What's your development idea?

Big or small, what have you always wanted to see developed anywhere in the Bull City? It could be something you want to emulate from another city or just an idea you have been kicking around. I'll post some of mine separately for anyone who wants to join in.

I always thought the Geer Street area would have been perfect for making a Durham version of Austin's Rainey Street (https://www.austintexas.org/things-to-do/entertainment-districts/rainey-street/) before they decided to make it a series of apartments. This district is full of bungalow style buildings that are bars and restaurants, each with their own unique theme. The houses have ample outdoor space, live music, and are in close proximity which makes for a lively, walkable, and fun district.

Of course, I was hoping the Durham version would be small houses or buildings (like Surf Club) with many run by local breweries or distilleries. I don't know of another area in Durham that would quite fit the bill. Anyway, I guess I'll settle for a few bars and breweries in short walking distance instead of a designated district.

I have taken to calling the section of Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard with Refectory Cafe, Foster's Guglhupf, and Biscuitville "The Brunch District." There are also some other great lunch and dinner places up and down this street, but I think another couple brunch spots and maybe a coffee shop would make this a booming food district all day long. It just needs to be activated for pedestrians. Reduce lanes of traffic, add sidewalks, and/or a walking path behind the restaurants. This area has so much potential.

Re: Brunch district, I was passing by there on Sunday morning and I had this *exact* thought.

I'd like to see the portion of University between Duke and Vickers (where the Compare is currently) redeveloped to create something that is less pedestrian hostile and has more density. I'm sort of baffled by how most of that retail space is underutilized given its location.

A museum district centered on the Museum of Life and Science. Would love to see a modern art museum, along with something focused on history. NCCU and Duke obviously have their own art museums but I don't think either one is focused on modern art. I know there's the Museum of Durham History, but I'd like to see something with a broader focus. Something else I'd personally like would be an anthropology and archaeology museum. I'm definitely open to others, like a technology museum or specific cultural museums (like a museum of African American culture for instance).

Some of these could really just be expansions on the life and science museum, which would be fine as well.

I still like the idea of addressing "missing teeth" in a few neighborhood centers like Chapel Hill Rd in Lakewood or the Driver/Angier corridor in East Durham. There aren't many places where you could really make a "town center" vibe in Durham, but those are two. You would need to do a road re-design to slow cars down to 20 mph in those areas, better on-street parking, more attention paid to pedestrians, and then the private sector would have to be on board building 3-story buildings right up to the property line (which is allowed, at least in the current code).

Sign me up for some of these "land bridges" or "strollways" over 147, I-85, and I-40. This one over Winston-Salem's Salem Parkway helped the project win a national engineering award.