by Leo Suarez

Plans Show New Townhome Project for St. Mary’s Street

St. Mary's Street near Calvin Road. February 2018.

St. Mary’s Street near Calvin Road. February 2018.

Plans on the city’s website (S-050-17) show a small project that will include six townhomes for an area on St. Mary’s Street near the intersection of Calvin Road. (between Tucker and North) Three lots are being combined for the townhomes and currently, only a single house sits on these lots.

There were two other homes here but they were demolished sometime in 2016 so I imagine the last one, shown above, will come down with this project.

Preliminary site plans show the six units in one building with rooftop decks and parking garages located along an existing alley behind the units. The alley is currently accessible on Tucker Street and is mainly used by the residents in The Devon.

Map of proposed townhomes

Seems like a straightforward project and a product that’s much needed in and around downtown. I like the idea of further using an existing alley for additional vehicle access rather than creating new streets.

Rendering of proposed townhomes

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21 Comments

  2. We can’t build these kinds of projects fast enough. Hopefully we’ll get enough capacity to see walkable townhomes in the 350K range fairly soon. Plus this development doubled the density of this tract, if all of DTR did that, it would be about as dense (10k/square mile) as DC or Philly.

  3. I like this project.. I would be nice if we could get more in the area to have a true “brownstone” look and feel

  4. @Robert, sadly I don’t think that we’ll ever see these projects marketed again in the 350K range. I wonder how many s.f. these units are? At four floors (well at least 4 partial floors), I would be surprised if they were under 1800ft and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were much larger. My guess is that the price point will be north of 500K.

  5. I agree with John…the developer’s ceiling price is being solidified well north of 350k. Only a market correction, where resellers, or a bankrupt developer (like with Bloomsbury were prices were 60% of original list) have to eat a loss, would result in that now. Or a really creative developer doing bare bones stuff, but all of Raleigh’s creative energy is being spent on 550k modernist houses, not 250k tiny houses.

  7. Guys,
    I think I was thinking about an expanded DTR definition, on say the Penmarc land or another DT-adjacent tract. Even then, it’s possible you’re right, but I can still hope lol.

  8. @Steve, it’s all going to depend on the land price. If a developer can’t buy land cheap enough to hit that price point, it’s impossible. Even if a developer can buy land less expensively or if they already own it, it’s unlikely that they’ll leave money on the table.
    That said, the Penmark land is a fundamentally different animal than small infill parcels that are walkable to the very core of the city.
    If I were an investor, developer, I’d be gobbling up land between DT proper and I40 like mad man. There is simply too much potential there.

  10. These are nice. I think that the location could have allowed for a bit more density, maybe with something like stacked townhomes. Basically doubling the unit count on the same land, which could keep the end prices down a little bit.

  11. It’s interesting – I often hear a lot of people forgoing townhomes because they feel like a free-standing house signifies that they have “made it” in some more tangible way. I think these town homes will be a great addition, but it will be interesting to see if that sentiment in the Triangle continues to shift to choosing the right type of living situation for the individual, as opposed to the choice carrying social baggage.

  12. FWIW, the rendering I saw of townhouses facing 401 Oberlin, across Clark, looked similar to these IIRC. They are certainly happening more and more.

  13. @Dave@BuildingBullCity – I respectfully disagree. I feel as though people for forgo a townhome because they prefer more of a yard. I do not agree that the majority of people think one or the other classifies them as “making it”. I don’t know of anyone that would think that, especially with the price point of the townhomes around here.

    I love these new brownstones/townhomes.. I hope to see more of these collectively to make a more dense brownstone community.

  14. I like that there are full sized windows on the lowest level (basement). I’d like to see the City permit accessory dwelling units in these type of developments which could increase affordability and access to a potential owner or renter.

  16. I don’t have any connection to TBJ, but I have an observation. Nobody complained about TBJ until they started charging for access. Don’t they have a right to make a profit? Try going to a bank to borrow money for your business when your business plan is to provide your product or service for free. Let me know how much luck you have with that.

  17. @TheNightHawk – It is a fair point that my impressions are from anecdotal evidence. I definitely know people (multiple) that think that way, regardless of whether or not they want a yard. However, point taken that my personal experience and reach may not be how the majority sees it. It is certainly not how I see it, personally.

  18. JWH, Google provides its core services for free. I guess TBJ can’t get enough advertisers and hits to secure advertisers, so they are angling for an old fashioned revenue stream. Seems to fit. As an aside, if you’re fast enough with your alt-printscreen before the code kicks in on the paywall, you can still read the first screen of those paywall articles.

  19. Mark, shhhh. That’s my little secret. LOL! on my phone I can scroll fast enough that I can get multiple screenshots if I really care about the story…

  20. If you use google chrome and hit stop loading the page immediately it will display the whole article.

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