Project to fix flood-prone areas of Capital Boulevard

Raleigh, N.C. — To help with flooding and improve water quality, the City of Raleigh plans to take down the site of a former bowling alley on Capital Boulevard.

Over the next two months, the city will level the building that housed AMF Bowling at 1827 Capital Blvd. An access bridge across nearby Pigeon House Creek also will be removed. Officials say the work will be completed by summer.

The design plans aim to restore Pigeon House Creek to a more natural state. The former bowling alley site, along with surrounding properties, has been identified by the city as a priority area for flood mitigation.

Officials said the project will reduce flood insurance payments for property owners in the area.

The city joined with The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit conservancy, to purchase the 2.67-acre site for about $1.1 million. The land was paid for with stormwater utility fees.

Officials said the stream restoration for Pigeon House Creek will be done in five to 10 years as the city acquires more surrounding property.

7 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

VIEW ALL 7 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments.

Latest Comments

Yeah. I'm still waiting for a lousy crosswalk over 401 South at Chapanoke. It would be the FIRST CROSSWALK in South Raleigh! And it would not take 1.1 million, collected through everyone's water bill.

ILoveDowntownRaleigh
January 16, 2013 3:12 p.m.

So they paid over a million to keep the dumpy Milner Inn and Foxy Lady Lounge from flooding?? Talk about two pieces of property not worth saving..........

shortcake53
January 16, 2013 2:52 p.m.

$1,100,000? Over a million dollars for 2 1/2 acres of land that floods every time it rains hard? Whose backroom buddy owned that land?

Paying almost $400,000 an acre for a part-time swamp with our fee/tax-dollars is a crime.

Just another example in the long history of the City of Raleigh's "the taxpayer has a bottomless wallet" attitude.

I don't suppose anyone thought of letting the owner put it on the market and having the market set the price?

For Sale: One old building that sits on 2 1/2 acres of land that floods often.

Private investor: $50,000 City of Raleigh: $1.1 MILLION!!!

Sweet deal for someone that wanted to dump an old building and knew someone with a key to the public coffers.

TVs_Deceit
January 16, 2013 11:21 a.m.

abaugh: There's a parking lot for the greenway right around the corner, on Crabtree Blvd.

copperino
January 16, 2013 9:38 a.m.

prone? 's that English? How do we say "having tendencies"?

sasqch
January 16, 2013 8:31 a.m.