Garner and the Triangle,
Aligning Before Our Eyes
Opinion
By Amy Griggs - Consulting Editor
The Garner Chamber of Commerce’s 10th annual conference, “Connect & Plug in the Future” on Aug. 15, inspired attendees in ways that are hard to measure but plain to see.
The planets and stars are in alignment for Garner, it seems.
Now as everything aligns, consider this “breaking news” video announcement which began the conference: Startup of thegarnernews.com, and its role as a community builder.
Revealing the creation of the online newspaper was a natural for Connect; two years ago the conference featured a segment titled, “Is Garner a News Desert?” Attendees clearly craved a local paper, and now you are probably reading it online, evidence of the chamber’s on-point timing of a forum and follow-up efforts. More about this later.
Garner: The Next Frontier
The business community, abuzz from the promised conference agenda, left with even more than they bargained for: Retail wisdom from experts Laurie Pearson and Sarah Quinlan (many in Garner remember when there was virtually no retail here). Meaty information from consulting transportation engineer Greg Saur of WSP and Het Patel of the City of Raleigh, formerly of Town of Garner, on the opportunities afforded by the proposed Bus Rapid Transit system, which finds the southern corridor leading to Garner.
And discussion of the concept of opportunity zones, featuring attorney Lee Hodge of Ward and Smith, P.A., and Thomas Barker, senior tax accountant of Elliot Davis. Opportunity zones began as a federal incentive meant to spur investments in undercapitalized communities. Corporations and individuals are eligible for tax incentives to encourage those with capital gains to invest in areas typically featuring lower income residents, higher poverty and unemployment. Garner area OZs offer opportunities to developers, and residents stands to benefit, they say.
That segment provided a natural segue into the dynamic trio of John Kane, Billie Redmond, and Steve Malik, who are poised inject new life and vitality into Garner’s neighbor to the north—and by virtue of proximity, Garner—with a dream project causing quite the stir since their formal announcement in June.
Because John Kane’s story includes the city-changing, wildly successful redevelopment of Raleigh’s North Hills, his “Downtown South,” a $2 billion investment in a sports arena and entertainment venue; retail, restaurant and office space; and residential units promises another urban wonder of cultural offerings, employment opportunities and tax revenue. Malik is the soccer man, with a 40-year history with the sport in the Triangle and owner of NC Football Club and whose dreams include a Raleigh-based major league team. Redmond rounds out the pitch trio; she is founder of TradeMark Properties commercial real estate firm.
Clearly, the business-friendly conference-goers loved these three; spontaneous applause erupted early during their remarks. Garner business owners and residents couldn’t help but feel optimistic at what Downtown South could mean for Garner economically and culturally.
It looks like Garner’s turn to align with the planets and stars; this project sparks a thrill in many who remember the no-grow preference among old-timers mere decades ago, who have witnessed initiatives come and go, and visions wax and wane. They have anticipated and believed in Garner’s rightful place in the greater metropolitan area.
With a plethora of projects landing here over recent years, large and small, nothing says just–you-watch-us–now like a Downtown South at our doorstep – 55 acres at South Saunders Street to I-40 to Wilmington Street. It is truly a jaw-dropping proposal.
Community journalists will respond
Planets align in rare but reliable and predictable patterns; not so certain are the economy, developers’ vision, or elected officials, whose action plays a key role in the quality of life here.
By “here” I mean Garner of course, which after all, is what news coverage of this newspaper should be all about.
The first newspaper publisher I worked for, Ralph Delano, taught me a simple lesson I have never forgotten about community journalism.
Wise, humble, chipper, and quick to laugh, Mr. D spent a lifetime in the business, landing in Johnston County to own and publish the Benson Review, Four Oaks News and The Clayton News (later The Clayton News-Star.) He died in 2006 at age 90.
He also taught journalism at Campbell University, where he imparted wisdom he shared with me: Community journalism is all things local. “When a bomb drops in Raleigh,” he’d say, “we don’t cover that. The Clayton News reports on the ash falling in Clayton.”
So with the exciting development occurring and proposed in our area, someone, namely elected officials and local journalists, have to question the fallout.
And aren’t journalists watchdogs of governmental bodies? So questions will arise; give journalists credit for their efforts to be fair and to represent various points of view. Are tax incentives really necessary? Will arena events make U.S. 70/I-40 traffic unbearable, and what can be done about it? A swath of our residents worries about gentrification; should we worry in Garner?
Kudos to Garner Chamber of Commerce officials for the exceptional work they do for Garner, and to town employees who partnered with them to produce a first rate conference all about plugging into the future.
The stars are aligned. The future is here.