Downtown Raleigh’s skyline will change dramatically in the next several years with the addition of new towers, particularly in the southern end. Are you excited?
UPDATE 10/08/2008:
First of the Edison updates:
UPDATE 07/20/2007:
He is an updated version of the future Raleigh Skyline rendering. It reflects a more current version of what we might see in 2008 and beyond.
Closer:
The current version of Raleigh (2006):
The future rendering of Raleigh:
A less cartoony look at the rendering:
Discuss!
Created
on Sunday, October 29th, 2006 in the category Illustrations, Labs.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 3:24 pm
yep you are right man… its official, raleigh is wack as hell!
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:30 pm
not surprised, but very disappointed. frickin idiots on that board. i want to punch some of them in the head with their ridiculous arguments. it’s a $20 a year tax on homeowners that doesnt even start for 2 years. so instead we’re gonna watch another project for downtown get watered down or canceled, and throw away the potential savings and the money already spent. im sure when meeker is out of office things will get even worse. i wish he could just rule as a dictator….
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Downtown lost a nice tower thanks to these city council members.
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:37 am
Before y’all start getting into a bad mood, let’s take another look at it… The project is not dead. There is a good chance it will return, and hopefully with a better financing plan. It is not about the annual increase, more than the fact that the mayor and the city council didn’t exactly do a good job presenting the need for this project. I had a discussion with a former city council member, who happens to be a supporter of this project, and she agreed that the city council did a poor job in making a case for this building.
One thing I do not understand is why do we keep repeating the “savings” in construction costs argument… There is no such thing when our city is in debt. If someone offers you a high-end Ferrari for half the price, will you still go out there and buy it? The answer is “No”. Our credit is not good enough – hence the property tax increase – and if some of you think that building this high-rise will be the solution to a debt that approaches $1 billion, then we are a city that will face far worse challenges. People are not prepared for the financial mess that Meeker and others want to drag us into. So, let’s take it easy and instead of putting pressure on the 4 members who voted “No”, put some pressure on the ones who voted “No”. Make them work harder to address the real issues, be that the final cost or the financing terms.
As a contrast, Wake County is moving forward with the new County Justice Center. The N&O had a great article on how this project is moving without tax increases and how the county leaders silently worked on this project without much opposition. Maybe Meeker can learn something from them. The new Justice Center took 10 years in planning, and while we may not be exactly satisfied with the final design, County leaders are delivering, without much ado.
Nothing is lost. Let’s keep pressuring both sides and not focus on the opposition, only. Nobody in the latter debates the need for new HQ and they all hope to see something major on the proposed location, except from a private developer.
March 3rd, 2010 at 4:04 pm
What exactly IS the final design of the justice center anyway? The last thing I saw led me to believe they were using a less impressive design.
March 3rd, 2010 at 4:28 pm
go to newsandobserver.com and it has it up there.
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:44 pm
I just came back from Seattle, and WOW! There must have been over a dozen cranes of all sizes cluttering the skyline. It is truly inspiring, especially in this economy. It is unbelievable what’s going on over there, especially the nearby city of Bellevue. I wish Raleigh was the same way…
March 4th, 2010 at 10:09 am
The ridiculous thing is to hear about “design” complains – this came from a brief personal conversation with one of the members that cast a “No” vote. I am not sure that design is the issue here, although most safety concerns are valid. Hopefully, Meeker will lead a new effort to address safety and financing issues, so he can get the 5th vote he wants so much. John Odom is probably the best person to approach, without saying that the rest cannot possibly be convinced. I agree with what James West said: “a setback is an opportunity for a comeback” – something along those lines. Yes, we need to see this project moving forward. Maybe the city can consider the split of this project in two parts, but instead of reducing the size of the tower, we can have the Fire Dept and the city government offices moving in there, with Raleigh PD HQ being in a separate location…
Gene, there are still cities that amaze us with the skyline boost they get, even during tough times. Austin is also a good example. However, the question remains: how many of these projects will remain viable in the future? Yes, the skyline will get the boost, but when will be the next boom? I must agree, though. Raleigh needs to get its act together and leave places like Bellevue in the dust, instead of the other way around. Not that Bellevue doesn’t deserve respect, in contrary. Raleigh is still a larger city and gets better grades than Bellevue. Seattle is a very different level, though, so I won’t say anything about it.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:59 am
raleigh wont get there the way its going i can tell you this… im so disappointed! if i wasnt from here i would talk so much s#%@ right about now.
March 4th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
I think the reason they are talking about Savings is that Meeker beleives this will need to be built and will be built int eh next few years. SO, if you look at it from a foregone conclusion, it is cheaper to build now with better pricing than 5 years from now with much higher pricing.
I think that contributed to the lack of presenting a good argument for the place. They just assumed it would be built and went from there. Now, I will say that they fact the the council (with many of hte same members) has voted to spend $20 plus million so far might have been pushing to think it was more or less a dumb deal. (and as more of a conservative leaner, I can;t say I am too happy spending that much money on something and then get nothing to show for it.) I also beleive that Raleigh needs this building, or at least something similar due to growth and poor facilities going back years. I have no problem spending money on something needed. I also prefer Tax money be spent as close as possible to where it was taken. Small Federal Government and larger local. Again, this meets that criteria, IMO. And while I don’t neccesarrily beleive that goverment should dump money on make work projects,if this was needed any time soon, it is better from an economic development and business climate standpoint to do it now, when the construction sector is really hurting.
I think there were plenty of good arguements to have been made on this thing on pretty much all sides of the issue and the fact that they did little to none of this is why it was tanked. Again, poor leadership from the leader of the City of Raleigh!
March 4th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
laryea, if you were not from Raleigh, you would probably not give a damn about its skyline :ROTFLMAO:
Lee L, I am in agreement with what you said. And I also agree with John Odom’s proposal – assuming I understood correctly. Put this baby to vote after making a strong case for this project and see what the taxpayers would say. Although I do not want to hear anything about a new property tax increase, I would settle for it if we were to get this wonderful project. I am confident that the residents in our city would look at this project as a much needed addition and the 5th vote would come. Still, I would not rush to “attack” Bonner Gaylord. He is right in MANY levels, but if there was a developer who could bring us something more impressive, by all means, build the new HQ somewhere else and save on the infrastructure enhancements.
Another possibility: Find a few good developers who can [hopefully] build 3/4 of the block, surround the new safety center from the West, North-West and North with taller buildings, and fortify it so no human outside those who work there can access it. The new city hall may become part of this high-rise – yes, make it taller by another 5-6 floors – and use the taxes from the 3 towers towards the public safety center. Maybe it sounds hard to accomplish, but it is doable, especially if we make it a goal for the next 5 years. By then, the economy will have taken a turn for the better, I hope.