If I am not mistaken they process poultry for Purina dog food in that plant, which explains the stink. Your input on the short-term potential of that area is right on the money. It will take MANY years of revitalization to actually get the area South of downtown ready for people to move. Maybe the city can attract a few businesses first, but it will take the removal of that plant to actually bring the number of residents we all hope to see there.

Incredible shots. You can make the ordinary shot look extraordinary. Thanks.

Great pictures. I always check the site periodically to see what new and interesting pictures you have posted. Keep up the good work! Another interesting vantage point you might want to check out is on the Dorthea Dix campus from the parking lots just below the NC Japan Center. Gives you an interesting perspective of the downtown skyline.

Allow me to share the description of what is planned for the area you talked about (taken from the city’s Livable Streets website). Forgive me for wasting your time if you have already seen it:

“Intermodal Center
In the area surrounding the Downtown Station, a multi-functional transit center is proposed that would link the TTA regional rail station with facilities for Interstate High Speed Rail, Amtrak, local bus service, inter-city bus service, taxis pedestrians and bicyclists. Engineering studies for the center will be underway in 2007.”

This project was under way some time ago, but serious work was not done. Lately, the city resurrected the plan and it appears to me that our leaders will be more likely to move forward with it in the next 2-3 years. Until then, I expect that area to remain an eyesore. A lot depends on how fast TTA will manage to bring back the regional rail vision, too – this time without asking for crazy money, I hope.

Whoever owns the land just east of the Boylan overpass, adjacent to where the railroad forks into a “Y” (as seen in the 2nd photo), should clean up that mess immediately. They need to either pave it over or landscape it. It is a blight on the downtown. Maybe that area can be used for commuter parking or something else of value. It looks like a trashy trailer park from that view.

Another area adjacent to downtown that needs to be improved in order for Raleigh to look like a real city is the area just to the south of downtown as seen in the Raliegh View Road angle. There is a hideous looking factory/plant right in the middle of the skyline shot. That facility needs to go. Raleigh is not Mayberry.

Raleigh doesn’t need 50-60 story buildings. If they are built, that’s fine. More importantly, Raleigh needs to clean up the downtown periphery with more dense commercial and residential activity. Until the really big buildings are built, I can envision Raliegh with a similar looking skyline to Baltimore, but with no water. Lots of 20 to 40 story buildings. As long as the city becomes vibrant, I could care less about mega skyscrapers.

Thank you for the great work!