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The Central Prison site would be an awesome option if it could work. The parking could also serve Pullen Park on sunny Saturdays and during the Polar Express season!
I think there might be some traffic issues on game days though.
I drove Western Blvd today at 2:30 to get from Cary to South Saunders, and just cannot imagine hockey traffic coming through State at 4:30--6:00.
I drove Western Blvd today at 2:30 to get from Cary to South Saunders, and just cannot imagine hockey traffic coming through State at 4:30--6:00.
Driving to PNC in rush hour is not easy, either. That will be a concern anywhere within 20 miles of downtown.
Many other cities who moved arenas downtown cited traffic concerns as well when going through the approval process, but in reality once those arenas were built the traffic issues never materialized. I think part of that, like other posters have pointed out, is you can do other things downtown before and after the game so everyone isn’t leaving at the same time. Plus, there are many streets to use as ways out of there. Coming out of PNC you only have a few ways to go.
With PNC, given there is nothing else to do there, most people are coming right before the game starts and all leaving right after. Being downtown will spread some of that out. You can park blocks away and walk there, while at PNC everyone parks in the same lot.
Driving to PNC in rush hour is not easy, either. That will be a concern anywhere within 20 miles of downtown.
Many other cities who moved arenas downtown cited traffic concerns as well when going through the approval process, but in reality once those arenas were built the traffic issues never materialized. I think part of that, like other posters have pointed out, is you can do other things downtown before and after the game so everyone isn’t leaving at the same time. Plus, there are many streets to use as ways out of there. Coming out of PNC you only have a few ways to go.
With PNC, given there is nothing else to do there, most people are coming right before the game starts and all leaving right after. Being downtown will spread some of that out. You can park blocks away and walk there, while at PNC everyone parks in the same lot.
I drive routinely to PNC from Cary, via I-40 at 5:30--5:45 in the evening for home games. It is easy enough, and there are multiple avenues to access the arena. If I leave home at 5:30 we may wait in the car for the gates to open at 6:00.
While onsite amenities may disperse peak traffic for an event, methinks it wise to be conservative regarding the degree to which that dispersion would be assumed in site selection and design.
Central Prison has limited access for heavy traffic, due to the RR tracks on the north and east, Historic Boylan Heights on the east, and Governor Morehead school on the west.
How about a Bilyeu Parkway from Centennial Parkway for additional access?
Oooo…. "RR Tracks." Can we have excursion trains, with a platform to the arena?
I drive routinely to PNC from Cary, via I-40 at 5:30--5:45 in the evening for home games. It is easy enough, and there are multiple avenues to access the arena. If I leave home at 5:30 we may wait in the car for the gates to open at 6:00.
While onsite amenities may disperse peak traffic for an event, methinks it wise to be conservative regarding the degree to which that dispersion would be assumed in site selection and design.
Central Prison has limited access for heavy traffic, due to the RR tracks on the north and east, Historic Boylan Heights on the east, and Governor Morehead school on the west.
How about a Bilyeu Parkway from Centennial Parkway for additional access?
Oooo…. "RR Tracks." Can we have excursion trains, with a platform to the arena?
Wherever they put it downtown it will certainly seem like parking may be a problem. I understand that and agree to plan conservative when it comes to that. At the end of the day, though, this same concern many other towns had seemed to be overblown. Just look at Charlotte, the arena there is smack in the middle of downtown as well and it works. (Just as it does in Detroit, Nashville, Columbus, etc.)
Wherever they put it downtown it will certainly seem like parking may be a problem. I understand that and agree to plan conservative when it comes to that. At the end of the day, though, this same concern many other towns had seemed to be overblown. Just look at Charlotte, the arena there is smack in the middle of downtown as well and it works. (Just as it does in Detroit, Nashville, Columbus, etc.)
NYC. OK OK MSG sits right on top of Penn Station.
As long as it's not Holly Springs. Traffic there is starting to rival Northern Virginia. Took me 50 minutes to get to FVHS at rush hour last night.
Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is that the North Carolina FC MLS bid is still floating out there - could the Hurricanes/NCFC go in on a combined stadium site potentially if we did get a MLS bid?
Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is that the North Carolina FC MLS bid is still floating out there - could the Hurricanes/NCFC go in on a combined stadium site potentially if we did get a MLS bid?
Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is that the North Carolina FC MLS bid is still floating out there - could the Hurricanes/NCFC go in on a combined stadium site potentially if we did get a MLS bid?
Not to go too far off topic, but I follow a website called Soccer Stadium Digest and he tries to handicap the MLS expansion odds every month or so and his latest one for December doesn't even have Raleigh on there! And yes, I realize this is only one person's opinion, but he's been pretty good in the past for predicting this stuff:
The entire purpose of a downtown arena is to have it surrounded by businesses that provide food, drink, entertainment and lodging all within a few blocks. Most of the DT site suggestions are none of those. Unless you're plopping it down on the N&O site, you're wasting time and money. And they will lose a lot of people driving to and from RTP....who won't be bothered to venture into DT, try to find parking, then eat, then get to a game by 7pm. Would work great on weekends, but would be a catastrophic nightmare during the week.
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. OK OK MSG sits right on top of Penn Station.
And yes, I realize this is only one person's opinion, but he's been pretty good in the past for predicting this stuff:
