Raleigh businesses, residents weigh in on South Street closure: 'We're invested'
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- This week marks a major change in downtown Raleigh -- one that signifies the start of a big project. On Monday, one block of South Street, between Dawson and McDowell streets, will permanently close as part of plans to relocate Red Hat Amphitheater.
That street closure and the process leading to a successful vote on the venue's relocation were the subjects of spirited debate last year. Once the section of South Street shuts down, it will be closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
As plans for Red Hat's relocation come to fruition, downtown business owners say they're thrilled its future is secure.
"On nights that the venue's having something, I mean, we can see up to a two-fold increase in foot traffic on the street and then therefore sales for us," said Lelia Kidd, who co-owns Element Gastropub in City Plaza with her husband, Carey.
For the downtown business owners, last year's high-stakes debate about Red Hat Amphitheater's future in downtown was nerve-wracking.
"It was a scary thought that we might lose Red Hat, but it was good and that it did bring a lot of us together," Lelia said.
Since that vote, Lelia and Carey have opened a second downtown restaurant, Marian Cocktails and Kitchen on Glenwood Avenue. They were among the vocal business owners who supported plans to relocate the amphitheater -- and, in doing so, shut down one block of South Street.
"Red Hat helped us really make a decision, to pull other businesses that we own back into downtown Raleigh," Carey said. "So we're invested. It helped us solidify our investment in the downtown; we plan on being here for years to come."
That wasn't always a foregone conclusion. Many residents along the southwest side of downtown opposed last fall's city council vote, feeling that the process was rushed and didn't include adequate opportunities for public feedback.
'Lack of public input'
"I think we got sort of a second-class result because there was a rush to planning it," said Mike Motsinger, President of the Boylan Heights Neighborhood Association.
Motsinger, who shared his concerns with the process to city leaders in the fall, said most people in Boylan Heights support the venue and wanted it to remain downtown, but they felt the city had made a final decision before local stakeholders could weigh in.
"We voted on a resolution, and the resolution said we were very much in favor of Red Hat staying downtown," he said. "What we most objected to is the lack of public input to the process."
As the city prepares to shut down that section of South Street for good, Motsinger said he hopes the next big decision downtown involves more community engagement.
"I think that had they sought community input that collectively we could have come up with a better Red Hat Amphitheater," he said.
ABC11 reached out to the City of Raleigh on Sunday, but no one was available to comment.
According to transportation officials, an estimated 3,300 vehicles drive on the affected block of South Street each day. Much of that traffic will be diverted up to Lenoir Street, and at this time, they're not concerned about traffic issues.
