[Raleigh-NC]

There has been a lot of speculation about what will happen with the mid-rise hotel that has become an eyesore in the North side of Crabtree Valley, across from the mall. Well, speculations included the renovation of the existing structure, but the latest information seems to include the demolition of the building and the construction of a new one. Here is some information, from the Soleil Group's website:

The Raleigh Westin
A 225-room Five-Star luxury hotel with a heated outdoor pool and fitness spa. Each room houses a 42-inch plasma television, Heavenly Bed® and 4 fixture Bathrooms.

As part of the complex, the Westin also has shops & a conference center, and is directly across from one of the area’s largest shopping facilities—Crabtree Valley Mall.

Wait, this is not over... there is more. Evidently, there will be an additional development, adjacent to the hotel. No images or other details are available, but here is a teaser:

The Promenade
In addition to the Raleigh Westin hotel, Soleil Group is creating an out parcel with demolition of a four story building to accommodate a luxury multi-use development to include upscale restaurant, full-service health spa and luxury condominiums.

 

[tayfromnc]

Yes, When it comes to completion this will be a great asset to the area. Hopefully it will be realized further as the mall goes into the next phase of expansion adding more stores and upscale eateries.

I can't wait for it, maybe I'll take a mini vacation right here in my own city just to chill out for a minute, and get some me time.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

:lol:

That is a great thought... Take vacation in your own city. Quite frankly, this is exactly what the city leaders should be doing every now and then. In order to make Raleigh a great place to visit, they should act like tourists once a year. Drive & walk around, as if they know nothing about Raleigh. That way they will be able to understand how frustrated visitors feel when they arrive in Raleigh and there is nothing to see, or when there is nobody around to make suggestions. Sure, it takes money and effort, but the returns will be worth it.

On the topic, I kind of like the design. Certainly, people can get creative, but even as proposed The Raleigh Westin will definitely help Raleigh's image. I just hope they are smart enough to bring the hotel closer to the street - assuming the city will allow them to do so. Parking can be placed in the back and be surrounded by new buildings and pleasant landscape. I wish I could find more information, but even the posted images help us recognize the trend. Let's keep in mind that to the South-West of the Westin hotel will be Galleria, a mixed-use development that will include up to 600 residential units. Crabtree Valley is definitely going to boom, IF the city pushes for stricter urban guidelines.

 

[NCtarheel]

I hate the way the area around the mall hasn't been developed more. It's a straight shot from there to glenwood south. Just seems like there would be more there. Younger people would probably love to be able to live in a mid/high rise that was right next to the mall.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

That area is screaming for mixed-use urban developments. The plan is to do just that, but it all depends on the developers. The facelift that the mall area is going to receive should help a lot in creating a true urban center, but I won't hold my breath for another 10 years. For now, the focus remains on downtown and that is where major things will happen. The Raleigh Winston is a major thing, but it replaces an equally large project, which offsets the "skyline: effect. That area needs more residential developments and less hotels.

 

[orulz]

I think that the Barnes & Noble / Toys 'R' Us building should be demolished and replaced with something multi-story and mixed use. Get some people living at the mall; you're right. It's readily accessible to downtown, and there are great amenities: the mall (duh), Crabtree Creek Greenway, and a secondary hub for CAT buses. I'm sure it would be popular among folks working at Rex, too, since that's right down the road.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

It would be ideal if some residential/mixed-use development would appear inside Crabtree Valley Mall area, but I doubt it. Who knows, though, 30 years down the road someone with vision could transform that area. Also, let's no forget that Crabtree Valley Mall is withinin an 100-year flood plane, which would discourage any residential developments The areas surrounding the mall, however, may become more moxed-use and more walkable in the nearest future.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

Not to bump this thread to the top; I wanted to share an article that shows the direction this area is heading to. Crabtree Valley Mall is by no means an urban center. However, it is not plagued by endless surface lots. While it is almost surrounded by decks, it blends much nicer than most malls I've seen. There are efforts to make this center a less suburban one - if possible - but we need to keep in mind that the mall sits on an 100-year flood zone, with recent memories of a horrible flood that caused major damages to the businesses here. Regardless, the owners are trying to make this place more presentable and this is news is part of this effort:

Crabtree crafting expansion, outdoor shops
Kim Nilsen

RALEIGH - The managers of Raleigh's Crabtree Valley Mall once again are developing plans for an expansion of the giant retail center.

The struggling Lord & Taylor department store would be torn down. That space, along with some adjoining acreage, would be used to pattern an open-forum retail strip of high-end shops. All of the shops would face Crabtree Creek Drive at the rear of the mall.

The plans were unveiled by officials from Plaza Associates, which operates the mall, during the annual meeting of the International Council of Shopping Centers in Las Vegas.

"There's a glass dome over the whole thing, but the shops are facing the road," says a retail source who saw a rendering presented to potential leasing agents who may shop that space to brand-name retailers. "Looks like they are ready to spend some money on this expansion."

Called the Crabtree Renaissance Plaza, the retail expansion is expected to be similar to the streetscape sections worked into the design of the area's two newest enclosed malls - The Streets at Southpoint and Triangle Town Center.

Crabtree Valley Mall, which was built in 1972, has held on to its anchors and most of its upscale tenants even as the two new malls opened for business in 2002. Each of the three malls, Crabtree, The Streets at Southpoint in Durham and Triangle Town Center in north Raleigh, has about 1.3 million square feet of retail space.

The only recent blow to Crabtree's tenant mix came in 2003 when Lord & Taylor's parent company, The May Department Stores Co., announced plans shutter the store. The location was one of 32 slated for closure. The department store is expected to vacate the space no later than January 2006.

Unlike Triangle Town Center, which sits on 139 acres, and The Streets at Southpoint, with 140 acres, Crabtree is confined to a 57-acre landlocked site between Crabtree Creek, Glenwood Avenue and Edwards Mill Road.

Plans for the open-air plaza at Crabtree don't surprise Steen Kanter, the chief executive of Kanter International, a business and brand development firm that counsels many retail clients. "They have to do something," Kanter says. He sees Crabtree as under pressure not just from Streets and Triangle Town Center but also from the new North Hills, a nearby open-air mall anchored by Target and JCPenney.

To make the plaza a success, Crabtree would have to offer exciting attractions there, Kanter says. At Streets, unique retailers such as an Apple Computer store draw shoppers. Triangle Town Center's collection of restaurants helps drive additional foot traffic outdoors.

The location of the plaza - on the back side of the mall away from heavily traveled Glenwood Avenue - could pose problems, Kanter says. "It's not visible from the street."

Kanter predicted last year that Crabtree would either break up the Lord & Taylor space or seek to fill it with a big box retailer such as Target or Wal-Mart or a high-end offering. That type of transformation will happen nationwide, he says, as malls lose department store tenants as a result of consolidation among retailers.

Financing for most of Crabtree's future expansions and renovations likely would come from the same source that spearheaded past expansion efforts - CVM Holdings LLC.

CVM Holdings is a foreign limited liability company formed in March 2002, according to state and local public records. Plaza Associates President Sam Longiotti is general partner of CVM.

CVM Holdings is managed by Chandon Investment Co. in New York. Chandon Investment Co. is a partnership of Delaware-incorporated Real Estate Operations, which is owned by the family of former Abu Dhabi President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nayhan, who was one of the world's richest men. Zayed died on Nov. 2, 2004.

Reporter e-mail: [email protected].

© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.

 

[tayfromnc]

I believe they should lure Neiman Marcus to the Lord and Taylors spot, that way Charlotte can have one and the Triangle can have a location. Also Toys 'R" US should go elsewhere Barnes and Noble Rebuilt into the new 2 story prototype kind w/starbucks. and the mall expanded with more Upscale Resturant Chains, i.e. Mortons, McCormick and Schmicks. And a overall face-lift for the mall is definetly needed to keep up w/ Triangle and Southpoint.

I believe things will start moving when Lord and Taylor Closes it's doors.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

I find your ideas interesting. Don't know if you heard about this, but the plan is to take that area between Hudson and Barnes & Noble and put another deck, with ground-level retail destinations. If they are smart enough, they should create a more mixed-use environment in the entire south wing of the mall area. I mean, everything between Hudson and Just Tires. If they do so, the developers stand to gain A LOT. With several bus lines already connecting in Crabtree Valley Mall, any residential developments on that ground can use transportation as a selling point. Of course, such conversion would take years, but they have to start sometime. There are so many shops and hotels already in that area - there are a lot of residencies near the mall, as well - that it is about time to address the "mid-rise" living issue. Residential buildings between 6 and 10 stories would fit perfectly.

I would like to believe that The Raleigh Westin, its adjacent condos and Galleria (former Crabtree Promenade) will boost denser developments all over Crabtree Valley. North Hills may be considered by many a developing midtown section, but Crabtree Valley has already what it needs to claim this title... provided the city throws its support behind it. It will be interesting to see how North Hills and Crabtree Valley will compete with each other for the title of Midtown in the nearest future