by Leo Suarez

Pic of the Week

A tower crane is going up at the Green Square construction site. Another picture of the site below. Thanks for the tip, Ernest.

Similar Posts:

Comments

Comments are disabled here. That's because we're all hanging out on the DTRaleigh Community, an online forum for passionate fans of the Oak City.

11 Comments

  1. Thanks for the update, Leo! Last saturday, I was heading north on McDowell heading out of downtown, and I passed by the site, and, looking through the see-through fences, looked in and saw that huge hole, and I was like “What the ….!?”, and then I realized it was Green Square. So they decided to bury the parking deck underground after all?

  2. Leo, you are very welcome :) I know you would eventually see it, but the weather was nice for photos, so I am glad you captured these images.

    Ari, there will be two parking decks, one underground (under the main building; on the Jones Street side) and one above surface (corner of Edenton and McDowell Streets). Unfortunately, the latter will not be very pedestrian-friendly :( Anyway, it will be nice to see the crane for as long as it will be there, although I will be more anxious to see the crane for the NC SECU tower :)

  4. Im excited about the future of downtown, but as is, we have a ton of holes/empty lots downtown right now. Its good to see a project that is actually moving towards completion, instead of partial completion, or delay, or the dreaded “on-hold”

  5. I hear you… It is very frustrating, as soon as DT Raleigh got some momentum, to see things going downhill – nationally and locally. Of course, the worst case scenario, with negative long-term implications, would be several projects getting built, only to sit there empty for a while, or even remain unfinished.

    Regarding the public projects we are happy to see going (new County Justice Center, Green Square and Clarence Lightner Public Safety Center), even with a few reservations about their lack of pedestrian friendliness, they are funded by tax-payers, not banks, so it makes a big difference. Glad to have 3 government entities moving some dirt, though :LOL: Seriously, it is good to see some activity, but I would love to see a few privately funded projects moving forward. Outside those we know to be delayed, I really want to see the Powerhouse Plaza getting built ASAP. It will be an eyesore to look at that empty parcel for more than a year. I can live without the L Building and Lafayette, but some empty lots are more important than others, and Glenwood South doesn’t need them right now.

  6. Im with you earnest, the 3 projects I want to see finished, in order are Charter Square, The Edison, and Powerhouse Plaza.

  8. The Edison is definitely a MUST for DT Raleigh, but its date of completion (2018, or even later) may disappoint many people. I am patient, as it is important for me to see successful projects. Regardless, the city leaders should pursuit aggressively the sale of Sites 2, 3 and 4 (assuming Empire Properties cannot deliver Lafayette) and the 301 Hillsborough parcel. Filling up the gaps is definitely important, and with the completion of The Hue we will be hard-pressed to continue along Dawson Str, thus creating an urban strip, at least in terms of residential presence. Maybe we’ll be lucky to see some connectivity between Nash Square and Green Square in the next 10 years. There is plenty of potential!!!

  9. Edison has a completion date of 2018+….wow that is disappointing to say the least.

    As someone who knows commercial development, what leads to a project with a 10 year time frame? I was guessing 3-5 years personally. What is your estimate for ground breaking?

    I really think Charter Square will help that area a lot. I know people were not happy with the overall height, but I like the look of the building, and 17 stories ain’t to shabby. Along with the new city plaza, I think this will be an important area for downtown for years to come!

  10. The Edison is, by far, the largest project in the Triangle, and definitely one of the largest in the state. Four mixed-use towers is nothing small. Ground-breaking is hard to estimate at this point, but I will not be surprised if it takes at least a year before we see some activity. It is a dynamic project and its nature may change, so it is hard to guess what it will look like when completed.

    Charter Square, at 20 and 14 stories is definitely smaller than what that parcel deserved, but it is a nice project, overall. I do hope that demand could push the height of the 14-story portion higher, but so far no reason to believe it will happen. Pressure for completion is applied only for the 20-story North Tower, though, which means it could take much longer for the South Tower.

    I am optimistic, though, regarding most major projects.

Comments are closed.