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If you haven't seen the gentrification in SE Raleigh near downtown you're blind. Did you read the concerns of the dissenters? you do know that projects like this have historically uprooted the community, right?
And you're speaking from such an outsiders view... ask SE Raleigh whether they believe there's character in their community, and they'll tell you a resounding YES... Get ALL the way outta here.
Outsiders point of view? Well just for the record. Born and raised in SE Raleigh. S Person,Walnut Terrace,Peach Rd,S Bloodworth St,S Swain St,Peach Rd,and Washington Terrace. As a matter of fact Washington Terrace is about 3 blocks from New Bern Ave,the area in question. So let's just say I'm an expert on the area,SE Raleigh.
Also I've seen the gentrification especially in the areas directly around DT Raleigh. I just don't see it as all or even mostly negative. It really depends who you ask. If you ask a property owner,who property is going up in value. I doubt you'd get a negative response. Example, my family owns a home in the South Park neighborhood. Built by my great grandfather in 1900. My mother still lives there. One day it will be passed to me,then to my son. 3 bedrooms with a den. Sitting on a fenced 1 acre lot. So close to DT I can walk to City Plaza in 10 mins. I can hear the church bells every hour as I sit on the front porch. How much do you think it's worth? How much do you think it'd be worth if it was in Oakwood? Gentrification isn't always a dirty word. My mothers neighbors would agree. Most of which have owned in the neighborhood for generations.
Back to the proposed transit plan. What are our options here. Would it be better to leave off the New Bern ave corridor? How would these community leaders react to that. It looks like the City/County are damned if they do,damned if they don't,huh? I do agree some people will be displaced. I just think there will be much more positive than negative in the end. Transportation is key to pulling yourself out of poverty. A reliable means to work/education out weighs all the other negatives IMO.
One last thing. SE Raleigh is full of character. I was speaking specifically about New Bern Ave,from the DMV to Longview shopping center. There's no character there. Most from the area would agree,I've asked.The only thing worth saving IMO are the homes between New Bern Ave and Oakwood Ave(St Aug). If the city bulldozed everything along New Bern and started over. It wouldn't hurt my feeling at all. I know many that'd wholeheartedly agree.
I think you might want to "get all the way out of here" lol
Btw many of these "community leaders" need a permanent underclass. How else could they remain important? They many times start a ruckus over nothing. As my grandmother would say. "To keep confusion going". They don't always have the peoples/community's best interest at heart. Quick example. The area around MLK Blvd and Raleigh Blvd was considered a "food desert". Because the Kroger grocery store closed. Pac and Saved along with Roses moved in a few years later. Problem solved right? How about many of these community leaders called for protest,even a boycott. Why you ask? Because the owner was a Republican. As I said before stirring up trouble is what many of these leaders do best. Btw the BRT line will run blocks from this area. An easy walk to hop on and have easy access to EVERYTHING the Triangle offers.
Outsiders point of view? Well just for the record. Born and raised in SE Raleigh. S Person,Walnut Terrace,Peach Rd,S Bloodworth St,S Swain St,Peach Rd,and Washington Terrace. As a matter of fact Washington Terrace is about 3 blocks from New Bern Ave,the area in question. So let's just say I'm an expert on the area,SE Raleigh.
Also I've seen the gentrification especially in the areas directly around DT Raleigh. I just don't see it as all or even mostly negative. It really depends who you ask. If you ask a property owner,who property is going up in value. I doubt you'd get a negative response. Example, my family owns a home in the South Park neighborhood. Built by my great grandfather in 1900. My mother still lives there. One day it will be passed to me,then to my son. 3 bedrooms with a den. Sitting on a fenced 1 acre lot. So close to DT I can walk to City Plaza in 10 mins. I can hear the church bells every hour as I sit on the front porch. How much do you think it's worth? How much do you think it'd be worth if it was in Oakwood? Gentrification isn't always a dirty word. My mothers neighbors would agree. Most of which have owned in the neighborhood for generations.
Back to the proposed transit plan. What are our options here. Would it be better to leave off the New Bern ave corridor? How would these community leaders react to that. It looks like the City/County are damned if they do,damned if they don't,huh? I do agree some people will be displaced. I just think there will be much more positive than negative in the end. Transportation is key to pulling yourself out of poverty. A reliable means to work/education out weighs all the other negatives IMO.
One last thing. SE Raleigh is full of character. I was speaking specifically about New Bern Ave,from the DMV to Longview shopping center. There's no character there. Most from the area would agree,I've asked.The only thing worth saving IMO are the homes between New Bern Ave and Oakwood Ave(St Aug). If the city bulldozed everything along New Bern and started over. It wouldn't hurt my feeling at all. I know many that'd wholeheartedly agree.
I think you might want to "get all the way out of here" lol
Btw many of these "community leaders" need a permanent underclass. How else could they remain important? They many times start a ruckus over nothing. As my grandmother would say. "To keep confusion going". They don't always have the peoples/community's best interest at heart. Quick example. The area around MLK Blvd and Raleigh Blvd was considered a "food desert". Because the Kroger grocery store closed. Pac and Saved along with Roses moved in a few years later. Problem solved right? How about many of these community leaders called for protest,even a boycott. Why you ask? Because the owner was a Republican. As I said before stirring up trouble is what many of these leaders do best. Btw the BRT line will run blocks from this area. An easy walk to hop on and have easy access to EVERYTHING the Triangle offers.
Cool story. thanks for sharing that man.
So if the rail line won't uproot the core of "this area", what would catalyze such questions to be asked? Surely they've seen they've seen the plans and can interpret them just as you have right?
I don't believe they're trying to stir up a thing... I believe the question are legitimate, and some residents in the community were at the meeting and expressed concerns as well.
I don't think the "white" people pushing the transit plan (Wake Up Wake County for example) are necessarily representative of the people and neighborhoods outside of Southeast Raleigh either. Everyone can choose to have a voice or not though through the process. That's just how our system works.
So if the rail line won't uproot the core of "this area", what would catalyze such questions to be asked? Surely they've seen they've seen the plans and can interpret them just as you have right?
I don't believe they're trying to stir up a thing... I believe the question are legitimate, and some residents in the community were at the meeting and expressed concerns as well.
It may be a legitimate question. I'm sure the area in question will be changed,IMO for the better. Some businesses and people will be displaced. BUT by far the end result will overwhelmingly positive. More jobs more of everything that area neighborhood needs. Grocery stores,shops,restaurants in walking distance.
Also one thing you didn't respond to. What do you think would happen if the New Bern Ave BRT was scraped? Keeping the rest of the plan as is. How do you think the "community" would react? Food for thought
I don't think the community would care much. I believe the community just doesn't wanna be displaced.
Particularly if the bus service was ramped up as another poster mentioned.
And good point, pierre.
That's a pretty naive opinion IMO. If the Wake transit plan goes ahead as planned. Removing the BRT from the New Bern Ave corridor. Only ramping up regular bus service. Btw the area already has some of the best bus service in the Triangle already,just for the record. You really think the "community" would go for that? There's no way that would fly. These same "leaders" would be at city hall calling for heads to roll. The conversation would go something like this. We have to pay higher taxes to fund a new fancy transit system. While ale we get is more bus service. Or better yet "white" Raleigh gets A,"Black" Raleigh gets B. No way now how that'd ever fly.
Just asking,but are you part of the"community"? Do you have any close friends or family in this "community"? I ask because you seem to be basing your opinion on just this article. Not first hand knowledge.
There are some who are concerned about being displaced. What you seem to be missing is. There are just as many who want this area cleaned up. Returned to its heyday. Not the drug a crime infested area it is today. That being said it can't and won't look exactly the same as before. It can't,the world isn't the same as in the 50's and 60's,thankfully so.
Raleigh is booming! A lot of SE Raleigh residents/natives have been waiting for some of the boom to come our way,myself included. We don't want the area totally changed beyond recognition,who would. We do want to see some of the benefits being part one of the best and fastest growing cities in America,though.
Raleigh is booming! A lot of SE Raleigh residents/natives have been waiting for some of the boom to come our way,myself included. We don't want the area totally changed beyond recognition,who would. We do want to see some of the benefits being part one of the best and fastest growing cities in America,though.
Those benefits will mean change, and many folks fear change. It doesn't matter whether an area is poor, rich, white, black, or other. Some people simply hate change.
As for the transit vote itself, it really doesn't need SE Raleigh's blessing to pass. What's the percentage of voter turnout in SE Raleigh anyway? If it's anything like the lesser income minority neighborhoods around the US, I'd say voter turnout is extremely low. Also, an unlikely high voter turnout by SE Raleigh isn't enough to outnumber the votes of Wake county as a whole.
Assuming that this plan will be approved on June 6th, then passed by voters in November; I find it interesting that this plan has no light rail service. Commuter rail IS NOT the same as light rail/heavy rail. More bus routes is great news, but I'm curious about the rail details of this plan. If it is not light rail, then it seems like Raleigh is trying to fund that same Wake/Durham commuter line proposed back in the 1990s.
Those benefits will mean change, and many folks fear change. It doesn't matter whether an area is poor, rich, white, black, or other. Some people simply hate change.
As for the transit vote itself, it really doesn't need SE Raleigh's blessing to pass. What's the percentage of voter turnout in SE Raleigh anyway? If it's anything like the lesser income minority neighborhoods around the US, I'd say voter turnout is extremely low. Also, an unlikely high voter turnout by SE Raleigh isn't enough to outnumber the votes of Wake county as a whole.
Assuming that this plan will be approved on June 6th, then passed by voters in November; I find it interesting that this plan has no light rail service. Commuter rail IS NOT the same as light rail/heavy rail. More bus routes is great news, but I'm curious about the rail details of this plan. If it is not light rail, then it seems like Raleigh is trying to fund that same Wake/Durham commuter line proposed back in the 1990s.
You are probably right about voter turnout. Also the fear of change itself. I'm not sure about the SE Raleigh community as a whole not blessing the Wake transit plan. That's kinda hard to say. I will say people are very distrustful of government. Most don't think government has their best interest in mind. That being said I like the plan and have spoken to quite a few people from the area,who also support it.
No light rail yes. Reason being too costly. If BRT can accomplish most of the same things. At a fraction of the cost,sign me up. That was the reason the plan went in the BRT direction,instead of light rail. The price of light rail would be no sale!
No light rail yes. Reason being too costly. If BRT can accomplish most of the same things. At a fraction of the cost,sign me up. That was the reason the plan went in the BRT direction,instead of light rail. The price of light rail would be no sale
Well, I'm certainly a fan of Bus Rapid Transit. Especially after I learned about what Cleveland has done.
The one difference is that Cleveland converted a bus route that was already operating 24/7. It'll be interesting to see how Raleigh pulls this off. BRT is usually only successful in areas with a strong bus riding culture. In Cleveland, that culture existed already. Cleveland simply needed to upgrade what already had strong ridership.
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 06-05-2016 at 07:26 PM..
Well, I'm certainly a fan of Bus Rapid Transit. Especially after I learned about what Cleveland has done.
The one difference is that Cleveland converted a bus route that was already operating 24/7. It'll be interesting to see how Raleigh pulls this off. BRT is usually only successful in areas with a strong bus riding culture. In Cleveland, that culture existed already. Cleveland simply needed to upgrade what already had strong ridership.
This is really interesting, thanks for sharing! I haven't really been a fan of the whole BRT concept, but this might have got my brain wheels turning to be more receptive of it.
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.The only thing worth saving IMO are the homes between New Bern Ave and Oakwood Ave(St Aug). If the city bulldozed everything along New Bern and started over. It wouldn't hurt my feeling at all. I know many that'd wholeheartedly agree. 
