Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have posted here before (as have many others) regarding why communities that seem rather close to the triangle along I-85 between Durham and Virginia are not seeing the economic and population booms other communities are seeing that seem roughly the same distance away.
There seems to be a consensus on a number of reasons, but one of those reasons is access to major areas like RTP and RDU.
I was curious on the progress of the East End Connector, so I looked it up on the NC DOT website. I noticed there that they mentioned the above issue with those communities. Here is the quote: "Once complete, the East End Connector is expected to promote economic development in areas along the I-85 corridor toward Virginia".
As I am interested in the development of these areas, I am wondering just how big of an impact this road will have on those communities? Will it really jump start an economic boom for those communities? It would be cool to see an economic study done on this and I am almost certain the NC DOT has already done one... I cannot seem to find one online, but not exactly sure where to look even if one exists.
Also, somewhat unrelated, but has anyone said how many minutes this corridor will save people? I occasionally make the trek from westrern wake to vance county and currently go 147/Roxboro st/85 to get there. My guess would be 10-15 minutes, but that is purely a guess.
Last edited by redhawk87; 10-31-2016 at 02:03 PM..
I suppose we're talking about Granville, Vance, and Warren counties where per capital income is $21K, $16K, and $15K respectively. In comparison, Wake is $27K and Durham is $23K. No doubt, state government is desperate for anything to boost Vance and Warren in particular. The East End Connector will help but it's not a fix by itself.
Yes, I know it will not fix all the problems, but I was just curious about any economic study out there related to this. Looking at google, Butner is only ~25 minutes from RTP with no traffic. I want to stress this is with no traffic because I am fully aware that 147 is a nightmare during rush hour. If the East End Connector chops off 10 minutes, that would mean you could live in Butner and only have a 15-30 minute commute to the largest employment center in the triangle. I have a friend who bought a house between Butner and Stem and it was a steal! Housing out there is pretty cheap relative to other communities in the triangle. I would think with cheap prices and good commute times would make this place ripe for a population boom. But then again, I thought 25 minutes was also a decent commute... So, maybe reducing this from 25 minutes to 15 minutes will not solve it.
Last edited by redhawk87; 11-01-2016 at 11:28 AM..
I don't think the DOT is in the business of doing economic development studies. We DO know that I40 and the 70 Bypass have over time added to a lot of housing growth for folks in the lower end of the income spectrum who commute to RTP - and a lot more than 30 minutes.
But the economic development they'd spur would be construction jobs and retail sales (gas and fast food, grocery store). They wouldn't become employment centers themselves. Unless somehow they became more viable distribution points because of the Connector.
I don't think DOT does many economic development studies - it certainly could be a factor for some projects but for the most part, their goals are increased mobility, connectivity and congestion relief.
But the economic development they'd spur would be construction jobs and retail sales (gas and fast food, grocery store). They wouldn't become employment centers themselves. Unless somehow they became more viable distribution points because of the Connector.
This. That's all the towns along I-85 between Durham and Petersburg are good for, unless there's a drastic change.
Yes, I know it will not fix all the problems, but I was just curious about any economic study out there related to this. Looking at google, Butner is only ~25 minutes from RTP with no traffic. I want to stress this is with no traffic because I am fully aware that 147 is a nightmare during rush hour. If the East End Connector chops off 10 minutes, that would mean you could live in Butner and only have a 15-30 minute commute to the largest employment center in the triangle. I have a friend who bought a house between Butner and Stem and it was a steal! Housing out there is pretty cheap relative to other communities in the triangle. I would think with cheap prices and good commute times would make this place ripe for a population boom. But then again, I thought 25 minutes was also a decent commute... So, maybe reducing this from 25 minutes to 15 minutes will not solve it.
The more I think about this I could see that area becoming the next Cary/Apex/Etc ..... about the same travel time to RTP with new roads and NO tolls ..... Hummmmm
I don't think the DOT is in the business of doing economic development studies.
I would like to reiterate my quote off the DOT website: "Once complete, the East End Connector is expected to promote economic development in areas along the I-85 corridor toward Virginia"
I would think the DOT would not say this unless they could back it up with facts. If the DOT did not conduct or get a 3rd party to conduct an economic study, then how can they say this?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoBromhal
We DO know that I40 and the 70 Bypass have over time added to a lot of housing growth for folks in the lower end of the income spectrum who commute to RTP - and a lot more than 30 minutes.
just low income? I think I-40 has added a lot more than just some low-income housing . Not sure about the 70 bypass. I do not think Clayton would be growing as much as it is without 70 business though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoBromhal
But the economic development they'd spur would be construction jobs and retail sales (gas and fast food, grocery store). They wouldn't become employment centers themselves. Unless somehow they became more viable distribution points because of the Connector.
Last I heard, the tax base in Apex is like 80% residential. Despite this, it has been growing like weeds. I do not think you should discredit economic development just because it does not create jobs in that area. I am not saying Butner, Creedmore, Oxford, etc. would become major employment centers. I just think they are ripe for high growth. You also cannot look at a small community and expect it to continue to cater to what it does now even after it grows. Holly Springs, for example, used to be a low income, high crime area before it had its population boom. Now its just as pricey with just as nice of neighborhoods as Apex and Cary. The communities along I-85 currently do fit that mold, but I think new growth in those areas might change that.
The more I think about this I could see that area becoming the next Cary/Apex/Etc ..... about the same travel time to RTP with new roads and NO tolls ..... Hummmmm
yeah, not sure if it will be the next Cary/Apex as I only really see residential moving up there for the foreseeable future. But, I do agree with you that this area could be the next boom area!
This. That's all the towns along I-85 between Durham and Petersburg are good for, unless there's a drastic change.
Currently that is all those towns are to people who do not live there. There really is no reason to go to them other than that. But, these towns are small enough that all it will take is a couple of developers and some good marketing and the area could start to take off. Look at Pittsboro. I remember before I heard about Chatham Park, I read an article that said something to the effect that developers have "just realized" how close Pittsboro was to RTP and proposed a neighborhood that, once completed, would single handedly double the population of the town. To double the town's population only took one developer with one neighborhood.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. Not sure about the 70 bypass. I do not think Clayton would be growing as much as it is without 70 business though.
