The hotels are coming! In the span of about three months, the upcoming Element by Westin hotel on Blount Street went from a single floor to almost topping out. In addition to other hotel openings and construction, this project sits nicely near the edge of downtown but has a great location. I imagine at this pace, we’ll see it open late next year.
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I think this is the most dramatic view of the NC Education Campus. It’s on the corner of McDowell and Jones Street and since the last time I posted about the project, the building is showing a lot of glass. Those three cranes have really helped move this project along.
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West Cabarrus Street is looking a little fresher these days as the construction at Oldham and Worth is complete and welcoming new neighbors. It’s crazy to think back that this area used to be such a low-rise industrial area and now there are more than 500 homes with retail. Plans for more have certainly been proposed so West Cabarrus may get a break until another ground breaking takes place.
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The renovation work at the North Carolina History Museum continues on. I didn’t even consider a rebuild of Bicentennial Plaza to be part of the project but indeed, the space is all torn up. I very much enjoy that plaza and wish it were a more frequent part of my time in downtown so a refresh is certainly welcome.
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Looks like we’ve got a new district. The area at the southern side of downtown Raleigh, including our convention center, performing arts center, and amphitheater, is now named the Fourth Ward Entertainment District. The district includes everything from South to Cabarrus Street and from Dawson to Wilmington Street. (see map below) With the help and guidance from community members, the process to create the branding was inclusive and led to the creation of the visual elements that you see in the signs that are already placed around the district. More branding elements are sure to come as the area is poised to change over the next few years.
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The intersection of Lenoir and McDowell Streets are typically quiet. I mean, you don’t see many pedestrians here and just car traffic rolling through on a typical day. However, on the night that Red Hat Amphitheater has a show, the atmosphere is quite different. The photo above shows the view across the intersection as the new Red Hat is still under construction. On show nights, I propose a pedestrian scramble at this intersection, allowing pedestrians to go to whichever corner they want and all the cars have to stop during that light interval.
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Last time we looked at Highline Glenwood, the soon to be tallest residential tower in Raleigh was just a stout structure. Now, this project has really risen up over the trees and can be seen from a distance. And there’s still plenty more floors to come.
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One of those blocks in downtown Raleigh that seems to always get planned and rezoned but never actually changes is the assemblage of properties along Martin, Commerce, and Davie Streets, otherwise known as the best warehouses we have in our Warehouse District (and the surface parking behind them). Earlier this Summer, another rezoning has gone through and there’s now a building height limit here of 20-stories. Recently submitted site plans show a 20-story tower that could be built here so I wanted to dive into it today.
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