Fuquay Varina - Proposed downtown mixed use project

[RaleighHeelsfan]

Has anyone heard about the huge mixed use project that is being proposed in downtown Fuquay? (Not Varina)

http://www.todayinthequay.com/

Go down to where it states, "The Downtown Fuquay mixed use proposed layouts from tonight's meeting. Options A & B." Then click on the photo

This looks huge! I just can't believe it is real. Anyone know anything about this project?

Can someone possible post the Photos here from that link? I am at work and cannot access facebook.

Edited May 11, 2017 by RaleighHeelsfan

[Green_man]

[RaleighHeelsfan]

Thanks Greenman,

Those numbers just don't match one building IMO. I saw another rendering showing it will be a two story building. No way. 400 parking places? 260 residental units??? 27K retail? Any thoughts? There has to be a parking deck somewhere?

I live across the freaking street from this!

[Jones_]

The parking deck is wrapped inside the outward facing units on option B and in the upper right on option A. I guess the police department is relocating....?

Also, I love Fainting Goat Brewery...maybe we already talked about this ha...

[RaleighHeelsfan]

18 minutes ago, Jones_ said:

The parking deck is wrapped inside the outward facing units on option B and in the upper right on option A. I guess the police department is relocating....?

Also, I love Fainting Goat Brewery...maybe we already talked about this ha...

Yeah, I am at Fainting Goat all the time! lol

So how many stories will this be? Does those numbers make sense with only a 2 story building (Not sure how tall it is supposed to be)

Yeah, I was wondering about the police department too. How the heck did I miss this meeting?? Guess because I was at Myrtle beach all week and only got back yesterday. I had not even heard about this till now.

[Jones_]

I assume the massing layer cakes are supposed to represent floors...looks like up to 7 (option A looks like 6 residential sitting on one commercial), with fewer facing Fuquay Ave...looks like 4 in both options facing that direction. 

So wondering...are you excited? Concerned? This sort of megablock apartment building going up in a small Wake County downtown I think is a first. Could be potentially very good for downtown Fuquay I am thinking....?

[RaleighHeelsfan]

16 hours ago, Jones_ said:

I assume the massing layer cakes are supposed to represent floors...looks like up to 7 (option A looks like 6 residential sitting on one commercial), with fewer facing Fuquay Ave...looks like 4 in both options facing that direction. 

So wondering...are you excited? Concerned? This sort of megablock apartment building going up in a small Wake County downtown I think is a first. Could be potentially very good for downtown Fuquay I am thinking....?

Well, of course there are concerns. 1 being traffic. The traffic is horrible as it is. On the way home I often get cycled through one downtown stoplight like 5 times (no joke) the one at CVS pharmacy.

2. The design will hopefully fit in with the historic surroundings. I heard they said it would in the meeting. I hope they use good building materials and no stick. You know how all that goes though.

3. The building would be two blocks directly across from my house. I know the value of my house will go up (it already is like crazy)...but so will the taxes! I am scared to get priced out of my own hood.

But you are right. If this gets built, will certainly be a first of its kind. Bold of FV to even go for it. I am also excited about the potential of more food, breweries and pubs coming downtown!

Again, only in the first stages. So you bet your bottom dollar I will not miss any more meetings!

Edited May 12, 2017 by RaleighHeelsfan

[Jones_]

It won't help through traffic, but at least they are connecting Jones Ave (lovely name for an avenue...) to Main for a little help.

I hope its a good design too, but I am 100% sure the pedestal will be concrete and the residential above it will be stick. Your best hope is that the facade is all hard surface (no EIFS). Actually I think some modern looks would be fine too, Google maps doesn't have the complete building shown, but this guy in Philly has all black where you see the green and it is both modern looking yet fits in well in this historic area (Fishtown in this case). 

The property tax system has crap consequences. Mine just went up 200 a month. A few years ago my rent wasn't much more than that. 

Interesting times. 

[orulz]

I was wondering when Fuquay would see something like this. Quite a nice little downtown. I am surprised we haven't seen a proposal like this for Apex yet which has probably the liveliest suburban downtown in Wake County.

There is something of relatively similar scale in the works in Cary. Cary's downtown was a complete non-event a couple years ago, but with a population of over 150,000, they've been able to throw some fairly significant resources at livening it up - Academy Street rebuild, downtown park, Arts center, Cary theater - all of which finally seem to be having the desired effect.

[RaleighHeelsfan]

Looks like F-V wants more than one 4-6 story building lining the streets! Very bold and aggressive for such a small town!

 

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/southwest-wake-news/article150590207.html

[orulz]

Is there a developer for this land who is making these proposals, or is this just the town studying possibilities? If the latter, it may take a while for this to get realized, but nevertheless I wish the town of F-V the best of luck.

[Jones_]

Pardon my transit corridor ignorance, but could Fuquay's existing rails ever be part of a future regional or light rail configuration in Wake County? I guess I mean are planners thinking about Fuquay or is it considered too far outside the densest areas. 

[RaleighHeelsfan]

4 hours ago, orulz said:

Is there a developer for this land who is making these proposals, or is this just the town studying possibilities? If the latter, it may take a while for this to get realized, but nevertheless I wish the town of F-V the best of luck.

I think the latter. But they have put a lot of time and money into it. There are actually a lot of developers out there that like to go into small towns and help transform them. (Wilson is one) (They have a warehouse revitalization mixed use project underway)

Fuquay has a lot more going for them than Wilson does. So we will see. I agree, I am thinking 2022 for earliest completion date. Just a wild guess.

1 hour ago, Jones_ said:

Pardon my transit corridor ignorance, but could Fuquay's existing rails ever be part of a future regional or light rail configuration in Wake County? I guess I mean are planners thinking about Fuquay or is it considered too far outside the densest areas. 

I think Orulz can answer that one. If I remember right he is the rail expert?

However, I believe Fuquay is on one of the potential future lines?? I remember reading something here about a line going all the way to Fayetteville one day and the route could be through the Quay?

[ctl]

Yes in theory the railroad line in F-V could be used for commuter trains. The line currently is a slow freight line, and it would take considerable $$ to bring it up to passenger standards. There would also have to be a tie-in for the new Union Station. 

But my guess is there's a lot more pressure for commuter trains Durham-RTP-Morrisville-Cary-Raleigh-Garner-Clayton-Selma-Goldsboro. Or even Wilson-Zebulon-Wendell-Knightdale-Raleigh.

[orulz]

Two ways via rail to F-V: The 'direct' way, which goes via Wake Tech and really not much else, and the way via Cary,  Apex, Holly Springs, and the abandoned Durham & Southern line, so much of which has been built over to make it impractical.

Unfortunately, the above combine to make rail service to F-V not very likely, and a lower priority than than rail in pretty much any other direction.

[Jones_]

Cool. Thanks for the various thoughts. I had visions of Quay being a sweet mid density urban rail stop. With its two downtowns it has a unique chance to evolve into something pretty cool...it's pretty cool already. Of the "small" Wake towns (meaning not Raleigh or Cary), I think it as the third best downtown....Apex, then Wake Forest, then Fuquay. That's pretty good company to be in there Quay. I realize Holly Springs, Garner and Morrisville are larger now, but they have almost no historic downtowns and not much still today. 

[Isaac]

 

This map shows Fuquay as a possible rail destination.

[ctl]

Most extant railroad lines in the Triangle are marked in solid blue or dotted blue, including the line that runs from Raleigh to F-V (and on to Lillington and Fayetteville).  I wouldn't read too much into that.

Edited May 20, 2017 by ctl

[RaleighHeelsfan]

More goodness for Fuquay 

 

https://www.ourstate.com/like-a-local-fuquay-varina/

[Jones_]

 

19 hours ago, RaleighHeelsfan said:

More goodness for Fuquay 

 

https://www.ourstate.com/like-a-local-fuquay-varina/

I always love Fuquay's two town history. Wake Forest also, used to be three towns (Royal Mills, Forestville and Wake Forest) Even further away, Eden used to be three as well...I am sure there are others...anyway, always a fun footnote to me...

[RaleighHeelsfan]

I did not know that about Wake Forest. Never been downtown. I might go this weekend to check it out (and the brewery, lol)

Besides...Balloon fest is in F-V this weekend...it will be a nightmare because of traffic.

Cool thing is the festival is right behind our neighborhood so you can sit in our yard and see them fly over...close up!

We should have a official thread for all Wake co towns to talk about what is going on. What do ya'll think?

[Jones_]

3 hours ago, RaleighHeelsfan said:

I did not know that about Wake Forest. Never been downtown. I might go this weekend to check it out (and the brewery, lol)

Besides...Balloon fest is in F-V this weekend...it will be a nightmare because of traffic.

Cool thing is the festival is right behind our neighborhood so you can sit in our yard and see them fly over...close up!

We should have a official thread for all Wake co towns to talk about what is going on. What do ya'll think?

I spent my adolescence in Wake Forest and graduated from High School there. Downtown is a cute-ish little two blocks. Also most the the old Wake Forest University buildings are still there in the area behind the stone wall. It has several pre-civil war houses and a walk up north Main St is very pretty (the original plantation house the school was founded in was moved to north Main too). The center of the old town of Forestville is at south Main and Forestville road. There is a pre-civil war church and about 4 old houses three of which are pre civil war. The original train stop for Wake Forest University students was here (the tracks are 100 yards east of Main St) and they had to walk a mile to campus. Royall Mill was just a mill and its mill town. It is centered on Mill St off north Main (you have to drive another tenth of a mile past the village to get to the actual mill which sits sort of in a small valley). The mill is still there and used as apartments and the original mill store is just outside the south fence as well. Quite a few mill houses remain and two churches from the era. 

So there you go...first Wake Forest thread post...

[RaleighHeelsfan]

Going to try Wake Forest next weekend!

Ok, question. I found this on the F-V website:

"Construction is underway for a 15 unit townhome development to be located in downtown Fuquay on the corner of Spring Avenue and Vance Street, at 208 Spring Street."

This is the street right across from mine. I cannot find anything about these townhomes. I would like to know what they will look like, building materials etc. Dirt has already been moved. Does anyone know how I can find out more about this project? I am worried they will have cheap materials. I am hoping for something nice so my property value continues to rise fast.

They are called "The Spring Townhomes"

Edited May 26, 2017 by RaleighHeelsfan

[Jones_]

I Couldn't dig up any website or Town planning stuff that gives details, but I did notice in this general area (as an aside) that there is a decent amount of road right of way in hand according to this google map. It would extend the downtown area west a little bit if they ever put those street extensions in. 

[RaleighHeelsfan]

What do u mean by extensions?  Just trying to get a mental image.