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Signs, Signs, Everywhere are Signs

By Shiger on March 29, 2007

Dix Signs As a public relations executive in downtown Raleigh, I am fascinated when a marketing campaign takes on a life of its own. You have seen the work of the successful campaigns, like the Lance Armstrong yellow wrist bands or the OBX stickers that are glued to so many cars.

Friends of Dorothea Dix Park, one of the accounts I work on, has achieved this rare cultural phenom. The group wants to save all 306 acres of property at Dorothea Dix in Raleigh for a destination park, like New York City’s Central Park.

You have seen their Dix 306 signs. You can’t miss them. Some streets have a sign in every single yard. The signs are not only inside the beltline, but there are Dix 306 signs from Asheville to Manteo. They are in such high demand, that it is a challenge to keep up the supply. So you might be thinking, how do I get one of these signs?

You can find the sign pick-up locations at the following URL, or just use the handy-dandy map Raleighing put together below.

http://www.dix306.org

Dix 306While you are there, feel free to sign the online petition. Get this, Clay Aiken signed the petition. We thought it might be a hoax, but we checked with his publicist and he is a real supporter for preserving all 306 acres as a destination park. Sometimes, marketing campaigns take on a life of their own.

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  • http://unixbeard.blogspot.com/ Magnus

    If this will ever be a “destination”, it will only be for locals.
    Meanwhile the city continues to mismanage the Neuse River, which could very well be a true regional destination for paddling sports and campers if the city and its downstream neighbors could just cooperate enough to set up camp sites, portage trails, and do some cleanup of some of the rougher bits. They would also need to manage the dam at Falls Lake a bit more responsibly.

  • http://unixbeard.blogspot.com Magnus

    If this will ever be a “destination”, it will only be for locals.
    Meanwhile the city continues to mismanage the Neuse River, which could very well be a true regional destination for paddling sports and campers if the city and its downstream neighbors could just cooperate enough to set up camp sites, portage trails, and do some cleanup of some of the rougher bits. They would also need to manage the dam at Falls Lake a bit more responsibly.

  • bill

    Dave, see some of the ULI recommendations below. Your description of a doughnut could be accurate. I think the argument is whether the “doughnut” of development should occur on the public land, or just outside it. I prefer outside with many development forces rather than one high-bidder controlling all development inside.
    I do like the ULI suggestion of an amphitheater. I assume the former Alltel Pavillion (still without current sponsorship) will be out of business within 2 years; this is the national trend with the “shed” pavillions.
    I think a “rational” argument for the park is that development is happening without this land. Developers want the ability to develop more densely downtown without having to set aside open space http://www.newsobserver.com/722/story/548060.html and they could if there were public open space available. More open space at Dix could, and should, provide greater density downtown.
    Among Urban Land Institutes’s recommendations on possible uses of the Dix property:
    –Creating a 200-acre park with a man-made pond
    –Creating a residential neighborhood around the proposed park
    –Creating a retail center around the State Farmer’s Market area (located next door)
    –Creating a mixed-use neighborhood on property that is now the Farmer’s Market and on land that is part of N.C. State University’s Centennial Campus that used to be part of the Dix property
    –Accommodating passive recreation, amphitheater and possibly botanical gardens

  • bill

    Dave, see some of the ULI recommendations below. Your description of a doughnut could be accurate. I think the argument is whether the “doughnut” of development should occur on the public land, or just outside it. I prefer outside with many development forces rather than one high-bidder controlling all development inside.
    I do like the ULI suggestion of an amphitheater. I assume the former Alltel Pavillion (still without current sponsorship) will be out of business within 2 years; this is the national trend with the “shed” pavillions.
    I think a “rational” argument for the park is that development is happening without this land. Developers want the ability to develop more densely downtown without having to set aside open space http://www.newsobserver.com/722/story/548060.html and they could if there were public open space available. More open space at Dix could, and should, provide greater density downtown.
    Among Urban Land Institutes’s recommendations on possible uses of the Dix property:
    –Creating a 200-acre park with a man-made pond
    –Creating a residential neighborhood around the proposed park
    –Creating a retail center around the State Farmer’s Market area (located next door)
    –Creating a mixed-use neighborhood on property that is now the Farmer’s Market and on land that is part of N.C. State University’s Centennial Campus that used to be part of the Dix property
    –Accommodating passive recreation, amphitheater and possibly botanical gardens

  • Bill

    Magnus, you are in luck. Take a look at: http://www.house.gov/bradmiller/prpr120904.html
    Meeker announced these plans in his State of the City address. Others here may argue that a 17-mile park along the river is a waste of development opportunity but I think it’s great. And I don’t live along the river.

  • Bill

    Magnus, you are in luck. Take a look at: http://www.house.gov/bradmiller/prpr120904.html
    Meeker announced these plans in his State of the City address. Others here may argue that a 17-mile park along the river is a waste of development opportunity but I think it’s great. And I don’t live along the river.

  • http://www.jroller.com/page/mindcrime Phillip Rhodes

    [quote]
    The only way to keep property taxes from continuing to increase or new horrible taxes from being implemented (like the transfer tax or an additional local option sales tax) is to continue to grow smartly.
    [/quote]
    Or we could downsize the governments of Wake County and the City of Raleigh and have them spend less money; hence needing less tax revenues to support themselves. Let people who use services pay for them (use fees) or let voluntarily funded cooperatives / charities provide many of the “services” the city/county currently provide.
    By the same token though, I don’t want to see a lot (or preferably any) public money spent “making” Dix into a Park. Let a non-profit foundation, funded through voluntary contributions, handle any upkeep / maintenance or other projects needed in the park itself.
    A good start would be to allow TORC volunteers to build some singletrack trails there.

  • http://www.jroller.com/page/mindcrime Phillip Rhodes

    [quote]
    The only way to keep property taxes from continuing to increase or new horrible taxes from being implemented (like the transfer tax or an additional local option sales tax) is to continue to grow smartly.
    [/quote]
    Or we could downsize the governments of Wake County and the City of Raleigh and have them spend less money; hence needing less tax revenues to support themselves. Let people who use services pay for them (use fees) or let voluntarily funded cooperatives / charities provide many of the “services” the city/county currently provide.
    By the same token though, I don’t want to see a lot (or preferably any) public money spent “making” Dix into a Park. Let a non-profit foundation, funded through voluntary contributions, handle any upkeep / maintenance or other projects needed in the park itself.
    A good start would be to allow TORC volunteers to build some singletrack trails there.

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