by Leo Suarez

2011 Top Places of Empty Spaces, Filling Retail Space In Downtown

Some have heard it, others say it. “We need more retail.” And then there are some who make the suggestion that downtown needs more space for this sought after retail. Do we need more space for retail in downtown Raleigh?

Long time readers of RalCon may remember older posts where I went over some of the most important spaces that, at the time, were left vacant. For some background reading make sure to jump here:

Top 10 Empty Spaces To Fill Around Downtown (September 19, 2008)
Follow Up, Top Ten Empty Spaces to Fill Around Downtown (September 28, 2009)

It has been well over a year since the last post on this topic so I thought I would take us through again. Rather than naming and ranking the places, let’s just start with different districts and discuss their evolution over the past few years.

Seaboard Station

I had to investigate this one because of the recent chatter in the comments about the upcoming renovation to 111 Seaboard. Outside of that renovation, there are two main empty spaces amongst the warehouses that make up Seaboard Station.

Rumor has it that Tyler’s Taproom will set up in the old Tookie’s Grill space near 18 Seaboard. Walking up to it, Tookie’s has been pretty much gutted. What is interesting is that a hole in the wall has been made opening it up to the space next door and adding what could be a large restaurant area. The Tookie’s space could hold a bar with a bunch of TV’s and the larger space next to it could be the restaurant area with larger tables. Outdoor seating may be tricky though as there isn’t much room outside the doors. Either way, this seems to be the likely candidate for a Tyler’s type bar/restaurant.

The other space near the rear of Seaboard Station, near Peace China, has been subdivided into, what looks like, offices. From the work that has been done, there is little indication that a restaurant will go in. It’s tough to think that Tyler’s would go here after seeing the Tookie’s space in its current state.

There is your update as of today. Let’s hope for some good news in the near future.

Glenwood South

Glenwood South has been running near capacity from what I have seen. A couple places have changed in the past year or two though, The Rockford has changed owners, Ivy has closed and is now being renovated, The Artisan is now where Sauced Pizza used to be, and a few other minor tweaks.

The most important space that is empty or being worked on in Glenwood South, in my opinion, is the corner space of 222 Glenwood. This huge space could hold a landmark restaurant that shows off its activity through the huge windows that face the street. The corner entrance could really make it a statement to pedestrians and drivers coming up Glenwood. This space has never had an occupant.


I’d like to see outdoor seating instead of parking spaces on the side street but I’m just nit picking.

The rest of the building is pretty much occupied, with signs up now for the upcoming Tutti Fruiti and Zaky, we could be weeks or a few months away from an opening.

The Warehouse District

The Warehouse District is on the rise thanks to the injection of activity brought on by Contemporary Art Museum.

The Depot building is more stable then it has ever been in the last few years with Jibarra leading the way. Tuscan Blu has opened this year and a beer bar, The Union, anchors the historic building toward the back. The upcoming Tasty Beverage Company store will open this year leaving the prime Davie Street space looking for a tenant.

Martin Street is on the rise as well. Raleigh Denim has moved into Commerce Place and Brewmaster’s has filled the old Joe’s place on the corner of Dawson Street. You’ll see more art in the area because of the new museum and the relocation of the Visual Art Exchange nearby.

Over on Hargett Street, The Hue could use a little love. There still is some empty space on the ground floor but it has improved slightly. A real estate agent is renting space and there is work being done on Astoria Cafe. There is still plenty of space and hopefully it gets filled as more renters move into the building.

Fayetteville Street

There’s a lot to cover on Fayetteville Street so let’s start with what was highlighted in the past posts. The following spaces are still empty:

  • 114 Fayetteville Street, next to Isaac Hunter’s
  • Odd Fellows, corner of Hargett and Salisbury
  • Boylan Pearce Building
  • Spaces along 100 block of East Hargett Street


This picture from 2008 still applies.


So does this one.

So there are still some holes to fill along North Carolina’s Main street and the side streets but there is some positive news here.

Finally, one of the ground floor spaces of the RBC tower will be filled. A Pan-Asian restaurant from the owners of Sono and The Oxford are working on something new in this space. The tower still has two other retail spaces that are empty but walking along Fayetteville Street will be complete on this block once the new place opens up.

Ashley Christensen will be bringing three new establishments to the corner of Martin and Wilmington Street. We highlighted this building on one of the older posts on the blog so we can now take it off the list. From the article,

She plans to open three new eateries – a burger joint, a fried chicken and honey place and an underground bar – in a 4,000-square-foot-space in downtown Raleigh in late spring. She says the food will be “simple but with a lot of energy going into the details.”

I had some good times a few years back at Alibi Bar but I’m not sure it competes with it’s successor, Neptune’s Parlour. Pair it with King’s in the upstairs space and you have a killer combination. The ground floor space that used to be Martin Street Pizza will be a restaurant in the future, rounding out the trio of offerings at 14 West Martin Street.

City Market

What I think is the grand daddy of downtown, The City Market building, is sort of half full. Still.

Half of the historic market building is being used as event space while the half facing Martin Street, the one I call the front, sits vacant. Cobblestone Hall is used for weddings, receptions, parties, anything really. They play on the historic charm theme with City Market’s cobblestone streets.

It has been years since the fire at Greenshield’s which used to be in the building. Does anyone have the year by the way? Still, I think City Market is being held for something grand, something that really is a regional draw and a landmark institution for downtown.

The conversation here is really just a subset of new openings, closings, and empty spaces around downtown.

by Leo Suarez

Fayetteville Street Post Office Closing, Lost Service or New Opportunity?

The post office on Fayetteville Street will close this July according to the N&O.

Citing drastic declines in mail volume, the U.S. Postal Service will close its downtown post office in July, shuttering an institution that has stood on Fayetteville Street for 134 years.
…….
There was no word about a possible future use for the ground floor space that will be vacated. Post office officials did not return calls seeking comment, but a note taped to a mail slot attributed the closing to recession-related declines and changing consumer habits.

No one should be surprised by this news as multiple offices have been closing around Raleigh and around the country. The U.S. Postal Service can’t seem to cover their costs so it is only natural that closings like this are occurring. The state of the current economy also doesn’t help things out.

I actually first heard about this news on Twitter. The tweets I read were from people asking others to support the office and demand that it be left open. I do understand that the service is still needed, even relied upon by some but I can’t seem to get behind the idea of keeping the downtown office open.

Am I against the mail service? Not at all. I feel that this service should continue to exist for all citizens but in today’s shift from paper to internet, the service should transform with the times in an appropriate way. This shift is not what this post is about so I’ll stop with that statement in order to stay on topic.

Anyway, the historic, beautiful building on the corner of Martin and Fayetteville Street will have some open space soon and I believe this creates an opportunity for something new. My first idea that I have had for a little while (PROOF!) is for the Century Post Office to be repurposed into a library. Maybe not right away, or perhaps not the first use of the new space but with a growing downtown this would be a perfect opportunity to have a downtown library in a landmark building with a prime address.

The federal government’s current cutting of excess properties makes this an interesting opportunity for, perhaps, Wake County to make a play at moving into the building.

Downtown probably still has a long way to go before the downtown express library is upgraded but you never know.

The postal service may be moving out but the building will still stand and can serve citizens in a new way in the future.

by Leo Suarez

CityCamp Raleigh Will Be on June 3rd-5th, 2011

City Camp SF 2010-10-1626
CityCamp San Francisco via Steve Rhodes, on Flickr

I’m sure there is a quote out there, somewhere that says any idea that isn’t created is worthless. I actually think that complaints without action are also worthless. Well, it is now time to take those complaints and annoyances about our city and create a way to fix it.

As part of a growing group of organizers for CityCamp Raleigh, I wanted to help spread the press release about this event on June 3rd, 4th and 5th, which by the way I am very excited about. There is a huge potential for some great projects to come out of the collaboration between technology enthusiasts and citizens.

Read the press release below and register for the event to join us.

Citizen-led “unconference” brings innovation and cooperation to the capital city June 3, 4, and 5, 2011.

Raleigh, NC, May 11, 2011: CityCamp Raleigh today announced the first city-focused “unconference” in North Carolina that brings together government, business, neighborhood, non-profit, and academic communities working toward next generation solutions for Raleigh. In a world challenged to do more with less, the City of Raleigh is open to ideas from citizens and technology professionals (web developers, programmers, and app developers) on how to streamline procedures, share information and create innovative solutions using the latest technology. According to Mayor Charles Meeker, “our citizens are ready for Raleigh to move forward and be more open sourced focused. The technology is successful. Raleigh is ready to be the worldwide hub for open source.”

The event is free to the public and will kick off Friday, June 3rd at 12.30pm at Vintage 21 downtown Raleigh, S. West Street, and continues Saturday and Sunday, June 4 – 5, 2011. “The City of Raleigh has a long and successful history of citizen participation and engagement,” said City Manager Russell Allen. “The possibility of using technology and software applications as new methods of achieving transparency and interaction is a very exciting opportunity. Strong cities find ways to connect creativity for the benefit of productive outcomes.” Other confirmed speakers at this time include, Michael Tiemann, VP of Open Source Affairs at Red Hat, Inc., as well as president of the Open Source Initiative, and Jimmy Goodmon, VP/GM, Capital Broadcasting New Media Company.

Read the rest of the press release at the CityCamp Raleigh site.

by Leo Suarez

BeerCon: Tasty Beverage Company Coming To The Depot

The website for Tasty Beverage Co. says it all:

There is a lack of a dedicated beer store in Raleigh and we plan to fill that gap. We plan to offer an impressive selection of beers from the American craft beer industry as well as the world. Tasty Beverage Company will also feature a selection of wines, high quality sodas, local meats, and cheeses.

The new beer store will go in the space between Jibarra and Tuscan Blu in the historic depot building and the current outlook is for them to open their doors this summer.

by Leo Suarez

Municipography, Moore Square and Solar Powered Vehicle Chargers

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.

There are only two items that were discussed in yesterday’s Raleigh City Council meeting that are related to downtown Raleigh that I will highlight today.

The first item was approved through the consent agenda and involves a pilot program with Progress Energy. The pilot is for a solar powered vehicle charging station to be set up on the surface parking lot along Salisbury Street between Lenoir and South Street. There are more details about this experiment below, taken from the meeting agenda.

The next issue was related to the Moore Square Redesign. Concerns about damage to trees during construction were brought up and the Tree Conservation Task Force will comment on the plan soon. See the conversation in the video below.

Solar Charging Station on Salisbury Street

From the consent agenda:

“In partnership with Progress Energy (PEC) the City will undertake a solar charging station pilot project. The project will consist of a two bay vehicle parking structure with integrated solar photovoltaic cell equipment located thereon, and will include two electric vehicle charging stations with battery storage capability. The facility will also incorporate an inter-connection with the electric energy grid, as well as appropriate metering, control, and monitoring equipment and will be located on a surface parking lot owned by the City located at 616 South Salisbury Street across Lenoir Street from the Raleigh Convention Center (City Site 4). The project can be removed or reused by the City after the two year pilot project or can be extended upon agreement of both parties. The City shall provide, or otherwise be responsible for the cost of: (a) electric vehicle charging equipment for two vehicles, and (b) battery for the facility. All other costs of the solar array, equipment, and installation, site improvement, and design work, specifically including design, facility oversight, and other consultation services by Advanced Energy, will be the responsibility of PEC. As construction of the facility progresses, the City will invoice PEC for work completed and equipment installed, to be reimbursed to the City. Funding will be shared by PEC and the City, with the City’s portion funded by Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds.

Recommendation:
Authorize execution of an agreement with Progress Energy as described.”

Tree Conservation Concerns With The Moore Square Redesign


Get Microsoft Silverlight

From the agenda:

During the April 19, 2011, Council meeting, the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board presented the Moore Square Draft Master Plan with the recommendation that the Council adopt the plan as presented and that the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board have the opportunity to review and comment at the 30% Schematic Design Phase as recommended by the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board. Following the presentation, it was reported that some concern had been expressed by the North Carolina Secretary of Administration. It was directed that the item be placed on this agenda to receive a report relative to State approval of structures and to get a recommendation from the Tree Conservation Task Force.

by Leo Suarez

Contemporary Art Museum Now Open

The Contemporary Art Museum in the warehouse district has now opened. CAM Raleigh has been covered in different places on the web and the best two reads out there are:

The cost to visit is $5 and the hours are listed below.

Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri: 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Closed Tues
Sat, Sun: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
First and third Friday of the month open until 9 p.m.
Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Day