News
February 6, 2007
Council Approves City Plaza Schematic Design
The Raleigh City Council today voted 6-2 to approve a schematic design of the new City Plaza in the 500 block of Fayetteville Street. The design concept seeks to create a plaza, or public gathering place, that reinforces Raleigh’s image as being one of the most livable cities in the country.
Plaza possibilities
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The schematic design was drafted using urban design parameters that were approved by the City Council last fall. Those parameters center around five major areas: accessibility/sociability, legibility/organization, safety, sustainability/maintainability, and programmability.
Key components or themes in the schematic design are:
- The plaza design should include creative infrastructure -- i.e., ample conduits/connections, pipes and foundations -- in the right locations that will allow a great deal of flexibility in discussions about future markets, arts and festivals;
- The plaza should be smartly designed to support opportunities for ground-level uses. For example, the schematic design proposes retail pavilions on the edge of the plaza that encourage people to linger. The Simpson Organization, the owner of the Bank of America building in the plaza area, has committed to design, build, lease and manage the pavilions;
- The plaza should be high tech in that it has wireless connections to the internet;
- The plaza design should “encourage” entrepreneurs because properties adjacent to the plaza potentially contain approximately 45,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space. For those entrepreneurs who are not ready to lease built space, the plaza will allow for market tents and vendors without having to close the street to traffic;
- The plaza should be the outdoor entertainment heart of downtown in that it will be positioned and designed to a host a variety of events, including concerts, parades, markets and street performers; and,
- The plaza should be designed to function as “a meeting place, front porch and living room” for nearby residential, hotel and office developments. This recognizes that new residents and visitors are keys to the revitalization of downtown.
The schematic design was developed by a design team, with considerable input from the public at design workshops last fall. The design team consisted of consultant Kimley-Horn & Associates and representatives from Project for Public Spaces, a nationally known consultant on urban design and public spaces, and DesignBox, a local creative design collaborative. Also on the design team were representatives from the City’s Planning Commission, Appearance Commission, Arts Commission’s Public Art Committee, and the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board.
To complete full design development drawings of the City Plaza based on the schematic design, the City Council approved a contract amendment with Kimley-Horn in the amount of $345,000. Council members also authorized the City’s Arts Commission to begin soliciting artist participation to refine certain aspects of the plaza design, and directed City Manager Russell Allen to develop agreements for public use of the plaza area and for private construction of the plaza’s retail pavilions.
Prepared by:
John Boyette
Public Affairs Specialist
Public Affairs Department
For More Information Contact:
J. Russell Allen
City Manager
City Manager Department
222 West Hargett Street
Raleigh, NC 27602
919-996-3070
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