We thought this was a far-fetched idea, even when the common consensus was that the economy was still booming. But now the plans have changed quite a bit. The developers are much more concerned about getting along with the neighbors and the focus has shifted from a lifestyle of partying on Glenwood South, to historic restoration, and modest pricing. Remember February 2008?:
“When you’re done trolling for girls at the bars but don’t want to move to the suburbs, this is the place,” said Richard Johnson, a City Space partner.”
Well, even the best laid plans, about getting laid, can go awry. Let us make a suggestion to Mr. Dick Johnson, the developer of this project:
- Although the increased security and presence of police on horseback might be somewhat effective, you should avoid adding German, or Belgian Shepherd police dogs to the security mix. The combination of mounted police and German Shepherds looks a little too much like Historic Birmingham, Alabama and not enough like new Raleigh.
- Why not encourage a more organic form of gentrification? Renovate a few of those houses to be inhabitable and rent them to artists. Give them an incentive to inhabit the neighborhood for 5-years, until things start to stabilize, and then renovate the houses to sell for profit. It might motivate the kids to write a hit musical about the experience.
Maybe people have noticed that the number of break-ins in Boylan Heights, Cameron Park and 5-Points have increased in recent months. There’s no reason to believe that even these stable neighborhoods will see less crime until the economy improves. We like the plans for Rosengarten Park much better than the initial plan but it’s still going to require a brave settler to inhabit that frontier.
This is my favorite street in Raleigh.