The photo above shows the site of Peace (unofficially Smokey Hollow), the 12-story apartment building planned at the corner of Peace and West Streets. Foundation work has been going strong for awhile and recently, I noticed the foundation for a tower crane pop up.
Seems like we’ll be seeing this project rise up soon.
Municipography is a summary of current issues going through the Raleigh City Council and other municipal departments in the city. The point is to try to deliver any video, photos, and text associated with the discussions happening at City Hall or elsewhere. Since this is a downtown Raleigh blog, the focus is on the center of the city.
I recommend email readers click through to the website to see the embedded video.
Discussion continues over a potential new development on Peace Street where a developer wants to build a boutique hotel. 615 West Peace Street, mentioned on the blog before, is zoned for 3-stories but after an initial application of 5-stories, negotiation with neighbors have dropped it to 4.
Shown above is the public hearing around this issue that took place this week and I think it’s important for readers to watch. It gives you a sense of the council on density and rezoning cases.
On a positive note, I actually do think there is a sense of approving this but the council seemed to get into the weeds about the rooftop bar. A lot of the discussion focused on what can be done on a roof and some feel that a 4-story height limit in addition to a rooftop deck is basically the same as a 5-story building.
Here are the highlights if you don’t want to watch the whole thing:
For me, I find myself repeating myself when I say that I want the council to focus on bigger issues but instead are diving into the weeds of each case that’s presented in front of them. I don’t want to go off here but it just seems that if a council meeting wants to spend time on what the railings are going to look like, something is wrong.
Watch the video and decide for yourself. The conversation continues on April 17 as the council voted 7-1 (Stewart opposing) to delay a decision by two weeks.
Here’s the latest update on Boylan Flats. The project is still kind of a mystery with no confirmed report of what this 48-unit building will be. The strongest rumor is it is an extended-stay hotel.
That could be the case as there will only be 37 parking spaces, according to the site plan, which is below the residential requirement but above the hotel requirement.
I also think those northern units with the “out-the-window ordering” feature integrated with the McDonald’s drive-thru would not appeal to future condo owners.
We’ll wait and see.
[UPDATE: Mystery solved.]
Marriott Hotel on Fayetteville Street.
I recently was having a conversation about downtown Raleigh hotels with some out-of-town coworkers. That got me thinking that it’s a good time to take a look at the current and upcoming hotel options to see how things are coming along. This is more of a wrapup post and I don’t have anything new to share.
Here’s the TLDR. Let me know if I’m missing something so we can make this list complete.
Currently open – 1310 rooms:
Under Construction – 134 Rooms:
Upcoming – *837 rooms:
On the radar:
Of the currently open list, the Residence Inn opened as recently as Fall 2017. In the last ten years, we’ve watched the Marriott and Hampton Inn go up. Can any readers date the Sheraton and Holiday Inn? Days Inn? They predate the blog as well as predate the downtown Raleigh revitalization of the 2000s that came from the Livable Streets plan of 2003.
Construction of The Origin Hotel on Morgan Street. March 2018.
Across the street from One Glenwood is the construction site, seen above, for the building’s parking deck. Plans call for an Origin hotel on top of the deck. I put this in the Under Construction category but I certainly could be wrong as the parking deck is certainly underway. I’m not sure if the hotel may come later or crews are planning for it now.
Renovation taking place at Guest House Raleigh on Bloodworth Street. March 2018.
I know that I’d love to see boutique hotels popping up around the periphery of downtown Raleigh so am excited to see Guest House Raleigh come along on Bloodworth Street. If successful, hopefully, others try their own take on the smaller, more personal stay in downtown.
Most of the upcoming hotel projects have been quiet, some for over a year now. The Willard seems to be moving through the process and the rezoning case for the boutique hotel on Peace is currently going through a public hearing. (at the developer’s request)
Let me know if I missed anything.
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.
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.
Steel rises at the site of One Glenwood. February 2018.
Steel is starting to take shape at the site of One Glenwood. This and the Origin Hotel planned for across Morgan Street are really going to create that bookend feeling for Glenwood South. This complements our earlier discussions around the nearby Willard Hotel at the corner of Willard Place and Glenwood Avenue also.
I actually like this zoomed-out image below as I think it shows how the end of Glenwood is going to get a nice urban presence which could bring more sidewalk activity to this area. Just use your imagination, or the crane, to put a 10-story building here.
Steel rises at the site of One Glenwood. February 2018.
Future site of The Willard hotel on Glenwood Avenue. February 2018.
On the city’s website, a submitted Administrative Alternate for Design (AAD-1-18) shows renderings of The Willard, a planned hotel and condo building for Glenwood South. Taking a peak, I wanted to share those renderings here on the blog.
As a refresher, The Willard will be an AC hotel by Marriott brand hotel on the southwest corner of Willard Place and Glenwood Avenue. The building will have hotel rooms and some residential units. Shown in the photo above is the site of the project which will see the demolition of two brick office buildings and the surface parking lot in between.
This particular AAD case seems to deal with the placement of the building and how far set back it is. I see a proposal for an outdoor amenity area which sits a little farther back than is required. Seems like a minor issue.
Either way, here are the renderings.
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
The Saint townhomes are moving right along with the first wave of units topped out. I like to think of this particular property as trying as hard as possible to balance the benefits of both urban and suburban living. They have spacious units but with a great location. Space for two cars but in an entirely walkable neighborhood.
Downtown won’t turn urban overnight but I’d like to think these new developments are moving the needle a few notches in the urban direction when you take in the entire city’s growth direction.