Downtown Greensboro Developments

[cityboi]

I dont know, Randall Kaplan seem to have his ducks in a row for the 180 room Wyndham. As for the South Elm Lee St hotel, thats will likely be years away.

 

Business Journal reports the prospects of three hotels

http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/blog/2013/08/can-downtown-greensboro-support-three.html

 

 

wfmy video link

http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article/294925/57/2-Hotels-May-Be-Added-To-Greensboros-Skyline

 

Roy Carroll shares more details. Hes nailed it down to an 8-story 100 room hotel

 

link

http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/blog/2013/08/roy-carroll-timings-right-for-a.html

Edited August 14, 2013 by cityboi

[DCB]

Honestly, these hotels COMBINED would still give downtown less rooms than the Koury Convention Center has in one complex, so it doesn't seem too far fetched that there could be enough demand with the GPAC to support a few hundred new rooms. Also, the Triad Business Journal had an article about the new three story building by the greenway that includes a nice little picture of it. http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/blog/2013/08/whats-next-for-downtown-greensboros.html It looks like it will be pretty nice as long as they use the correct materials. And even if they don't, it will still be a step up from what's there right now.

[cityboi]

Here is a little evidence Roy Carroll is starting the construction process for his planned 100 room 8-story hotel across from NewBridge Bank Ballpark on the 400 block of Eugene Street. Finally a downtown hotel proposal thats going to happen. The first new downtown building constructed over 5 stories in over 20 years. At 8 stories, it will have a presence in Greensboro's skyline viewed from the Wendover Ave bridge. It will be one floor taller than the Proximity and O'Henry hotels.

 

O'Henry Hotel

 

link on constructionwire

 

http://www.constructionwire.com/projects/project_detail.asp?project_id=2597669&searchandor=2&searchin=1&searchstate=NC&searchdate=0&searchsortby1=uploadeddate&searchsortorder1=desc&searchproduct=1&searchoption=2&searchleadtype=-1&searchcity=greensboro&searchproductmultiple=0&resulttotal=499&page=&provider_id=1000&category_id=1000&product_id=1000&subscriptiontype=0&UID=

 

link isnt working properly. when you click on it, type in Greensboro, select North Carolina and search. You'll see the hotel project. The description says it starts in 4 to 12 months

Edited August 17, 2013 by cityboi

[cityboi]

downtown Greensboro is growing with new and renovation projects

 

http://myfox8.com/2013/09/19/greensboro-continues-to-grow-report-finds/

[cityboi]

a carousel will be coming to downtown Greensboro at the corner of Church St and Friendly Ave. It will open in 2016 along with other downtown projects such as the performing arts center with adjoining park and two hotels. The carousel wont be that far away from the performing arts center.

 

 

 

Plans call for it to be enclosed in a glass structure, much like Jane’s Carousel in New York’s Brooklyn Bridge Park

 

http://www.news-record.com/news/article_035ff804-aadd-5753-adbf-ffd766910135.html

 

Greensboro carousel structure will look a lot like this...a much sleeker look than the carousel structure at Burlington City Park.

 

 

 

I do have mixed feelings about the project. It will include a new senior resource center on the site. I would prefer the carousel along with another cultural/entertainment amenity, not a senior resource center. Its such a high profile site that could have been better suited for a carousel/IMAX theater. But it will be a great addition to downtown Greensboro. Not many cities have downtown carousels. Even the one in Burlington is technically not downtown. This will be the first carousel in the heart of a downtown North Carolina city.

Edited October 18, 2013 by cityboi

[cityboi]

hundreds of millions of dollars to transform downtown Greensboro.

 

There are a number of high profile projects in the works and according to former city manager Ed Kitchen, there are a number of private downtown deals which haven't been made public yet!

 

http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_496857ac-3940-11e3-ade5-001a4bcf6878.html

[Urbanity]

I love all the momentum in downtown Greensboro, but it's the need to exaggerate it that makes me laugh a little   The $200mm is nothing to sneeze about and I think it is on track to make downtown Greensboro the premier city of the Triad, but the article goes too far:

 

From the article re: Greensboro:  "In five years, downtown will be “the premier center city in the southeast United States,” according to Walker Sanders, president of The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, which is spearheading the performing arts center project."

 

This is the kind of thing that makes people laugh at Greensboro to be honest.  

 

Greensboro in five years will still lag behind Charlotte and certainly Asheville for just best center city in the state as far as vitality and offering.   As for the Southeast?  LOL. I guess Miami, Atlanta, Charleston, Memphis, Tampa (to name a few) will somehow disappear overnight...

[DCB]

I probably wouldn't think too much of the quote, it's clearly just a city leader boosting. But I am interested to see what happens with the joint university plan. It would certainly seem that the South Elm - Lee St. location is the front runner, since they already have renderings online and a rough plan. https://web.uncg.edu/cha/bot/2013-2014/Aug_28-29_2013/Presentations/Downtown%20University%20Initiative.pdf

[cityboi]

I do think the comment by Sanders is over the top. I'm a pretty big booster of Greensboro and even I think those comments are ridiculous. I do think he is just excited about the direction downtown Greensboro is going. At the very least I can see downtown Greensboro on par with downtown Greenville over the next 10 to 15 years. But city leaders need to have a greater focus on the revitalization of the entire one square mile downtown and not just on Elm Street and a block or two over. There needs to be a streetscape plan that covers the entire central business district as well. I think the planned downtown university campus and eventually university district will be the biggest thing that will transform downtown Greensboro over the next few decades. It will be sort of like Greensboro's version of the innovation quarter in Winston-Salem. All of Greensboro's colleges and universities along with Cone Health will collaborate at the campus. There will be laboratories, simulators, educational facilities, all of which will help attract companies and more residential projects downtown.

Edited October 27, 2013 by cityboi

[cityboi]

construction on a new apartment building at CityView at Southside is underway on Victor St. They are digging a deeper foundation than the other buildings which makes me think the building could have underground parking. That would certainly be smart considering the fact that parking has been a problem there. Try finding a parking spot coming in late at night and you'll find yourself circling around a long time waiting for somebody to move. Once the new apartment building is built and the old ABC warehouse is torn down for the new larger clubhouse, there will be no more land available for development in the Southside neighborhood of downtown. CityView is the largest apartment complex in downtown Greensboro with a total of 10 apartment buildings sprawled along King St and McAdoo St. Its hard to believe 20 years ago Southside was a blighted neighborhood known for run down buildings, prostitutes and winos roaming the streets.

 

Edited October 28, 2013 by cityboi

[cityboi]

One thing to note about Roy Carroll's 8 story hotel project to be built across from NewBridge Bank Ballpark.............Roy Carroll said the project "may grow in size". We could see something a little taller than 8 stories if that's the case. Roy Carroll was the developer who converted the 16 story Wachovia building into Center Pointe condos.

Here is a list of current downtown projects.

1) Senior Resources of Guilford with an indoor carousel
2) Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts
3) 10-story Wyndham Luxury Hotel and Conference Center
4) Roy Carroll hotel project (8-stories or more)
5) Greenway at Stadium Park apartments
6) expansion of CityCiew at Southside apartments
7) Southeastern Building renovation (apartments/offices)
8) Lebauer City Park (across from the future performing arts center)
9) completion of downtown greenway loop
10) downtown university campus/district

Edited November 3, 2013 by cityboi

[cityboi]

also it appears there are other projects in the works in addition to that list which hasnt been announced yet

[cityboi]

a new upscale mexican restaurant has opened on north elm in the place of the ganache bakery

[cityboi]

Washington investor will be a part of the planned 180 room 10-story downtown Wyndham luxury hotel in Greensboro.  Construction will begin in March, just four months from now. It will also mark the first "new" high-rise being built in downtown Greensboro since 1990 during the office tower construction boom. During that time three office towers were constructed at the same time. The project is one of two hotels planned for the center-city. Another hotel planned by developer Roy Carroll will be built across from the ballpark and construction on it is suppose to begin next spring as well. That hotel will be at least 8-stories but Roy Carroll said the project could grow in size. Both hotels will be open in time for the grand opening of the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Greensboro. The two planned hotels along with the current 11-story Marriott hotel will help attract small conventions to the conference center at the Wyndham. Greensboro will have facilities for both small and large conventions. The Koury Convention Center serves the large convention market. The Wyndham will be built behind the Elm Street Center which will serve as the convention space for the hotel.

 

http://www.theempireroom.com/elm_street_center/

 

Wyndham will be the first luxury/upscale hotel chain to enter the Triad market. The brand is on par with hotels such as Westin and Hyatt Regency. Currently there is no Wyndham hotel in North Carolina. There are Wyndham owned sub brands such as Wingate and Wyndham Garden hotels but no actual Wyndham. There was a Wyndham airport hotel in Raleigh but it is now a Hilton. Wyndham also sponsors Greensboro's PGA event, "The Wyndham Championship"  The relationship between Wyndham and Greensboro is a big reason the hotel chain is entering the Greensboro market. The hotel project that was thought to be dead a few years ago is alive and kicking. The height of the hotel will also depend on whether or not a parking deck is built. If the hotel is built on top of the deck, it could be at least 14-stories tall. So far details and updated renderings haven't been released to the public and the name of the hotel will be called "The Wyndham Greensboro" There is no word on the brand name for Roy Carroll's hotel project. I would prefer that to be an "urban" brand like an Aloft, Element or Four Points hotel. A Wyndham and an Aloft would clearly indicate a major transformation going on in downtown Greensboro. There may even potentially be a third hotel in the mix at some point after seeing preliminary renderings of Greensboro's planned performing arts center which clearly shows a tower attached to it. But will the demand be there considering two other hotels are being built, not to mention the 11-story Marriott is across the street from the performing arts center site. without a major downtown convention center, tourist attractions or a larger office market, downtown can only support so many hotel rooms. The Marriott, The Biltmore Greensboro and the two new hotels combined would give downtown around 700 rooms. The Wyndham Greensboro will stretch an entire block between South Elm Street and Davie Street. The hotel could help attract interest in the large News and Record lot across the street on Davie for development. That lot is also across the Street from the depot on Washington Street.

 

http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_9b70dd8c-482f-11e3-a7a9-001a4bcf6878.html

Edited November 9, 2013 by cityboi

[DCB]

I'm really excited to see these projects moving forward. I seem to recall them saying back like two years ago that they were going to have a retail component or something on the Davie St. side, but I might be mistaken. I would love to see some development along Davie St. since it's almost completely dominated by surface parking lots.

[cityboi]

Almost everything in Action Greensboro's downtown comprehensive plan from 2001 has been fulfilled. The only things left on the list are Rail Yard Park, an IMAX theater and a major art museum. Rail Yard Park is a very difficult project because it involves purchasing land from the railroad company. The plan calls for a one mile linear park and promenade with a chain of ponds along the railroad tracks. I think a great location for an IMAX theater would be on the old Lincoln dealership site. Its located across the street from the children's museum and is in very close proximity to the performing arts center location (just one block). A plaza with a public art fountain on the triangular property bound by Lindsay St, Church St and Summit Ave could tie the IMAX theater and performing arts center together creating a pedestrian connector. This would create a little theater district within the cultural district. As far as the art museum, the city could partner a university like UNCG and make that a reality.

 

projects in the plan that have been completed or is underway

 

ballpark (completed)

center-city park (completed)

downtown greenway (partially completed)

International Civil Rights Museum (completed)

performing arts center (underway)

downtown university campus (underway)

Edited November 10, 2013 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Wyndham hotel developers are in negotiations with the city over a parking deck for the planned 10-story hotel. In addition to this hotel and Roy Carroll's 8-story plus hotel proposal, the article mentions "others are rumored". One of the rumored hotels is likely the small hotel being planned for the South Elm Lee St development. But another one could be attached to the performing arts center itself. That could explain the high-rise attached to the center in preliminary renderings for the site. One thing to note, Durham is getting ready to build a hotel that will be attached to DPAC.

 

http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_4a9ed21c-4e5e-11e3-b402-0019bb30f31a.html

Edited November 16, 2013 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Greensboro is planning to bring more public art downtown as well as Piedmont Triad Intl Airport

 

http://myfox8.com/2013/11/18/action-greensboro-holds-community-forum-on-art-development/

[crowe1856]

It's been a few years since I've heard anything about it; were any real teeth put in the downtown GSO design manual? My commute takes me past the corner of Market & Spring, and it still makes me angry twice a day that such suburban structures (the Y, Arbor House, and Carolina Bank) were built downtown in the recent past. Don't get me wrong, each is a valued asset, but looking at those buildings, it's like this town doesn't know better, can't afford better, or simply doesn't care- none of which speak well of the community. Hence, I cringe at the thought of the PAC, proposed hotels, or other projects following a similar design path. The scale and placement of the trees next to the new jail don't lead me to believe the manual carries much weight.

[LesterA]

It's been a few years since I've heard anything about it; were any real teeth put in the downtown GSO design manual? My commute takes me past the corner of Market & Spring, and it still makes me angry twice a day that such suburban structures (the Y, Arbor House, and Carolina Bank) were built downtown in the recent past. Don't get me wrong, each is a valued asset, but looking at those buildings, it's like this town doesn't know better, can't afford better, or simply doesn't care- none of which speak well of the community. Hence, I cringe at the thought of the PAC, proposed hotels, or other projects following a similar design path. The scale and placement of the trees next to the new jail don't lead me to believe the manual carries much weight.

 

I agree with you with everything you said. From what I remember, a lot of the teeth that the manual was going to have was filed down throughout the process. Check out http://littleurbanity.blogspot.com/ and scroll to Scoring the Proposed Downtown Manual (2010). It's a very interesting read and David Wharton's blog is always a good read.

[cityboi]

city council will consider incentive package for the planned Wyndham Hotel. In addition the city would build a parking deck that the hotel could use.

 

http://www.news-record.com/news/government/article_dc91f1da-5175-11e3-9fba-001a4bcf6878.html

Edited November 20, 2013 by cityboi

[cityboi]

More details about the planned downtown Wyndham. It will be 14-stories. (8-stories on top of a 6-story parking deck)

[DCB]

Is that the word on the street or is there a news article that mentions it? I'd love to finally see a rendering.

 

Edit - Ok I found a bit about it in today's Business Journal

 

"Developers Elm Street Hotel Center have proposed a $40 million, 180-room hotel to be built atop a six-story parking deck at 200 S. Davie Street. The hotel would have a Wyndham flag and would also have 4,500 square feet of retail space on its first floor."

 

I'm glad to hear that retail is a part of the plan, since another dead spot  on Davie isn't exactly a good thing.

Edited November 26, 2013 by DCB

[cityboi]

yep..... here are more details from the New&Record. City Council is still trying to work out the public/private partnership end of it.

 

 

Some details about the proposed Wyndham hotel: 

• 8-stories.

• 180 rooms.

• Would be built on top of a 6-story parking deck at 200 S. Davie St.

• 2,500-square-foot fine-dining restaurant.

• 4,500 square feet of retail space.

• Elm Street Center would be incorporated into the hotel. Regency and Empire rooms would serve as conference space.

• The Elm Street Center building facade would get a face-lift.

• A new streetscape design to include a drop-off space for hotel guests and valet parking.

• Projected cost: $40 million.

 

this would mean the hotel would be 14 stories and actually it would look taller because parking deck levels tend to be taller than floors in buildings so it could look like a 16 or 17 story building. This will add a nice presence in Greensboro's skyline looking from southside. I'm drooling to see the renderings. The last time there was a hotel on South Davie Street was when the King Cotton Hotel was built in 1926. it too was 14-stories and was demolished in the early 1970s. 

 

And to further add to Greensboro's skyline, Roy Caroll's hotel project across from the ballpark could end up being taller than 8-stories since he hinted the project could grow in size. That could mean anything from more hotel rooms to adding a mixed-use component such luxury apartments.

Edited November 27, 2013 by cityboi

[cityboi]

 

 

Some details about the proposed Wyndham hotel: 

• 8-stories.

• 180 rooms.

• Would be built on top of a 6-story parking deck at 200 S. Davie St.

• 2,500-square-foot fine-dining restaurant.

• 4,500 square feet of retail space.

• Elm Street Center would be incorporated into the hotel. Regency and Empire rooms would serve as conference space.

• The Elm Street Center building facade would get a face-lift.

• A new streetscape design to include a drop-off space for hotel guests and valet parking.

• Projected cost: $40 million.

 

 

Despite all the positive news, there will always be the naysayers. I read on a triad based forum where one poster said it would be either Roy Carroll's hotel project or the Wyndham that would get built and that both wouldn't get built, then he said the Wyndham needs to be in downtown High Point as oppose to downtown Greensboro which doesn't make sense. The naysayers point that downtown cant support that many hotel rooms but they fail to realize that Wyndham and Roy Carroll's hotel would cater to different kinds of travelers. While Greensboro has many hotel rooms across the city, there are a limited number of upscale/luxury rooms in Greensboro. There is a big difference between a Hampton Inn and a Wyndham hotel.