Another Plan Broached for Dorothea Dix Land

The Dorothea Dix Hospital complex sits on hundreds of acres of rolling hills in downtown Raleigh. City leaders hope to buy the land for mixed-use development after the hospital closes in 2008.

However, retired Raleigh business executive Greg Poole was expected to introduced another idea at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Poole founded Dix Visionaries and has been a big supporter of a central park for the land.

Poole said he hopes to convince council members that they should hear the new idea that hired experts have been working on for about two months.

Mayor Charles Meeker has been a big supporter of a mixed-use development plan presented late last year. That plan would also include a large park on the property.

The City Council is in the process of coming up with a policy that would lead to the purchase of the Dix land from the state.