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Ravenscroft Project


hauntedheadnc

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  • 2 months later...

There are now renderings and a master plan available on the Development Mapper.

The elevations (of building 'b') show a building of a very similar in design to 12 South Lexington.

It took a while for me to figure out exactly what's going on with the site plan, but I think I get it now. There are five buildings. The entire development will be built on what seems to be one large parking deck, which will have just once entrance, accessible from Collier Avenue. There will be two new internal streets, between Ravenscroft and Collier. There will be a triangular plaza located where Collier and Ravenscroft come to a point, with the third side being defined by one of the internal streets. The grove of trees on the hill behind 120 Coxe will be kept as a "natural amenity area." Two new buildings (6 and 7 stories each) will face Banks Avenue, which will be given a streetscape treatment similar to Collier with Zona Village.

There will be lots of stairs and pedestrian paths to connect places where there are no streets.

Here is the site plan, with some colors added to illustrate.

Green is green space & the triangular plaza. Red are the new streets. Blue is the existing Ravenscroft. Gray is the parking deck entrance. Purple are the pedestrian connections.

ravenscroft.jpg

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Well, I like the plazas, although considering the architecture I doubt the plazas will be anymore inspiring or inviting. It looks to be another Charlotte or Raleigh-style "contemporary boring" set up. 12 S. Lexington writ large. I was really hoping for something that looked at least somewhat different from that building. Every damn thing Alberice has built downtown looks exactly alike, and Asheville really deserves better.

You'd think I would have learned by now not to get my hopes up. On paper the Ranvenscroft Project is a good idea, but without decent architecture it's just another leech, sucking up the appeal of everything else downtown without contributing to it in the slightest, just like 12 S. Lexington, 21 Battery Park, the Griffin Apartments, the Ellington, and every other boring, ugly, or boring and ugly project built or planned for downtown. Just what the hell is it going to take for developers to stop building this novocaine architecture?

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I do hope that the architectural styles of the buildings vary. If they only change the colors/materials but leave the design the same for every building, then that will be rather monotonous and not really ideal. I'd like to see a different architect design each building, but following the master plan above as far as the overall design of the building is concerned. Though that would probably make the project more expensive.

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I see what you're saying about the relative safety or blandness of these designs -- but what contemporary architecture -- in or out of North Carolina -- of a similar use and scale to these Asheville projects -- have you seen that floats your boat? Is there anything going up in Raleigh or Charlotte that's a better or more innovative design?

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I see what you're saying about the relative safety or blandness of these designs -- but what contemporary architecture -- in or out of North Carolina -- of a similar use and scale to these Asheville projects -- have you seen that floats your boat? Is there anything going up in Raleigh or Charlotte that's a better or more innovative design?
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  • 6 months later...

Just noticed that the architect's website has a bunch of 3d renderings. Every building really does look like a carbon copy of 12 South Lexington. Very urban. The site plan has a bit of a commie block vibe, but the large amount of retail kind of diminishes that. However, I'd definitely like to see some greater variety in architecture and materials.

RAV_20080205_01.jpg

RAV_20080205_06.jpg

RAV_20080205_11.jpg

RAV_20080205_12.jpg

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  • 10 months later...

Any updates on this one? Doesn't look like anything is happening there. The only action I've seen is that the vacant house on Banks/Collier seems to have turned into a homeless den. A few months ago I was out drinking and someone from Alexander Reagan said that they were working on that project now as a tie in to Zona.

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