Sign Campaign Pushes 306 Acre Dix Park Plan By Elliott West, Raleigh Chronicle News Editor Tuesday, February 6, 2007 RALEIGH - Signs saying "Dix306" have been appearing in front of homes and along streets through out Raleigh in the last couple of weeks. In a quick drive just through downtown Raleigh, dozens of signs can be seen in the area. The sign campaign is being organized by a Raleigh group called Dix306, which is part of the larger Friends of Dorothea Dix Park group. Both groups are pushing to preserve the entire 306 acres of the Dorothea Dix property as a "destination park" like Central Park in New York, with as much of the property used as parkland as possible. The Dorothea Dix property is currently owned by the State of North Carolina and is used as a mental health institution, but state and City of Raleigh officials have studied the idea of either selling the property to private interests or the city of Raleigh purchasing the land or a combination of both. There is also talk of putting some mixed uses on the property including a combination of public and private development, so Dix306 organizers hope to sway Raleigh and state leaders that the property should be kept as an oasis of green in the middle of the city as much as possible. "Our government leaders have a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a beloved resource that will live on for generations," says the Dix306.com website. "Will they make the right decision? Or will they accept a proposal to allow development of shopping centers, office space, and parking lots on the Dix Campus?" On the Friends of Dorothea Dix Park website, backers say that even allocating a portion of the property for office use or development will take away from the large green space there. "Great parks require about 400 acres, and without the whole property and the connections to other green space the park won't have the critical mass," says the site. The state, under the authority of the legislature, commissioned an outside urban use private firm to come up with a plan for the property, which included some mixed development as well as park use. Final plans for the site are still up in the air and will be decided later this year as the Raleigh City Council and state officials have to negotiate the sale of the property, how it will be financed, and of course, how it will be used. :: [ home ] RECENT RELATED ARTICLES: |
Sign Campaign Pushes 306 Acre Dix Park Plan By Elliott West, Raleigh Chronicle News Editor Tuesday, February 6, 2007 RALEIGH - Signs saying "Dix306" have been appearing in front of homes and along streets through out Raleigh in the last couple of weeks. In a quick drive just through downtown Raleigh, dozens of signs can be seen in the area. The sign campaign is being organized by a Raleigh group called Dix306, which is part of the larger Friends of Dorothea Dix Park group. Both groups are pushing to preserve the entire 306 acres of the Dorothea Dix property as a "destination park" like Central Park in New York, with as much of the property used as parkland as possible. The Dorothea Dix property is currently owned by the State of North Carolina and is used as a mental health institution, but state and City of Raleigh officials have studied the idea of either selling the property to private interests or the city of Raleigh purchasing the land or a combination of both. There is also talk of putting some mixed uses on the property including a combination of public and private development, so Dix306 organizers hope to sway Raleigh and state leaders that the property should be kept as an oasis of green in the middle of the city as much as possible. "Our government leaders have a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a beloved resource that will live on for generations," says the Dix306.com website. "Will they make the right decision? Or will they accept a proposal to allow development of shopping centers, office space, and parking lots on the Dix Campus?" On the Friends of Dorothea Dix Park website, backers say that even allocating a portion of the property for office use or development will take away from the large green space there. "Great parks require about 400 acres, and without the whole property and the connections to other green space the park won't have the critical mass," says the site. The state, under the authority of the legislature, commissioned an outside urban use private firm to come up with a plan for the property, which included some mixed development as well as park use. Final plans for the site are still up in the air and will be decided later this year as the Raleigh City Council and state officials have to negotiate the sale of the property, how it will be financed, and of course, how it will be used. :: [ home ] RECENT RELATED ARTICLES: |
Published Every Monday: Raleigh's Locally Owned & Operated Newspaper |
Serving Raleigh, NC: The State Capital & City Of Oaks |
At Over 100 Locations! |
Sign Campaign Pushes 306 Acre Dix Park Plan Friends of Dorothea Dix Park hope that the entire 306 acres of the Dorothea Dix property (below) will be used as parkland instead of allocating some to office use or development. Photo By The Raleigh Chronicle, Graphic Below From Friends Of Dorothea Dix Park |
