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The "L" Building


ChiefJoJo

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update from the CAC mtg...

  • schedule driven by Wake Co Courthouse project--need deck open late 2008
  • they are considering an office component,
  • street retail along McDowell & Davie St

Hatem also mentioned that they are trying to keep the prices on the condos down as much as possible (looking at adding office space partly to reduce costs for the condos), so he recognizes the need to have these be semi-affordable.

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update from the CAC mtg...
  • schedule driven by Wake Co Courthouse project--need deck open late 2008
  • they are considering an office component,
  • street retail along McDowell & Davie St

Hatem also mentioned that they are trying to keep the prices on the condos down as much as possible (looking at adding office space partly to reduce costs for the condos), so he recognizes the need to have these be semi-affordable.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but aren't we lucky to have him around. I don't know of anyone with any more awareness of what Raleigh wants and needs more than Hatem. I hope that the next 2 years are at least adequate for him financially so that he can continue this hobby of his. :thumbsup:

Thanks for going Jojo. I wanted to go but needed a big break from things tonight. It's been a rough road over the last few weeks. Did you get any pictures? Was the N&O there?

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Nah, just a neighborhood CAC mtg. I wouldn't have gone for just one project, but I got three for the price of one! No camera, sorry--didn't think ahead.

One more thing worth mentioning... the architect said that we should thank Wake County for this development, because without their push for the developer involvement, this would just be a big 9-story parking garage. Now we get a nice bldg with a deck hiding behind it.

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I wanted to go to the Central CAC meeting last night, but I already had dinner plans elsewhere.

It is good to see that developers wanted to get community input and approval for the projects -- Nash, Reynolds, and Wake County. I want to echo the importance of this project in particular -- a parking deck has become a building, *and* office space may be used to make residental units somewhat affordable!

Hopefully other developers will see how this is not only possible, but a better option than parking decks that interrupt the fabric of downtown. Kudos to Wake County and Empire Properties for being good downtown partners. Hopefully this trend will continue with future projects.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just happened upon Empire's site and they have an updated webpage with some new info (more to come in a moment):

209 W. Davie Street (new name? or just address?)

In its latest real estate development project, Empire Properties is proud to collaborate with Wake County to create an innovative, combination mix-use building that will connect to a hidden parking deck. Located on Davie Street between McDowell and Dawson streets, this project combines a central downtown Raleigh location with superior access to I-40 and North Raleigh, particularly convenient for those who commute out of downtown. Residents will experience the downtown Raleigh lifestyle in this classic urban project, which includes 8,100 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

Available: Late 2008; taking reservations soon

209WDavie.jpg

Davie-McDowell-RaleighNC-6s.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Wake Co commissioners approve new design for deck/condos.

meeting agenda with description.

The scope of the parking deck part of the project has increased from 832 parking spaces to 989 spaces... it's had to make out exactly why, but I think it's because of the King's or other block property (Trotter Parcel ?)--that it may be redeveloped in the future, so they want to build parking into this plan first.

link to the new designs... looks like they got rid of the balconies--it's more sleek looking. Go ahead and post a pic from that pdf if you can--not sure how.

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link to the new designs... looks like they got rid of the balconies--it's more sleek looking. Go ahead and post a pic from that pdf if you can--not sure how.

This seems to have gone unnoticed somehow, but the reason the balconies are gone, is that the residential component is gone. This is now an office / retail project. Mixed feelings on that one.

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This seems to have gone unnoticed somehow, but the reason the balconies are gone, is that the residential component is gone. This is now an office / retail project. Mixed feelings on that one.

Ah, knowing that, mixed feelings for me as well. I wonder if they would have been more affordable, but I have my doubts.

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No residential! WHAT?!?!? Bad news.

Can anybody describe what angles both of those renderings are from? I'm having a hard time putting them into perspective.

I think cophead's first picture is looking away from the Wake County Justice complex, south down McDowell.

The second picture is looking north along McDowell from the new convention center towards the justice complex (you can see a piece of it on the right side of the picture.

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No residential! WHAT?!?!? Bad news.

I think cophead's first picture is looking away from the Wake County Justice complex, south down McDowell.

The second picture is looking north along McDowell from the new convention center towards the justice complex (you can see a piece of it on the right side of the picture.

Ah, so is this going to be on the opposite side of McDowell Street from the Convention Center? I was thinking it was going to be across the street from Kings/Pooles and that they are tearing down Kings in order to use that as a staging area for the construction. But from the perspective I'm seeing, its going to be on the actual Kings location?

What you are saying does make sense, since in the first picture traffic is oncoming and in the second picture traffic is going away from the view.

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Well, Empire's website still says taking reservations...I do see the note on the plans....anything more telling than that?

Also noticed that Pooles is not shown in the rendering against the south wall like it should be. I can live without Kings but Pooles is one of a kind and not easily recreated in some new schlock-like commercial space....

I like the look of thd building...fits into the scheme of 'Convention District'....another hotel on the Enterprise site to further enhance this quasi district perhaps?

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I guess it's a good infill project. I'd like to see it with a story or two (at least) of residential (apts preferred). I think there is a demand for that. As for the design, it's ordinary, but clean and modern. This area will definitely need a new hotel to support the CC and downtown in general. Good project, not outstanding.

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Yeah, I totally missed the whole residential to office thing...

Here's my post from the CAC meeting in Jan:

update from the CAC mtg...
  • schedule driven by Wake Co Courthouse project--need deck open late 2008
  • they are considering an office component,
  • street retail along McDowell & Davie St

Hatem also mentioned that they are trying to keep the prices on the condos down as much as possible (looking at adding office space partly to reduce costs for the condos), so he recognizes the need to have these be semi-affordable.

One thing that I now recall from the meeting that I didn't think was that important at the time was how Empire's architect mentioned issues the ratio of leasable/sellable residential space to total floor space (I know there's a term for that). Normally when you develop a residential building, you have a hallway/common area (not leaseable/sellable) that is bounded on TWO sides by condo units. This arrangement dictates only one side would be leasale/sellable space with the other side being the parking deck wall, similar to Palladium Plaza. I guess they couldn't make the condo pricing affordable enough to make it a viable residential project. I was really hoping for a residential project, but at least it does have street retail and this is certainly better than just a huge parking deck.

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Poole's is still standing in the renderings. It is somewhat visible in the second picture. Poole's awning is on the left edge, above the car coming into frame in the lower right corner. Where Kings is now is the space behind that "tree" from the awning to the south edge of the deck. Hopefully McDowell will be "straightened" when the CC opens in early/mid 08, making the second picture dated.

I know the costs go up as each floor is added, making buildings not worth doing between six and ten stories. So if there was a residnetial compoenent, it would have had to go up even higher. I think this would have been a good place to go higher with the deck and building wrapped around it, but the county and devleopers probably know more than I do. I hope the retail goes along Davie to connect the Warehouse District.

Maybe there are plans for apartments and/or condos on the west side of the block, fronting Dawson? Or on the north side of Davie, in place of Turn Key Tire, Mort's trophies, and Firestone.

I still would like to see the Enterprise lot redevloped as a hotel/deck with Enterprise coming back as a street level retail tenant and the cars stored in the deck.

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I still would like to see the Enterprise lot redevloped as a hotel/deck with Enterprise coming back as a street level retail tenant and the cars stored in the deck.

Very interesting.. great idea. I understand that is a high-traffic location (know a friend who was a former manager). It sounds like a great fit.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Pooles is the building to the right/north still standing. The Tire Gallery is the white building closest to Cabarrus.

They are also clearing out behind the two remaining buildings -- between them and what used to be the Coca-cola bottling plant/Button South/The Warehouse/Gemini (red brick building in the upper left of the picture) for the Cabarrus Street entrance to the parking structure.

This should probably go in the Kings thread, but has anyone heard if they're going to open up somewhere else yet?

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