Options being considered to meet the Triangle’s burgeoning transportation needs include trains, light rail, buses, and even updating and expansion of existing roadways. 

Effective solutions are vital to maintaining and improving the area’s livability and keeping the growing real estate market on track. Costs are likely to be high, with the investments occurring over many years, and the benefits and payback won’t become obvious until far in the future. So coming up with the correct plans right from the start is an essential task.

Charged with leading that task is the Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC), a panel of over 30 business, neighborhood, planning, and environmental leaders from Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties.

The Commission has informed city and county officials that a new plan for transportation improvements would be presented by February, 2008. The comprehensive plan is expected to come with a price tag of over $5 billion over the next three decades and include recommendations including bus and rail service enhancements to be phased in over the next 30 years.

To accomplish this lofty goal, STAC will be meeting on November 15, 2007 at the Sigma Xi Center, RTP and December 4, 2007 at the Convocation Center, College of Textiles, North Carolina State University Centennial Campus. 

Commission members will be bringing together their goals and various technical analyses to finalize and prioritize recommendations for regional transit scenarios. During the next few months, STAC will investigate and give recommendations that will include transit corridors, operational technologies, estimated costs, an analysis of the costs and benefits of projects, and phasing.

In addition to the initial Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) plan, some of the options STAC is considering include:

• Commuter trains from Selma and Burlington that would come into the Triangle each morning and reverse directions in the afternoon. This plan would include the N.C. Railroad Co., which owns a 317-mile rail corridor from Morehead City to Charlotte, and would add the commuter trains to the same tracks being used by Amtrak and other freight carriers.
• Buses, streetcars or light-rail trains that might circulate continually through Research Triangle Park (RTP) and the Triangle’s downtown centers. An additional transit link between Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is under consideration.
• A variety of special transport vehicles that could be deployed to get the edge on traffic congestion.

Growth mandates making bold plans now to stave off traffic nightmares.

Raleigh is growing at an incredible rate; the Triangle will soon have outgrown its current infrastructure. Adopting plans now and beginning their implementation will have a major impact on the future of Raleigh and the entire Triangle area.

But implementing the plans won’t come cheaply. The cost of nearly any transportation plan that is generated from this Commission will likely far exceed the $5 billion mark. Using existing rails and keeping current buses in operation will help mitigate the expense, but new and innovative ideas need to be included to ensure that the transportation system works effectively 10, 20, even 30 years into the future.

Benefit to the real estate market.

The impact on the real estate market in the Triangle will be huge. Depending on what is actually done, when it is done, and how it is paid for, the area can maintain its growth or falter. The wrong solutions (i.e., unused due to ineffectiveness or too long to implement) will not benefit homeowners and the potential property tax increases to pay for them could actually lower home values.

Good solutions, however, will be a further boon to the real estate market, the economy of the Triangle, and the attractiveness and livability of the entire area.

It is a fine line.

For more information about STAC visit:  www.transitblueprint.org/stac.shtml

Author Bio

Steven was licensed in 1999 and has recently joined the Keller Williams Realty for the opportunity to better serve his clients. He has a BA in Business Administration and has most recently been a sales representative in the Home Improvement industry. His motto in business is to “not just satisfy the customer, but make him/her, raving fans through ultimate customer service.” When not selling homes or meeting with clients, you can find him on the golf course, reading, working with the youth at his church, or watching hockey or sports in general. He and his new bride reside in North Raleigh in their dream home, an English style townhouse. He has no children, but he does have a miniature schnauzer named Snickers. He and his wife are members of the Capital City Club where Steven is the Vice Chairman of the Young Executives Club and chairman of the Philanthropy committee. As Chair of the Philanthropy Committee, he was a Team Captain for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and volunteered for the Jimmy V Celebrity Golf. He has also served on the planning committee for the Big Bad Ball, which is a black tie event that raises much needed funds for the Hospice of Wake County. Additionally, he coaches youth basketball and sponsors a YMCA basketball team. He feels that it is very important to give back to the community.

As a Realtor, he specializes in Customer Service and negotiates the best price and terms for his clients. He makes his living selling real estate, but his life is fulfilled by helping people navigate the home buying and selling process. He aims to make it as stress free as possible. Contact him to see how he can assist you in your real estates needs or visit his website for his buyer’s packet or to search for homes.

Honest! Integrity! RESULTS!!!

Steven W. Nelson, Broker

Ida Terbet Team

Keller Williams-N. Raleigh

Ph: 919-604-6135

Email: StevenW@IdaTerbet.com

Web: www.StevenNelsonHomes.com

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