Pedestrian Takeover

PEDESTRIAN TAKEOVER

Brandon Rumley + Corey Wazniak

Plaza West Shopping Center, located along a proposed BRT Station on Western Boulevard can transform from an underutilized, car-oriented site to a dense, resilient, human scaled community of mixed use and multi family affordable housing.

Wake County has proposed Bus-Rapid-Transit Lines (BRT) throughout Raleigh and Cary, North Carolina. Plaza West Center is located along the western corridor of the proposed BRT.

Plaza West Center includes a Harris Teeter Grocery Store, Dollar Tree, and several small businesses that currently serve the community. The presence of the grocery store on the site paired with the proposed BRT Stop as well as three other Raleigh Go Bus stops creates the potential for Plaza West to be an impactful anchor within west Raleigh.

Over 20 years, from 1998-2024, the highest capacity the parking lot reaches is about 47%.

West: Current Conditions

More: Sidewalks Crosswalks Pedestrian Signals

More: Connections Dedicated Lanes Traffic Protection

More: Apartments Townhomes

An area planning survey was conducted by the city of Raleigh to assess the needs of the community in a 1 mile radius of Plaza West. Currently, only 9% of the 130 respondents said they feel satisfied by current zoning.

A majority of respondents want a variety of denser housing options that encourage safe and comfortable walking and cycling connections.

Plaza West Center is located along the top of the Simmons Watershed and will directly effect the areas downstream. Upon construction of plaza west, the stream running through the site has been culverted to flow around the footprint of the site and reconnect along the southeastern border of the site. The Border of the site along the main roads (which host the bus stops adjacent to Plaza west) includes a 20 foot descent in elevation into the site.

Plaza West, along with the planning of the area around the site, was originally oriented towards vehicular traffic. The site plan along with the above images discplay the extensive paved surfaces that cover much of the ground area along with a lack of pedestrian pathways. The buildings in this area are primarily constructed starting around the 1980’s with red clay brick and vinyl siding. There is also a lack of tree coverage and permeable surfaces on the Plaza West site.

Key Takeaways:

of Density

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NX-3-GR-CU

R-6

RX-3

Plaza West: Zoning Diagram

The first phase of redesigning this 10 acre site is clearing existing buildings that obstructed the southeast neighborhoods from walking or biking to any of the goods and services on the other side of the strip mall.

The second phase consists of daylighting the stream that had been hidden in a culvert since 1985 when the site was developed. With the stream being uncovered, native vegetation will flourish and provide habitat for pollinators and other organisms.

Next, multi-use pedestrian paths are strategically carved to serve the community’s needs and provide accessible connections from bus stations to commercial and residential buildings.

Lastly, the pedestrian connections have informed where buildings should fit to compliment the scheme. The challenges that come with Plaza West offer opportunities that this project capitolizes on.

Typical Unit Plans

Given the increase in units on site, the square footage of Harris Teeter is doubled from 25,000 sq. ft. to 50,000 sq.ft. to support the larger community. Ample space is allocated for commercial units to occupy as well as adding programmed spaces. For example, the design will feature a community library, childcare facility, and cafe which were what respondents asked to see from City of Raleigh’s survey. Typical floor plans have double loaded corridors with relief at the corners, residents can gather in various common rooms. The units themselves offer quality space even with compact units (murphy bed, balcony, no laundry room).

UnitedStates 4units/acre

2.5units/acre

Plaza West: Unit Density (# per acre)

In Section, this strip mall transforms into a human-scaled development that fosters a community that now experiences a higher quality lifestyle.

Plaza West: Site Section

Pedestrian

scape would look future BRT stations. people down into the hangout on the way.

This final view summarizes the project: a design that introduces dense, mixed-use and multi-family, affordable housing to compliment the proposed BRT route and return valuable space to its pedestrians.

Plaza West: View along the Stream