December 19, 2018

The Honorable Steve Schewel

Mr. Tom Bonfield
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701

Dear Steve and Tom,

At the meeting of the light rail advisory committee on Thursday, December 13, 2018, GoTriangle
presented a new option for the design of the light rail as it passes through downtown Durham.
This new option envisions the light rail line will pass through a tunnel that would extend from
approximately the North Deck to the area between Mangum and Roxboro Streets. Both
Blackwell Street and Mangum Street would remain as at-grade crossings for vehicles,
pedestrians, and cyclists. We further understood you to say that the tunnel plan was the plan
that GoTriangle would pursue going forward; likewise, we understand that the plan that
envisions closing Blackwell Street is off the table. Based upon these understandings, we want to
acknowledge that the revised tunnel plan satisfies the concern we expressed to you related to
the closure of Blackwell Street in our letter dated, December 3, 2018 and therefore we believe
this is a major improvement to the previous plan.

At the same time, we want to point out that the new tunnel plan does not address any of the
other concerns we expressed in our previous letter. For example, we also believe the decision to
convert the only two-way street south of the railroad tracks into a one-way, eastbound street is
ill-considered. We refer of course to Pettigrew Street. Based upon the preliminary sketches
GoTriangle presented last week, it appears that it should be possible to retain Pettigrew Street as
a two-way street, and we strongly urge the City to insist upon it. In addition, our concern about
the impact of construction upon the DPAC and its customers, and the DPAC’s connection to
parking and other downtown businesses, is greater now that the downtown plan relies upon the
construction of a tunnel. It seems self-evident that construction of a tunnel will cause an
increase in the duration of construction and greater impact upon adjacent businesses. We
therefore believe it is important for the City to insist that GoTriangle incorporate into the
construction contract measures that will require the general contractor to take steps to reduce
the impact of the project on downtown businesses.

We appreciate the City’s response to the concerns we expressed along with many other
downtown businesses about the proposed closure of Blackwell Street. You listened. The same
cannot be said for GoTriangle, however. We met with GoTriangle twice in October. We

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123 Vivian Street | Durham, North Carolina 27701 | Phone: (919) 688-3722 | DPACnc.com
discovered that its attitude was that there was not enough time and not enough money to
change anything about its plan. As the future unfolds, please continue to impress upon
GoTriangle that it must take the concerns that you have heard from us and other downtown
businesses seriously, which means that GoTriangle must modify the design to account for those
concerns as the design process unfolds. We remain available to assist the City in protecting the
City’s investment in the DPAC and in the City’s interest in ensuring the DPAC remains an
unparalleled entertainment option for people throughout the region and the state.

Bob Klaus
General Manager - DPAC
Durham Performing Arts Center

cc:
Nick Scandalios - Nederlander
Lynn Singleton – PFM
Vernetta Alston – Durham City Council
Javiera Caballero – Durham City Council
DeDreana Freeman – Durham City Council
Mark-Anthony Middleton – Durham City council
Jillian Johnson – Mayor Pro Tempore
Charlie Reece – Durham City Council

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123 Vivian Street | Durham, North Carolina 27701 | Phone: (919) 688-3722 | DPACnc.com