DaleCooper
NEVER 4GET
The Verizon Center works because DC has a very good public transit system. The Verizon Center is parked right on top of a major transfer station on the Metro and intersects with the two biggest bus lines in DC, the X2 and the 70. The only parking is street parking, and an internal lot for players and staff. The Verizon center, and the development around it, simply can't be replicated without a substantial investment in transit.
For a pretty much entirely car based area such as the triangle, you need to have an arena on the outskirts of an area with lots of parking, especially when you draw a regional crowd, not just a local one.
On another note, I've got my ticket for the preseason opener here in DC monday. Let's just hope no concussion for Skinner at this time. Got a pretty good view of that last year...
Other cities around the country with low transit usage have proven this wrong, including Charlotte, which does of course have a light rail line but I'd be curious how many people are actually taking that to games. By the time Raleigh were to seriously be considering a new arena they will likely be in the midst of investing in a new transit system anyway so the two could go together.
Nonetheless, my comment had more to do with the physical design of the Verizon Center. The new Detroit arena proposal is pretty similar in an area where nearly everyone is driving to games from the suburbs.