Wednesday, Jun. 16, 2010

City seeks input on Capital Blvd.

Want to help spruce up Capital Boulevard?

If so, the city wants to hear from you at a workshop scheduled for 6:30 p.m. June 24.

It's the official kick-off for a wide-ranging study on how to transform the Capital Boulevard corridor between downtown and the Beltline into an attractive gateway to the Capital City.

Changes are likely to include street improvements, new businesses, upgrades of impaired Pigeon House Creek and additional housing.

But planning is still in the preliminary stages, and the city hasn't rolled out any specifics.

Planners have, however, held meetings over the past couple of months with state agencies and business owners along the corridor.

The workshop is the first in a series of public meetings to encourage citizen input.

"It's early in the process, but there's a lot of buzz about this thing going around," said Bobby Poole, a Raleigh resident who for several years has lobbied to revamp the corridor.

Poole has rounded up business owners along the corridor to push for certain changes.

He said he expects between 100 and 200 residents, city officials and business owners to attend the meeting at Bobby Murray Chevrolet.

A recent revision of the city's Comprehensive Plan identified Capital Boulevard as one of Raleigh's most important projects.

Numerous city and neighborhood groups are expected to give input throughout the planning process. Some already have said they hope for a more pedestrian-friendly corridor that could help connect downtown to other popular destinations such as Five Points and North Hills via greenway trails.