The dog days of Summer are here, and are we sure feeling it! The Urban Connector monthly newsletter looks back on the best of the previous month as well as ways to get involved in the coming month.
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June Content
June 8th – Nashville Drone Tour
Drone Tour of Nashville, TN.
June 30th – Raleigh Northern Arc BRT Station Area Planning: Western Blvd
Conceptual station area plan for the 1st stop along a hypothetical Northern Arc BRT line in Raleigh. NOTE: I do not own, control, have actual say, etc over any of the proposed redeveloped parcels. This is just an idea and just a sketch.
June 30th – LA Photo Tour
Photo tour of a visit to LA.
Developments that excited me
Memorial Drive Cycle Track – GDOT is adding a protected two-way cycle track connecting Downtown Atlanta to (just about) the Beltline along Memorial Drive! Paving is complete, and bike signals are being installed. We could be close to seeing the actual striping alignment going in. This one is absolutely a game-changer for getting around the area. GDOT deserves credit here.
Raleigh Iron Works – Raleigh Iron Works has reached completion in Phase 1 and several restaurants and spaces are open including an adult slide! The finishes, material choices, and spaces are top notch and it would probably be my favorite spot in Raleigh if it had any sort of connections and cohesiveness with the surrounding neighborhoods or safe access outside of the car.
Centennial Yards funding – The next phase of the Gulch filling development is taking steps forward by selling $500 million in bonds for funding. This phase will be an entertainment hub across from State Farm Arena to capitalize on the tourist nature of the area. Things have taken a significant turn toward residential and entertainment from the earlier office heavy plans. The more housing, the better for Downtown.
South Downtown, rolling ahead! – Next door, South Downtown‘s $100 million next phase known as “Project Elle” is moving forward and could be complete in time for the World Cup. I have such high hopes for the South Downtown project. The right people and right minds are on board to make it happen. Like I mentioned, the more residential, the better. Check out last month’s newsletter if you missed it for a behind the scenes tour of South Downtown!
Upper Westside leading the way in trails – More trails are coming to the Upper Westside by way of a $16 Million RAISE grant which will connect Midtown directly to Westside Park.
North DeKalb Mall suburban retrofit – North DeKalb Mall is out to make way for Lulah Hills. The largely abandoned suburban style mall will now be home to nearly 2000 residences, retail, restaurants, and a hotel. My only gripe is the lack of interaction and cohesiveness with the main roads and surrounding neighborhoods.
Beltline budget boost – Atlanta Beltline, Inc released their largest budget to date which will accelerate construction and aim to build more housing. The goal is to still have the “U” open by the World Cup. Also be sure to check out their great construction updates.
Downtown rail hub has life?! – AMTRAK has requested $30 million for the preliminary design, planning, acquisition, and engineering for a “key Downtown site at imminent risk of development” for a multimodal rail hub. One could only imagine it is in Centennial Yards. It can not be understated how big it would be for the City and the future of passenger rail for the hub to be right there!
Things to Know – Atlanta
Very quiet month upcoming with a lot of Summer recess for councils and committees. On 7/10 I’ll have the privilege of participating in the Beltline Rail Now panel discussion. Details at the link below!
| Date | Event | Notes |
| 7/1 | City Council | 1:00 PM |
| 7/8 | Zoning Committee | 11:00 AM |
| 7/10 | Transportation Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 7/10 | Beltline Rail Now Panel | 7:00 PM REGISTER |
| 7/16 | Transportation Task Force | 6:30 PM |
| 7/26 | Critical Mass Ride | 6:30 PM – Meet at Woodruff Park |
| 7/28 | Streets Alive | 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM |
| 8/5 | City Council | 1:00 PM |
Things to Know – Raleigh
| Date | Event | Notes |
| 7/2 | City Council Meeting | 1:00 PM & 7:00 PM |
I’m sure this newsletter will evolve as time goes on. Comments or suggestions? Let me know!
Phil Veasley is a Professional Engineer working with Toole Design Group to design safer multimodal infrastructure in cities throughout the US.
My goal is to create cities that are safe and effective for all people to move about outside of cars. To achieve that we have to focus on creating equitable, dense, and vibrant cities full of walkable neighborhoods with a various mix of housing choices, schools, restaurants, and services. We cannot have safe multimodal infrastructure without the density to support it and we cannot have equitable density without safe multimodal infrastructure. Outside of designing safe streets, my passions are sketching ideas for infill neighborhoods, floor plans, urban photography, and exploring our cities on foot or bike. Please check out the menus above for all of my ideas and also check out my YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.
Opinions and insights are my own and are not representative of my employer or any organization.
Phil Veasley 