Year / 2015

by Leo Suarez

Looking Back at 2015 and Ahead at 2016

I have a lot to look back on this year. Personally, in 2015 I saw major changes in my workplace and my family grew from a pair to a trio. On the web, the blog has been covering a good balance of currently under construction projects as well as ones in the planning phases.

I’ve found that transit and developments are my go-to topics. I enjoy following the downtown eats scene as well. I want to try and share a little more history in 2016 and not just old photos. Trends are important to point out and with Raleigh changing so fast, important facts from history as recent as a decade ago could be relevant.

Let’s recap on a few things we talked about this year and how it’ll lead into the next.

Transit

Moore Square Transit Station

2016 could be the year that Wake County gets more serious about mass transit. With a new plan in place, created through an extensive public feedback process in 2015, we have our strongest proposal yet to ask residents of the county to tax themselves in order to pay for this new transit plan. It is expected that our county commissioners will propose a half-cent sales tax increase, dedicated to transit, to be added to the November 2016 ballot.

According to the plan, downtown Raleigh is a major hub of higher-frequency buses. New and improved routes would be set in place as well as an increase in destinations compared to our current network. The Moore Square Transit Station should be quite busy.

Speaking of Moore Square, the bus facility there should be getting a major face lift. Still in the planning stages, the upgrade of Raleigh’s busiest bus terminal will hopefully move forward in 2016.

Along with Moore Square, Raleigh Union Station should begin construction in 2016. Not only is the expansion of the train station needed for Amtrak but also for the proposed commuter rail line that may happen as part of the previously mentioned transit plan.

All of this will take place with more planning for bicycle facilities throughout the city. The 2009 Bicycle Plan is getting an update. (more on this soon)

Expect this blog to be very pro-transit in 2016.

Cranes are a-coming

Apartments in downtown Raleigh

2015 had a few developments in the works but there were also some new ones to follow that worked their way through the approval process. In 2016, we may see cranes in the air for these new buildings.

The Lincoln, Skyhouse Raleigh, Elan City Center, and The L were all completed in 2015. These buildings add several hundred new apartment units to the downtown supply. That’s not all though as we have plenty coming down the pipe.

  • The Link Apartments should have residents moving in sometime in early 2016.
  • The Edison Apartments are coming along and should be done in the first half of 2016.
  • The townhomes at Blount Street Commons are mostly finished and should have residents moving in throughout 2016.
  • The Gramercy is mostly built out and I see no reason it’s not up and running in 2016.

That’s several hundred more apartments being built and ready to be opened next year. In the planning phases are apartments as part of The Dillon, Greyhound Apartments, and the north tower of Charter Square.

Outside of residential developments, some taller structures containing offices or hotels may be breaking ground in 2016. Those to look out for is the main structure of The Dillon, a 17-story tower in the warehouse district. Charter Square North is planned to be a 22-story mixed-use building with offices and residential. Maybe it will break ground in 2016?

Other notable projects are The Edison Office tower and Narsi Hotel, a 12-story building for the corner of Lenoir and Wilmington Streets. In 2015, these projects worked their way through the planning process so we’ll continue to follow them into 2016.

As mentioned recently, construction on the Residence Inn hotel near the convention center has started.

Personally, I’ll be interested to see what comes out of the work being put into the 301 Hillsborough site and the N&O block. I expect to see lots of planning take place in 2016 for these sites.

One last mention, kind of long shot but perhaps something interesting could happen, is Project Phoenix, the North Carolina governor’s plans for bringing development to the state government complex. Nothing sounds concrete yet from what I’ve read but the idea of turning the expansive complex into a more mixed-use environment would be a fantastic benefit to downtown Raleigh, essentially growing the footprint of interactive space.

Reader Favorites

They may not be favorites but they at least got the most web traffic. Here are the top five posts of 2015.

  1. Rendering of The Dillon, Office and Residential in the Warehouse District
  2. 12-Story Hotel Planned for Wilmington Street Moves Forward
  3. Multiple Rezoning Requests on the Table
  4. Pic of the Week for February 3, 2015
  5. Hilton Garden Inn on Davie Street Rendering, Shows Glass and Curves

Readers shattered my single day page view record this year. It was on the topic of the sidewalk seating ordinance, an emotionally charged and even political topic of the year.

The elections of 2015 can only be described as DrunkTown. I hope to look back on this debate years from now and just laugh.

To close, I end with one bold prediction for 2016: The R-Line makes it’s last loop around downtown Raleigh.

Happy New Year! ;)

by Leo Suarez

First Night Raleigh 2016 Celebrates North Carolina Firsts

title

First Night Raleigh

The Raleigh Connoisseur is a media sponsor for First Night Raleigh 2016

This year’s First Night Raleigh is set up to be a good one. The theme is “Celebrating North Carolina Firsts” which will include popular and lesser known facts about our state.

Organized by Artsplosure all throughout the year, the event will have something for everyone. Typically drawing over 40,000 people, with a record of 80,000 in 2012, First Night is built on a foundation of Celebration, Community, the New Year, and the Arts.

Everything starts at 2pm at the N.C. Museum of History, N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and on the Bicentennial Plaza with the Children’s Celebration. Things really get going with the main stage performances at 5pm and tons of other activities all over downtown Raleigh up until the countdown to midnight.

As always, you can’t miss out on seeing the giant acorn get dropped. It’s kind of our city’s thing, along with a spectacular fireworks display. There will be a drop at both 7pm, to accommodate families with young children, and then the finale at midnight.

What isn’t different about First Night Raleigh year-to-year is that we always make sure that everything that we do is something that our whole community can have access to and enjoy. That’s our mission each year and our ultimate goal is that this event is as inclusive of all members of our community as possible.

Raleigh’s biggest New Year’s Eve celebration will bring back some favorites as well as mix in some new experiences. The 90-foot Ferris wheel is always a big draw as well as ballroom dancing in the Sir Walter Ballroom and the People’s Procession. If you want more of a thrill, The Sizzler may be more your speed.

I’m looking forward to Art Putt, a nine-hole miniature golf course created by local artists in the City Market Building. Appropriate as North Carolina is the home to the first putt-putt course. Each course will also highlight another North Carolina first including our #1 in the world salamander diversity and the state’s first gold rush.

Performances during the evening portion of the night include:

  • Scythian at City Plaza
  • TOW3RS and See Gulls at Vintage Church
  • Josh Dumbleton at Edenton Street United Methodist Church
  • John Dee Holeman at CAM

Click here to see the entire list of performances planned for First Night 2016.

If you have a smartphone, you can get the free First Night Raleigh app for iOS and Android. It’s a great way to plan your night, showing you a list of events and an interactive map that you can add to an itinerary so you won’t miss anything.

Tickets are $10 in advance and you can purchase them now. VIP passes are also available.

When planning your trip into downtown Raleigh, make sure to consider the free park-and-ride locations. One at the NCSU Park and Ride Lot and another at the Wake County Government Office Park, GoRaleigh will be running buses back and forth between 6pm and 1am during First Night. Parking in downtown Raleigh will cost $5 in most parking decks, hourly rates in others.

First Night Raleigh 2016

Date/Time: Thurs., Dec. 31 from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Downtown Raleigh
www.FirstNightRaleigh.com

by Leo Suarez

Checking In on Market and Exchange Plaza

Exchange Plaza, December 2015

Exchange Plaza, December 2015

The overhaul of Market and Exchange plazas started in the Spring of 2015 and this project is hopefully nearing completion. Taking a looksee recently though, the plazas might not be ready for New Year’s. It would have been a nice bonus to be done before First Night but I’m sure plenty of events will take advantage of the new plazas next year.

Exchange Plaza (shown above) still has crew workers digging and most of the sitting wall hasn’t been installed yet. There’s better news for Market Plaza (shown below) as it really is starting to look like its renderings.

Market Plaza, December 2015

Market Plaza, December 2015

I’m really looking forward to these spaces being activated and creating new uses that weren’t taking place before.

by Leo Suarez

Union Station December 2015 Update

Future Raleigh Union Station

Not a breaking update but rather, here’s what we know so far. I walked by the site recently and still nothing new since the groundbreaking took place in May. (that’s seven months ago)

It seems we’ve been going through a financial obstacle course with this project. All interested should jump to the project page on the city’s website where you will find this piece of information:

At the March 3, 2015 Council meeting, the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) team was authorized to proceed with bidding and finalization of a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) not to exceed $44,737,870.

In July and September of 2015, bids were received on the project which exceeded the estimate. The bid yielded a GMP of $60,000,000, which yielded a project gap of $15,300,000 when compared to the March estimate. Value engineering and steel rebid resulted in project savings, lowering the GMP to $54,700,000, leaving a $10,000,000 gap. Project partners have addressed the funding gap by identifying scope reductions totaling approximately $2,900,000. Remaining additional funding of $7,200,000 is required.

Various options were presented to Council at the Work Session on Oct. 20 and at the Nov. 3 City Council meeting, full funding, no scope reduction for Raleigh Union Station was approved with gap funding of $7,200,000, and a revised total project budget of $54,700,000.

*Union Station: Raleigh’s Multi-Modal Transit Center

The way I read it is that they wanted to do the project for about $10 million less than anyone was willing to do it for but in November, they figured it out.

Let’s have a good holiday season and then build a train station!

by Leo Suarez

Pic of the Week

The Link Apartments, November 2015

The Link Apartments on the corner of West and Jones Street is nearing completion. At the leasing office, I ran into someone that told me they could start having residents move in as early as this month but there are some floors that aren’t finished yet.

We’ll check back in when the sidewalks are done and the place is 100%. Until then, jump to their website for more information.