UP|The NC Triangle

Downtown Raleigh Condos

DwnTwnRaleighGuy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:13:25 +0000

orulz, on 18 November 2009 - 03:46 PM, said:

Anyone remember this one?
The Metropolitan

Well, instead of a failed condo project it's now going to be a power substation.

I have to say that as disappointed as I was with this development not moving forward, I feel that this may be a more suitable place for this sub station. Isn't this part of the conflict that the city had with Progress Energy? Or was the conflict with PSNC and there space next to the current train station?

I relize this may be off topic, but wasn't talk about this sub station,(wheather Progress Energy or PSNC), part of the overall issue for design work on the new Multi Model Transportation Center?

Downtown Raleigh Condos

orulz — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:46:48 +0000

Jones133, on 31 July 2006 - 08:18 PM, said:

It was (is) the Metropolitan and it is proposed by the Florian Companies (as opposed to the Preiss Companies). They are self marketing and I think that is why they never had the presales to pull the trigger (as opposed to using White Oak or York). I for one would love to see some 300/sqft projects called off and see more of Hatems conversions start up..assuming they are closer to say 150-200/sqft.

Anyone remember this one?
The Metropolitan

Well, instead of a failed condo project it's now going to be a power substation.

Downtown Chapel Hill & Carrboro development

orulz — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:13:38 +0000

There was a proposal for a 4-story, 36-unit (144-bed) student apartment building with ground-floor retail at the NE corner of Rosemary and Church that went for conceptual review yesterday (wonder what the result was?) It calls for 35 parking spaces and 66 bike racks in the basement. It's called the Wesley House and is proposed by the Wesley Foundation. Basically, then, this would be a Methodist dormitory. Seems they aren't requesting any rezoning so this would be basically an as-of-right development.

I guess CH must have a 1:1 parking requirement or close to it, hence the 35 parking spaces for 36 units. This is pretty dense though since every unit in the building has 4 bedrooms.

Downtown Chapel Hill & Carrboro development

Brendan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:13:07 +0000

Story on WCHL1360 now reports that talk of lack of funding is premature.

Planning is proceeding as expected. 18-24 month approval plan. Waiting for more complete plan before approaching investors.

The news I don't care for is that it may be built as a series of smaller projects over a span of a few years. Things could be canceled and/or the overall plan may not end up being as impressive as it could be. But maybe I'm wrong.

Brendan, on 12 November 2009 - 09:44 AM, said:

The Daily Tar Heel had an article yesterday about the University Square project lacking money, which developers are calling "Franklin 123".

http://www.dailytarh...lans-lack-money

If the economy worsens or credit tightens even more, the project could be shelved, which would be very disappointing.

Hue

ChiefJoJo — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:26:06 +0000

Anyone know what's going on with Hue? The building is done, but has not been occupied. I heard that the owners are trying to convert to apartments, which makes sense, but I'm not sure. I did notice some upfit work is being done on the western-most retail spaces facing Hargett St.

Rosengarten Terrace

Jones133 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:35:39 +0000

I count 5 of those houses being worked on as of today. They are mostly being stripped down to the original studs (in one case even those were mostly replaced), and one had a whole new higher pitched roof put on (presumably to squeeze in a bonus room). The coolest part of this, if true, is that the developer's sign at Lenoir said 3 of the homes were sold. This would seem to lend some credence to the common theme here on UP that the price point of 150k (which I think these were being offer at) is a viable one for downtown Raleigh. There seemed to be a girl in her thirties talking to the workmen, who if she was the buyer, would represent the demographic that has been least served in the downtown market.....that void between subsidized and luxury

Downtown Raleigh retail updates

Jones133 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:40:57 +0000

Another building on Wilmington Street is being renovated. I did not get a great look but it looks like some exterior brick work is going on so far....Its the one with the basement stairs accessed from the sidewalk..

Downtown Raleigh parking

miamiblue — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:13:41 +0000

orulz, on 13 November 2009 - 12:13 PM, said:

TBJ is reporting that Raleigh is about to start charging for on-street parking downtown on December 17th.

Personally I'd prefer single-space meters that accept credit cards, but it looks like the city will be using multi-space meters. I hope the ones they use downtown are faster and more reliable than the ones that they were using on Hillsborough Street.

I am wondering how all of this is going to impact the street where I live. I am on a side street in Glenwood South that has mostly commercial properties, but there are two residential properties with a total of five separate residences between them. We have some off-street parking, but it is not big enough for all of us to park, and one person's car always ends up parked in front of our building. Right now, only half of the street parking on the block has a time limit during weekdays, and the rest is unrestricted. We currently do not have parking issues, even on busy nights. However, meters would definitely change that. It would suck if they did not accommodate residential parking in some of the streets with mixed residential and commerical properties. I'd be happy to buy a residential permit if necessary.

Downtown Raleigh parking

orulz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:13:35 +0000

Greenbridge Condos in Chapel Hill

RealDealer — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:08:12 +0000

Any idea which retailers will be going into the project?

Downtown Chapel Hill & Carrboro development

Brendan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:44:34 +0000

Downtown Raleigh retail updates

DPK — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:18:57 +0000

RaleighRob, on 11 November 2009 - 11:37 AM, said:

This is pretty interesting. Escazu will be opening up a chocolate factory downtown: http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/185390.html
Article says Blount Street near Peace College. I can't think of any buildings around there that could hold such a facility, so I'm guessing a new building? Perhaps where some of those old duplexes were torn down?

The white building in the center of this map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Blount+and+Oaks+Street,+Raleigh,+NC&sll=35.793363,-78.635743&sspn=0.001997,0.005493&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=N+Blount+St+%26+Oaks+St,+Raleigh,+Wake,+North+Carolina+27604&t=h&ll=35.793448,-78.635346&spn=0.000999,0.002747&z=19

Downtown Raleigh retail updates

DaleCooper — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:11:44 +0000

The Raleigh Connoisseur says Natty Greene's plans to open in January: http://dtraleigh.com/2009/11/pic-of-the-week-66/

Downtown Raleigh retail updates

Jones133 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:01:41 +0000

New Location
Old Location

Good god, they sure sell their stuff in a lot of places

Downtown Raleigh retail updates

RaleighRob — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:37:05 +0000

Trinity Road Hotel

Jones133 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:32:40 +0000

DPK, on 10 November 2009 - 02:00 AM, said:

Did anyone else notice the cemetary and two cemetary parking spots on the top of the site plan?

Thanks for pointing that out. I had assumed that old house had a family cemetery nearby. If its on a property boundary its usually easier to leave it than move it. There are 5 or 6 nearby cemeteries that I know of on Trinity, Blue Ridge or on the fairgrounds or Carter Finley land.
My girlfriend said she met two sisters who were old ladies living in this house about 15ish years ago. I assume their descendants are responsible for selling this land.

Mr Brown, do you know more about this property?

Trinity Road Hotel

Jones133 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:29:23 +0000

Does anyone even KNOW the actual parking numbers? It seems like the RBC Center was the primary culprit in reducing parking spaces out there. I don't remember the numbers, but am pretty sure its paved spaces is less than the unpaved ones there 15 odd years ago.

2035 Triangle Regional Transit Vision Plan

ChiefJoJo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:25:56 +0000

There may be some validity to V's argument about the serviceable length of a light rail segment. It would seem that the region's plan is an illustrative vision at this point, but lacking in detail beyond what has been studied before. Whether or not a super-long light rail line envisioned within a freight rail corridor makes sense will be worked out over time. As I have pointed out on this page before, many a regional transit plan has morphed from concept to reality over time. The list includes Seattle, LA, Denver, and even Charlotte here in NC (among others), and I suspect the Triangle will be no different.

Today the N&O featured a story about the Zebulon-Wendell Express bus, that began service recently. It's good to see the publicity for the benefit of public transit that many of us know. Many times it may not be as strictly convenient in terms of travel time compared to the car, but when the true cost of driving is factored in (car payments, insurance, registration, fuel, subsidized roads parking, emissions, etc) along with the intangible benefits to the passenger noted in the article (restful trip, potential for social interaction, etc), taking transit is often a choice worth making. Beyond that, it's simply positive seeing individuals offered new travel choices they find worthwhile.

Trinity Road Hotel

PAVANC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:52:46 +0000

I get it, I'm a season ticket holder, lifetime rights holder, I have a parking permit, and I haven't missed a game in 10 years. So please, before you say start assuming things like people's financial commitments, think before posting.

I agree that game by game people should take what they can get. But a lot of people have invested a lot of money to have a good gameday experience. When the investment was made, most people did it with tailgating in mind as much as going to the game. I know people in the Trinity and TX lots that have given a lot of money, but because of the LIMITED parking are unable to secure a permit near the stadium.

When people purchase season tickets to the Hurricanes, they expect certain things. One of those things is a giant scoreboard with bells and whistles. How do you think people would feel if they plunked down a chunk of change for season tickets and show up for a game and the Canes decided the scoreboard wasn't necessary to play the game, which it isn't. You might have a riot. People expect certain things when they make an investment like that.

My last post on the parking topic. Let's get back to the planned development.

Trinity Road Hotel

JeffC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:46:45 +0000

PAVANC, on 10 November 2009 - 11:49 AM, said:

I don't think you understand. All existing parking in the area is already spoken for. State currently leases the 2 lots the hotel is to be located, as well as Cardinal Gibbons High School and issues permits for them. They are all full. The business park lots at Edwards Mill and Trinity already charges to park there and they fill up. The horse complex, flea market, student parking, and special events take care of the fairgrounds parking. The Vet School deck and paved parking is by permit only for students and faculty that use the facility. As far spending the money to build more parking, with what they charge for permits, it will not cost much at all, especially if it is just grass parking.

I'm not sure YOU understand. There is a fairly simple way to guarantee yourself a parking space for tailgating on the stadium grounds for NC State or Carolina Hurricanes games--purchase season tickets. Why is it the State's responsibility to provide you with what you consider as a good gameday experience if you aren't even willing to make enough of a financial commitment to the University or the Franchise to guarantee you that experience?

If you want to go to one or two games a year and be guaranteed a tailgating spot in a grassy lot, may I suggest you pack your bike, tailgate at Schenk Forest down the road, and then ride your bike to the stadium?

Trinity Road Hotel

PAVANC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:49:15 +0000

Trinity Road Hotel

orulz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:18:58 +0000

Actually I've never been to a game at UNC, but I've been to plenty at Carter-Finley (though admittedly I've not had to park for the last 2 years.)

The loss of these parking spaces (not sure how many but I have a suspicion "thousands" is an overstatement) does not cause me concern. IMO tailgating and the fact that so much of the fan base is local is what makes it a great gameday experience, and losing a few parking spaces won't dent that. There is still oodles of parking within a 10-minute (1/2 mile) walk of the stadium. And even if the some of the lots 1/2 mile from the stadium get redeveloped, I have no problem asking people who get there less than an hour before kickoff to instead walk 3/4 of a mile, or even 1 mile (15-20 minutes.)

As a matter of fact I live about 1 mile from Carter Finley on a street with lots of free on-street parking that goes completely unused during games. When I go, I just walk. That doesn't ruin my experience. Far from it, in fact. It's a nice walk. If you're worried about folks who are physically disabled, the stadium already makes accommodations. People who can't deal with a 15 minute walk but aren't willing to pay for better parking are, in my opinion, the ones who "just don't get it."

Besides, most of the land near Carter-Finley is either owned by NCSU, Centennial Authority (RBC Center), or the Fairgrounds - and will likely remain as parking for the forseeable future. In addition, also within this radius, NCSU is already building a parking deck at the vet school. This deck will be mostly empty on Saturdays.

The university has much, much better things to do with its money than spend it building "replacement" parking spaces that will go completely unused 345 days a year. They don't need to do anything about the parking "situation" this development will cause, because there won't be one.

Trinity Road Hotel

PAVANC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:15:11 +0000

First:
Did you notice I asked how "State" was going to replace the parking, not the land owner? I know the owner can do whatever they want. The comment was addressing a parking situation and what State was going to do about it, not the right to develop. I am all for some kind of development out there, even though I don't think this is the right fit.

Second:
Don't give the mass transit excuse. I'm all for density and mass tranit, but this is not the place. Taking the bus is not an option for tailgaters. For people going just to the game, I think the bus is an excellant idea, hell I wish we had some kind of rail system out there. Tailgating is part of the college game day experience for most fans. And don't give me that crap that you don't need tailgating to enjoy a football game. You guys obviously do not like tailgating, but just because you don't like something and it doesn't fit into your perfect world, doesn't make it wrong.

And please don't use Chapel Hill as an example, every college football fan knows what a horrible game day experience it is over there.

Have you ever been out there? With the vet school expanding, the fairgrounds lots shrinking, and now this, there is no where near enough parking. "Oh well, supply and demand" You've got to be kidding? You guys always rail on developers about some of the things that they do that don't fit with your idea of the "right" development. "Why not a deck instead of the suface lot?" Supply and demand maybe? That is such a cop out for people that don't like something and expect everyone else to tag along with their opinions.

You guys just don't get it.

Trinity Road Hotel

rooster8 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:57:39 +0000

That's one of the oddest things I've ever seen on a site plan.

Triangle in the national media

Gard — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:25:27 +0000

Here is a ranking to NOT be proud of....according to the N&O, Raleigh has ranked 6th in the nation for the most dangerous streets for pedestrians: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/traffic/story/183870.html

Trinity Road Hotel

DPK — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:00:09 +0000

Did anyone else notice the cemetary and two cemetary parking spots on the top of the site plan?

Downtown Raleigh retail updates

DaleCooper — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:47:08 +0000

They have been posting some construction updates on their blog: http://nattygreenesbrewing.blogspot.com/

Trinity Road Hotel

Gard — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:44:46 +0000

orulz, on 09 November 2009 - 11:53 AM, said:

I'm not interested in that at all. The university won't replace the parking and shouldn't. This is a private lot already, and if the owners see fit to develop it, then great.

People will still find a way to get to the games. People find a way to get to football games at UNC, and the parking situation is much tighter there.

If it really gets tight in Raleigh, which it won't for decades, then the university can start running shuttle buses to satellite parking lots, like they do at UNC. And even if every single private parking lot is developed and closed, with the fairgrounds parking lot and the parking lots on the grounds of Carter Finley and RBC themselves, there will always be plenty of space for tailgating. Maybe a parking permit will cost more, but oh well, supply and demand.

Regarding the development itself: they actually can't build any closer to the road than they propose, because of the high voltage power lines lines that were just installed earlier this year.

I second that. There is more than enough parking around there. If someone is worried about parking, then they can TAKE THE BUS....imagine that....people having to use mass transit around here...how criminal. Heaven forbid they spend a couple bucks to ride the bus instead of their 10mpg SUV.

Trinity Road Hotel

orulz — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:53:51 +0000

PAVANC, on 09 November 2009 - 10:28 AM, said:

I'm more interested in how State is going to replace the thousands of parking spots that will be lost for football parking.

Trinity Road Hotel

PAVANC — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:28:08 +0000

I'm more interested in how State is going to replace the thousands of parking spots that will be lost for football parking.