Author / Leo Suarez

by Leo Suarez

Winter 2014 Restaurant Roundup

Café de los Muertos
It’s been a colder winter compared to last year. It only takes rain or the occasional snow to slow things in downtown Raleigh. This season, we have new coffees and a few eats worth trying.

For a complete list of eats, drinks, and coffees in and around downtown, make sure to bookmark the DT Eats page. Try something new.

  • Let’s first get the good news out the way. (*sarcasm) A Subway is opening in the Wells Fargo tower almost directly across from the Salisbury Street location. I haven’t yet asked if this is just a move or an entirely new restaurant. If anyone knows, please share.
  • Garland has now opened their restaurant space. This now completes the triple threat at 14 West Martin Street with Neptunes Parlour in the basement and King’s Barcade upstairs.
  • The Station opened in late Fall and has all winter to get things worked out before the Spring. With a fantastic outdoor patio, this place is sure to be busy when the temperatures rise.
  • Café de los Muertos, pictured above, is now open in The Hue. They did a really nice job with the space offering an upstairs “nook” for hanging out. In the warmer months, the garage door-style window will really make the place open up.
  • Oak City Meatball Shoppe has opened in the Red Hat tower along Davie Street. In addition to servings tasty balls, the shoppe also has a decent drink list and currently stays open late after serving dinner. Plans for lunch hours are upcoming.
  • Work continues at the Person Street Bar and you can follow their progress on their Facebook page.
  • Wine Authorities has now opened in the Person Street Plaza. This is their second location in the triangle, their first being in Durham.
  • Speaking of wine, The Wine Feed has moved from their space in the Carter Building to a full shop in the Hampton Inn space along Glenwood Avenue. The new store offers wine fans longer hours and you can drink wine at their new bar.
  • Plates is now open in the former Zely and Ritz space in Glenwood South.
  • After a nice makeover, Gringo a go-go is now open in the building at the corner of Edenton and Person Streets. Get your taco fill!
  • Napper Tandy’s has moved out of their space near Powerhouse Plaza and into the former Murphy’s Law space, next to Dos Taquitos Xoco, in Glenwood South.
  • Amra’s in Glenwood South has closed but is only changing management and will re-open very soon.
  • Mentioned on the blog last month, there are plans for a beer garden at 614 Glenwood Avenue. Hopefully we’ll see movement on this in the Spring or Summer.

North Street Beer Station

  • A new bottle shop is planned for Glenwood South. A sign, pictured above, for North Street Beer Station has popped up at the space between Clockwork and The Rockford along West North Street.
  • Staying on beer, Paddy O’Beers has opened in the Alexander Square parking deck retail spaces along Fayetteville Street.
  • Next month, The Oakz will open in the former Bogart’s space in the 510 Glenwood building.

by Leo Suarez

A Year Later, Ground Breaking Approaches on The Link Apartments

Intersection of West and Jones Streets.

Intersection of West and Jones Streets, January 2014.

It was practically a year ago that we heard that the on-hold Powerhouse Plaza, an 11-story tower with hotel and office space, switched to an apartment project. The rest of 2013 was pretty quiet about this upcoming residential building but now, according to this TBJ article, Grubb properties wants to break ground sometime this Spring.

Snooping around the internets for more information, Cline Design has a rendering of the building that will sit at the northeast corner of West and Jones Streets. Named “The Link at Glenwood,” this project infuses even more residents to Glenwood South. See their rendering below along with description.

Cline Design - The Link at Glenwood

This 203-unit, wood-framed, multi-family project is part of Grubb Properties’ Link apartment brand, and located in the vibrant Glenwood South district, a growing urban living community in the heart of Downtown Raleigh. Within walking distance to several shops, restaurants, and clubs, situated on a two-acre infill site, a density of over 101.5 units per acre is achieved with and integrated below and above grade parking deck for approximately 187 cars. Six floors contain a diverse mix of studio, one and two-bedroom units. An integral Clubhouse & Leasing center contains ample space for resident gatherings, a complete fitness center, and a large outdoor pool & terrace area with a summer kitchen pavilion. The architectural design blends contemporary forms with durable, traditional materials such as stone veneer, cementitious siding and stucco, creating a well-balanced transition between the commercial and residential uses on Glenwood, Jones, Harrington, and West Streets as well as the immediate surrounding contextual area. Jones Street will be maintained as a “green street” by providing new tress and pervious paving along portions of the sidewalk. In addition, new trees will be provided along West and Harrington Streets.

*Cline Design – The Link at Glenwood

Maybe a few power lines could stand to be buried, you think?

by Leo Suarez

Federal Grant Funding Miles of Bicycle Facilities In Downtown Raleigh

Salisbury Street

Salisbury Street in the government district

As part of a federal grant, the City of Raleigh is receiving funds to apply marked bicycle facilities around the city. From the city’s website to the blog:

The City of Raleigh received a $1.1 million dollar grant from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program to construct at least 27 miles of marked, on-road bicycle facilities. A proposed list of twenty-two bicycle projects have been selected in order of adopted bicycle plan priority and previously adopted CIP projects. The design of these projects is currently underway and the lead consultant is Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. joined by Alta Planning + Greenways, Inc. and Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

*Bicycle Pavement Marking Design Project

We’ll have to wait for the designs to see what kind of “marked, on-road bicycle facilities” will be created but $1.1 million dollars spread across 27 miles doesn’t sound like much. I expect a mix of bike lanes and sharrows.

Here are the streets being looked at within downtown.

  • Wilmington Street from Saunders Street to Peace Street
  • Salisbury Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Lane Street
  • Martin Street from West Street to Tarboro Street
  • Hillsborough Street from Morgan Street to Salisbury Street
  • E. Cabarrus Street from Wilmington Street to Chavis Way
  • W. Cabarrus Street from Western Boulevard to Salisbury Street

See the link to the city’s website for more information.

by Leo Suarez

Glenwood South Office Building Being Repurposed For Beer Garden

Rendering of the Raleigh Beer Garden
The beer flows in Raleigh. The flow has many flavors and venues.

Adding to that list of beer drinking venues is the Raleigh Beer Garden which will be situated at 614 Glenwood Avenue. The office building already on the site is up for a makeover and the beer garden will take over.

The new place comes from the folks behind Hibernian Irish Pub, Solas, and The Station. Posted here are some renderings of the new place that show the direction that New City Design Group are going with this project.

Rendering of the Raleigh Beer Garden

It looks like there will be a ton of outdoor space with a splash of greenery around various nooks and crannies. The two-floor design offers a few balconies as well, great for people watching. (and the view!)

Is there a term for a restaurant that has a ton of beer taps? The Raleigh Beer Garden plans to have over 100 so that makes it an extreme multi-tap restaurant with only The Flying Saucer able to come close within downtown Raleigh.

Here’s the current building as of December 2013. We could see movement on this project in Spring 2014.

614 Glenwood, future home of Raleigh Beer Garden

by Leo Suarez

2013 Best of The Blog, Best of the Downtown

Raleigh Skyline in March 2013

As 2013 wraps up, there were plenty of things to look back on. Instead of the typical ‘Year in Review’ post, I’ve listed the five most visited 2013 articles. A lot of these we’ll be tracking in the new year so expect to hear more soon. Here’s the list.

#5 Trophy and Crank Arm Bring New Breweries To Downtown Raleigh
Trophy Brewing Company Growler
Raleighites like their beer. In 2013, downtown Raleigh saw two great additions in Trophy Brewing and Crank Arm Brewing. Throughout the year, the two places have come alive and expanded. There was a lot of buzz about these places and if you’ve gone all year without tasting these brews, you’ve got a few days to get one or two in before 2014.

#4 Parklets Could be Popping Up In Downtown Raleigh
Divisadero Parklet - SF Pavement to Parks

Divisadero Parklet – SF Pavement to Parks by jeremyashaw, on Flickr

Approved in November, the parklets pilot program could help businesses bring new urban “mini” parks to downtown Raleigh. Targeting “underutilized parking spaces,” the program attempts to help bring this new, innovative concept to Raleigh.

As of today, there hasn’t been one built yet so here’s hoping that some pop up in time for Spring 2014.

#3 The Lincoln Will Bring 224 Apartments To Emo Raleigh
The bulk of the apartment boom is happening within and to the west of downtown Raleigh but The Lincoln defies that trend. East Raleigh is ripe for new developments and The Lincoln may start a new trend as it sits one block to the east of Moore Square.

#2 Innovate Raleigh Opens Up 227 Fayetteville Street, Renovations Underway
227 Fayetteville Street, January 2013
Announced in January, 227 Fayetteville Street has been under renovation all year. Paired with a makeover for adjacent Exchange and Market plazas, this section of the 200 block of Fayetteville Street should be even more active when this project is open.

This area already sees the highest pedestrian counts in downtown Raleigh and is starting to be the natural activity hub for all that is urban Raleigh.

#1 Edison Office Shows Site Plan For 225′ Tower
Edison block conceptual drawing by JDavis Architects.

Edison block conceptual drawing by JDavis Architects.

The most viewed post of the year was this one about the upcoming Edison Office tower at the corner of Martin and Wilmington Streets. Gaining attention under the entire Edison project umbrella, the office component is still in the planning phases while next door a 23-story apartment tower, Skyhouse Raleigh, is currently under construction.

The Edison project includes this entire block, with buildings wrapping the mid-block parking deck. It clearly has a lot of buzz around it as a 2012 article about Skyhouse still gets hits constantly from readers.

by Leo Suarez

Greyhound Relocating Outside of Downtown Raleigh

Greyhound Terminal on West Jones Street in downtown Raleigh

Greyhound Terminal on West Jones Street in downtown Raleigh

The Jones Street Greyhound Terminal is moving soon to a new location outside of downtown Raleigh. Located here since 1969, Greyhound will move their operations up north to 2210 Capital Boulevard. They have signed a 10 year lease for the new location.

I wonder about the decision behind this and the plans for future integration of Greyhound into Union Station’s overall plan. Ideally, the currently planned Union Station, Raleigh’s much larger and upgraded train station in downtown’s warehouse district, will house a variety of transit options, including Greyhound, to offer users options and transfers between services.

The Union Station integration sounds like the most ideal end-goal but the move to Capital Boulevard adds an extra obstacle for travelers arriving in Raleigh that need to get to Greyhound. While not a significant amount of travelers, Greyhound is an option for those arriving at RDU and need a lower cost option to head to points in eastern North Carolina. Rental cars and taxi’s are too costly so public transit and Greyhound are the most cost effective way to get around.

Another part of the story here is that the property was sold in March 2013 to Real Estate investor Ted Reynolds. Long time readers may recognize that name as the same one involved with a tower planned for 301 Hillsborough Street, called The Hillsborough, back in 2007. Along with a few other projects, The Hillsborough met the same fate as the 2009 market crash scrapped it.

Perhaps the Reynolds have plans for the old Greyhound site at 314 West Jones Street.