Tift Merritt Coming to Meymandi Hall
On January 30, 2010, Raleigh native Tift Merritt will be playing at Meymandi Concert Hall along with The Tony Rice Unit and Bearfoot.
SCOTS Coming To Berkeley Cafe
One of the south’s greatest ever bands, Southern Culture on the Skids, will be playing at the Berkeley Cafe on October 30. So mark those calendars and fry that chicken, baby.
Totally Destroying Salutes U2
Tomorrow night I Was Totally Destroying It will be tackling 25 U2 songs. The setlist spans just about every U2 record made, including some tracks that never made it to an LP or CD. The show takes place at Tir Na Nog.
Second Empire Opening Cafe Annex
Yes, it seems the Reynolds are finally ready for the cat to be out of the bag regarding their long-rumored deli concept on Hillsborough Street. On Friday, Sue Stock reported that Second Empire is planning to open a “small cafe and market” in the empty building between the Second Empire restaurant and the Clarion Hotel. The owners hope to capitalize on the new opportunities that the relocated Campbell Law School will offer. In the meantime the restaurant is making a strong push for their special events services, especially for wedding receptions. A new space in the restaurant’s property facing Edenton Street will host additional space for such occasions.
Charlotte Study Ranks Raleigh #1
The Charlotte Observer reported Monday that the Raleigh-Durham area topped a recent survey commissioned by the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. The study, called Benchmark Charlotte 2009, ranked southeastern cities based on a composite of five variables: employment, income, livability, new economy, and equity and diversity.
Raleigh Losing Sight of Anderson Drive’s Function
Anderson Drive has, for decades, been an important connector from Glenwood Avenue to Six Forks Road. The very wide street was once lined with a mix of well and poorly maintained ranch houses. In the past 15 years, though, the street has become a teardown ally and the trend shows no end.
Last year the City of Raleigh included Anderson Drive as one of its targets for traffic abatement. They drafted a plan that would include an abatement plan much heavier handed than residents desired. Recently the residents and the City of Raleigh’s traffic engineers agreed upon a few measures including reduction of the speed limit from 35mph to 30mph. Also, the city will reorganize the intersection at Six Forks, removing the smooth turn from Six Forks South and replacing it with a hard right turn. (The city did the same on Western Blvd at I-440 and the result has simply been a gas-guzzling nuisance). Another measure that is being taken is the painting of bike lanes on either side of the existing street, much like those on Ridge Road. The primary intent, though, is not to provide safe passage for cyclists, but rather to change the perception in the road’s width. Studies show that drivers move slower in narrow lanes than in wide ones.
While Anderson Drive is a strictly residential street and needs to be traveled safely, it is potentially a huge piece to a larger puzzle. With North Hills growing and being an urban focus center in Raleigh’s planning models, movement in the area will become more congested with time. North Hills can thank I-440 for much of its success, however it also reveals some of I-440’s weaknesses.
Perimeter highways are much like a colander. Their design limits crossing movement, so there is great pressure at the few opportunities to cross such a highway. Highways like I-440 are acceptable in populated areas only if there are adequate minor crossings to accompany the major crossings. Roads like Glen Eden, Yadkin, and Atlantic Avenue are vital to the success of the Crabtree and North Hills areas.
As North Hills continues its dense growth down St. Albans Drive to Wake Forest Road, there will be increasing pressure at the Six Forks and Wake Forest Road interchanges with I-440. Some of that traffic will be using the intersections for I-440 access, but much of the traffic will only be passing through because there is currently no better north-south alternative. An alternative does exist, though.
If one studies a map of the North Hills area, they will see that Anderson Drive lines up in nearly a straight line with Quail Hollow Drive, an absurdly-wide, tertiary neighborhood connector. By connecting Anderson and Quail Hollow Drives with a bridge that does not access I-440, navigation in the North Hills area will be greatly improved for decades to come.
The conveniences far outweigh the costs in this scenario. Currently Quail Hollow and Anderson residents must use Wake Forest or Six Forks Roads to venture across the beltline. This laborious task puts unnecessary pressure on the two I-440 interchanges, and creates an unpleasant trip for these residents. The cost of joining these two underutilized arteries, aside from construction and land acquisition, is increased local traffic. The increased traffic flow would not overwhelm the quality of life improvements provided by the union. Residents near Glen Eden Road and Yadkin Drive are extremely well served by their passes over/under the beltline. Their property values are easily 10% higher than they would be if residents of the areas had to rely on exiting their neighborhoods to use major arteries in order to cross the sieve. Accessibility to police and rescue vehicles would also be dramatically improved with the connection.
Raleigh needs to work on more connectivity in residential areas to make streets safer and less congested, not on restrictive policies that cause people to drive faster to make up for time lost. Anderson Drive is a 40’-wide secondary connector joining two of Raleigh’s most important arteries. It never has been a quiet, local street, and it never will. It is time that Raleigh recognizes that it needs to creatively work with its scant opportunities to improve traffic as a whole, not the needs of one particular street. Let’s connect Raleigh and make it work better.
Dean Dome Featured in Movie Trailer
Those watching Game 5 of the NBA Championships the other night may have seen the Dean Dome pop up in a commercial. The spot was a short one for, presumably, the upcoming June 26 release of Transformers sequel, Revenge of the Fallen .
Filmed from the Tar Heels’ tunnel, the spot shows the Smith Center interior from floor level with a graphic overlay of “Will You Be Ready”. After a few quick movie clips of some giant destructive robot playing basketball with humanity, only a release date is given. The ambiguity is intended to spur interest. However because this is a Michael Bay movie, it is likely the last from this production that makes us think.
Whole Foods Planned for North Raleigh
The plan for the new Whole Foods (.PDF) at Six Forks and Strickland Roads in Raleigh has been submitted to the city’s Planning Commission. The plan calls for a 40,000 square foot retail store, a sea of about 275 parking spaces, and a 13,000 square foot strip retail building on a previously clear-cut large lot adjacent to two major arteries.
This plan is the very definition of “car-dependent sprawl” with no chance of ever evolving into anything else. If Harris Teeter, Food Lion, or a developer such as John Kane planned such a cookie cutter design, they would be lambasted as being backward-thinking, earth-hating, Capitalist pigs. Somehow trumping itself as being greener than thou allows Whole Foods to get away with this.
Whole Foods is an outstanding, high-priced food market. However let’s stop pretending that Whole Foods is anything other than what they are; a big box chain whose sole interest is their stock-holders. That’s all they are at Ridgewood, and that’s all they are going to be in North Raleigh.
Take the Shop Local Challenge
A friend of mine who owns a one-shop operation sent me a nice little challenge. In the spirit of the 5 Businesses You Miss Most, take the challenge and see if we can keep the locals healthy and strong:
- 3 – What three independently owned businesses would you miss of they disappeared? Stop in. Say Hello. Pick up something that brings a smile. Your purchases keep those businesses around.
- 50 – If half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally owned, independent businesses, $42.6 billion in revenue would be generated. Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the employed population did that.
- 68 – For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home .
- 1 – The number of people it takes to start the trend… you
Sir Walter Raleigh Award Nomination Period Is Open
The City of Raleigh is accepting nominations for the 2009 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Community Appearance.
Coordinated by the Raleigh Appearance Commission, the annual Sir Walter Raleigh Awards recognize outstanding new development projects, building rehabilitation efforts, and conservation of natural resources. The awards program was established in 1983 to commemorate exemplary achievement in enhancing Raleigh’s appearance. To date, more than 200 projects, sites, and individuals have been honored.
Nominations for the 2009 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards are being accepted through June 25. There are 11 different award categories: for new residential, commercial, or industrial construction, as well as historic preservation, and tree and landscape conservation. The award for “Maintained Outstanding Appearance” honors developments more than 5 years old that have consistently contributed to Raleigh’s image. New in 2009 is a category for “Sustainable Design” which recognizes projects that integrate resource-conserving land design, architecture, and building principles while respecting natural and community context.
Nominations for the 2009 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards can be made using printed forms available at City government offices or online . In addition to project information, a compact disc (CD) of six or more digital photos of each nominated project or individual is required.
Award winners will be selected based on set criteria, including exhibition of a new standard of excellence, awareness of land stewardship, community involvement, innovation, conservation of natural and/ or historic resources, and exceeding applicable ordinances.
An independent jury will meet in July to review the nominations. The Raleigh City Council will confirm the jury’s selections in August. Awards will be presented Oct. 7 at the Fletcher Opera Theater in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh.
Heron’s Introduces Lunch Pre-Fixe Menu
Executive Chef Scott Crawford at The Umstead Hotel, will begin offering a pre-fixe menu in Herons at lunch in addition to their regular à la carte menu. This new $20 3-course menu will be Crawford’s Market Menu – a showcase for the best of what’s in season and available locally.
The pre-fixe Market Menu will feature items from local farms such as Elodie Farm and Cane Creek Farm as well as from the new Western Wake Farmers Market, where The Umstead Hotel is a sponsor. The pre-fixe menu will begin June 29 th , and will be available weekdays through August from 11:30 to 2pm.
In the evenings, Executive Chef Crawford also celebrates local foods and small family farms throughout the Southeast on his à la carte menu as well as Vegetarian, Wellness and $70 five-course Chef’s Tasting Menu.
Time Nears for A Christmas Carol Auditions
This year is the 35 th Anniversary of, Ira David Wood III’s A Christmas Carol . As an additional milestone, the show will also be performed in Raleigh’s sister city, Compiégne, France, in celebration of the 20 th anniversary of the original international tour of A Christmas Carol .
For most people, Christmas is a distant thought, not for Theatre In The Park. The auditions for A Christmas Carol are scheduled for June 25-29 th , just next week! Children and adults of all ages are welcome to audition.
More information is available at the Theatre In The Park website.
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