Named the S-Line, the rail line will serve to reduce travel time to Virginia’s cap city by an estimated 90 minutes. And although the proposed track is not a commuter train, the federal funding will lay the groundwork for the rail line by building the first portion of track, spanning from Raleigh to Wake Forest.
For anyone who dreams of skipping traffic and pollution of the interstate, this announcement is a dream come true—but the ideal passenger railway is going to need more destinations than Richmond in order to benefit the diverse travel needs of Raleighites. To that end, there may be even more additions to U.S. railways in the near future—and even more destinations for North Carolinians to explore.
The Corridor Identification and Development Program also received a check to the tune of $34.5 million toward guiding railway development in 69 corridors (or regions). NC is set to be the star, from connecting the North and Southeast with a proposed railway from Charlotte to DC, with plenty of proposed in-state rails for commuters to enjoy as well, such as a proposed high-speed rail from Charlotte to Atlanta and lines joining Wilmington, Fayetteville and Winston-Salem to Raleigh. Despite approval and funding for future transit, North Carolinians will have to wait to travel by train for the time being. The S-Line is beginning preliminary design and environmental document reevaluations, with plans to finalize the design from 2024–27. While it’ll be several years before these updates will be chugging down the tracks, the future of public transport is looking bright indeed.
Uberpopular Queen City-based wine bar to bow in North Hills this fall
To much fanfare, Foxcroft Wine Co. is sliding into the long-defunct Midtown Grille space this fall. Bubbling up quite a cult following since it bowed in Charlotte in 2004, the North Hills locale marks the sixth outpost of the wine bar-slash-scratch kitchen-slash-bottle shop.
Striking out any semblance to the OG space, the Foxcroft team is planning a massive reno that includes broadening the patio space by bumping into the parking lot and revamping the interior to match the aesthetics of its sister storefronts: Think a wine cellar barn-esque atmosphere feat. wood elements and cozy, relaxed, grounding environs.
“This is an experience,” says Operations Director Susan Giambo, “and we want to see people develop a comfort with it. We like wine and want to share it with people.” In essence, Foxcroft is a family—and it’s now welcoming Raleighites into its fold. “We’re on a mission to convert everyone into a wine drinker,” adds founder and CEO Conrad Hunter of his concept intentionally directed toward novice wine lovers and studied sommeliers alike. “We’re serious about wine so you don’t have to be.”
Renovations will involve bumping into the parking lot for an expanded patio experience.
Thousands of globe-spanning high-quality bottles cover the open shelves throughout, with an extensive by-the-glass list for the curious. To boot, a bounty of fare serves as perfect pairings. Truffle fries, a houseground burger and housemade pastas complement lighter selects meant for sharing like charcuterie boards and housemade ricotta, while seasonally inspired specials like steak, scallops and fish extend the elevated experience. And oenophiles eager to learn— and taste their way through—pairings can sip into monthly ticketed + themed wine dinner soirees and pop-up tasting parties.
“The addition of this vibrant and unique concept to our property will enrich the local community and provide an exceptional experience for our patrons,” says Kane Realty Director of Operations Stacey Buescher. “We look forward to a fruitful partnership and the success of Foxcroft Wine Co.’s newest location.” With its laid-back yet highly curated vibe, the space is malleable enough to host business meetups, a girls night or a casual hang on the patio with pup in tow.
“We’re excited to bring our homegrown wine bar and restaurant concept to Raleigh,” adds Hunter. “North Hills is a perfect fit for us to start building a community. Our business model is unique and we hope Raleigh residents will embrace us.” Time to wine down, indeed. foxcroftwine.com
Downtown Raleigh is really proving her resilience. Despite the recent rise in crime, business owners are buying in and continuing to establish roots—and doubling down on Downtown. It’s a welcome harbinger of hope, given that metropolitan downtowns (think San Francisco) typically experience a mass exodus in the face of “unsafe conditions.”
Instead, local entrepreneurs remain invested in Downtown—literally. One such business owner is Caitlin Cary, who is reopening her The Pocket Gallery in City Market in January. “I think the crime reflects some hard times we all can’t deny,” says the owner/founder. “I feel a lot of sympathy, and I also feel I’m a part of a business that is all about building community—I hope that good energy can help overcome.”
Pocket Art Gallery photo by Caitlin Cary
Building on that good energy, Cary—a working artist who specializes in fabric collage and recognizes the economic challenges of the city—plans to move her gallery from its former Oakwood digs into the City Market Artist Collective (CMAC), where she’ll join a community of 12 artists. There, she’ll continue to display her work along with the work of 30 artists on her roster.
And, not leaving the Oakwood space vacant, Cheryl Fraser, owner and founder of Galatea Boutique—which some may remember from Seaboard—jumped on the opportunity and will move into the vacant space in the new year after spending the last year-and-a-half operating out of a mobile boutique.
While the new business blood bodes well for DTR, having retailers committed to staying Downtown is also critical. Popular DTR home for houseplants Copperline Plant Co. owner Anna Grace FitzGerald is one such local who dug into City Market in 2022—and remains committed to the space she’s cultivated.
“When I was looking for a place to lay roots, I knew I wanted to be Downtown,” she says, “and in a place with character and history—because it aligns with the feeling we try to evoke in the shop: a feeling of a stable homebase for folks.”
Over the summer, a window was broken in at her business, but despite the incident, she remains unfazed. Nothing was stolen and no one was hurt, FitzGerald emphasized, and this is what mattered the most. “This is a product of more and more people moving to the Triangle… growing pains,” she adds.
FitzGerald welcomes the ebb and flow of new businesses moving into City Market and the Downtown area, viewing it as a healthy progression of the city. Despite recent challenges, the attractive and charming street—and our city core as a whole—continues to thrive with more businesses, opportunities and activities that not only attract Raleigh residents, but tourists as well. So, seeds of change now cultivating, if you will.
Disney’s newly announced Chatham County neighborhood comes with a hefty price tag.
If they can dream it, Disney will do it. Storyliving by Disney recently announced its second planned community, dubbed Asteria, will debut in 2027 in Pittsboro. While Disney adults were naturally thrilled at the announcement, others complained about the inevitable high price tag and the fact it wouldn’t be “sustainable.” Which led us to do some digging of our own to uncover just how much it would actually cost to take residence there.
The high-end neighborhood—named for “the wonder of the night sky and its ability to make us pause, ponder and consider life’s possibilities”—will boast various mouse-themed amenities and 4,000 residences with specific homes geared toward the 55+ community. (Walt Disney said it best: “Adults are only grown-up kids anyway.”) Asteria will be a part of the larger Chatham Park, which features 8,500 acres of homes and apartments with a much wider price range.
Housing prices, HOA fees and club membership costs aren’t mentioned in the initial announcement, but based on Cotino, Disney’s inaugural planned community located outside of Palm Springs, California, fans can expect their dream mouse house to flaunt a price tag from the upper $1 million to lower $2 million range. Existing properties in Golden Oak, Disney’s existing Florida community independent from Storyliving, go for $9 million to $13.8 million. Clearly, happily ever after comes with a price tag.
Amenities and the residential clubhouses in the community will offer enrichment programs, special excursions, well-being programs and “a mix of special Disney experiences and everyday activities.” But homeownership alone doesn’t unlock the door to all the magic—it comes at the cost of a club membership. For reference, Cotino’s club membership starts with a one-time initiation fee of $20,000 (!), plus an annual fee of $11,000 and $1,000 food and drink minimum spending requirement. To boot, for an additional $9,000 in yearly fees, residents can extend membership perks to their loved ones (ya know, letting them in on the “fun to do the impossible”).
All that to say, potential NC consumers and those seeking a storybook-esque lifestyle in Asteria must be prepared to shell out some big bucks in order to make their Disney dreams come true. So, can money really buy happiness? I guess we’ll find out…
Wake County Public Schools weighs their options on how to keep students and staff safe and secure.
Violence in NC schools has been on the rise since the pandemic, and Wake County schools are no exception. Shortly after 11am on Monday, Nov. 27, two students were stabbed in an altercation at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School. The 14-year-old perpetrator has since been charged with fatally stabbing a 15-year-old student and wounding a 16-year-old student with nonlife-threatening injuries.
On Nov. 28, the school board’s safety and security committee held a meeting scheduled well in advance of the fatal incident, originally intended to discuss a clear bag policy at athletic events. Following the stabbing, the committee revised the agenda to talk about “confidential security updates,” but did not disclose any details to the public—due to NC laws surrounding discussions about school safety—despite skyrocketing concerns from parents about how a knife got on school property.
Various NC schools have pursued multiple safety procedures—from school resource officers to clear bag policies. Johnston, Halifax and Granville counties are among the many in NC that have opted to install metal detectors in schools to ensure children’s safety. Wake County School Board Chair Lindsay Mahaffey and Superintendent Robert Taylor didn’t rule out the possibility of metal detectors, issuing a joint statement stating plans to “review all our safety processes and protocols to determine what happened and what changes may need to be made.”
The statement continues: “There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of our staff and students. Please know we are committed to continuous improvement to school safety.”
Speaking at the National Conference on Active School Threats Nov. 29, retired chief of the Sarasota County School District Police Department Timothy Enos did not recommend metal or weapons detectors as a foolproof way of keeping schools safe. According to Enos, in order to catch all types of weapons, they would need to be sensitive to the extent that detected jewelry and belts might set the detectors off and require a student search.
Not only do most schools not have the staffing to ensure lines and searches move quickly, but metal detectors could open the school up to liability problems if a weapon does make it through. Opponents also point out that metal detectors are costly—Winston-Salem and Forsyth County dropped over $300,000 on outfitting all their schools—not to mention less effective at preventing violence than other measures. Alternatively, Enos recommends a school resource officer, real-time camera access for law enforcement, shooter response training and threat assessments, among other crucial initiatives.
WCPS already updated the rules for visiting schools in July in an attempt to curb violence on campus, but these safety protocols only screen visitors for previous sex offenses and domestic protection orders—not for weapons. The screening also doesn’t extend to students, despite the growing number of NC juveniles charged with violence crimes from 2021 to 2022.
Mahaffey and Taylor said they have taken proactive measures for several years to “support and enhance our safety measures by authorizing an independent security assessment of every school,” but parent concerns are still mounting after these proactive measures failed to stop this tragedy. Despite the committee meeting, decisions on how to best keep Wake County students and staff safe have yet to be made, and further protocols have yet to be put in place. Stay tuned for continuing updates.
