WEB EXCLUSIVE New mural aims to spread awareness and reduce gun violence in Raleigh.
2021 wasn’t a good year for gun-related crimes in Raleigh. Aggravated assaults involving guns increased by 39%, while crimes involving guns increased 22%–with shooting homicides increasing slightly over last year as well.
In response to the recent uptick in gun violence, international artist Kyle Holbrook handpainted the“Peace Raleigh” mural on South West Street, depicting a large hand making the peace sign with the words “Stop Gun Violence” as part of the 50-state National Stop Gun Violence mural tour.
Sponsored by public arts organization Moving the Lives of Kids Community Mural Project, “Peace Raleigh” aims to bring maximum awareness to the message of reducing gun violence in the community while serving as a place of healing and remembrance for families of victims. At 8 feet high, Holbrook maintains the mural is large enough to not be missed by anybody driving, walking or riding a bicycle, while also small enough so people can get selfie‘s with it and share on social media, thus spreading the message further. So do it for the ’Gram—and to give peace a chance.
“The intent behind the national tour and the ‘Peace Raleigh’ mural is to capitalize on the increased popularity of Streetart to disseminate the message of peace while increasing gun violence awareness,” adds Holbrook. “Of course, the colors were chosen because of NC State, and utilizing the universal symbol of peace makes the message easily attainable. Raleigh is a great city! My hope is this mural is a catalyst for inspiration as to solutions to gun violence.”
How small is affordable in Raleigh? A new law regarding tiny homes could address Raleigh’s affordable housing shortage.
Big houses are big business right now with nary a home to spare—and the housing market is setting price records monthly. Enter the potential game changer: tiny living.
Now, joining the popular pocket-size living craze, the City of Oaks may be seeing more tiny houses, thanks to recommended zoning rule changes that would allow for the construction of tiny homes—meaning sub-600 square feet. (City Council will hear public input on Dec. 7.)
So are tiny homes the future of Raleigh real estate? Well, as these residences are typically half the cost of a standard house—if not more—it would certainly come as good news for those struggling to afford a home in Raleigh’s current market, providing locals with a cheaper (albeit smaller) option when it comes to housing.
But Tiny Homes Raleigh owner Dexter Tillet isn’t convinced. “I don’t think it’s going to be the future,” he says, “but I think there’s going to be space for it. A lot of people really value it. I think it’s just gonna give Raleigh citizens more options, and that’s what we really want.” Tillet adds that, if you look at cities across the country with similar growth as Raleigh—like Portland, Oregon, where he lived for about a year—almost every house has a tiny house addition. It’s just one way in which city officials can handle the density and growth that Raleigh is facing.
Besides price, smaller spaces are also attractive in that many people aren’t looking for huge living spaces right now. During the pandemic, we saw people make a mass exodus for the burbs and bigger spaces—because quarantine and WFH—but since the world has reopened again (pause for applause), we’ve seen a rapid rewind, if not reversal, in that cultural shift. Now sick of their four walls, people want to mix and mingle… and just want a place to lay their heads—and spend their dollars on experiences.
But when it comes to tiny homes, functionality and outdoor space aren’t a compromise—in fact, it’s the most attractive aspect, according to Tillet. These small residences offer a little front yard, a backyard, plumbing and their own HVAC unit. “I think tiny homes give a really good option—especially for multifamily—for a different type of living,” he says.
And tiny living isn’t confined to tiny houses. Take Midtown’s newest development, Raleigh Iron Works, which is offering 430- to 865-square-foot micro, studio and one-bedroom units in its multifamily rental building that put an emphasis on amenities and location rather than square footage—providing yet another option for cheaper, smaller living. The developers say their goal in the design of these efficient floor plans is to provide right-size living to fit the needs of today’s renters.
So what’s next? If City Council approves the tiny homes changes, it would allow these petite pads to be built as standalone buildings or in tiny-home communities with shared open space. “So just like a housing development you would have for a subdivision for a neighborhood, it’s the same thing, but just a smaller footprint and more density,” explains Tillet. “It’s just a lot more people utilizing that land. So I think that’s what we have to do as a growing city, and one of the benefits of living in a tiny home is knowing what you want, knowing what you don’t want and kind of just simplifying your life.” After all, a simple life is a happy life.
$398,500 Median sales price of Wake County real estate
$209 million+ October real estate sales (of transactions worth $30+ million) in Wake County
17th Highest millennial homeownership rate in U.S.
$52,000 Average cost of a tiny home nationally in August
Kane Realty Corporation’s big plans for South Raleigh are everywhere (so no doubt you’ve seen the impressive renderings), but we’d be remiss not to mention the news. ICYMI, designs are for not one, but three new vertical projects—two of which are the first in Downtown South—within Raleigh’s Southern Gateway that will help expand the City of Oaks to the south.
“The opportunity for Kane to help define Downtown Raleigh’s Southern Gateway through our work along South Saunders Street is invigorating,” says Kane Director of Design Josie Reeves. “We’re excited to work with the community to bring much-needed amenities—from dining- and entertainment-based options to everyday necessities like groceries and pharmacies—to the South Raleigh community in the form of walkable, mixed-use projects.”
The first, Park City South, is a 9.7-acre multiphase development directly adjacent to Dorothea Dix Park that is expected to break ground by the end of the year. Phase 1 will offer ground-level retail, midrise apartments (with uberappealing amenities like a full spa and rooftop lounge), and flex office space, while future phases will include high-rise residential and office space with more ground-level retail and structured parking. Located directly on the Capital Greenway System, Park City South will also feature an enhanced stretch of Greenway trail with a new bridge linking it to Rocky Branch Creek—allowing those walking the existing Greenway and visiting Dix Park to access the ground-floor retail.
The other two projects Kane has in the works are part of the $2.2 billion pro soccer stadium-anchored Downtown South development—first proposed in 2020—one of which will be Raleigh’s premiere mass timber construction building, offering a more sustainable alternative to carbon or steel. A collaboration with Durham-based DUDA|PAINE Architects, the office building will boast six levels of work space, shared and private terraces, and amenities such as a collaborative work lounge and conference rooms.
A second mixed-use building planned for Downtown South (renderings are not yet available) will tout ground-level retail; a fully integrated structured parking deck; studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments—plus two terraces and a rooftop lounge. Construction is anticipated to begin on both of the announced Downtown South projects in Q3 of 2022—finally setting the highly anticipated development into motion.
WEB EXCLUSIVE Nonprofits featured in Raleigh Magazine that you should donate to this Giving Tuesday.
After the long holiday weekend of indulging with family and friends and perhaps taking advantage of some Black Friday and Cyber Monday (and Small Business Saturday, hopefully!) sales, why not spend Giving Tuesday giving back to those in the community who can’t afford such luxuries?
Making your Giving Tuesday easy, we’ve compiled a host of “helping hand” orgs worth your consideration if you’re looking to donate. Luckily for us, there are tons of nonprofits in Raleigh—and throughout the Triangle and the state—that make it easy to give back to people in need every day, many of whom we’ve featured in Raleigh Magazine.
Here, we look back at some of the benevolent businesses we’ve featured or partnered with over the past year. Click the links to their website to read more about their missions and donate to their causes.
Three creatives are leaving their mark all over town (and beyond).
It must be a sign. A trio of creatives is branding Raleigh—literally—and beyond via signage for many of-the-moment and iconic spaces. And while these creatives tend to fly under the radar as the news of these hot spots drops, it’s their signs that are emblematic of these rising Raleigh places—and what first draws to mind.
From left to right: Paul Tuorto, Joseph Giampino (PC Oak City Productions), Brian Chiarizia (PC Tyler Northrup)
While the buzz for budding spaces typically centers on the chefs, bartenders and architects—“rightly so,” says Tuorto—it’s this design trifecta who’s working behind the scenes to bring the visual concept to fruition. “That’s really important, and I don’t think a lot of people notice that,” adds Giampino.
Tuorto credits Raleigh designer Josh Gajownik (famed for branding Ashley Christensen’s Death & Taxes and Sunny Gerhart’s St. Roch, among others) for building the city’s aesthetic—and paving the way for future designers (Exhibit A: this unstoppable trio).
And you don’t have to be a graphic designer or art aficionado to realize how crazy-cool this team’s designs are. Typically, when attacking a project together, Tuorto will draw up the branding and logo; Chiarizia will fabricate whatever the design is being placed on (a sign, etc.); and Giampino will handpaint it—though there’s typically some back-and-forth between them, as well as the client.
Though each does solo projects as well, Chiarizia says they work very well together, and “we have this trust in each other—we know each of us is going to deliver 100% of the time,” he says. He adds that they work with each other as much as they can, recommending each other to clients for projects they’re involved in. “It’s definitely not something that any of us take lightly. We’re all humbled by and proud of what we do,” adds Chiarizia.
As such, Chiarizia can name 20-plus places he’s worked on with Tuorto and Giampino, but one of Tuorto’s favorite undertakings as a trio was the branding for Alimentari at Left Bank in Transfer Co. Food Hall. Tuorto says the project melded together their cultural familiarity—they’re all Italian! Tuorto drew up the look of the signage and menu board and designed their content; Chiarizia built everything; Giampino painted it all.
“So it was just this fantastic little team putting together something we all knew we’d love,” adds Tuorto, “and all of us were incredibly biased because we were waiting for a shop like that for a long time.”
The true beauty of their work, says Giampino, is that it isn’t trendy—it’s timeless. Adds Chiarizia: “In the end, I think we are all just doing something that we are incredibly passionate about, and take pride in, and we just happened to be in the same place at the same time. Lucky, I guess.”
And as the Triangle continues to grow at warp speed, “there’s a free license to do anything here,” maintains Tuorto. And Chiarizia says he doesn’t see the partnership ending anytime soon. Especially when the branding is coming from a talented design team such as this one, you know the end product is going to be inspired—and inspiring.
“It feels good to leave a mark in the city,” says Giampino. “It’s nice to work with two other people who also take a lot of pride and care about the product that they’re making.” And for that, we think they deserve all the attention in the world.
