Powerhouse Plaza

[urbanesq]

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/storie.../01/story1.html

Saw this in the TBJ but hadn't seen it posted here (I trust the moderators to put this in a prior thread of one exists and I missed it somehow)

Looks like a cool project, and another toward soldifying Glenwood South as a true 24-7 urban neighborhood.

[Jones_]

Thats a new one to me. Its right accross the street from Napper Tandys. Good scale and proposed use for the building but the block is already filled with leased and attractive buildings. I would rather see a parking lot or car dealership bite the dust. Actually that yellow brick building is pretty cool imo. I know we need the hotel rooms for the frat boys but....

[ChiefJoJo]

^Jones, I agree. As I was reading, I was hoping they were talking about the back of the property where the 42nd St satellite parking lot is located. I really kind of like those two buildings that front Jones St... I think one houses a law firm. I've always felt that little stretch of Jones St from Glenwood to West is my one of my favorites in Raleigh due to it's human-scale feel and small core of historic, urban buildings.

map it.

[ncwebguy]

The parking lot and other space between the tracks and the buildings already on Jones should be used. With this space being right across the tracks from the potential TTA's Government station stop, why are they only thinking about a 10 story building? They could be at least in the Quorum's range. They would be in the downtown overlay district and get a residential density bonuses for being close to the rail station and the street level retail.

Or have developers given up on TTA coming through there and are now building for a non-mass transit downtown?

[plus2]

The parking lot and other space between the tracks and the buildings already on Jones should be used. With this space being right across the tracks from the potential TTA's Government station stop, why are they only thinking about a 10 story building? They could be at least in the Quorum's range. They would be in the downtown overlay district and get a residential density bonuses for being close to the rail station and the street level retail.

Or have developers given up on TTA coming through there and are now building for a non-mass transit downtown?

I think it's not taller because there is no residential. They could add condos or apartment with the density bonuses you mentioned. Apart from residential I think the amount of hotel and office space makes sense for that part of downtown.

I also think mass transit in that part of the city is inevitable, but that's another story.

[dmccall]

Cross Williams and Bob Winston grew up next door to each other. That the two of them are each getting into the downtown game is a signal that the dam has broken.

[Gard]

Cross Williams and Bob Winston grew up next door to each other. That the two of them are each getting into the downtown game is a signal that the dam has broken.

Good. I hope they turn the development faucet on all the way and let the good quality developments flood in!

[Jones_]

My neighbor works for Cline and she said the word in her office is that project is a go. Timetables less sure of though. Will see. Cline would be taking 2 floors.

[CHGuy]

The Site Plan for this project has been submitted to the city for approval.

http://www.raleighnc.gov/publications/Plan...n/SP-012-08.pdf

[orulz]

Nice. The West/Harrington area east of Glenwood South is turning out to be the "next frontier" for the expansion of downtown. I think 4 curb cuts is a bit excessive, though one of them will be "screened" and only used for picking up refuse.

I see what Chief and Jones are saying about the area's human scale, and I agree that the little yellow building is kind of neat, but other than the yellow paint job, neither one is particularly distinctive, and neither one does very much from a streetscape perspective. This is a case where I, personally, would welcome the new development.

I wonder what will happen with that last house that's sitting there along West Street. Will they demolish it, or move it?

[RaleighRob]

^According to that site plan, it's gone.

[Transplant]

Looks like another great project for DT. Hopefully the building will be distinctive in some way.

-edit spellin'.

[ChiefJoJo]

The project now has a name according to the siteplan: "Powerhouse Plaza"

By the numbers:

• 10 stories
  
• 1st floor retail, 2-5 floors office, 6-10 floors hotel (w/rooftop bar)
  
• 134 rooms
  
• 207k sf
  

Looks like the parking deck is in the rear of the bldg (internal to the block--which is good). Here's an aerial view of the existing bldg cluster.

This bldg (which I rather like) on the corner of Jones & West houses a law firm:

This is just north of the law firm:

This is the bldg on the far Se corner of hte block opposite Quorum Center at Harrington & Jones:

I wonder what will happen with that last house that's sitting there along West Street. Will they demolish it, or move it?

This is the little house--I hope it's moved elsewhere:

I'm not sure about this how I feel about this one. If there are two things swaying me to support it, they are access future rapid transit (this is very close to the Govt Ctr station), and potentially moving that house. I am impressed how they moved from conception last fall to a site plan submittal in Jan. Many projects that have been proposed (Winston, York, One Glenwood) are waiting it out I suppose. If Cline plans to take 2 floors of office like Jones says,, that makes this project all the more viable, since growth in the hotel market will likely be strong, even as the housing/condo market suffers a bit.

[Jones_]

This project has alot of pluses...the area needs a hotel, its mixed use, Quorum could use company, close to the transit stop, but crap crap crap, I see more than one parking lot right behind it...why tear down better than just viable, cool buildings in good repair with tenants when there are so many freakin' parking lots still around. Part of the charm of Powerhouse square is the the low-rise historic character the predominates.....while the proposal is still a good one, the character of this corner will change. Also I wonder if the City plans to punch Lane street through for access since Jones St is only one-way out of the area from Harrington.

[orulz]

I mean - I look at these buildings, and I see that they're old (1905 and 1910 according to county records), but beyond that I don't really see much other than utilitarian, rectangular boxes. They're human scaled, but they frankly aren't very interesting and aren't particularly great participants in the urban streetscape at that. I'm a little bit conflicted because I'm usually in favor of historic preservation, but in this case (like the Winston buildings along Hillsborough) I can understand how incorporating the land these buildings are on (the corner lots) makes for a better project.

I mean - I don't want to see every building like this in Raleigh torn down, but I'm just struggling to come up with a reason why these ones should not be.

[dmccall]

The site plan reveals that the building will house 4 stories of office space and a 134-room hotel on 5 stories. The structure will have an internal 397-space parking deck, an indoor pool, 7,684 square feet of ground-level retail, and a 4,969 square foot rooftop restaurant.

Also note that the siteplan is rotated 90deg to the right (East is at the top, North on the left)

Before I realized that the siteplan was rotated I was really excited that the buildings on the corner would be kept, but I'm a little disappointed that all of the structures we see now will be razed. If we keep at this we'll be like Charlotte; no old character buildings to speak of.

[Jones_]

They don't look like the pictures posted...they are very well maintained with green fabric awnings over those greenish windows. The first one is spanish mission in style like City Market, Red Hot and Blue and The Wilmont, though its modernized clearly. The second building is greatly modified and was incorporated into the 1st one, and is the least "cool" of the three...it has two bricked in windows, the space that was between the buildings is bricked in and what appears to have been a service bay is bricked in...I would guess it is a 1940's garage space nicely upfitted. The third one is probably older than the online date...I find those are wrong fairly often and 1910 is a common place holder to say "its old, we think but don't have date". I was thinking a little older between 1890 and 1900 based on the cornice and window arches but it could be 1910 too. Regardless, its older than City Market and the Montegue Building, same age as Carolina Trust in Fayetteville St...it represents the formative era for this corner of town....I do not need unique architecture to see a beautiful buidling I'd love to buy a milkshake in, or a fleece, or read a used book, or eat a mixed green salad or take a nap on a sofa by a south facing window....but thats just me, and you all know that by know

[Spatula]

None of the existing structures are architecturally interesting or fitting for the area, so I'm fine with building there. The parking lots will be gone soon enough.

[bsutton1]

Article in the N&O about Powerhouse Plaza and other future projects..

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/914433.html

[ChiefJoJo]

From the article, it says this will be a Hyatt brand, plus:

Financing won't be secured until the project makes its way through the city's approval process. Preliminary site plans were filed last week. Assuming that approval and financing come smoothly, the developer would begin construction in the summer and finish by early 2010.

Also a blurb about the Winston Hotels project that it will be complete by 2010 as well... along with the Hillsborough, a few blocks away.

[DwnTwnRaleighGuy]

From the article, it says this will be a Hyatt brand, plus:

Financing won't be secured until the project makes its way through the city's approval process. Preliminary site plans were filed last week. Assuming that approval and financing come smoothly, the developer would begin construction in the summer and finish by early 2010.

Also a blurb about the Winston Hotels project that it will be complete by 2010 as well... along with the Hillsborough, a few blocks away.

I just saw a picture of this project on the Downtown Raleigh Alliance website, can you download the picture for us?

[ChiefJoJo]

I just saw a picture of this project on the Downtown Raleigh Alliance website, can you download the picture for us?

Is this it?

[dmccall]

Nice work, Jojo. The newsletters since Nov I think can only be found by playing with the URL. At least they've stuck to their naming conventions. The project is discussed on this page.

[ChiefJoJo]

Nice work, Jojo. The newsletters since Nov I think can only be found by playing with the URL. At least they've stuck to their naming conventions. The project is discussed on this page.

From that newsletter:

Premiere Development Group of Charleston proposes to own and operate the upscale Hyatt Place Hotel, the first of its type in the Triangle area and the first within Hyatt

[Jones_]

As a composite, I always thought office/hotel worked better than residential/hotel, but there are plusses and minuses to each and like you said jojo its mostly a function of the market at the moment.....the mutual support of office/hotel is most of what I liked best about that combo though....where residential/hotel is more of an amenity sharing setup with concierge and restaurants being mutually used amenities. The Quorum office/residential, I think is still the only of its type downtown, though Site 1 and 630 North will also be that settup when completed. The only upside I see there is getting more market demand space for office and residential onto the same footprint....which is perfectly fine, just not quite as symbiotic.