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Raleigh's belated development activity mostly on a smaller scale is as expected by it's wait-and-see approach to development to adopt what's successful and wait for the fads to fizzle out.
Raleigh's "belated development activity" is due to RTP historically being the regional center of gravity which is what it was created to be. LOL at adopting a "wait and see approach"...like we don't have centuries worth of city-building best practices to learn from.
Raleigh is about raising families in a safe neighborhood. It's about an all-around low stress, affordable, small city where the family has enough money left over for beach trips, mountain weekends, or a drive to D.C or NYC for the weekend.
I doubt even SF residents would fawn over this image as something to be desired.
I think it's great that Charlotte could one day be the most walkable city in the Southeast, but it's not the end all to end all, especially in a city with land in all 4 directions.
But a lot of people like this idea.
I've been to Raleigh and Charlotte several times apiece over the last two years. At least at first blush, Raleigh is a lot cleaner, easier to get around, feels safer, etc.
I agree with some of what you said but disagree with other items. If the "Atlantans" were perplexed by Raleigh's HQ2 finalist status it's because many have no idea that this area is a strong tech and life sciences hub. Turns out, it was all a dog-and-pony show by Amazon, but the finalist selection was a huge (free) advertisement for this area. Being two MSA's is irrelevant since this area is referred to as "Raleigh-Durham" by most outsiders.
Regarding growth aspirations by Raleigh residents, I absolutely think that most people do support strong growth (smart growth), particularly in the CBDs. The demographics are pulling large, out- of- state developers into Raleigh and Durham from such places as Los Angeles, Baltimore, Boston, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Ohio etc. The new development projects are much larger, denser and taller than traditionally has been the case. Local developers like Kane are making a huge impact in developments like North Hills, Smoky Hollow (Downtown North) and the proposed Down South project. The newly-elected city council is much more "pro growth". You may not like a strong growth position, but I believe that most people want to see it, particularly in the CBD.
Light rail is dead here, but Raleigh has already started the design / buildout of the first leg of BRT, which will become our primary "mass transit" mode. As I previously mentioned, other cities that currently have light rail are also jumping into BRT because of the enormous expense and time required to construct additional rail; Los Angeles, Denver and Atlanta are three examples (yes I said Atlanta).
The surprising thing to me is this: Raleigh was still "reviving" its downtown between 2006-2008 by removing the pedestrian mall and building a new convention center. Then in 2009, the huge financial crisis hit, which put the brakes on development for a while. Momentum didn't pick up until around four or five years ago, and things are now on fire, development wise. This includes Raleigh-Cary, Durham and the Research Triangle Park.
I am new here,but I think that this person summed it up quite well.
That's not how Atlanta described central Charlotte nearly 5 years ago. You will NEVER see NC's capital city write anything like this about Charlotte. You just won't. Why? Because Raleigh's "Charlotte-envy" is THAT real! (And the latest choice by MLS only made things worse).
I've only skimmed over some of these comments, but I can truly promise you that this area is not jealous of Charlotte or any other city. Charlotte has done a great job with banking etc. Sometimes I think that Charlotte resents successes of other areas, which shouldn't be the case.
I agree with you. I've lived in Raleigh-Durham for 5 years now and not once have I ever heard any "Charlotte-envy". I think Charlotte posters WISH we were envious...and are salty that we are not. And...what exactly is it we are supposed to be envious of? The larger skyline? Bro. People do not care about that as much as you think they do. The skyline looks purdy but really does not affect me or my quality of life. Most people in Raleigh love Charlotte myself included. Charlotte envy? What nonsense. Raleigh is an absolutely fantastic city in its own right with tons of stuff to do and tons of development. We have new businesses, shopping centers, office towers, entertainment venues, apartments, condos, townhouses, neighborhoods, restaurants, bars going up every day everywhere - just like Charlotte does. So what are we envious of again? Pro sports? Nah. I'm perfectly happy driving 2 hours to go see a few Panthers games a year. Carowinds? Nah. I'm perfectly happy driving 2.5 hours to go once a year. Nascar? Same.
I do agree with you that Charlotte seems to resent the success of other areas. Seems like it can't stand not being in the spotlight all the time and having to share headlines with other metros. I sense a lot of insecurity from most Charlotte posters.
Okay, I am envious of one thing. Y'all are much closer to the mountains and I am much more of a mountain man than a beach man.
Last edited by LordHelmit; 12-31-2019 at 04:39 PM..
I agree with you. I've lived in Raleigh-Durham for 5 years now and not once have I ever heard any "Charlotte-envy". I think Charlotte posters WISH we were envious...and are salty that we are not. And...what exactly is it we are supposed to be envious of? The larger skyline? Bro. People do not care about that as much as you think they do. The skyline looks purdy but really does not affect me or my quality of life. Most people in Raleigh love Charlotte myself included. Charlotte envy? What nonsense. Raleigh is an absolutely fantastic city in its own right with tons of stuff to do and tons of development. We have new businesses, shopping centers, office towers, entertainment venues, apartments, condos, townhouses, neighborhoods, restaurants, bars going up every day everywhere - just like Charlotte does. So what are we envious of again? Pro sports? Nah. I'm perfectly happy driving 2 hours to go see a few Panthers games a year. Carowinds? Nah. I'm perfectly happy driving 2.5 hours to go once a year. Nascar? Same.
I do agree with you that Charlotte seems to resent the success of other areas. Seems like it can't stand not being in the spotlight all the time and having to share headlines with other metros. I sense a lot of insecurity from most Charlotte posters.
Okay, I am envious of one thing. Y'all are much closer to the mountains and I am much more of a mountain man than a beach man.
Light rail? That's the only realistic option to me....and maybe an airport that's a major hub.
Light rail? That's the only realistic option to me....and maybe an airport that's a major hub.
As a previous poster mentioned, cities like Los Angeles, Denver and Atlanta are pivoting to BRT because of the enormous expense and time involved in constructing more light rail. Charlotte will likely follow down this same path as it matures.
Regarding the airport, Charlotte has a wonderful hub, as you point out. In fact, RDU is the most connected non-hub airport in the country. Meaning, it is growing without simply being a "pass thru" for a particular carrier. RDU's traffic is growing faster than the airport's infracture, which is a concern, and a priority for addressing in the next year.
Light rail? That's the only realistic option to me....and maybe an airport that's a major hub.
And that's probably it, I think we are supposed to be envious of the light rail after the skyline. Goofy, because light rail would hardly work here so why even be envious? Now if Charlotte had a robust commuter rail and subway system then I would be envious. It's what I miss most about Boston and NY is the actual mass transit. As for the airport....maybe? But RDU is international and is actually a very, very nice airport. I believe RDU punches well above its weight...gets me everywhere I need to go! And IIRC it's cheaper than CLT. Also has direct flights to SJU which is important to my wife and I specifically haha.
Last edited by LordHelmit; 12-31-2019 at 08:48 PM..
And that's probably it, I think we are supposed to be envious of the light rail after the skyline. Goofy, because light rail would hardly work here so why even be envious? Now if Charlotte had a robust commuter rail and subway system then I would be envious. It's what I miss most about Boston and NY is the actual mass transit. As for the airport....maybe? But RDU is international and is actually a very, very nice airport. I believe RDU punches well above its weight...gets me everywhere I need to go! And IIRC its cheaper than CLT. Also has direct flights to SJU which is important to my wife and I specifically haha.
Well said sir. However I would like to point out (again) that most large cities except NYC, are pivoting to BRT. Charlotte will likely follow this same path as it matures.
Well said sir. However I would like to point out (again) that most large cities except NYC, are pivoting to BRT. Charlotte will likely follow this same path as it matures.
Do you consider Charlotte a “large” city? I think most midsized cities are heading towards BRT. I don’t think CLT is, but I don’t think most are
Do you consider Charlotte a “large” city? I think most midsized cities are heading towards BRT. I don’t think CLT is, but I don’t think most are
Los Angeles, Denver and Atlanta have, or planning to have, BRT. Charlotte is probably 8 to 10 years behind these cities. Likely, Charlotte will also pursue BRT. Or not.
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