by Leo Suarez

Top 10 Empty Spaces To Fill Around Downtown

The discussion of retail space along sidewalks in downtown is not new. When designing a building, you could argue for or against including this in our current state of things. When the Wachovia and BB&T towers were built, only a single retail space was included. RBC Plaza is now open with three spaces on the ground floor. This increasing trend is great for downtown but rather then continuing to build new we should also focus on the empty spaces out there already that need a solid tenant. Here is a list of empty spaces around downtown that I think are critical spots for a shop or restaurant to set up in with #1 being the most important.

NOTE: These are places that are currently empty with no news of a potential tenant to the best of my knowledge.


#10 Progress Energy II

Iatria Spa closed down in the space on Davie St. and it does not look like anyone is jumping at the opportunity. Close proximity to Fayetteville St. and Moore Square are key selling points at this location.


#9 Wilmington and Martin St.

Honestly, I have no idea what has ever been in this building. RBC Plaza’s opening could help generate more foot traffic and make it more appealing.


#8 Music Hall

The music hall above Martin St. Pizza is empty. This is a large space and could have the potential for something unique like a bar/restaurant with live music.


#7 The Atrium

This space was under renovation all throughout 2007 but has now been sitting empty. The 100 block of Fayetteville St. may be the quietest one so something new here will help the overall street activity. The parking deck across the street is a big plus.


#6 The Raleigh Sandwich Shop

As the Hargett St. momentum continues to grow, led by Empire Properties, Wilmington St. will start getting some love. The Raleigh Sandwich shop just looks like a place that needs a smart developer to come in and renovate. Lots of potential here.


#5 Odd Fellows

The Waraji deal seemed to die out and now the large space sits empty. A successful restaurant here would extend the Hargett St. activity even more.


#4 Commerce Place

Moving out of the core downtown and into the warehouse district, we move to Commerce Place. The building is only partially filled but there is a key spot on Martin St. that could use some love. The warehouse district has so much potential and spaces like this can really hold something very original.


#3 Boylan Pearce Building

That white wall has been there for years and offers nothing to anyone that walks by. The 200 block of Fayetteville has a lot of activity compared to the rest of the street and this is a solid location that no one has jumped on yet.


#2 The Depot

While Jibarra is currently set to open up here, the rest of the building sits empty. This historic building has the luxury of having surface parking right in front. If traffic could flow through the warehouses a little better I think this place would be full in two seconds.


#1 City Market

The granddaddy of them all, City Market is one of downtown’s more significant, historical buildings. This huge space has been empty for years and really creates a hole in the middle of the city market block, making it feel desolate and slow. I think the building needs a huge landmark Raleigh restaurant or used as a seller’s venue, kind of like Market St. in Charleston.

What is interesting to note about this list is that nothing is mentioned in Glenwood South. Hats off Glenwood.

by Leo Suarez

Drink Cherry Bounce at Deep South

Deep South is serving up some Cherry Bounce. You may remember them from this BeerCon Post. If you are not familiar with the Raleigh history around the drink, read:

In the late 1700s, North Carolina legislators traveled to rotating capital cities to meet and conduct the state’s official business. So how did an oak-shaded area in Wake County become the permanent state capital?

The official story goes that the Constitutional Convention met in 1788 and decided the capital must be established within 10 miles of Isaac Hunter’s tavern and plantation in Wake County. After exploring the area, the commissioners agreed to purchase a parcel of land from Joel Lane, a local Revolutionary War colonel who had hosted General Assembly sessions at his home during the war. In 1792 Lane sold one thousand acres of his Wake County property for 1,378 pounds ($2,756) to provide a site for North
Carolina’s permanent capital, Raleigh.

But according to local legend, Lane, who–like Isaac Hunter–operated a tavern and inn out of his house, relied upon a potent fruit and alcohol drink called Cherry Bounce to sway the legislators in favor of buying property from him, rather than Hunter. Cherry Bounce is a concoction made up of mashed cherries, sugar and whiskey or brandy, aged for several weeks. Visitors today are not likely to find Cherry Bounce in Raleigh, but they will find that the tradition of Southern hospitality–inspired by the city’s “founding father”–continues.

– Via [Visit Raleigh]

Talk to your local bartenders and get them to serve Cherry Bounce too.

by Leo Suarez

BeerCon: Slim’s Downtown Distillery

If you never knew about this place, you may be surprised to know that you have driven by it a million times when coming into downtown on Wilmington St. Slim’s is a downtown bar for the musically stimulated. Live music is the key element that brings people together and they serve it up right with many local bands giving Raleighites terrific ear candy.

The beer selection is not the best but that is not the point; rock music and Triple Karmeliet do not play well together. Slim’s has atmosphere for you and friends to meet up. They have games, outdoor seating, and a big bar that serves everything you would expect from a quality watering hole. I’m getting kind of good at the bowling arcade game so watch out fellow bowlers.

Arcade games
Pinball
Pool table
Live music
Outdoor seating
TV’s

Website: http://www.myspace.com/slimsdowntownraleigh

227 S Wilmington St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(go to map)
(919) 833-6557

by Leo Suarez

Project Highlight: Charter Square

Charter Square will consist of two towers located on the southern end of Fayetteville St. across from the new Marriott Hotel. You can thank Craig Davis Properties for these beauties as they will have, from their website [Update: Broken link]:

…two towers, constructed of natural stone and glass. Building One will consist of approximately 405,000 square feet of office, retail and residential space on 21 floors. Building Two will consist of 30,000 square feet of retail space with 120 residential units above the retail. The buildings will sit atop a 690 space underground, city operated parking deck and approximately 600 spaces will be reserved for the building’s office tenants. The towers will be adjacent to Raleigh’s new convention center, as well as numerous restaurants, retail and cultural venues.

The underground parking deck is currently under construction so until then we can enjoy these renderings of Raleigh’s front row.


North tower


South tower

by Leo Suarez

Capital Area Friends of Transit

The Capital Area Friends of Transit (CAFT) is an alliance of many community organizations, institutions and civic leaders who support regional transit for the Triangle. CAFT is building public support and political will in Wake County and the Capital area for a forward-looking transit plan that is convenient, accessible and affordable.

CAFT fully supports the recommendations of the Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC) plan. CAFT calls upon the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and Durham Chapel Hill-Carrboro (DCHC) MPO to coordinate with Wake, Durham, and Orange counties and local governments to implement the STAC recommendations in conjunction with local land use planning and to develop specific local transit plans.

CAFT invites all local citizens, organizations, businesses and institutions to sign our statement in support of transit, as follows.

As Raleigh grows, transit will be important for the city to maintain the great quality of life that we enjoy. I encourage everyone that is interested to sign it.