Downtown Raleigh's Future

[carolina1792]

7 hours ago, RALNATIVE said:

Three? I was only aware of 1 or 2 proposed for Durham.

27-story tower, 25-story tower, and the mega-block site by Motorco will have a 20-story tower. Not sure if there's another tower planned soon. Still 3 towers will make a huge different in DTD. 

Edited January 8, 2022 by carolina1792

[nicholas]

14 hours ago, RALNATIVE said:

Three? I was only aware of 1 or 2 proposed for Durham.

27 story Novus tower replacing the South Bank building (plus a second tower at a later phase) which has been posted on a few threads here in the Triangle forum.  Another 27 story building called Durham Center II was just submitted, very early in the process but it appears to also be residential and will essentially be the second phase of the Duke Clinical Research tower development (where the rooftop garden currently is), and I believe its half of the parking deck will either be heavily updated or knocked down and rebuilt.  There are rumors of a 20+ story building on the YMCA site, and another 20+ story building within ATC2, plus the 18 story building at Geerhouse.

[carolina1792]

Another 40-story rezoning request on Glenwood South, this time on the west side of the street. Seaboard Station property is being rezoned to 20-stories. This the amount of development activity lately I can't keep up!

[carolina1792]

Holiday Inn Downtown property will be a Kimpton Hotel. Not sure if just a refurbishment or a new build out.  

[KJHburg]

4 hours ago, carolina1792 said:

Holiday Inn Downtown property will be a Kimpton Hotel. Not sure if just a refurbishment or a new build out.  

I would say a renovation because they are part of the IHG group of hotel brands.   Welcome to the Kimpton family Raleigh.  Asheville,  Charlotte and Winston already have hotels and they are  nice. 

https://raleighmag.com/2022/01/kimpton-raleigh/

Edited February 2, 2022 by KJHburg

[RALNATIVE]

5 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I would say a renovation because they are part of the IHG group of hotel brands.   Welcome to the Kimpton family Raleigh.  Asheville,  Charlotte and Winston already have hotels and they are  nice. 

https://raleighmag.com would say a renovation/2022/01/kimpton-raleigh/

I agree. You don't destroy buildings that are considered landmarks, if you're smart.

The best business move is to turn it into a high end hotel with upgraded finishes and amenities, and market it as a boutique Raleigh landmark hotel that is one of a kind.

Edited February 3, 2022 by RALNATIVE

[KJHburg]

the hotel is a landmark on the skyline for decades and decades.  upgrade the rooms increase the rates and service and people will flock there.  Holiday Inn brand does not fit that hotel it did when it opened but not now.  Holiday Inns belong out on I-440 or I-40.

speaking of downtown Raleigh what is currently UNDER construction  downtown besides 400H, the Hampton Inn HIlton Garden dual brand,  what other highrises are under construction now? 

[RALNATIVE]

39 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

the hotel is a landmark on the skyline for decades and decades.  upgrade the rooms increase the rates and service and people will flock there.  Holiday Inn brand does not fit that hotel it did when it opened but not now.  Holiday Inns belong out on I-440 or I-40.

speaking of downtown Raleigh what is currently UNDER construction  downtown besides 400H, the Hampton Inn HIlton Garden dual brand,  what other highrises are under construction now? 

This hotel has a great infrastructure to work with. Including the top floor restaurant. An upgraded boutique hotel in that location will make a killing.

Edited February 3, 2022 by RALNATIVE

[carolina1792]

1 hour ago, RALNATIVE said:

This hotel has a great infrastructure to work with. Including the top floor restaurant. An upgraded boutique hotel in that location will make a killing.

300 Hillsborough Street (property between this hotel and Dawson Street) will be developed--recently sold for $4 million about 3 months ago to the same group that bought the hotel . Anything over 15 stories will likely block all the decent views from the hotel.  

 

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

the hotel is a landmark on the skyline for decades and decades.  upgrade the rooms increase the rates and service and people will flock there.  Holiday Inn brand does not fit that hotel it did when it opened but not now.  Holiday Inns belong out on I-440 or I-40.

speaking of downtown Raleigh what is currently UNDER construction  downtown besides 400H, the Hampton Inn HIlton Garden dual brand,  what other highrises are under construction now? 

That's it. The Platform, the Acorn, and Seaboard are the only other major projects to break ground. North Hills/Midtown is sucking up all the development energy atm.  You won't see many other projects start until Q3. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by carolina1792

[carolina1792]

On 2/2/2022 at 8:33 PM, KJHburg said:

the hotel is a landmark on the skyline for decades and decades.  upgrade the rooms increase the rates and service and people will flock there.  Holiday Inn brand does not fit that hotel it did when it opened but not now.  Holiday Inns belong out on I-440 or I-40.

speaking of downtown Raleigh what is currently UNDER construction  downtown besides 400H, the Hampton Inn HIlton Garden dual brand,  what other highrises are under construction now? 

Apparently, RUSBUS 'phase 1' starts in April. Not sure the scope but I'm guessing that's the demolition and brownfield remediation phase. Once that's done it should be non-stop construction until 2025.

Edited February 4, 2022 by carolina1792

[KJHburg]

RUSBUS is how tall like 30 something floors?

[carolina1792]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

RUSBUS is how tall like 30 something floors?

435 feet. The highest residential floor is level 35 however the building is considered about '38 floors' according to GoTriangle. 

[carolina1792]

The Seaboard Station project (currently Logan's) calls for two 20-story residential towers connected to a 12 story Texas half-donut. 

 

 

[KJHburg]

Okay this is one high rise I am opposed to in downtown Raleigh.  The new owners of the Holiday Inn do want to tear it down.  I dont like that at all.

from the Triangle Biz Journal this morning

""The Holiday Inn hotel in downtown Raleigh, famous for its circular building, is set to be demolished by the property’s new owner, according to site plans provided to the Triangle Business Journal.  The landmark building’s departure would make way for a 20-story tower featuring a hotel, apartments, a parking deck and restaurant and retail space, the plans show. Tidal Real Estate Partners of New York bought the 1.3-acre property at 320 Hillsborough St. in November for $19.8 million, according to Wake County property records.  The site plans, provided to TBJ by Tidal Real Estate Partners, depict a new 697,655-square-foot building spanning both 300 Hillsborough St., currently a surface parking lot, and 320 Hillsborough St."" 

Not sure why the hotel could not be saved and new building built to the vacant lot to the right if facing the hotel.  

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/02/11/downtown-raleigh-holiday-inn-hotel-to-be-replaced.html

[jthomas]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

Okay this is one high rise I am opposed to in downtown Raleigh.  The new owners of the Holiday Inn do want to tear it down.  I dont like that at all.

from the Triangle Biz Journal this morning

""The Holiday Inn hotel in downtown Raleigh, famous for its circular building, is set to be demolished by the property’s new owner, according to site plans provided to the Triangle Business Journal.  The landmark building’s departure would make way for a 20-story tower featuring a hotel, apartments, a parking deck and restaurant and retail space, the plans show. Tidal Real Estate Partners of New York bought the 1.3-acre property at 320 Hillsborough St. in November for $19.8 million, according to Wake County property records.  The site plans, provided to TBJ by Tidal Real Estate Partners, depict a new 697,655-square-foot building spanning both 300 Hillsborough St., currently a surface parking lot, and 320 Hillsborough St."" 

Not sure why the hotel could not be saved and new building built to the vacant lot to the right if facing the hotel.  

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/02/11/downtown-raleigh-holiday-inn-hotel-to-be-replaced.html

Yes, it would be a shame to lose a landmark building that could be repurposed with a little vision. I suspect that the reason is parking - it seems all new developments these days are primarily car storage facilities with incidental uses for humans attached. Evidently it's too much to expect people to walk even a couple of blocks in an urban environment to get from where they park to their destination, so every new development has to have its own massive parking deck.

[Raleigh Walker]

While it's a shame that there will be yet another ugly parking deck, at least we get rid of this hideous eyesore of a building. I prefer it to Durham's eyesore (the NC Mutual prison building) but still happy to see it replaced. 

[Rufus]

What a shame. It's an iconic structure that is seen in many other cities. Always loved this building too. 

I'm hearing the reasoning behind demolition is because the shape of the building made making renovations harder. Sad to lose an icon. 

[carolina1792]

Yeah I expected them to add the apartment component but wasn't sure if the hotel was going to be demolished or if the project was multiple buildings or not. Looks like one massing from the images provided. The one in Austin was demolished recently too. 

[nicholas]

I don't get the hate for this building.  Is it the most beautiful tower in Raleigh?  No.  But it's unique and that's part of what makes a city fun to be in.

[carolina1792]

Downtown Raleigh Alliance will soon make a recommendation about creating a 'Social District' in downtown Raleigh. The scope is yet to be determined. I believe Durham will also follow suit as well. 

[carolina1792]

BizJournal reporting 401 Hillsborough Street property is being rezoned to 40 stories. One of several lots around Hillsborough Street that are seeking 40 story rezoning.  It won't be development for several years however. 

[RALNATIVE]

3 hours ago, carolina1792 said:

BizJournal reporting 401 Hillsborough Street property is being rezoned to 40 stories. One of several lots around Hillsborough Street that are seeking 40 story rezoning.  It won't be development for several years however. 

My guess is that the owner are locals who don't quite have the funding to develop anything, but rather will hold the property to capitalize on appreciation when a big NY firm comes along with deep pockets.

[Bolt]

The Holiday Inn needs to be demolished.  If any of you have ever seen the service areas of this building you would be shocked.   It is completely disgusting.  The mild makeover back in 2014 covered the guest area nastiness with some new paint and carpet but that’s it.     Concrete problems, water leaks, lack of any maintenance.   The elevators are original and only work about 50% of the time. Should have been torn down a decade ago.  Nothing iconic about this place.  

[Raleigh Walker]

2 hours ago, Bolt said:

The Holiday Inn needs to be demolished.  If any of you have ever seen the service areas of this building you would be shocked.   It is completely disgusting.  The mild makeover back in 2014 covered the guest area nastiness with some new paint and carpet but that’s it.     Concrete problems, water leaks, lack of any maintenance.   The elevators are original and only work about 50% of the time. Should have been torn down a decade ago.  Nothing iconic about this place.  

I agree...I keep seeing people comment that it's a Raleigh icon and a landmark and I'm like ??? It's an ugly hotel chain and there are multiple across the country. We can do better. 

[Rufus]

2 hours ago, Raleigh Walker said:

I agree...I keep seeing people comment that it's a Raleigh icon and a landmark and I'm like ??? It's an ugly hotel chain and there are multiple across the country. We can do better. 

I think it is the novelty of interesting architecture that isn't just a glass box. Trust me, I know that the bones of the hotel are pretty crusty. That still doesn't change my opinion that it is a piece of Raleigh history and iconography. I grew up with this hotel, so it's a piece of Raleigh that I knew disappearing. 

What I really want to elaborate upon is that the replacement building, as it is currently designed, is boring. Architecture in Raleigh is boring. There is no interesting architecture currently being built, and the city has allowed for the demolition of some of its amazing architectural history (modernist homes, etc.). I think the most interesting architecture currently being planned is the Civic campus, but even that is fairly staid and simple. And I get it. It's about economics and the payoff of development. You don't design for creativity. You design to make the most of your investment, which explains why the Peace/Seaboard Station plans look like North Hills, or the Smoky Hollow stuff looks like South End Charlotte, or why we have clunky 20 story buildings like 301 Hillsborough. It's just enough lipstick on an otherwise mundane building to make it interesting, and it doesn't really pay off. So, with the loss of the modernism of both the Holiday Inn and the modernist homes of the area, we aren't replacing it with anything interesting. 

Now, will this add more people to the streets, and enhance the pedestrian experience? I'll reserve judgment as plans and renderings are released. That's why I am not complaining about RUSBUS. It's at least going to add some vibrancy to the area...just like the Dillon did, and just like 1 & 2 Glenwood.