25 replies to this topic

[Justin6882]

N&O: Glenwood South hotel proposed

Quote

An ambitious plan to build seven stories of shops and hotel rooms is quietly unfolding in downtown Raleigh's popular Glenwood South district.

A group called Glenwood South Hospitality is asking for special zoning permission that, if granted, would help it build a 157-room Hampton Inn above street-level shops at the northwest corner of Glenwood Avenue and Johnson Street.

[RALNATIVE]

Justin6882, on Jul 24 2009, 02:51 PM, said:

N&O: Glenwood South hotel proposed

I'm wondering if a Hampton Inn is the best brand for this area. In any event, more hotel rooms are definitely needed.

[Gard]

I don't imagine that the developer will  have much trouble getting approval from the city for this project.  I think the only real hurdle is financing.  I don't think a Hampton Inn will be a bad fit for the area if it is done right to make it fit the general theme of its immediate surroundings.  Hampton Inn, however, is more family-oriented and Glenwood South is definitely adult-oriented, an Aloft or something along that lines would be much more appropriate, IMO.

[staffer]

Gard, on Jul 25 2009, 03:06 PM, said:

I don't imagine that the developer will have much trouble getting approval from the city for this project. I think the only real hurdle is financing. I don't think a Hampton Inn will be a bad fit for the area if it is done right to make it fit the general theme of its immediate surroundings. Hampton Inn, however, is more family-oriented and Glenwood South is definitely adult-oriented, an Aloft or something along that lines would be much more appropriate, IMO.

Actually, the biggest draw downtown are all the museums, and the Hampton along with the R-Line will be a big boost for family travel downtown.

[DPK]

Anyone seen the site plan for this yet?  I've heard it's out there but haven't been able to track it down yet.

[Jones133]

I think its a little too far from the central city. A Hampton would make more sense say on Jones Street adjacent to the Quorum, or as part of Edison, if Edison did a run of the mill hotel and a higher class one too. It may be noteworthy to some that one of the two little homes was once the home Avery Upchurch. I would hate to see a very utilitarian looking Hampton crammed into such an important area of town as Glenwood South in any scenario....I have seen nice Hampton's but am afraid that 222 Glenwood may have lowered the bar for the area architecturally....

Edited by Jones133, 25 July 2009 - 07:45 PM.

[Tico]

gogoraleigh.com had an article on this today:


http://www.gogoralei...glenwood-south/

Edited by orulz, 26 July 2009 - 05:54 AM.

[Jones133]

Tico, on Jul 25 2009, 07:50 PM, said:

gogoraleigh.com had an article on this today:


http://www.gogoralei...glenwood-south/

ah,  important clarification is that according to gogoraleigh its going on the NE corner of the intersection.

[orulz]

gogoraleigh mentions that this hotel won't be building any parking (presumably other than handicapped spaces) on site. The parking will be across the street in the 510 Glenwood deck. Not having to build on-site parking will make this hotel MUCH more buildable. Structured parking can cost $15000 (for a prefab deck) to over $40000 per space (for underground integrated parking). Seems like reusing the existing parking deck is a great deal to me.

That alone makes me think this hotel is likely to get built before any of the others (Powerhouse, Lafayette, Winston, Hillsborough, etc)

[citiboi27610]

I still think that the Marriott Center City was a bad choice architecturally for our downtown. Is there a way that we (citizens) can appeal to the city to convince Hampton Inn to construct something architecturally and stylishly appropriate for the area?

I guess I would consider Hampton a mid grade hotel, and it seems that hotels at this level and below don't necessarily need to design to a high standard for the outside of their buildings. This is for the simple fact that maybe their patrons don't care generally about the outside appearance. I find that the 'general' public (not us UP users) will recognize something that is really nice looking but don't really mind something that is mediocre unless the inside also is.

[orulz]

From what I read in the BoA minutes, at least the Hampton Inn will be masonry rather than EIFS/Stucco. This serves to dampen the noise from the nearby railroad tracks.

[RaleighRob]

^That alone is a good sign.
Someone recently commented to me they thought the Sheraton looked drab compared to the Marriott.  I reminded them it's much older and its brick exterior has held on well---in another 25 years the Marriott will probably look older than the Sheraton, IMHO.

[Gard]

RaleighRob, on Jul 28 2009, 08:23 AM, said:

^That alone is a good sign.
Someone recently commented to me they thought the Sheraton looked drab compared to the Marriott.  I reminded them it's much older and its brick exterior has held on well---in another 25 years the Marriott will probably look older than the Sheraton, IMHO.

Absolutely.  Stucco has come and gone over the years, but brick has proven to never go out of style.  Brick looks great (though I personally don't like houses in all brick) when it is maintained and cleaned every once in a while.  Brick also lasts much longer.  My hometown, for instance, has massive brick mills that were built in the 1800s and they still look great.  Many have even been put to use as condos, restaurants and hotels.  I really wish we had such large brick buildings in Raleigh.  They make such great areas for revitalization and an opportunity to preserve the heritage of the area.  Not to derail the thread any further, here is a picture of two of the massive mills in my hometown, Libby Mill and Cowan Mill, both built around 1850:

[krazeeboi]

I've seen a few Hampton Inn's done well. Two that come to mind are Columbia and Greenville:

Columbia






Greenville

[Justin6882]

The one in Greenville looks like the "west at north" condo building, just a few floors shorter.

[Tico]

Justin6882, on Jul 28 2009, 08:10 PM, said:

The one in Greenville looks like the "west at north" condo building, just a few floors shorter.

Looks like The West at North, but better. And the last picture(rear view of same building) looks 510 Glenwoodish, but better. I think they have the capacity to produce a building Raleigh will be proud of.

Edited by Tico, 28 July 2009 - 07:19 PM.

[orulz]

Looks like the Glenwood South Hampton Inn will look more like the one in Columbia than the one in Greenville. It will be six stories total with a street-level lobby along Johnson and a single retail space facing Glenwood. Not sure how many units. Since the lot slopes down away from Glenwood, it will actually be five stories facing Glenwood. The architecture is very boring, looks to be brick with a stucco cornice. It will be pretty thin building. It will only have as much frontage along Glenwood as the Abbey Carpet building.

See the site plan + elevations here.

The architecture is far from exciting but it is mixed use with retail along Glenwood, and is a sorely needed addition to the underserved downtown hotel market.

One awesome thing about this building is that it calls for no new parking. All 145 of its required parking spaces are provided "by agreement" - I assume in the 510 Glenwood deck.

[krazeeboi]

Actually it seems to resemble the relatively boring Hilton in Columbia that went up a few years ago a bit more. Both it and the Hampton are located in a historic warehouse district which somewhat explains the plain architecture. Oh well, at least the Glenwood South Hampton requires no new parking and is mixed-use. Seems like a decent trade-off to me.

[Jones133]

126 rooms (page one). Its probably as good of a use for a tough site as we can expect in our lifetime. If this thing does well, and it should, then that should hopefully push some other hotel folks back into downtown. Big chains should have the cash or other means to build if they think its a good move. Still would like an Aloft downtown.

[citiboi27610]

Most buildings will not push the boundaries of the architectural norm. I'm happy that the building will be brick instead of stucco. I also enjoy that there will be a small frontage on Glenwood Avenue with the rest of the building stretching away. It's good infill, and will be good for downtown and Glenwood South. All that being said, I'm hoping for more unique buildings. I think we do have pretty nice public spaces though. Glenwood South needs a plaza or something.