The "L" Building

[DwnTwnRaleighGuy]

I keep seing ads for office space for this project in the N&O and the TBJ, makes is seem all that much closer to building?

[Subway Scoundrel]

http://www.thelbuilding.com

I saw the ad in the Business section of the N&O. The ad makes one dig. Website is pretty simple. Just shows PDF of the brochure. Is this the building people are talking about on this post ?

[DwnTwnRaleighGuy]

http://www.thelbuilding.com

I saw the ad in the Business section of the N&O. The ad makes one dig. Website is pretty simple. Just shows PDF of the brochure. Is this the building people are talking about on this post ?

Yes, and thank you for the website!

[ericurbanite]

I am not sure if there is another post for this building I think I remember seeing one but couldn't find it. Anyhow I was driving in downtown today and saw the sign up for the L Building by Empire Properties.

Here is the link to the site:

"The L Building"

[rolly]

At first view, I'm taken aback by the harsh squareness of it, but it's clearly a clever way to get more out of a parking deck block! Bring it on!

Lots of nice retail also.

[ERJ170]

Nice building... very square.. retail space is cool but what about the residential spaces? What's going to make this building seem different from the rest in 5, 10, 20 years? There really isn't anything very unique about it.. I can see, in 10 years, it looking like all the other apts/condo buildings that make a city look old and boring.. it needs something unique.. some different..

but, that's just my opinion...

[Justin6882]

I think they cut the residential out of this project.

[urbanesq]

I think they cut the residential out of this project.

there's no residential listed on the website, but I really thought that at least half of this project was supposed to be condos. Maybe I made that up?

[Jones_]

The residential was axed some time ago. I agree with wanting to, well, not necessarily make everything unique but at least not making everything the same. While it is square I do not think it really resembles anything else downtown now too much...it has much more glass and i think will have opening windows....also one thing a box does is get the building up on the street nicely, and street presence is the most important part of an urban building imo.

[ChiefJoJo]

Indeed, Empire axed the residential around the beginning of '07 when they figured the condos wouldn't work out... the implication was that the open space requirements in the Downtown Overlay District (DOD) precluded the condos from working financially... there was a big push from Empire and a few councilors to remove the open space requirements from the DOD as a result. Condos would have been better for this site, but what we have is much better than a blank parking deck wall--something we have too much of DT already.

[Rascal]

Yeah the 'open space' has been an issue for DTR residential, even though balconies and lobbies count as open space. Another factor was the efficiency- the space is very narrow since it wraps a parking deck, so there was only room for a single-loaded corridor of condos.

[ChiefJoJo]

Yeah the 'open space' has been an issue for DTR residential, even though balconies and lobbies count as open space. Another factor was the efficiency- the space is very narrow since it wraps a parking deck, so there was only room for a single-loaded corridor of condos.

We have to determine what "open space" is meant to provide... public spaces? hallways? courtyards? pools? rooftop gardens? We have the squares at Nash and Moore, plazas, and we have the sidewalks... I believe the city should do whatever it can to promote quality, dense development in the downtown area and to that end the code should be more flexible to deal with projects that might use shared open space. Maybe we ought to give smaller footprint (<0.5 acre?) residential projects an exemption from this requirement, as it would seem those would be the most difficult to develop... off-street parking is another issue that must be dealt with, and I know the city is looking at it.

[ChiefJoJo]

From today's N&O:

Empire also is working on The L Building a few blocks northwest of The Lafayette. Construction on that 133,000-square-foot office and retail building is to begin in the spring and finish in 2009.

[JeffC]

Equipment on site this morning and some excavation/grading/staking out is going on...Perhaps the preliminary site engineering investigation work (looking for unpleasant surprises that might pop up later, like granite outcroppings and pockets of unanticipated pollutants) for the Spring construction start?

[ncwebguy]

Is the L building and the parking deck it surrounds one project or two, like PE II's parking deck and then Palladium Plaza after?

Wasn't Kings leveled so they could use it as a staging area for building the deck? If the deck and building were to be built at the same time, they could have kept Kings open till November or December?

[ChiefJoJo]

Is the L building and the parking deck it surrounds one project or two, like PE II's parking deck and then Palladium Plaza after?

Wasn't Kings leveled so they could use it as a staging area for building the deck? If the deck and building were to be built at the same time, they could have kept Kings open till November or December?

I'm fairly sure that the parking deck is a priority for the county, as any delays will hold up the demo of the old county Martin St deck and the construction of the new Justice Center next to the monolith that is the county jail. IIRC they wanted to begin that project in mid-late 2009, so the new deck and demo of the old deck would need to be complete within the next two years.

I'm not certain, but I would think they could start on the deck and build the office portion later. If the paper is right, that could be the case, with construction beginning spring 2008. We'll see.

[ChiefJoJo]

Construction is underway:

[cophead567]

Full steam ahead on this one. Looks like we'll see a crane going up soon.

[DanRNC]

Is there anything planned for the surface lot across the street? It seems like a complete waste of property.

[RDUairport]

Is there anything planned for the surface lot across the street? It seems like a complete waste of property.

The surface lot across the street would be a great location in my opinion to build a nice size building. I don't know how it would exactly impact the skyline but im sure it would look good while helping to branch away from fayetteville street.

[ChiefJoJo]

Is there anything planned for the surface lot across the street? It seems like a complete waste of property.

I agree. The Enterprise lot has been discussed before as one of the prime choice locations for a potential high-rise. I don't know of any plans, but with the location it's just a matter of time.

[Jones_]

Copheads crane was most of the way up on the way to work this morning. I expected Hue to have one too (unless its built like 222 was then we only get a boom crane), and Reynolds will too....should be a nice cluster of cranes.

[DPK]

Copheads crane was most of the way up on the way to work this morning. I expected Hue to have one too (unless its built like 222 was then we only get a boom crane), and Reynolds will too....should be a nice cluster of cranes.

Just drove by and it looks all up now. I turned the corner and saw it looming overhead, a good portion hanging over Davie itself. Surprised me to the point where I had to pull over and just gawk at it for a while in joy. I think there could be a good viewing angle if you are at the intersection of Cabarrus and Dawson facing east. If you look toward the northeast in your car you will have a view of the L's crane and then the RBC crane above that on the horizon.

[DPK]

I don't know if this has been posted yet, but it appears 2 floors on one side of the building are leased already facing McDowell Street.

source:

http://www.thelbuilding.com/available.htm

[cophead567]

Driving into DT from south saunders you can see the crane very easily. Shows you that if the L building was a lot taller it would make a big impact on the money shot. Although I'll take a parking deck wrapped in offices and shops any day. Good to hear that space is already being leased.