Category / New Construction

by Leo Suarez

County Parking Decks Opening and Closing

We are getting closer and closer to another day of destruction. Fencing is going up around the parking deck behind the Garland Jones building which is the future site of the new justice center. The new county deck a block down McDowell will open soon and replace the older one.

For what it is, the new county deck is pretty nice. On the ground floor, there is an indoor lobby with city info, mostly maps, of places around downtown. There are also pay stations to make things more convenient.

I had to take a long look at the map that was put up inside the lobby. Here are some things I noticed.

– The new justice center and Clarence E Lightner Safety Center are listed as ‘future’ projects.
– The amphitheatre across from the convention center is listed as ‘planned’.
– Green Square is not on the map.

Interpret it as you will but I’m sure this doesn’t mean much really. I just thought it is a little interesting the things they put on these maps when it comes to ‘future’ or ‘planned’ projects.

by Leo Suarez

Union Square Grounds Renovations

You might have noticed the construction fencing around some of the walkways on the capitol grounds. If you didn’t know what was going on, allow me to explain. All this information comes from some very informative banners that are hung up against the fence on the northern end of the capitol. Along with the information there is some very interesting history displayed about union square and its evolution to today’s setup. If you are walking by I recommend you stop and read a little. Here is a quote from the banner:

The walkway renovations at Union Square will increase access and safety for visitors. During this project, we will create accessible walks at the south entrance (Fayetteville Street), remove the steps at the corner of Wilmington and Edenton Streets, and replace portions of the pavement between these two points.

So it’s really nothing too exciting except more handicap access. The posted history was pretty interesting. At one point the capitol grounds had fencing all the way around but that has changed (obviously). Anyway, the capitol is hands down the touristiest thing about downtown so of course we are watching what goes on around it.


Rendering of the southern entrance.


Map layout of the affected area.

by Leo Suarez

‘The Hills’ Runs Out of Money

It looks like this is the end of the line for the project called The Hillsborough. I think no one should be surprised by this as it has been reported in the past that the developers were facing an uphill battle securing financing. Now that it is official, we can move on. There’s no doubt that this land will become more valuable over time. You’ve got Campbell Law moving in across the street and easy access to Fayetteville St. and Glenwood South. Hillsborough St. is a major corridor in and out of downtown so the location is naturally great.

I’m going to bet that there is not a line of people ready to bid on the site and build a tower in these tough times so a temporary parking lot makes the most sense. Fill the hole and pave it over. It could be used by the Campbell law students and faculty. I’m sure the weekend church crowds may enjoy some prime parking right on Hillsborough St. too. It could even be used as a downtown construction staging area for Green Square, the Public Safety Center, or any other project in the nearby area.

Residents of The Dawson, enjoy your view a little longer.

by Leo Suarez

City Plaza Piecing Together



Most of you probably heard the news yesterday related to City Plaza. For those that did not, it was announced that Jimmy John’s has signed a lease for one of the spaces. From what I know, the Hillsborough St. and Page Rd. locations do pretty well. I think they will honestly kill it during lunch hours and pretty much own it on a nice weather day. If you haven’t been, Jimmy John’s serves pretty good sandwiches and makes them relatively fast so convenience is high. I believe the one near NC State stays open late too so we’ll see if this one does the same when it opens later this year.

Looking to the future of City Plaza, there are still other spaces to fill. The WRAL article claims that there are six total spaces available for restaurants. If all six become food places, then let’s hope there is a nice mix so that all meal hours are properly covered; from breakfast to late-night. It would be a shame for out of town visitors walking out of the nearby hotels to see an inactive “city center”.

Anyway, I’m actually really looking forward to City Plaza. Anyone’s first visit to Fayetteville St. can tell that there is some significance there and this plaza should make it feel like the center of all the activity on the street.

by Leo Suarez

Pic of the Week

This picture is over a year old. There was no need to take another one cause this site, for The Hillsborough, has been the same for this entire time. According to the city:

“The developer also must meet certain other deadlines in the revised agreement or the City could exercise its option to repurchase the property at 301 and 309 Hillsborough Street. For example, site and foundation work must begin by Feb. 3, 2009 and construction of the project must be complete by March 15, 2011.”

February 3rd is only six days away. Will cranes start showing up this weekend? Place your bets.

by Leo Suarez

Digging at Green Square

The Green Square project has been under the radar recently but is moving along. They keep their progress well hidden behind wooden fences but there is a lot digging going on at the corner of McDowell and Jones St. Green Square was one of many projects that were fast tracked by the government in order to stir up the state economy so there is a good chance that this project will not slip. While some buildings had to come down, most of the project will be built on what was a parking lot especially west of the current construction site.