Happy New Year!!!

Weekly Neighborhood Watch Report (December 16-23)

RAIDS Online is a crime tracking system utilized by the City of Durham to keep track of crime reports throughout the city. One of its best features is a mapping system that allows users to see crime trends by neighborhood or specific address  and easily categorize and hone in on problem areas. Anyone can sign up for free on RAIDS website. After the jump is the full list of all crime that took place within one mile radius of Ninth Street in the past week.

Are successful cities products of cheap rents?

There was a great blog post on Slate yesterday, titled "Berlin: Land of Cheap Rents" which examines how that city became a major artistic and cultural center despite not being tethered to major industry and finance centers. It asks an intriguing question: do great cities become great because -- at least initially -- the cheap rents and easy availability of space allow for the explosion of creativity and influx of entrepreneurship? While Durham is not -- and will never be -- Berlin, there are a lot of useful parallels between  Berlin's renaissance in the first decade of the 21 century and what is happening in Durham right now (complete with the "gritty image" of both cities). A very intriguing idea that, if true, portends good news for Durham as a whole. The full article is reprinted below.

Bull City Car Wash coming to Markham Ave.

Bull City Car Wash is a new full-service car wash  that will soon open at 1810 W. Markham Avenue in Durham, just a block away from Ninth Street Shopping District. Nestled among several car garages, the new owners have been busily renovating the the old Kwik-Kar Wash building, installing new surface parking, new lighting,  and redesigning both the interior and the exterior of the building. I think this is a good location for this type of business, although being this close to a residential neighborhood may raise a few heckles from nearby residents. Still, better to have a new tenant in the neighborhood than an abandon building that was looking increasingly like a sore. The search of public records reveals that CDLJ Enterprises, a company owned by legalzoom.com, is behind the project. You can check out the website of the new carwash here.

City follows Duke's lead, installs Bike Sharrows

Courtesy streetswiki.

According to this press release, the City is beginning to follow Duke's lead in installing bike “sharrows”on city streets. Bike sharrow is a type of pavement marking indicating that a bicyclist may use the full lane. (as an interesting aside, the name sharrow was coined by Oliver Gajda, of the City and County of San Francisco Bicycle Program, and is a portmanteau of share and arrow.^[wikipedia]) The first one were installed on Chapel Hill Street between Kent Street and the bridge over N.C. Highway 147. They are planning to expand the program to Lakewood soon. My hope is that Broad Street, which is perfect for bike sharrows and has considerable bike traffic, is high on the city agenda.

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The full press release is after the break.

Happy Holidays!

Ninth Street - the crucible of urban design in Durham

The Durham News has a great article about the challenges -- and the possibilities -- of designing and implementing a clear mixed-use development plan for Ninth Street. Despite weak economy, this area is poised for growth, and the challenge is going to be to ensure that the growth is organic and enhances the unique character of this neighborhood rather than replaces it with a generic vision of corporate America. For a cautionary tail of great urban neighborhoods stripped of all their charm and character, one needs to look no further than Crystal City or Rosslyn neighborhoods in Arlington, VA.

Doing it wrong!

Crystal City, courtesy of ElvertBarnes

Rosslyn, courtesy of Ms. Gemstone's

Doing it right - Del Ray neigborhod in Alexandria

Del Ray, courtesy of Payton Chung

New energy-efficient apartments in Del Ray

The Billboard Industry Strikes Back

This issue goes beyond just OWD issues and demonstrates both the power of special interests in the North Carolina Legislature and how effective grass-roots opposition can disrupt or defeat these special interests. At issue is the long-simmering billboard legislation that sought to curtail the power of local communities to regulate Billboard placements along public highways. Although some of the more odious provisions of the bill were defeated after strong opposition by a coalition of civic groups, the Industry is back at it again, lobbying the DOT to approve regulations that would give developers greater leeway to cut vegetation in order to increase visibility of the billboards. The message posted to the OWD listserv by John Schelp describes the situation well (after the break).

Submit your comments by objecting to this new regulation at this link.

Vaguely Reminiscent on Ninth Street

WRAL 5 has a great shout out to Vaguely Reminiscent as a perfect spot to shop for gifts this holiday season. The article does a nice job describing a quirky assortment of the merchandise, summing up its atmosphere as follows: "I find the perfect card for every birthday, the perfect pair of earrings for my mother every Christmas and the perfect windchime for each and every housewarming party in a city where the porch is the thing."

Like them on facebook and shop local!

Courtesy Sustain a Bull

The Mad Hatter

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The Mad Hatter is a fixture of the Ninth Street scene and the building that houses it has a fascinating history, serving as a gas station, a diner, and a site for labor protests. It has recently been profiled by a one of the more popular durham blogs, the Stir Crazy Mom's Guide to Durham, which gave it a fairly positive review but noted that it often gets occupied by laptop wielding Duke students.  A great place for brunch or breakfast and a place of Durham history to boot.

Revenge of the GPS: local business owners lowjack a car thief

I thought this story about spurned car owners tracking the thief using their car's built-in GPS system was interesting in its own right, but then I noticed that the victims were local business owners of  our local business: Bonnie and Clyde's Scooters, Cycles and Off-Road Motors. Good for you Natalie Didonato and Vincent Sbraccia!

New Hilton Garden Inn coming to Erwin Square

PHOTO C/O OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT

This is admittedly a few weeks late but is still worth covering. The Olympia Companies is planning on building a relatively small 125-room hotel in the grassy field by Erwin Square Mills. They are supposed to break ground sometime this month (it does not look like it has happened just yet), with the completion planned for February 2013. The Triangle Business Journal has a full story on the development. Check out also Olympia Companies' website listing the status of this project; it is likely to be the most up-to-date concerning delays in construction. It is worth noting that the hotel is supposed to be environmentally friendly and was designed to fit organically into the surrounding neighborhood.

Weekly Neighborhood Watch Report

RAIDS Online is a crime tracking system utilized by the City of Durham to keep track of crime reports throughout the city. One of its best features is a mapping system that allows users to see crime trends by neighborhood or specific address  and easily categorize and hone in on problem areas. Anyone can sign up for free on RAIDS website. After the jump is the full list of all crime that took place within one mile radius of Ninth Street in the past week.

Interesting article and stats about Durham Real Estate market and OWD

Although I generally hesitate to link to PR news-releases, I found this article about the state of Real Estate market in Durham interesting, particularly as it compares to the rest of the Triangle. Favorite highlight: overall home sales are down 18% from 2010, which is still better than 27% for the Triangle and 29% for Wake County. Given the relative strength of OWD  and surrounding neighborhoods as compared to the rest of Durham (see overall Durham metrics), the hope is that we have reached the bottom of the market and the only way forward is up.

27705, Durham Homes For Sale

27705, Durham Recently Sold Homes

Neighborhood fitness boot-camp just in time for that post New Year's resolution

Courtesy: Cosmopolitician's

Pete Earsman, a fellow OWD resident and a certified fitness trainer, is offering full body workouts designed to burn off all of those excess holiday calories at the Mid-South Fencing Club on Broad Street in January. Looks like a great deal with a 20 class commitment for the total of $140.00 ($7.00 per class) and a 10% discount for couples (January 4 through February 17). 


Check out Pete's story and his website here. 


Source: Watts-Hillandale listserv. 

Sidewalks, connectivity, and corporate irresponsibility

Courtesy: capl@washjeff.edu

One of the things that makes urban core of Durham special is a fairly mature system of sidewalks and trails that contribute to a pedestrian-friendly environment in and around the Ninth Street Shopping District. The  fact that residents and visitors can easily walk to most places adds to the neighborhood's attractiveness both in terms of development and home values. When compared to suburban neighborhoods on the periphery of Durham or towns such as Greensboro or Fayetteville, the city has done well maintaining and enhancing its sidewalk infrastructure.

But there is one glaring hole in this otherwise encouraging story; namely the sordid tale of corporate indifference exhibited by the railroad company Norfolk Southern.   It owns the right-of-way to many (if not all) railroad crossings around Durham. The best example is located in our neighborhood -- just take a look at the sidewalk running alongside Swift avenue, as it crosses Main and Durham Freeway.

Durham Rickshaw - Your Solution to Ninth Street Parking Problems

A rickshaw on Oxford Street in London courtesy of Philip Halling.

We all know that parking on Ninth Street can often be a problem and, at least according  to the commenters to this WRAL article, it may be one of the reasons Ninth Street businesses are not seeing the same inflow of customers as some other growing areas of Downtown Durham. Personally, I see no problem with encouraging more people to use public transit or walk, but it is an issue about which both  the area merchants and potential customers alike care deeply. One simple, easy to use and emissions-free solution to this problem may have arrived in the form of Durham Rickshaw, a human-powered transportation system that has been enjoying tremendous growth in larger cities, particularly NYC and Washington, DC. Check out his facebook page here. He will be on Ninth Street this evening to give rides to anyone who is interested.

Fracking in Durham County?

Courtesy of KA, link here.

The natural gas industry, and particularly its practice of "fracking," i.e. extracting gas by injecting water and various chemicals into gas deposits, has come under increasing scrutiny lately, as cities and states across the country are forced to weigh the benefits of new jobs and taxes that the industry brings against the very real possibility of serious and long-lasting environmental damage. North Carolina is no exception and the industry is looking at potential deposits along the Deep River Basin, which runs across Wake, Durham, Chattam, Granville, and Moore counties. A symposium organized by Raleigh-based North Carolina League of Municipalities will examine these issues this afternoon in downtown Raleigh. Fore more information see here.

The New York Times and This American Life both have very detailed and insightful stories about fracking, which are a must read for everyone who is concerned about what this practice may do for North Carolina, and Durham County in particular.

Rooster on the loose?

Courtesy of Aske Holst

Although this does not pertain to development, crime, politics, or, really, any other topic that I can identify, I enjoyed reading multiple descriptions posted to both OWD and Watts-Hillandale listservs about a wayward rooster in the neighborhood. As of yesterday, he was spotted roaming around 1000 block of Iredell St. I enjoy a 4:00 a.m. rooster wake-up call just as much as the other person, but it reminds of the fairly recent change in Durham ordinance allowing our locavore residents to raise hens (Section 6, part 5.4.12 B, on page 6), but not roosters. But one gets lonely, I suppose.

Check out this overview of Chicken Laws in North Carolina, with the special shout-out to Durham for its comprehensive and well-designed regulations. Now, only if Roosters could read legalese...

Mitch's Bar and Grille on Ninth Street

Mitch's Bar and Grille, situated at the heart of Ninth Street Shopping District, has recently replaced a long-time tenant Dogstar Tattoo, which has moved to its new Golden Belt location,  and is already attracting a consistent following of Duke students, neighborhood residents, and visitors to the area. Its owner, Mitch, previously operated Moe's in Rougemont. The Herald Sun quotes Jeff Thompson, the bar's manager, describing its offerings as" food done right, a little bit of comfort, definitely American[.]"

Carpe Durham has a detailed review here, the still few Yelp ratings have been mixed but trend positive.

Night of Lights at Watts Hillandale - this Sunday, December 18

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Watts Hillandale is continuing its annual tradition of decking out the neighborhood in lights this upcoming Sunday, December 18. Residents interested in purchasing lumanaries for their driveways, should come to the Oval Park picnic shelter to pick them up on Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 until 4:30 p.m. The full announcement (courtesy of Watts-Hillandale listserv) and additional details after the break.

Free Flu Shots at the Health Department

Residents of Durham County can get free flue vaccinations as of this Monday, December 12 at the Durham County Health Department, located at 414 East Mani Street. Shots will be given Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., first-come, first-served. For questions, please call the Flue Hotline at 919-560-7300.

Source: Bull's Eye.

NC DOT examining potential railroad closings in OWD

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The story in the Triangulator, the Independent Weekly's news blog, describes potential railroad closings in Durham and quotes OWD resident Eric Heidt, who expresses concern about possible closings of two OWD intersections at Anderson Street and Swift Avenue (pictured). It goes without saying that potential closings of these two critical arteries will have a significant adverse effect on the neighborhood. If the rush-hour traffic on Swift is any indication, even prolonged disruption to build a grade-separated crossing can have a significant deleterious effect. The full story is here.

Four Part Series in the Herald Sun on Downtown Redevelopment

Source: Wikipedia

*Updated* The Herald Sun is running a four-part series, titled "A Slow Renaissance"' about the development of Downtown. The series begins with an overview of downtown development, a progress report on the Sun Trust tower, and the redevelopment status of Parrish Street. The last article covers the status of the Chesterfield Building (next to Brighleaf square). Although the articles do not break any new ground, they provide a good synopsis of the last year and a half of downtown progress. Ninth Street and OWD are very close to downtown and will obviously benefit from its continued economic development. And while I strongly believe in "a rising tide lifting all boats" theory of economic development, I worry that the Ninth Street area, and particularly continued development of the Phase II of Ninth Street North, may not be getting as much attention from the city officials as, perhaps, it should.

Trinity Lounge - now under new management

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Trinity Lounge, a self-described "Durham's newest and most sophisticated private club," has reopened its doors on November 1st after undergoing some renovations both inside and out and dropping its previous moniker "Siren's Lounge." (Google view is still showing the old sign). According to its website and facebook page, Trinity Lounge's core business is various fraternity and sorority events organized by Duke student groups on weekends; during the week it functions as a martini bar, with daily specials, including Mondays.  In its previous iteration, Siren's Lounge has gone steadily downhill from its promising beginnings as a favorite nightclub hangout for Duke students unwilling to travel to Chapel Hill , to a poorly managed and maintained dive, whose owner one reviewer described as "being extremely rude" and "highly intoxicated." Now that the bar is under new management, the reviews have been fare more positive, with reviewers describing it as a "neighborhood pub with a brand new twist" and "a cozy place with a very personable staff."

Open House at Outsider Gallery/ Happymess

Linked from Outsiders Art & Collectibles

 

The Outsiders Gallery and its neighbor Happymess are hosting their last open house of the year this Tuesday, December 13, from 4-7 p.m. It will feature art, music by Phil Cook and His Feet, the Ko Kyu truck outside and more.

(source: OWDA listserv)

Weekly Neighborhood Watch Report

RAIDS Online is a crime tracking system utilized by the City of Durham to keep track of crime reports throughout the city. One of its best features is a mapping system that allows users to see crime trends by neighborhood or specific address  and easily categorize and hone in on problem areas. Anyone can sign up for free on RAIDS website. After the jump is the full list of all crime that took place within one mile radius of Ninth Street in the past week.

Durham Cycles - a new bike shop on Ninth Street

Ninth Street has recently welcomed a second bike shop in just a few months (on the heels of Tip Top Cycles). Located at 756 Ninth Street in a space previously occupied by a comic shop, Durham Cycles markets itself a bike repair/fitting studio and features a minimalist clean logo and interior. Check out their (still in development) website and facebook page.

Whole Foods Continues Renovations

Whole Foods continues expanding into its new space by  moving the bulk section to the produce department right by the main entrance. Coming soon: A new beer cooler should be ready by December 15th; and on December 19th they will be removing the dust wall between the new shelves and the hot bar to start work on the new cheese counter. (Source: Whole Foods Facebook page)

Renovation of the old Triumph Building

(image courtesy of opendurham.org)

725 Broad Street used to house Triumph LLC, a major provider of mental health and counseling services in North Carolina. After they moved, the owner began some major renovations. I was unable to find any information on what is ultimately going to be there, although the search of public records indicates that Eno Ventures is current owner of the building.

Orchid Japanese Restaraunt Coming to Bull City Market

View Larger Map It looks like Raleigh-based Orchid Japanese Restaurant is planning to open in the Bull City Market in the space previously occupied by Cillias (the corner of West Main and Iredell St).  According to Weingarter Realty, the owner of the complex, they have already rented the space.

Google street view here.

Main Street over Campus Drive to Close

The N.C. Department of Transportation wants the road closed sometime next year so it can replace a bridge that carries Main Street over Campus Drive.

The project could make the section of Main from Buchanan Boulevard west to Swift Avenue off-limits to car, truck and bus traffic, officials said during a City Council work session on Thursday.

Read more: The Herald-Sun - To replace bridge DOT seeks Main Street closure

OWD Holiday Party

Visit with friends and meet new neighbors at the annual Old West Durham Holiday Party!

Sunday, December 11
4:00-6:00 pm
1012 Alabama Ave

Bring a dish to share.

We'll be collecting food for the EK Powe backpack program also.


Posted from OWDA listserv

Company to break ground on a new apartment complex on Ninth Street

DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Crescent Resources, LLC completed its acquisition of a six-acre site adjacent to Ninth Street and the historic Erwin Mill building today. Construction will begin immediately on a landmark 303-apartment home community, Circle Ninth Street. The first apartments are expected to be complete in the fall.

There rest of the story is here and here. Check out the official website.

Why are we here?

As a relatively new resident of OWD (Old West Durham for the uninitiated), a historic and rapidly evolving urban neighborhood in Durham that is home to the well-known Ninth Street Shopping District, I was surprised to notice the dearth of local micro-blogging scene. As much as Durham is a foodie town with thriving and multiple blogs about food, there are very few -- and most are rarely updated -- blogs about economic development, crime, politics and all other aspects of  life in this city. I envision this blog as an aggregator of stories, centered around the Ninth Street district, for news junkies like myself who want a one-stop for all local news in one place