Almost two years ago, we saw plans for townhomes at 416 St. Mary’s Street after the removal of some single-family homes on the site. Not much has happened since. Now, the developer, Edinburgh Development, and sales firm Monarch Realty Co., has announced that Cameron Crest, shown in the rendering above, is up for reservations on the same location.
Jump over to their site for more info.
No doubt the units will be high-end being four-stories, averaging 2,700 square feet, and including a rooftop terrace. Customizations are also possible to add that personal touch.
Construction has officially started so maybe we’ll get a feel for the new homes around this time next year. Like I said in the previous post, it’s great to see townhome “row house” units being built near downtown. It’s a great way to add density as well as give people some space.
Rendering of The Nexus mixed-use project along McDowell Street
Details have come out about a new condo tower for downtown Raleigh. Part of The Nexus, The Nash will include over 100 condos overlooking Nash Square.
The Nexus is a multi-tower, mixed-use development planned for the former site of The News & Observer. The tower on the left in the rendering above is The Nash and you can see more about it over on their website.
From the press release:
The Nash will offer buyers a variety of floorplans, ranging from one bedroom homes to penthouse suites, and will feature an array of hotel-style amenities, including concierge services, that cater to urban lifestyles.
The architect for The Nash is Elkus Manfredi of Boston.
No word yet on a construction start date but deposits for units will be accepted in 2020. For the zoning geeks in the house, no rezoning is needed on this one.
With The Fairweather currently under construction, the addition of condos in The Nash is a positive sign that condo construction may be making a return to downtown Raleigh.
It’s time to check in on the Origin Hotel that was going up at the end of Glenwood Avenue, at Morgan Street. The exterior looks almost finished and the sidewalks are pretty much open now. Seems the hotel is close to hosting visitors.
While their website is up, the reservations button doesn’t work just yet. It’s been nice to see the upgraded streetlights here at Glenwood and Morgan and with One Glenwood across the street finished, there’s a whole new feel to the southern end of Glenwood Avenue.
I’m sharing a video this week as it contains some of the best renderings and future views of the upcoming Freedom Park, a public space dedicated to African Americans of North Carolina.
Planned for the corner of Lane and Wilmington Streets, between the NC Legislature and the NC Governor’s Mansion, the park will contain inspirational quotes from African Americans from North Carolina. There will also be a 48-foot sculpture in the park.
The new park should break ground in December 2019.
2019 is shaping up to be a pretty active year for development in downtown Raleigh. New projects have been announced and ground breakings took place throughout the year. One thing that kind of jumped out to me is the possibility for some taller structures in our future.
I put “possibility” in emphasis as there is a big window related to the height restrictions set in our development code. At the tallest end of the spectrum, we have the following zonings:
12-story height limits
20-story height limits
40-story height limits
It’s a bit of a jump if a project wants to do something with 20-30 floors but you have to ask for permission to do as high as 40. Just to level set, downtown Raleigh’s tallest three towers (all shown in the header photo above) include:
PNC Plaza with 32 floors (538′ to the tip of the spire)
Two Hannover Square with 29 floors (431′ tall)
Wells Fargo Capital Center with 30 floors (400′ tall)
Density is typically a more important factor for me personally but if height is what you are interested in then you probably want to follow along these new projects we’re tracking over on the Community.
121 Fayetteville
121 Fayetteville is planned to be a 30-story office tower right on Fayetteville Street. Sitting on the 100-block, on top of (or partially replacing) the Alexander Square parking deck, this new tower will be adding parking space as well multiple terraces on different floors.
For the zoning geeks in the house, the block already has a 40-story maximum, meaning this project probably just needs tenants to sign on before construction begins.
Find out more at 121fayettevilleraleigh.com
RUS Bus
The Raleigh Union Station Bus Facility (RUS bus) will be along West Street between Hargett and Martin Streets. This year, GoTriangle has received approval from the city for a rezoning with a height of up to 40-stories.
The bus station with a tower on top is planned to have a mix of housing, market-rate and affordable, as well possibly office and hotel uses. The tower portion is being worked on now but it seems that a 20-story height limit was limiting in possibilities here.
We expect more details on this project next year but you can find out more here: rusbusnc.com
Smoky Hollow Phase 3
Future site of Smoky Hollow Phase 3. September 2019.
You must be new if you haven’t heard of Smoky Hollow so please jump back to the tagged posts and catch up. Phase 3 was formerly zoned for a maximum of 12-stories but a request for the 40-story maximum was approved this year.
Those behind the project shared details of a mixed-use building with housing on the lower floors and a tower for offices. The development may have active uses along Harrington, Peace, and Johnson Streets as it’ll further build out the fabric of the Smoky Hollow developments nearby.
You can see more about the nearby projects delivered by the same developer here:
Opposite of Smoky Hollow Phase 3 over Capital Boulevard, another 12-story zoned property is seeking a rezoning for a 40-story maximum. The developer wants to get the rezoning set for a possible large tenant in the future and could build a tall office tower on this 1.5 acre property.
Currently, the rezoning ( Z-17-19) is working its way through the process and may hit the city council for discussion early next year.
From conversation on the Community, the location wasn’t so clear. The site is located on Peace and alongside Capital. Below is an aerial with some labels to help orient readers.
Aerial shot by @xtremetoonz. Edits made by Leo Suarez.
Like I stated earlier, it is a big window in height between 20 and 40 stories. 121 Fayetteville is advertising a 30-story tower but, pending rezoning approval in some cases, the others may be 20-somethings or closer to new heights up and around 40.
As always, this new trend will be interesting to watch play out!
It’s not a totally exciting photo for this week but progress is being made on The Fairweather, downtown’s newest condo building.
Condos haven’t really been springing up in DTR recently as apartments are still pretty hot. According to their website, only a few units remain. The project should be finished sometime in 2020.
West Street near Glenwood South is unreal these days. The Smoky Hollow development is transforming this area. The pace is fantastic to watch!
The building along Peace (not in the photo) will open next year. This is the building with the Publix grocery store and apartments. I imagine opening of these new buildings might be in the year after, 2021.
Started in 2018 and growing throughout 2019, the MLB Raleigh movement has been creeping into different sectors of our city. “the time is now for Raleigh to get organized and put their city and their support for Major League Baseball on display,” their site says.
The folks behind MLB Raleigh have made merchandise that have flown off shelves. Trophy Brewing made a beer. Their profits go towards fixing up baseball fields, partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Raleigh.
They also have the data to show that we line up, sometimes better, than other cities that have established professional baseball teams.
The guys I’ve talked to behind MLB Raleigh are enjoying the questions they get when they announced to the city, “Why doesn’t Raleigh go for a baseball team?” (see their FAQs) The community has shown up for this and through it, ideas for a team, location, and stadium, have risen out of this grassroots effort.
Whether an MLB team in Raleigh makes sense or not is one thing but behind the covers of this sports-related effort is a true Raleigh-based conversation. The group is using baseball as a vehicle to help educate others on the region’s size and growth, start conversations on city planning and transit, and even diving into a much-discussed topic in Raleigh; brand.
What would you call our baseball team?
Where would your baseball team play?
What colors or logo would they use?
That has been an exciting aspect to watch as MLB Raleigh has tapped Raleigh’s design community to brainstorm and create. You need to dig deep and figure out what, with a logo or name, speaks to people and tells them that this is Raleigh and no other place.
In August 2019, a design event showcased some of those team names and logos that have come from those thinking about how to speak Raleigh to potential baseball fans. This is a fantastic exercise in a topic that I think is important for Raleigh.
What is Raleigh’s brand?
One aspect that I think a lot of folks forget or either don’t know is that Raleigh really was a small town leading up to the mid-1900s. You could argue that we are in the first big growth boom that Raleigh has experienced. Other cities have seen growth at different periods in their history so have been able to layer that history, and aspects from it, on top of each other, making it a part of their identity. (and their sports teams for example)
As Raleigh’s growth continues it would set us up well if the city could find that identity and build some kind of foundation to build on. We have the opportunity to blend many different perspectives with so many locals and newcomers.
With the baseball movement, we may get more out of it than just summer-time games to skip work for. If baseball helps bring out an aspect of our city that we can embrace and the world starts seeing it as the Raleigh-way, it’ll be more than just baseball that benefits but something that Raleigh-based businesses, non-profits, residents, and visitors can experience 365 days a year.
It may just take a logo or name that tells the Raleigh story.
If you’re interested in MLB Raleigh and getting involved, check out their website and sign up to be a supporter.
