Gary Pearce posted on December 06, 2012 10:31
This isn’t the first Dix land fight. And it’s not the first time the state did the right thing despite short-sighted politicians.
Exactly 28 years ago, in late 1984, another outgoing governor had plans for Dix land. Governor Hunt wanted to give a chunk of it to N.C. State University for a research park.
Then-Mayor Avery Upchurch and a group of developers had come to Hunt with ambitious plans to develop the land.
Hunt said later, “The easy thing to do was to give them the land, take the money, put it in the state treasury and cut taxes. But that’s not how you build a great state. The right thing to do was to think about the public purpose: How does this best serve the public, the vision, what we can be?”
Hunt plowed ahead despite political opposition and editorial skepticism. Today you can see the “public purpose:” NCSU’s Centennial Campus.
Decades from now, people will salute Governor Perdue for setting aside land for a park in the capital city. As Raleigh continues to grow, the park indeed will “best serve the public, the vision, what we can be.”
Credit also goes to a far-sighted and bipartisan group of Raleigh leaders – led by Greg Poole, Jim Goodmon and others.
The lease will provide a source of revenue to the state, something that the state is not realizing now. The McCrory administration will have the flexibility to consolidate state employees now at Dix – and save the state $90 million a year. And the park will be a jewel for decades to come.
That’s a good deal all around.