productive, and more beautiful than ever.

Follow the scoreboard assembly progress by checking in on the RBC Center’s Roofcam.

UPDATE: This will be a Daktronics double-HD display with two ribbon boards. CanesVision has put together a fantastic blog documenting the process of dismantling both the scoreboard and the old SD control room. (Thanks Jonathan!)

Tuesday, May 19 — 5:30-7:30

Reception and tours of the following newly renovated downtown properties:

• Historic Carolina Trust Building (2nd, 3rd, and 5th floors open – there are some terrific interior features of this building)
• Historic Mahler Building (next door to Carolina Trust; reception will be held in the 1st floor art gallery and the upper story condos will be open for touring)
• Foundation Bar (across the street from the Briggs Hardware Building; newly renovated basement level bar with great interior features)
• Briggs Hardware Building (Tour PNC headquarters’ building, see available office space for lease, and take in a short picture show of before-and-after images of our work)

Afterwards, enjoy dinner downtown at one of the sponsoring restaurants offering a buy one entree, get one free opportunity! Restaurants include Sitti, The Mint, Second Empire, The Pit, The Big Easy, The Oxford, Side Street, Sono, Duck & Dumpling, 18 Seaboard, and Raleigh Times.

Tickets are $25 for PNC members, and $35 for non-members (which includes a one-year PNC membership).

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This sounds like a repeat of the Southend Brewery theme for the space. While Southend’s beer was about the only microbrew I’ve actually liked, their menu was far too ambitious. With much more affordable price points, that Natty Greene’s might just hit the spot for that site.

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