All posts by Kristen Jeffers

Kristen Jeffers has always been interested in how cities work. She’s also always loved writing things. She went off to a major state university, got a communication degree and then started a more professional Blogger site. Then, in her graduate seminar on urban politics, along with browsing the urbanist blogosphere, she realized that her ideas should have a stronger, clearer voice, one that reflects her identity as a Black southern woman. And with that The Black Urbanist blog was born. Seven years, one Twitter account, one self-published book, two podcasts and a litany of speeches and urban planning projects later, here we are.
Charlotte, Cities, Cityreads

Placebook:That Kind of Attention, but Still Not Those Kind of People

Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon. Via the Charlotte Observer.
Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon. Via the Charlotte Observer.

Normally, the types of people and things that I report about don’t make front page news. Well, sometimes in the News and Record, but I digress.

And this is the point where I will stop and shamelessly plug my Twitter and Instagram accounts @blackurbanist, where you can find live tweets and photos from today’s Piedmont Together seminar. I’m on the program again, playing myself, well, the version that advocates for transit and writes Placebook’s Daily News every weekday just for you. If you love reading this and keep missing it because it doesn’t show up on social media often enough, subscribe to our email.

Meanwhile, back to the subject at hand. Chicago and sometimes New York and Cleveland get attention for big time city bribes and corruption deals. You know the kind, the kind profiled in American Hustle. Charlotte gets attention for being slow and southern. Well, it used to. Now, along with light rail and snarling traffic, IKEA,  pro teams, major consumer financial operations and lots of expensive apartments and homes, Charlotte has a disgraced mayor.

So does that make us, us meaning the South, equal? Probably not. When Atlanta had its issues over the snow, people just laughed. However, when many of our leaders begin to show the same propensities, do we on the home front just sit back and scoff and laugh? Or do we highlight the people, on the ground and many times still in the city halls, the county courthouses and other government and office buildings that just know to do the right thing.

Think on this issue, but remember, do right by your community, always. The rest of the news:

On this list, Rocky Mount is one of the nation’s smallest dangerous cities.

Someone may get kicked off Downtown Greensboro, Inc.’s board.

More on Greensboro’s Gate City Boulevard’s new zoning restrictions.

What Governor McCrory was like in college.

North Carolina’s part of the federal transportation fund could dry up this summer.

The City of High Point is looking to improve the High Point Theater.

The Guilford County School Board may vote tonight on purchasing a former Catholic school to expand one of its magnet high school programs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools parents have several new school options for their children next fall.

Buncombe, Henderson and Jackson County lead all population growth in Western North Carolina in the past three years.

Asheville is one of USA Today’s six small cities with an awesome food scene.

The City of Fayetteville has forced the auction of the Prince Charles Hotel.

New apartments in Wilmington are expected to ease the demand for multi-family spaces in the city.

And finally, what should North Carolina’s new slogan be?

Cities, Cityreads, media

Placebook: The Optimistic Southerner

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Today I ran across an article that captured the essence of why I’m out here writing this page, and developing an even bigger platform. Essentially, to tell the story of the citified Southerner.  Like these guys and also these guys, I’m trying to tell a different, but valid story. Of the Southerners we all know. The Southerners that are usually black or white, but increasingly Hispanic or Asian, from an Arabic country or the jungles of Vietnam. The Southerners that because they   open their mouths and sprout out intelligent things through the twang are an object of shock and awe. The Southerners that consume sushi one night and then fried chicken or bone-in fried fish with their hands the next.  And of course, we defy all stereotypes, including the ones I mentioned here.

I’m linking to this article one more time just to make sure you pay attention. And for those of you who are fellow citified or even just dignified on the farm Southerners, be proud. And as our friend Killer Mike says on another part of that very page, give back to your community. And in my special way of giving back, I give you the news:

There will be a DuckHead store in downtown Greensboro, along with the relocated corporate headquarters of Prospect Brands.

An outside law firm has determined that the $750,000 loan from the City of Greensboro to the International Civil Rights Museum and Center was valid despite the lack of signature on the contract.

The Greensboro City Council has formed a committee on East Greensboro. The meetings are open to the public and the next one will be held at 4 p.m. on April 17th.

This News and Observer editorial on outgoing Raleigh planning director Mitchell Silver captures perfectly what many of us feel about him moving up and us losing him as a leader in planning in the state. Also nice, these editorials on the RDU Airport land and the Raleigh mayor’s speechthat focused on transit and transportation.

Beloved Raleigh barbecue joint Clyde Coopers will reopen with some of its original touches right around the corner, while making way for a new mixed-used development in downtown Raleigh.

New apartments are planned on South Elm-Eugene Street in Greensboro, near the I-85 interchange.

A report has confirmed that Wilmington’s roads are in bad shape. However a food truck rodeo was successful and raised money for local nonprofits, and a troubled housing community is improving.

Cumberland County Commissioners are working on a plan for the arsenic-tainted wells in one community.

The Lumbee Tribal Council is questioning a loan to purchase the  North Carolina Indian Cultural Center and only has two weeks to make a decision before the opportunity is given to the general public to purchase.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools has revealed their teacher tenure plan. Wake County Schools will hold off on introducing its behavior grade system.

Charlotte-area residents spend over 40 hours in traffic a year according to a study commissioned by an organization that supports highway construction. This same organization presented statewide figures on cost savings from repaired roads and pushed for more road projects statewide.

Charlotte home prices have also increased by 7.2% in January.

The Asheville City Council has approved the I-26 connector route. In addition, the City of Asheville is set to explain all the new rules for zoning and planning along Haywood Road, which includes an area dedicated to live-work spaces and smaller setbacks to the road for new buildings. Water rates may also go up in Asheville.

Popular Asheville eatery White Duck Taco will open it’s second location later this spring. The Asheville VA will also open more clinics.

Governor McCrory has requested federal storm recovery money.

And finally, not really urbanist related, but the Durham Bulls will be dressed up as R2-D2 for their May 4th game. And the Winston-Salem Dash has been purchased by the owners of the Chicago White Sox, which will also ensure the lease of the ballpark from the City of Winston-Salem is extended and allows the ballpark to not draw on taxpayer funds for maintenance.

 

 

Cities, Cityreads, Housing

Placebook: War Zones and Playgrounds

Arial View of Playground. Image via The Transom.
Arial View of Playground. Image via The Transom.

What do we make of what I think is the real challenge presented by gentrification? That is, if people see the areas they are moving into or have lived in as war zones or playgrounds or both? For context, I define a war zone as an area where either residents are punished or sometimes killed while going about their daily business. Examples would be areas that are violent gang zones, areas where people live near toxic chemicals and areas where a neighbor is some form of nuisance. I define a playground in this sense as an area where people go to have fun, whether they are adults or children. Also, the area may have started as a war zone, but thanks to the desire of others to make it a playground, that’s precisely what it has become. I am not bemoaning areas of pleasure here, I just want us to think about those juxtapositions.

In the cover story of this month’s The Atlantic, the bulk of the story refers to The Land, a playground for children in the UK that is full of things that we would see in a toxic dump or a war zone. The premise of building this park came from ideas originally sprouted after  World War II times, to help children where bombs and other tools of war made regular neighborhoods look like this area. The modern version of the idea was to also create a space for children to learn how to be resilient and appreciate areas of danger, not run away or say they can’t conquer them. This article on The Transom goes even deeper and has more imagery, sound and observes as one is being built. There’s also a documentary and it’s mentioned in both stories. (Image above is from The Transom)

This very interesting use of public space has me asking even more questions. Are my definitions of war zones and playgrounds off base? Could they be one in the same and be productive? Of course we want more areas that are more like playgrounds, but life does challenge us, especially our practice of placemaking. What can we learn from putting two opposite ideas together, in more adult areas of our communities. Think on that with me, as you read today’s news and other views:

The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) has a new leader, from Ohio.

Winston-Salem City Council has put its support behind an east-west streetcar route connecting points through and near downtown.

Changes are coming to the state’s driver’s education program.

Forsyth County has approved an architect for the Winston-Salem central library and an amphitheater at Triad Park in Kernersville.

There are questions to the legality of Guilford County Schools June 16 makeup day.

The City of Greensboro is holding a food drive for those who lost food when power was lost during the last major winter storm.

Farmers around the Dan River ash spill met to discuss its impacts on them and their crops Monday night.

The Charlotte City Council has approved a new uptown office and residential tower development.

Apartment rents in Asheville and Wilmington have been deemed unaffordable by this years Out of Reach report, the annual national report released by the National Low Income Housing Center. Here is the full North Carolina report on housing affordability.

If you didn’t know it already (or have met one or two with your car) expect a lot of potholes until they are patched in the spring.

Raleigh mayor Nancy McFarlane pushes transit and design issues in her State of the City speech.

Pittsboro’s Board of Commissioners is still seeking answers on what the impact of Chatham Park, a development that will significantly increase the size of the town, will be.

Cities, Cityreads, placemaking

Placebook: Heroes and Sheroes of Placemaking

We Are All Wonderwomen! Print by The Saturn Twins Art Shop, which you can purchase here.

Who are the heroes and sheroes of placemaking? Are they our leaders and planners who draw up maps and synthesize the findings of community meetings? Are they the community members themselves who come out to meetings and offer encouragement and criticism? I seem to think everyone is capable of being a hero or shero of place. While we celebrate as our leaders climb greater heights and also look back on their careers, let’s look to ourselves and see how we can make our communities a better place for today. And with that, today’s news:

Greensboro leaders are proposing major changes to our bus system, including a fare increase and service cuts.

How college campus blue light towers have managed to survive the cell phone age.

The available at-large Guilford County Commissioners seat is pitting former colleagues against each other.

Half of North Carolina’s counties are eligible for summer food assistance for children from the USDA.

The National Register of Historic Places has added ten new North Carolina sites.

A new bike shop in Mt. Airy is doubling as a museum and art gallery.

Zaycon Foods of Washington State promises online-ordering and fresh bulk meat delivery to 48 states, including North Carolina.

Places that the New York Times missed when they did their 36-hours in Raleigh.

What a local Greensboro developer believes is the solution to Greensboro’s food deserts.

The City of Greensboro has waived yard waste restrictions until all storm debris can be picked up from the storms of last month.

Why the State DOT reduced the speed limit of US 74A in the mountains.

The Asheville City Council will discuss the controversial I-26 connector at its next meeting.

The Buncombe Cultural Alliance hopes to create a new Asheville-wide arts collaboration.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will vote to approve the new tenure plan after all.

Storing coal ash at the Charlotte-Douglas airport has been deemed better than the ponds and a plan for that will be presented to the Charlotte City Council today.

Charlotte’s plan for apartments to house those currently homeless has been proven effective by a new study.

Wilmington business owners and leaders are discussing a minimum wage hike. They are also discussing why government decision-making is slow and how to speed it up.

Fayetteville’s Crown Center will become the Crown Complex, has launched a new website and promoted staffers under its new private management, brought in by former managers Cumberland County.

Raleigh’s new parks plan has been released. In case you missed it above, Raleigh’s in the search for a new director of planning.  RDU Airport has extra acreage that airport leaders are seeking to develop into hotels and other real estate properties.

Durham’s East End Connector will start construction soon, after years of negotiations.

And finally, what The Economist thinks of our state government and our governor.

Cities, Cityreads, Family and Place

Placebook: For Every Sunset, A Sunrise

Sunset at the Elm and MLK Drive rail crossing looking westbound

What do we say when we are on the cusp of change, but not quite there yet? When we wonder if we’ve really messed our city or town up for good with a decision we made, either on the large-scale as an elected official or on the small-scale when that family member or friend decides to excommunicate you for something you did. Do you pack up your bags and move on, thinking that you’ll never get elected again or your dad won’t forgive you and turn the family back around for you? Are you forever doomed to be the black sheep? Not smart enough? Not in the target demographic or shopper profile?

Over the past 48 hours, I’ve been in rooms and had conversations with people over what their neighborhoods should look like, what their organizations are really doing in the community and for the community, what our transportation should or could look like and even whether or not we are a good enough city to come back home to and recommend to our friends.

And at the end of all of this, it all comes back to one thing: resilience. Resilience encompasses an open mind for change, despite the fact that there may be more failures than successes. Your neighbors will want different things, but you find something that you all like and makes the neighborhood attractive for both new and old residents. Poor have chances to become rich and have the homes the want, even if it takes a few false starts after a long period of unemployment or incarceration.Your company may not make money in its first few quarters here and same store sales might look puny at first.  Those companies come to realize that growth is not just financial, but social and cultural too. Organizations and elected officials that were at odds decide to partner on big civic projects, risk their election years and sometimes realize that all that might be needed is a little vision and hope in their own minds and hearts. People fall in love with people, as friends, not as pawns or trophies or after they’ve decided that they need to settle down. The friendship is not a power struggle or an ego trip, but an honest exchange between two friends, who happen to be in love, either romantically or like father or daughter, sister and brother. Families love each other for who they are and what they can be, even though they may continue to fail a bit.

Resilience is the heart of what makes a city attractive, malleable, lovable and eternal. It’s not easy to forgive, forget and push forward. However, it ensures that for every sunset, there’s a sunrise to follow.

Chew on that this weekend, along with this news:

These three stories from the SynerG panel on rezoning and how it affected the Greensboro Trader Joe’s decision.

What Action Greensboro does have planned right now.

Don’t expect Greensboro’s Dixie apartments to survive the redevelopment of their block. What some of those tenants feel about losing their home. Also not surviving, the Zenke House, which will be demolished on Monday.

Business are concerned about the changes on Lee Street and High Point Road in Greensboro.

The City of Greensboro says it’s not picking on the civil rights museum.

While Greensboro debates restrictions on panhandlers, a couple street corner vendors in Winston-Salem are holding dance offs.

The Guilford County courts now accept credit cards.

The General Assembly is taking another look at its teacher tenure law.

There is a 6.5 millon dollar funding gap for Raleigh’s new Union Station.

A consultant hired by High Point business and tourism leaders has recommended against a downtown road diet.

Triad City Beat wants to know what downtown Greensboro project is the most important and the Triad Business Journal asks what North Carolina brands are the most important nationally.

The Bobcats and the Charlotte tourism authority want 41 million dollars of improvement monies from the city of Charlotte.

The Charlotte-Douglass Airport commissioners toured all the new facilities at the airport yesterday, even though they can’t yet run the airport.

Asheville-based Tupelo Honey Cafe is expanding into Atlanta.

Fayetteville and Cumberland County are considering reviving their youth council as a more political board that addresses concerns of students and teens. Cumberland County municipalities are also petitioning the Pentagon to not remove the 440th Airlift Wing from Fort Bragg.

Oak Island officials are considering limits to house sizes.

Pender County’s consolidation of its health and human service departments continues to be tenuous.

New Hanover County has boosted its transit funding.

The Wake County District Attorney is going back into private practice.

And finally, the Durham community is rallying around North Carolina Central’s first men’s NCAA basketball tournament appearance.

Cities, Cityreads, urbanism

Placebook: Road Runner Urbanism

road runner

Areas that sprawl, but have several centers of culture, vibrant human-scaled places, and housing that’s cheap, but on the periphery of town create what I like to call a Road-Runner Urbanism. Essentially, to recreate what some people get in a few city blocks, those of us in sprawling cities must jump in our cars and speed from place to place, especially if it’s two or three happy hours or community meetings and they are all starting at different times, but on different sides of town. Everyone, even those in bigger cities, can relate to the shuffle of getting to work, picking up kids or dry cleaning or both and then trying to make a meeting. Many times, it doesn’t happen and I didn’t get to all the places I planed to go to last night. Sometimes that makes me feel like I was inches from being crushed by the Coyote’s anvil. It also illustrates why density, better transit headways and a lot of other people-scaled and paced things need to happen to make our communities stronger. Fortunately, I can at least bring together some news from across the state, all in one place, and possibly in the palm of your hand or on your screen:

Downtown Greensboro’s Green Bean Coffeehouse is becoming a chain, opening their second location at Greensboro’s Golden Gate Shopping Center. In addition, the shopping center is under new management and will be renovated.

The City of Greensboro may strengthen its panhandling restrictions.

Apparently 1 million dollars can buy you about 8,000 square feet of a home in Raleigh and 10,000 square feet in Charlotte.

Speaking of square feet, I along with others learned just how much room is in this old Sears Distribution Center in Greensboro yesterday. Also, anyone who’s interested should come to the design workshops at the Lewis Recreation Center at either 9:30 or 4 p.m. They are only a couple hours long and we’ll be discussing residential and transportation changes along Lawndale Drive. On Saturday morning, at 9:30 all the ideas from yesterday and today’s session will be presented. (Yes this is a work thing for me too. However, it’s something I’m excited to see discussed and happen for the city). Also, please report any potholes, as well as malfunctioning street lamps, broken street signs and flooded storm water drains here.

The Union County Commissioners and School Boards are arguing over what parts of school system operations belong to either group.

Aldi will open a new store in Weaverville.

A lawyer for the General Assembly  states that charter schools should be disclosing employee pay and other activities that they have been hiding, due to being funded by the state.

Appalachian State University has named its first female chancellor.

People requesting an absentee ballot will now have to fill out a special form and return it to their county board of elections.

Winston-Salem police is increasing the use of body cameras.

Rockingham County will be reorganizing how and who does official economic development.

Forsyth County has sold its old courthouse to a developer who will convert it to apartments and bought the Reynolda Manor Branch library building.

Developers are itching to add more apartments to Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street. Developers will be building apartments along Wilmington’s Port City Marina.

Why North Carolina and the nation need small banks.

Wrightsville Beach has changed its parking fees.

The Wilmington Housing Authority is facing a budget shortfall.

Wilmington’s in Garden and Gun’s Greatest Southern Town Bracket.

New Hanover County is expecting to need more elementary schools soon.

Fayetteville leaders have suggested the downtown parking deck as a permanent site for the city farmers market.

Customers of the Fayetteville Public Works Commission, the city owned utility, will have higher rates this year.

An advisory board wants Durham city leaders to change the focus of the federally granted rails-to-trails money to different trails.

Durham mayor Bill Bell has called for his new anti-poverty initiative to be focused on the North-East Central Durham area, where half the households make under the federal poverty threshold for a household of four.

And finally, how the Huffington Post thinks Charlotte is weird.

 

Cities, Cityreads, Education

Placebook: Pay No Attention to the Weathervane

Weathervane
Weathervane. Boston Public Library via Flickr

So this might not be our last blast of cold weather. And this still might not be the worst winter ever. Oh well, just like the Wizard of Oz, we really can’t trust the weathervane behind the curtain. Ok, bad analogy, but still, our weather has no rhyme or reason. And that’s all I have to say about that. Daily news, right here, right now:    

The Greensboro City Council voted last night for a resolution in favor of Medicaid expansion and to put a solar car charging station downtown.

High Point City Council has declined to re-name Green Street after Martin Luther King, Jr.

The International Civil Rights Center & Museum must deliver more answers about its operations to the city of Greensboro today, as a follow up to the issues stemming around the $750,000 loan that was given to the museum without a signed contract.

The Triad area could become the home of the drone industry in North Carolina.

According to the Census, Guilford, Wake and Mecklenburg counties are part of a select group of 146 counties that hold half of the population of the United States.

This News & Record editorial and its comments ask  what’s next for Action Greensboro.

We are now Dukeland and I’m not talking about Coach K’s squad.

Nice to see the Raleigh Startup Weekend folks embrace the maker movement.

The last ice storm has cost High Point $4.6 million dollars to clean-up. It will cost the City of Greensboro $900,000.

Thanks to a grad student, Sustain Clemmons is live.

The Forsyth County commissioners are still thinking about the offer to buy the old sheriff’s department building in downtown Winston-Salem.

The State of North Carolina is deleting valid climate change data.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools  wish list of improvements could cost the county 45 million dollars. Meanwhile students in the school system recently voted on new lunch menu items.

Cumberland County Schools will get 75 million dollars for its next fiscal year from the county.

New Hanover County Schools may pay its tech employees more and revise its complaint policy.

Wilmington City Council voted last night to table a resolution for the Water Street parking deck until its May 6th meeting.

Wilmington’s Cape Fear Museum wants to become the premier science and history museum for the Cape Fear Region.

Wake County Schools is asking the county for $39 million more to just put towards increasing teacher pay.

Former Raleigh mayor Charles Meeker is considering a gubernatorial run in 2016.

And finally, UNC Greensboro is opening a community-based design center.

Cities, Cityreads, Jobs

Placebook: Is North Carolina a Poor State?

Forex Money for Exchange in Currency Bank
A lot of this money is foreign. Is money period foreign to North Carolinians? Photo by Flickr user Ep5os De

I ask today’s question about this New York Times article. As usual with Times articles, they take a major national issue, in this case poverty and use one place to illustrate it, this time, Chattanooga, TN. It’s a place that’s on the urbanist radar too, as this year’s class of Next City Vanguards will be gathering there, and it’s the first Vanguard in the South. According to the Census 23% of its 171,279 residents are impoverished. What really stuck with me, was this quote from Chattanooga’s mayor Andy Berke:

“We don’t want the South to be a place where businesses go to find low-wage, low-education jobs. That’s a long-term problem that midsized cities in the South face.”

How does North Carolina fit into this? As a whole, the state has 1,6377,250  of its 9,748,364 people under the federal poverty line and the median household income is $46,000. Our unemployment rate has dropped to 6.7% and that is inclusive of people who are still looking for work and haven’t quit. When you pull the numbers for several major North Carolina cities from the Census, none of them have per capita incomes at the poverty rate and half the households are making more than $30,000 per year. Of course this assumes that households have no more than 3 people in them. Even with the traditional four-person family, only three cities, Jacksonville, Rocky Mount and Wilson have a per capita income that meets the poverty threshold. The more people you add, plus expenses that aren’t adjusted for inflation, emergency situations such as a period of unemployment, an underwater mortgage or some other tragic or financially trying situation can create poverty-like situations. However, on paper, based on the this assessment of the 2 million people in these major cities North Carolina looks middle class, taking into account our lower cost of living, cost of living being things like the basic costs of food and housing, along with taxes and utility bills.  Yet, what about the other 7 million people? Our cities may not be poor, but what about everywhere else? For more analysis head here, where you can see charts and where you can track updates to this information.

In addition, the above quote could be said about my hometown and current city Greensboro. We’ve lost a number of manufacturing jobs. Yet, we have also managed to create jobs. The key is to get people above the poverty threshold and provide the stability for them to stay there. It’s also key that we provide jobs at living wages. It appears some cities are doing more than others if you go by the numbers. However, numbers, nor metaphors and proverbs can begin to tell this whole story.

And with that, your daily news:

Tonight’s Greensboro City Council Agenda. On the agenda, a solar car charging station for downtown.

Guilford and Durham school systems have officially filed suit with the State of North Carolina over the teacher tenure law.

Residents of the Dixie Apartments in Greensboro will lose their homes for a new development on that block.

Several local leaders, as well as representatives from Amtrak, Norfolk Southern and the North Carolina Railroad Company met in Greensboro yesterday to discuss how to keep people off railroad tracks.

The last winter storm claimed a 76 foot oak tree in Greensboro that had been standing since the Civil War.

State troopers have sued for higher pay.

High Point is offering free rent for a retail business for a year in its train depot.

The first Latino Mecklenburg County Commissioner has died.

Attendees of an open government forum at Elon University charge that state lawmakers have not been transparent enough.

Charlotte’s first outlet mall will open on July 31.

Charlotte-Douglas Airport has opened a diagonal runway.

Asheville’s water systems issue is the latest in several attempts by the state to take local control of normally local matters.

The Enka-Chandler fire department has a new chief.

A proposed adult care home in Asheville is looking for a new location.

More on the proposed I-26 Connector in Asheville.

Fayetteville City Council is proposing a new office to streamline business license filings and other issues related to the city and businesses.

What the Harnett County commissioners decided last night.

The Brunswick County commissioners voted last night to keep their current health insurance plans and pay the extra costs.

More Willmington area grocers are allowing customers to shop online and pick up at the store or have it delivered.

Greenville City Council discussed financing renovations to its convention center at their meeting last night.

How to avoid paying to park at Raleigh’s PNC Arena.

Cary held it’s annual Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, as well as sent a laundry list of issues to state lawmakers.

Long-time business owners on Durham’s 9th Street are excited and anxious about all the new development on the street.

And finally, Durham City Council voted on Monday on a downtown business incentive deal.

Cities, Cityreads, Sports

Placebook: Tournament Town

 

Watching my NC State Wolfpack at a mid-day Quarterfinal Game in 2013. Sometimes, this is a workday.
Watching my NC State Wolfpack at a mid-day Quarterfinal Game in 2013. Sometimes, this is a workday.

There’s this thing that grips Greensboro every March and it’s called Tournament Town. Banners are posted along light posts downtown and down the side of the coliseum, whether we are actually hosting an ACC Tournament. In recent years, we’ve also had NCAA first and second round games and of course the ACC lore speaks of men’s tournaments turned epic and national champions rendered speechless in defeat. Oh and depending on the weather and the games, an actual town of sorts sprouts in the parking lot of the Coliseum. Oh and just like the poster above, we’ve modified it for other sports, but it really rings true for basketball.

However, the first whispers that happened when the ACC  began to expand was that we would no longer be prime real estate for the men’s tournament. Women’s yes, but sadly women’s basketball is just recognizing its potential, at least among the media hype set. Those of us who go to games enjoy them and know their intensity, but the world doesn’t look our way in the same way they do when the men’s tournament is in town. (Also, you can get food in a decent amount of time at Stameys, just sayin’).

Our fears were confined once again when news broke of a Barclays Center tournament in 2017 and a Verizon Center one in 2016, both of course very neutral, but also in the two major East Coast metropolitan areas. For a small city that is very concerned with our reputation and our economic recovery and status, this could mean doom. Also the conference is headquartered in Greensboro and began at the Sedgefield Country Club, just outside the city.We also spent money to put an ACC museum in at the coliseum. Or, it could just mean that for a couple of years, the women get a chance to shine on their own and show us just as much good basketball. (And for those of you looking for dunks, I saw very few this year in the men’s tournament, you aren’t missing much).

So as we fill our brackets this year and hope our Cinderellas and Diaper Dandies and favorite mascots make things happen, we will continue and hope that we can at least have basketball stay ours one more year. And with that, your daily news roundup:

ICYMI: My thoughts on where Trader Joe’s, if they consider Greensboro again, could go. Also, the Hobbs-Friendly property rezoning request has been withdrawn.

The Greensboro City Council Agenda for Tuesday night. Congrats to Mayor Vaughn (and the rest of the council) on their first 100 days in office.

Introducing the Creamery, a new ice cream and burger spot in downtown Greensboro.

How historic preservation tax credits have boosted the economy in Guilford County.

According to Trulia, Raleigh has one of the lowest rates of income inequality in the country.

Now the Cape Fear River could have some dirty water, courtesy of Duke Energy.

More on Bertie County’s If You Built It documentary and project.

More people are recycling in Forsyth County.

Another historic house could go to the wrecking ball due to failure to comply with minimum housing standards, this time in Winston-Salem.

Wilmington city leaders are moving community meetings to bars and restaurants.

Pender County turkey farmers and the county commissioners are debating over the tax rates on land rendered useless by the closing of processing facilities in the county.

Greenville community members came together on Saturday to review the Tar River Legacy Plan. Greenville is also wrestling with rental properties and new rules to govern them.

Why the citizens of Tabor City are celebrating a tree.

Pinehurst residents and business owners are warming to a high-end development on a controversial property.

North Carolina’s got snowy owls too and they are showing up on the Outer Banks.

The Winston-Salem city-sponsored gun buyback programs have been successful.

Several Charlotte-area charter schools are violating the Open Meetings Law.

Why the Asheville abortion clinic closed.

A community forum will be held today on Asheville water service.

Asheville artists came together on a mural at the Asheville Boys and Girls Club.

And finally, The state has yet to start work on a sea-level change prediction that’s due next year.

Cities, Cityreads, Retail

Placebook: Malls are Dying, as Commerce Centers

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Malls are dying. Yes, there are stores that drive traffic, but I can’t tell anyone the last time I’ve been to an enclosed mall or even to mall stores at an open-air center. Well, I lie, I went to Barnes and Noble the other week. I have a gift card to spend there, but I was more interested in absorbing the atmosphere than purchasing anything particular that day. I’ve definitely not eaten at a food court in years, so the bankruptcy of Sbarro was not a shocker to me. And yes, I’m in the 18-34 demographic that has a little extra money to spend.

Much is said about demographics of shoppers by chain owners and other shoppers who don’t like a particular demographic that happens to be taking in the atmosphere versus buying things. Or so they think. Anecdotally, I’ve found that poorer people, women and teens, especially of color, are more likely to buy mall things, even at the upscale places. Most of the people I know with extra income have stuff shipped to them online, call the grocery and have them shop for them (or shop in person with a tight list), or spend money on experiences over things.

Therefore, malls of any type (including the lifestyle center reboot), should continue to tout the experience. I’m kinda disappointed that JC Penney never finished the reboot described here, where they wanted to mimic a main street in their store and have events that didn’t require you to shop. They would still make money, because they would still be a showcase and occasionally there are still things to buy. I would go to the mall more often if it was an oversized showroom, with kiosks for shipping directly to my home and opportunities to do things versus buy things. And we’ve done this showroom/catalog thing before. Hello Sears Wish Book. Anyway, your weekend may include mall shopping. Mine will include the news below:

Asheville and Buncombe County are reviewing the I-26 improvement plan.

Charlotte’s new apartments on the Dillworth end with connect Dillworth with Uptown in a more urban manner.

US Airways will add more US flights out of Charlotte-Douglas.

Fayetteville’s police chief is under internal investigation.

A Wells Fargo Economist claims that technology is booming, but RTP is not where it’s booming from.

If you have an AT&T phone, the Durham 911 Center will accept your emergency texts.

Mixed feedback from citizens to the Durham City Council on their proposed new police headquarters.

The DENR is now rejecting the plan for the coal ash cleanup it worked so closely with Duke Energy to create.

Work will begin on a new park near Winston-Salem’s Innovation Quarter.

The new banners at the Greensboro Coliseum are made out of recycled plastic bottles.

Why Trader Joe’s passed over Greensboro’s Wendover Ave shopping district.

The Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau is set to move into the old Canada Dry building at the Coliseum on May 1.

The Greensboro City Council will vote to officially and financially support the new downtown park.