The last building that is still standing in the way of the future Green Square project is currently coming down. Here are some photos from today’s demolition occurring on Jones St.
Are they growing grass where the old NCDOT building stood across the street?
The downtown condo supply has been slowly rising and we all have seen new buildings open up over the past few years. Help me out with the years if I’m off but
There are other buildings that have been holding it down for longer then this but 2008 has to be exciting for the downtown condo scene as we welcome four newcomers to the party. As an extension to the WRAL article that touches this, here is the list.
RBC Condos
RBC is probably the most obvious and more unique of the group. It depends on your definition, but I think this is the first example of true high-rise living in Raleigh. Word is that all 139 condos have been sold.
Bloomsbury Estates
The seven story, 56 unit condo building is over half sold and should also open this year. Hopefully in the near future we will see the second phase of the project, which consists of the twin being built in the back.
222 Glenwood
The website is claiming that only nine units remain available in this building as of this writing. The location cannot get any better for fans of Glenwood South. The added retail presence along the street is a big welcome also. I heard from a friend that the views from the top are excellent.
West at North
This is a spacious building with a large footprint. The residents within the 170 condos will have a rooftop pool and easy access to Glenwood South. The ground floor retail will help West St. become Glenwood’s little brother.
The parking deck at the corner of McDowell and Davie St. is starting to rise out of the ground. This is also the site of the future ‘The L’, office over retail building, which will hide the deck from the sidewalk.
At this pace, do not expect it any time soon because this deck will be nine stories tall and they are not building it lego-style like RBC’s deck. At least we will all feel safe parking in this slowly built deck.
The Tucker is finally showing some real life and a crane has appeared at the construction site. Last I heard, phase I was supposed to open in summer of 2009, with the entire project complete a year later.
Thanks, Ashton!
Edit: The RalCon Tumblelog has been discontinued.
I threw up this picture on the RalCon Tumblelog but remembered that recently there was good discussion related to 222 Glenwood. It appears that this is the final paint job of the parking deck and the flat wall along Jones St. is looking a little ‘simple’. We also had discussion about the murals of downtown and this blank wall was mentioned as a good space for another mural.
Hillsborough St. gets my vote as being one of the most important streets for downtown. From the Capitol building out to Glenwood, the first six blocks will be a major route that connects Glenwood South and Fayetteville St. The zig zag route should become the spine of activity for downtown. It is pretty clear that Fayetteville St. and Glenwood South are already budding entertainment centers but Hillsborough St. is on the rise.
What Is Planned
The weak economy and I’m sure a couple other factors have held back some of these projects and they are currently on standby. It is still a bit exciting to see these proposals because if all are eventually built, Hillsborough St will be its own urban corridor.
A 25 story hotel and condo tower will occupy the block shown above.
Another 25 story hotel and condo tower. It is currently on hold because of the bad credit market.
Campbell Law School Relocation
Classes should start in summer 2009. I think this a key move that should create traffic on Hillsborough St. I’m worried though because there is a serious lack of rentable apartments nearby and students will be prime renters.
HBS Properties has bought up a majority of this block. Last I heard, they were floating around the idea of a 10 story tower that would wipe out this streetscape.
The Potential
There are a couple of empty lots and surface parking lots that are in prime locations. There may be controversy in the future over established churches and businesses versus developers willing to offer big money for these lots. However, we are still not there yet so let’s save that argument for later.
I see this stretch of Hillsborough St. becoming a hotel row. Two hotels are in the list above and The Clarion is already in service in this location. This is a central, easy to get to area and with a wider street, it is car traffic friendly. It connects our two major entertainment centers and any visitor has an easy walk to either one.
I also think that the triangle near the Hillsborough/Edenton merge could be something really unique for downtown. I had an idea once.
Here are some pictures from yesterday’s raising of RBC Plaza’s top hat. Raleigh Skyline also has some great pictures of the top hat being raised into the air.
The rest of the crown is currently going up so expect an update soon.
[UPDATE: 9:20 AM]
Piece number 2 is currently being placed. Let’s hope the weather does not interfere.
Piece #3 awaits lift off.
[UPDATE: 11:15 AM]
Piece number 3 is hanging up high.
[UPDATE: 3:30 PM]
The last piece sits at the bottom.
[UPDATE: 5:00 PM]
There you have it, all four pieces are now 500 feet in the air. Now, we wait for the final touch to RBC Plaza, the spire.
