Don’s Blog: Reedy Creek Trailhead, HQ2, FRG and Halloween!
Cary, NC – This Thursday we celebrated the official opening of the new Reedy Creek Trailhead located at 2139 Old Reedy Creek Road.
Reedy Creek Road Trailhead
The trailhead is the starting point for Cary’s seven-mile Black Creek Greenway and an access point for the East Coast Greenway which runs west on Black Creek Greenway and east through Umstead State Park on Reedy Creek Greenway. These trails connect westward to White Oak Creek Greenway, and the American Tobacco Trail and eastward through Raleigh then southward along the Neuse River. The trailhead also provides access to scenic Lake Crabtree overlooks, Wake County’s multi-use trails linking to Lake Crabtree County Park, and hiking and biking trails in Umstead State Park.
The new trailhead also features 82 parking spaces, restrooms, a small shelter with tables and a grill, Cary’s first bike fix-it station and a drinking fountain with a bottle filler and pet dish.
Representatives from Cary’s Greenway Committee, the East Coast Greenway, Wake County Parks and Rec and Cary Town Staff members were on hand to greet folks and answer questions about the new trailhead, greenways and parks throughout our community. You can learn more about the trailhead by clicking here
Citizens learning more about the trailhead and greenways
FRG Begins Construction
Construction has begun on Financial Risk Group’s new 11,000 sq ft office building on West Chatham Street in Downtown Cary (the old Carolina Lighting building) and will serve as the company’s new global headquarters. The move will centralize FRG’s US-based employees in a single location while allowing for future expansion.
This major renovation project will transform the building into a modern office. The building’s exterior will be revised with a modern, steel and green glass façade as illustrated in the image below. Plans also include approximately 1,200 square feet of retail space available for lease. Construction is expected to be complete early 2018.
Groundbreaking Ceremonies for FRG’s New Building
FRG’s New Building Facade
Awards and HQ2
Cary was recently named the 2nd Most Livable Mid-Sized City in the country by SmartAsset with no other North Carolina cities making the top 25.
Cary was also recognized as the 6th Best City for Quality of Life by NerdWallet. (Raleigh came in at #22 and Charlotte #92) We also smoked McKinney, Texas who placed 59th. That makes me soooo happy ;-)
….which are just two more reasons why Amazon should pick Cary for their new headquarters right???
Cary’s Economic Development team and town staff have been working hard with our Research Triangle partners to respond to Amazon’s HQ2 RFP – and on October 19th that proposal was delivered to Amazon (shipping was FREE because we’re PRIME members) ;-)
The proposal focuses on the strengths of our region and delivers a strong case for consideration. It highlights among other things our highly educated and talented workforce, globally recognized universities, a robust economy and start-up scene, low cost of living vs high quality of life, a quality airport and growing transit options.
The proposal also identifies potential sites that meet Amazon’s criteria to include Cary – and before you ask, no, I am not allowed to disclose where those sites are. Sorry.
The collaboration between so many different agencies and entities on this project in such a short period of time has been nothing short of amazing and everyone involved should be commended for their efforts.
I believe our region will be a serious contender to make Amazon’s short list – so do some in the media. So stay tuned for updates and if you are on twitter you can be a part of the conversation using #TriangleDelivers.
Halloween Fun!
Learn more about all of the hair-raising Halloween events coming up in Cary by watching the video below, or visit the town’s website here. With pumpkin carvings, a haunted house, Zombiepalooza and trick-or-treating there is something for everyone!
That’s all for now – as always, thanks for reading!
From the blog of Cary Councilmember Don Frantz. Photos courtesy of Don Frantz.
The rendering of the new building facade for FRG, if you look in the lower left hand corner, has the address as being in Raleigh, NC. Oooopsie
As for possible Cary site location/s in the Triangle bid for HQ2, my money would be on area #2 (designated for multiple 20+ story office towers) of the Eastern Gateway Plan. High profile along I40, near rail line already scheduled to get commuter service between Raleigh and Durham, close to airport, near existing and planned housing (sfh and high density), central location where urban (Raleigh) meets suburban (Cary)…….. becoming more urban.
Did our Amazon HQ2 proposal actually identify the Eastern Gateway development (Fenton) as a possible location or are you simply saying this would be a good location?
Specific locations have not been released. Good suggestion on the Eastern Gateway, though.
I am just saying/guessing. “My money” would be on that site….. might not be the “smart money” ….but my bet is still on that site :)
The downtown development has entered into the snowball stage (progress begets progress) awesome!!