[Raleigh-NC]

[Disclaimer: I have been updating the list below every time something new comes up. Some of the things I say may not make sense, so please focus primarily on the list and ignore the rest of the content.]

Downtown Raleigh has surprised many of us during the last few years with several projects that promise to make downtown a livable and desirable place. Successful revitalization efforts have converted several areas of downtown into destinations, placing them at the top of our "areas to watch" list. There was a short period of time when announcements came out as if the sky was the limit (in terms of numbers, not height).

By far, the largest project was Two Progress Plaza's 19-story tower, which is currently hosting many of the company's employees; I am not sure whether the HQ were actually relocated into that building. The importance of this project can be easily demonstrated by the announcements of many more plans, some of which are nearing completion. The list of projects keeps growing, mainly thanks to residential infills that replace surface lots and underutilized space. So, allow me to provide a list of what's coming up:

RECENTLY COMPLETED:

• Quorum Center - 15 stories (mixed-use); information on the web site is not up-to-date.
• Paramount - 10 stories (residential).
• The Hudson - 5 stories (residential w/ street-level retail/restaurant/TV station).
• Carlton Plaza - 3 stories (residential w/ street-level retail).
• Reopening of Fayetteville Street (Phase 1).

UNDER CONSTRUCTION:

• RBC Plaza and RBC Plaza Condos- 32 stories/538ft (mixed-use).
• Convention Hotel - 16 stories (hospitality).
• West At North - 15 stories; 194 residential units and 17,000sf of retail space. Gregg Sandreuter is the developer.
• The Hue (former Nash) - 7 stories; 208 condo units (residential w/ retail/restaurants).
• 222 Glenwood - 117 units in 7 stories (residential w/ street-level retail/restaurant).
• Convention Center - 500,000 sf of space; something equivalent to 5-6 stories in height (convention).
• Bloomsbury Estates - Two 7-story mid-rises totalling 111 units (residential).
• Palladium Plaza - 5 stories (residential).
• 712 Tucker (former Raleigh Office Supply) - 175 residential units (condos and apartments) in 4 and 5 floors (residential).

APPROVED & PROPOSED:

• The Edison 1 (aka Block "B") - 38 floors (hotel, condos, retail).
• The Edison 2 (aka Block "B") - 24 floors (office, retail).
• Reynolds Tower I - 23 stories (residential/hotel/retail).
• Site 1 (North Tower) - 20 stories (mixed-use).
• Site 4/The Lafayette - 22 stories (boutique hotel, offices, condos, restaurant; at the surface lot enclosed by Lenoir/Salisbury/South streets).
• Clarence Lightner Public Safety Center - 15 stories of offices for the City of Raleigh's new headquarters facility for Police and Fire Departments.
• Site 1 (South Tower) - 14 stories (residential/retail).
• 630 North Street - 11 stories (residential/offices/retail). The top 7 floors will feature 48 residential condos. 2 floors of office condos, 2 floors of parking space, ground floor retail and 2 underground levels of parking.
• Boylan Flats - 5 stories (residential w/ street-level retail), totalling 9 units.
• The L-Building (Davie/McDowell Streets) - 7 stories (offices w/ street-level retail).
• Green Square - 5-6 stories (offices/museum).
• 111 Seaboard - 4 stories (residential w/ street-level retail/restaurants).
• The Glen on Peace - 4 stories (residential w/ retail).
• Franklin Street Plaza - 3 stories (residential w/ street-level retail/restaurants).
• Reopening of Fayetteville Street (Phase 2).

ENVISIONED:

• Sheraton atrium/414 Fayetteville Str- 25-30 stories (mixed-use).
• Winston Hotels - 25 stories (hotels/residential).
• Reynolds Tower II - 15 stories (offices).
• Martin/Wilmington streets - 20+ stories (residential w/ street-level retail and top-floor restaurant).
• Hillsborough Str/Glenwood Ave (SW corner) - 15-20 stories (residential).
• N&O Offices - 10-15 stories of office space for News & Observer (offices).
• Courthouse extension - 9 stories, but equivalent to 15 regular floors. It could go higher (offices).
• Contemporary Art Museum (residential tower) - 8-12 stories; 32-50 condo units and possibly 7,000 or office/retail space (residential w/ retail).
• David Allen Buildings - Empire Properties' proposal for an urban complex; something up to 10 stories (mixed-use).
• Metropolitan - 124 units in ~8 floors (residential).
• Hillsborough & St Mary's - Currently, a Capitol Broadcasting property. 150-200 units; possibly something around 5-6 stories (residential).
• Hillsborough & Boylan (SE corner) - another mid-rise; I do not foresee anything above 5 stories (residential).
• South Wilmington & Fayetteville - A new proposal, by Empire Properties, for a 5-6 story residential building and renovation of an existing art deco low-rise. Not exactly downtown, but the area will be incorporated into the core once development flourishes in the South End (mixed-use).
• Jones & St Mary's - Two 4-story buildings, totaling 40-50 units (residential).
• Intermodal Center.
• Riverwalk.

SMALL AREA PLANS - These plans guarantee a mixed-use environment with several mid-rises, low-rises, townhomes and single houses:

• Moore Square/City Market.
• Blount Street Commons.
• South End.
• Warehouse District/TTA planned station area.

All of the above projects justify the increasing excitement that Raleighites feel about their downtown. Even after the completion of these projects, however, DT Raleigh has a VERY long way to go before we can place it in pars with more established downtowns (e.g. Portland, Richmond, Austin). Our city does not play in the major league, where cities like NY, Atlanta and Seattle play; currently, we are a mid-size city, without a great vision and unable to see beyond 5-10 years. Raleigh is still searching for identity, beyond its status as the capital city of North Carolina, which makes things difficult.

Anyway, the purpose of this thread is not to make Raleigh look little and vision-less, but everyone needs to keep in mind that we don't shoot for the sky, something reflected on the numerous mid-rise projects listed above. Our skyline will get a boost when Quorum Center gets completed, along with the South End developments and the Reynolds Tower. If the latter gets delivered as DT Raleigh's new tallest tower, we may not see similar developments for a while, but we'll definitely see an increase in density, especially around the South End.

After looking at the above list (which is not necesarily complete), what are your thoughts about the future of DT Raleigh? Even though we have talked about this in the past, the list I posted should make it easier to follow the progress. Not included above are numerous mid-rises and low-rises that will emerge as the result of Small Area Plans becoming reality. I can easily see another 10-15 midrises being built, but to speculate on the height would be foolish. Let your imagination go wild and picture DT Raleigh for the next 5-10 years.

 

[Justin6882]

Thank you, Raleigh-NC, for putting this together. We've been without any major announcements for a while, and this will help tide me over. I don't see anything you've left off the list, however, are the Metropolitan and Bloosbury Estates really going to happen? Or did it end up a casualty of the post-9/11 economy forever?

I would love to see 4 or 5 30+ story buildings in downtown Raleigh, and the employees/residents to fill them up, but I don't see that happening either. I think if I had a wish list of three things off of your "Envisioned" category, I would choose:

Reynolds Tower (obvious reasons)
RBC Centura (Bring another HQ to downtown and possibly some height)
Either the boutique or Hilton (we need more hotel rooms downtown)

Thanks for the work you put into this list, it reminded me of a few things I had forgotten!

 

[Raleigh-NC]

Justin, I am glad the list helped you To answer your questions, Neither Metropolitan, nor Bloomsbury Estates I & II have been cancelled. In fact, the developers expressed interest to take another look into their visions and see if they can break ground later this year, or early next year. The problem with both projects is the uncertainty behind TTA's regional rail. Not to mention that the locations are not necessarily the best Many projects were stalled, with developers using 9/11 as the excuse, but in all honesty these projects were stalled before then. Which shows that interest for living and working in DT Raleigh was low before 9/11. If anything, 9/11 should have helped Raleigh to get 2-3 corporate relocations from NYC.

Your wish is my wish too I would have been satisfied if DT Raleigh was to gain 4-5 new towers above 30 stories, but we both know how hard this would be, at least for the next 10 years. Outside Reynolds & Reynolds' proposal for a new tallest - assuming it will happen - the norm for our downtown will be towers around 15 stories, which is ok with me, if they are placed properly. So far, the vision is solid, even though the towers that will replace both east and west wings of the current convention center are not tall enough to make a huge difference. The boutique hotel will most likely happen at least as envisioned (8+ stories), but the Hilton vision for Glenwood South will be something that has 50-50 chances.

The biggest challenge will be RBC/Centura. Speculations and rumors maintain that the bank will eventually move to DT Raleigh, but this is a very uncertain proposal until it happens. It is of extreme importance that RBC/Centura's leaders choose a location somewhere in DT Raleigh, and that they establish their HQ in a tower that will be visible from afar. A 12-story mid-rise may not provide them with the desired image, while a 15-story tower is a better proposition. Progress Energy has fought along with the city leaders to attract RBC/Centura, which makes me believe that the land will be provided by the former. Here is the catch: Progress Energy may offer one of the three parcels: 1) the surface lot next to Hudson, 2) the lot adjacent to One Progress Plaza (former site for the cancelled Lichtin Bldg proposal) and 3) North of Two Progress Plaza. Options 1 and 3 will be a disaster, mainly because those lots are the only ones that can hold something of considerable size (25+ stories). Option 2 will force RBC/Centura to go below 13 stories, mainly because of stupid limitations that Progress Energy put in place; it is an ego thing.

There is one more assumption: RBC/Centura may move into the proposed Reynolds Tower, which is great because the latter is not going to be limited to one company. If there are already enough tenants to occupy 10 floors (from what I heard), I cannot see why not RBC/Centura cannot take over another 15. Which will leave another 7-12 stories for residential/hospitality use - here is your 32-37 story tower. Of course, it is easy to speculate, and while some people even mentioned SunTrust's regional HQ move into the Reynolds Tower (doubtful, if you ask me), I am not certain what to believe. RBC/Centura cannot expand to its maximum potential at its current location, nor it can play where the big players already are. DT Raleigh (and Durham, why not?) may offer the opportunity for RBC/Centura to jump higher and stand taller than before.

There may be a dark horse, and I truly hope it proves to be: First Citizens Bank (FCB)... Their move to the outskirts of Raleigh was not the most brilliant move they ever made. Recently, they announced a move to North Hills, in a location that already hosts one of their buildings. The plan calls for an 80,000+ sf building, which will serve as the new HQ for FCB. What is going to be the next move? DT Raleigh, I would like to assume. Their abandoned plans for a georgeous 30-story tower was a huge mistake and I am sure they have realized it, although their time has not come yet to resurrect that project. Not that I strongly believe this, but the chance is still there. If city leaders get serious about corporate relocations, I don't see any company better than FCB to make the top of the list.

 

[orulz]

I agree, Thanks a lot for putting this list together, Raleigh-NC. Here are my comments:

Hillsborough & Oberlin - another mid-rise; I do not foresee anything above 5 stories (residential).

I hope this is going to be on the NCSU-owned surface parking or in place of the modern, suburban building with a parking lot out front. Don't tear down the 3-story Darryl's building, it's among a rare breed of historic, attractive buildings on Hillsborough. I'd much rather see that one redeveloped with retail/restaurant on the ground and residential above it.

Peace & Oberlin - 4 stories (residential w/ retail).

Er, there's no Peace/Oberlin intersection... do you mean Clark & Oberlin? If so, is this part of the long-promised but never-delivered residential component to Cameron Village? Or, are you talking about Oberlin Village, which is at Oberlin & Wade?

 

[Raleigh-NC]

OOOOPS!!!! I meant Hillsborough/Boylan and Peace/Boylan I will edit my original posting to reflect the correct addresses.

 

[Raleighmark]

Nice list. Thanks.

I really have high hopes for the Metropolitan. If they can make a residential building work in that location, I think it will make the land to the North and East of there more attractive for further residential development. I also think the location is a lot more attractive now than when it was first proposed. Nanas Chophouse, Humble Pie, and a few clubs have opened to extend West streets “scene” further South. Also the freight depot restoration, although unoccupied, holds promise. Two keys may be the TTA station being built, and West street being reconnected from Martin to Cabarrus Street as proposed in the Warehouse district small area plan. I also hope the convention center construction will help by showing vitality in the area.

There may be a dark horse, and I truly hope it proves to be: First Citizens Bank

I afraid you shouldn’t get your hopes up about First Citizens. I was devastated when they canceled their plans in downtown (for a while it looked like there might be three 30 story buildings going up at the same time). They own the former BTI building (the former former Cameron Brown building) plus the little round building across Lassiter Mill Road, a five story building that fronts Rowan Street, several of the houses on Camelot Drive (some already torn down). All of these lots are conterminous except one. I think they want to control the whole block bounded by Six Forks, Lassiter Mill, Camelot, and Rowan Streets except for the two bank buildings facing Six Forks. Along with the BTI building, that gives them quite a lot of property in an attractive location (across from the “New North Hills” plus the additional property that Kane has optioned close by). Also I don’t think they control the property on Fayetteville Street any more. (I almost typed Mall)


Orulz, I think Raleigh-NC means the corner of Peace and Boylan just North of the Paramount

 

[Flash]

Fantastic list Ernest. I was impressed by it in the email you sent yesterday.

 

[astro]

Thanks for your work on this Raleigh-NC. Great stuff. I am thinking about doing one for Greensboro if I can put enough peices of information together.

The RBC Centura possibility is interesting. RBC Centura has said that their #1 priority is to improve profitability. Whether that has anything to do with them possibly moving their headquarters I do not know. But I do believe it when they say that they will continue to keep a large footprint in Rocky Mount. My guess is that any shift toward Raleigh would be done in the most cost-effective manner, meaning that they would likely not invest anymore than they would have to. Leasing space in a new tower might be most suitable for them. Too bad they wouldn't consider Greensboro though, we don't have a bank of any real size.

 

[orulz]

Thanks for the clarification.

Hillsborough/Boylan

What a great location! Near Downtown, Glenwood South, within spittin' distance of the TTA station, and (best of all) right next to Char Grill. But before anyone builds on that corner, the city absolutely NEEDS to do something about that damned offset intersection... that's a pain in the butt to navigate and a traffic hazard to boot. There's more than enough space to realign it through the parking lots of the auto repair shops on the corner.

 

[uptownliving]

At this point my financial indutry sources say it is very likely that RBC will be bought by an out of state Bank...so you can basically forget about RBC Centura moving its HQ to Raleigh.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

Thanks, everyone!!! Let's hope that the list will be revisited and enriched within the next 12 months. I will certainly try to keep it alive with construction updates for these projects. Naturally, some of these developments will be finished and make room for new proposals.

@Raleighmark: Well said... Yes, the lot that FCB would have built their tower no longer belongs to them - Progress Energy owns it now, but I am not sure they know what to do with it. Their decision not to build a tower was definitely a bad one and I hope they will eventually understand the mistake they made. I won't hold my breath for FCB to move to DT Raleigh in the nearest future, but think about this: From South Raleigh, to North Hills in less than 10 years (if I remember correctly). Why not move to DT Raleigh within the next 10 years? A dream, of course, but nevertheless a nice one

@astro: Can't wait to see a big list of DT Greensboro projects. You guys may not get towers in the core, but there are lots of nice additions under way. I meant to ask for that list

@Flash: the list I sent you wasn't as accurate, but I am sure you got some better idea with the one I posted here. I think you will agree that even these projects won't be enough to make a huge difference in the fabric of downtown. They will give us, however, lots of material for construction threads

@orulz: That was a great image kay: I agree with you, that intersection is a great candidate for some major improvements. Maybe a traffic circle would help that area. Anyway, the city has been considering several roundabouts for Hillsborough Street, although I am not sure they will help the traffic by doing so. Maybe 2-3 roundabouts would make sense, and the intersection of Boylan and Hillsborough is most qualified. We'll see.

@uptownliving: I have honestly stopped counting much on RBC/Centura On the other hand, until it gets finalized, we still maintain some hope. Ask your sources if RBC may let Centura operate separately, or merge with a local bank. I find it hard to believe that RBC will be bought, unless you meant its Centura branch. Cross your fingers for a miracle. Who knows, maybe SunTrust will be interested, thus keeping Centura alive in this area. I mean, it is still an out-of-state bank, but their focus may remain in this region. Whether RBC/Centura or SunTrust/Centura, DT Raleigh may still have a chance. Of course, I am speculating...

 

[orulz]

@orulz: That was a great image kay: I agree with you, that intersection is a great candidate for some major improvements. Maybe a traffic circle would help that area. Anyway, the city has been considering several roundabouts for Hillsborough Street, although I am not sure they will help the traffic by doing so. Maybe 2-3 roundabouts would make sense, and the intersection of Boylan and Hillsborough is most qualified. We'll see.

I agree. A roundabout at Morgan/Hillsborough makes great sense to me. So does Hillsborough/Pullen/Oberlin. I can't really envision it anywhere else. I'd be leery about installing one at Hillsborough/Boylan because Hillsborough probably needs to be a four lane road at that point. Larger, two-lane roundabouts are confusing to navigate and take up too much space.

I think that a simple realignment of the intersection to remove the offset would be plenty.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

Actually, there is one more place where it makes sense: at the intersection where Reader's Corner and Sotos International garage are. That spot is designed just as badly and carries a lot of traffic. The city will have to take over some private properties, but there is no other way they can solve the problem. Now, the problem is that the NIMBY-driven effort to "revitalize" Hillsborough Street, while genuine, is also very short-sighted. These people want to convert a 4-lane road into a 2-lane road :no: Their idea of traffic calming is to reduce the amount of space used by cars and place roundabouts everywhere. Hopefully, the city will not go with that idea. If roundabouts are necessary, then four lanes must be used, otherwise the city must find better ways to "calm" the traffic... not that I think it is necessary.

Instead of placing roundabouts, the city should consider light rail along Hillsborough Street; maybe a turn on Morgan, through downtown and all the way to WakeMed Hospital. That line may prove to be more useful than most people think, especially if it connects with Rex Hospital. New Bern Ave may prove to be a great candidate for denser urban projects... Ooooops!!! I am daydreaming, again :lol:

 

[Raleigh-NC]

UPDATE: Bloomsbury Estates

About 15 minutes ago I received an email from a friend of mine, who is working as an architect for one of the major firms in the Triangle. He is always very cautious with words, modest and very careful about what he says... At least this is my evaluation of him. Anyway, he mentioned to me about a site currently used for CAT buses, at the intersection of Boylan & Hargett. Well, that is the site for Bloomsbury Estates. In his email he mentioned that the site will soon be cleared for construction and he also told me about a mixed-use mid/high-rise that will go there. Just for the record, this is what Bloomsbury Estates will look like:

The firm that designs this project is Perkins & Will from Chicago. They seem to have good reputation, considering their list of clients and the type of projects they undertake. I did not see anything that matches the above image, which leads me to believe that there is a chance we'll see something different, and possibly larger than what was planned earlier. I will not speculate on what may happen, but I will keep you posted for anything new.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

UPDATE: Bloomsbury Estates

This past weekend I passed by the site and I saw that the lot has been prepared for construction. It is official that instead of two buildings, there will be only one built. If what I saw in the flyer - at the DowntownRaleigh.com's Artsplosure booth, this weekend - is close to the final design, we are talking about a very elegant building, far superior to the image posted above. Anyway, I made a few changes to the above postings to reflect the updated information. I am not sure if a Bloomsbury Estates twin will actually be built later, but for now the plan is for a 5-story low-rise.

 

[orulz]

UPDATE: Bloomsbury Estates

This past weekend I passed by the site and I saw that the lot has been prepared for construction. It is official that instead of two buildings, there will be only one built. If what I saw in the flyer - at the DowntownRaleigh.com's Artsplosure booth, this weekend - is close to the final design, we are talking about a very elegant building, far superior to the image posted above.

I should hope so. The first thing one notices looking at that elevation is that there is no entrance of any sort facing the street. They can (and should) do so much better in an urban location like that. As it is, it just looks suburban with its only entrance facing the parking lot, Whooptee-doo. Does a locking entrance that addresses the street really have a negative impact on security at all?? Sheesh. If the TTA station ever happens, a lack of entrances on the front will force all the residents to walk around the building through the parking lot to get there. That's just stupid.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

Orulz, the [original] placement of the two buildings left a lot to be desired If you take a look at the following link, you will see what I mean:

http://www.treklite.com/boylan/images/bloomsbury_site.pdf

Turning the orientation of each building 90 degrees to the right would have made them far more urban, thus hiding the parking from the pedestrians. However, I am not sure how the new concept will be different, in terms of building placement. A truly urban design has the at least one main door on the front, which is not obvious from the rendering. An L-shaped building would have made far more sense and I will be unplesantly surprised if the developer doesn't end up doing that (assuming they go with one building vs. two buildings). Take a look at the following link for a better idea of what the site looks like:

http://terraserver.microsoft.com/im...gh,+NC+27605&ALon=-78.6486994&ALat=35.7886101

Looking at the image, it would be easy to recognize some good alternatives to the proposed arrangement of the building(s). Either an L-shaped (long side along Hargett Str), or a U-shaped design could do just fine; I favor the former because the developer can place the vehicle entrance to the West, thus "extending" St Mary's street. This may also create some problems, as people may think of that "entrance" as a public street and drive through it, although it should make it obvious that it will lead to a dead-end (railroad tracks). What the developer can do is incorporate the entrance into the building structure - I've seen this in Europe and looks VERY urban and elegant - in a similar fashion with the proposed Palladium Plaza (DT Raleigh), or Station Nine (Erwin Square, Durham).

The biggest advantages of this project are location and design. The major contribution is the strengthening of the residential base of that area. Let's keep in mind that there are two more proposals in the vicinity of Bloomsbury Estates: Boylan/Hillsborough and St. Mary's/Hillsborough. Both projects will add large numbers of residents. What the developers need to consider is retail on the ground floor, something that Boylan Heights needs in order to become a more desirable location. I am not talking about unique/exclusive shops, cater to a few individuals, but more popular destinations. What the heck, even a bookstore would do.

 

[romec]

The next 3-5 years are going to be very interesting for the city

I just wish RBC would make up their mind, I mean we are the #2 place to do business!
It'd be interesting to see if Suntrust makes a play: I know they already have a tower in Durham (not sure if its been designated regional hq, some departmenal hq or anything) but with the amount that they are planning on expanding in the Carolina's, I could easily see them making Raleigh "their city" in NC. It'd be interesting to see if we can get a tower out of it (regional hq, state hq or some departmental hq: by departmental hq, I think our BB&T tower houses the insurance division hq or something like that) If I were Suntrust and I wanted visiblity in the area, Charlotte is not the place to go unless I was prepared to spend a lot to get out of the shadow of BoA and Wachovia. It'd be easy to go to Raleigh and have a "SunTrust center" that stands out in the eastern/central part of the state. (Actually Gboro, Winston and Durham for that matter as well.)

 

[uptownliving]

RBC is not coming to Raleigh...you can just forget about them. Focus your energies on a company with money...not RBC Centura.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

Charlotte has tremendous infrastructure for operating banking/finance-related HQ, but like romec suggested, any bank that would like to establish regional HQ should give Triangle a thought. While we lack the infrastructure of Charlotte, we do provide a good environment for doing business. If RBC/Centura doesn't make it in the long run - let's not even consider them as a future downtown tenant, for now - someone else will, hopefully with plans for something taller than 12-15 stories, more stability and better future.

The name SunTrust wasn't thrown into the discussion as a joke. Those who have seen the drawings for the proposed Reynolds tower - I am not one of them, unfortunately - mentioned something about a SunTrust-like logo on the top of the tower. In early discussions about the proposal, the possibility about four financial companies moving into the new skyscraper was mentioned. There are rumors, and I repeat rumors, that SunTrust may establish regional HQ in Raleigh, without hurting its Durham operations. Considering proposals and rumors, it would be safe to assume that Raleigh may be among the best choices for SunTrust.

Of course, we are speculating a lot, which creates momentum and enthusiasm, but even without speculations we should be glad for what we are getting. Skeptics may argue that things can go wrong, but even if 50% of what is listed in my original post gets delivered, we have good reasons to be happy and optimistic. As I said many times in the past, even if all these projects materialize, our urban fabric will still be no match for what is the norm. In other words, for a visitor who happens to be a fan of urbanity, DT Raleigh has a very long way to go, especially in terms of high-rises. We are not claiming to be something we are not, but we need to speed things up and put some big projects in place. The progress made in the case of Bloomsbury Estates is a positive sign and I hope this to be followed by another nice urban infill: The Metropolitan.