by Leo Suarez

The Link Apartments Tops Out

The Linnk Apartments under construction

Well almost topped out. I took a walk around the site of The Link and this apartment project is currently in the “beehive” construction phase. The eastern most side of the building is topped out with the western half almost there. Last time we talked about The Link on the blog was in November 2014 and the building wasn’t out of the ground yet.

This building has a real impact on the intersection of West and Jones Street which should see a real uptick in pedestrian activity due to all the new residents in the area.

Nothing thrilling to report really but it was time to check in on this one again.

The Linnk Apartments under construction

by Leo Suarez

Municipography, 300 Block of Hillsborough Street

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.

I recommend email/RSS readers click through to the website to see the embedded video.

If you want to become an expert on everything related to the 300 block of Hillsborough Street then this Raleigh City Council video is the one to watch. I actually enjoyed the discussion and if there is any amount of municipal geek in you, then this video is the one to watch to the end.


If the video embed doesn’t show, go here to watch it.

The video of the council discussion has the following:

  • Councilor thoughts on the properties
  • Proponents from nearby land owners and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance
  • Opponents from the nearby Dawson Condominiums

The short summary I can give is that the council wanted as many facts as possible before “letting go” of this city-owned land. Some felt that discussion should continue, at another time, to see how the land could be leveraged for community benefits, affordable housing being the most talked about. At the same time, with no plan or policy in place today, some felt that this particular piece of land should not be cherry picked into forcing those covenants onto it.

It’s definitely a tough decision and while the rezoning for the 20-story maximum limit was passed there’s still a conversation to be had about how to “dispose” of the property. That will be handled in the Budget and Economic Development Committee.

The old zoning had no height limit and any new proposal had to be reviewed for approval. What the 20-story height limit now does is that any building proposed that is under that limit immediately is approved. It’s like setting the boundaries for development ahead of time and if new proposals fall within that boundary, faster approvals take place.

The opinions were all over the place. Residents in The Dawson wanted something that matches their building, something with a 7-story maximum. A representative from the Downtown Raleigh Alliance sees the density as supporting more retail, more restaurants, and brings us that much closer to actually getting a grocery store in downtown Raleigh, something that at this point is the holy grail in some people’s eyes. The owner of the building, more like a historic house, at the corner of Hillsborough and Harrington, where the law firm is located, even said he saw the rezoning as a “down-zoning” as it was made clear that the previous approval here was a 32-story building. That was approved back in 2006.

In my opinion, I agree that affordable housing is very important. So let’s talk about it. Where is the “Downtown Affordable Housing Action Plan” or something similar? Who, or what group, can spearhead that effort? We should get that initiative rolling so that when future opportunities on city-owned land come up, just like the one here at 301 Hillsborough, council will know what to do and have the confidence of modifying plans so that they benefit the community in a positive way. What shouldn’t happen is rush to form a plan at the last minute just because we see an opportunity.

Since that plan is not in place, let’s not slow things down and I’m happy to see the council approve this rezoning.

As a side note, it’s unfortunate that councilor Eugene Weeks, representing District C where the most affordable housing in the city is located, didn’t say a word during the 1 hour and 15 minutes that this discussion took place. Sure, 301 Hillsborough is in District D but I almost look to him for guidance seeing as he should have the most experience with tons of city-owned properties turned affordable housing taking place in east and southeast Raleigh.

by Leo Suarez

Union Station Groundbreaking on Social Media

Email readers: This blog post has embedded tweets and photos. Read the post on the blog to see them if they are not appearing for you.

I unfortunately could not make it to the Union Station groundbreaking yesterday but I wanted to gather up a few posts from Twitter and Instagram so that others that didn’t make it could get an idea of how the “ground” was “broken.”

Hoping for a big opening party in 2017!

Breaking ground for the #Raleigh Union Station!

A photo posted by Raleigh Planning & Development (@raleighplanning) on

Ground has been broken for Raleigh's Union Station. 🎉🎉

A photo posted by Ian F.G. Dunn (@ifgd) on


by Leo Suarez

Hilton Garden Inn on Davie Street Rendering, Shows Glass and Curves

Rendering of the Hilton Garden Inn planned for the corner of Davie and McDowell Streets

Rendering of the Hilton Garden Inn planned for the corner of Davie and McDowell Streets.

Coming up during this week’s Raleigh Appearance Commission meeting are plans for the 13-story, 158′ Hilton Garden Inn tower. This project is planned for the northwest corner of Davie and McDowell Streets. With a ground floor lobby, floors 2-5 are for parking, and 6-13 for hotel rooms.

After looking at the documents shared in the meeting agenda, the site is predominantly replacing the Turn Key Tire shop that sits right at the corner along with the brick, one-story warehouse that runs along Davie Street. As a result, if I’m reading this right, the building next door with the trophy shop will also be removed too and the tiny little building nearby along McDowell.

And what a cleanup job this will be as tons of utility lines and terrible sidewalks will be removed and replaced, in front and around the building. Behind it, a public alley will be built for loading/unloading of trash and other services. There’s a vehicle entrance on Davie Street and the plans don’t quite show exactly how the lobby and any potential retail space is broken up.

Current site

Current site.

In my opinion, this is probably the best looking hotel proposal in recent memory. The urban form is great and is adding density to new areas of downtown that essentially has none. Bravo to the team behind this project and let’s make it happen.

by Leo Suarez

Moore Square Master Plan Updates

Proposed design for Moore Square, April 2015

Proposed design for Moore Square, April 2015. Click for larger.

This week, I was invited to participate in the Moore Square Master Plan Public Leadership Group. (PLG) The group consists of individuals from a variety of organizations that may have interests in Moore Square and the upcoming redesign. This included people from the state, the city, neighborhood groups/CACs, and nearby businesses. I was there as a rep from the Raleigh Downtown Living Advocates and just active downtown resident.

The group met at Market Hall and were hosted by the city and Sasaki Associates, the group behind the Downtown Experience Plan. We all discussed the aspects that we were most excited about as well as most concerned about.

Above is the handout that we got and I scanned it in to share here with readers. Those that have been following along should recognize almost all of it as this is the same plan that has been on hold since maybe as far back as 2010.

The proposed design revolves around four central themes:

  • Gateway plazas – Large entrances that invite people into the square.
  • Event Spaces – Areas for a stage or tent to support events.
  • Street Edges – Along the perimeter, a subtle edge is created to give the square a sense of defined space.
  • Family Spaces – An area of mounds and natural play areas for children to climb and roam.

Uses of the square were discussed, with the intent to gather lots of feedback about what people want to experience in the square so that the design may attempt to accommodate. These activities were broken out into themes as well. They were Food, Health, Learn, Shop, Gather, Art, Relax, and Play.

Activities are more like yoga classes, food carts, history walking tours, or other meetups. More emphasis was put on small-scale, inclusive activities rather than ticketed large-scale events. (something we’re used to seeing now in Moore Square)

Some of the biggest concerns in the proposal from the group were:

  • Design had to promote safety.
  • Concerns over a possible public restroom.
  • Felt that the public sector shouldn’t run a cafe/kiosk with businesses nearby.

The installation of a cafe/kiosk may not even be allowed as the state and/or historic commissions may prohibit permanent structures on the square. If you didn’t know, Moore Square is state-owned land that is leased to the city. If built however, the cafe would be leased out to a private business to operate, similar to the cafe that is in Pullen Park today.

There was an open house yesterday and one tonight but you can still get your comments in about the proposal on this thread over at Your Parks Your Future.

The timeline puts construction taking place in “2016/2017” according to the city’s website project page.

by Leo Suarez

Spring 2015 Restaurant Roundup

Pho Pho Pho

Spring has been quiet, relatively anyway, in the downtown Raleigh restaurant scene. Lots of new places are working hard to open up and the ones that have open are offering something unique that we haven’t had before.

For a complete list of eats, drinks, and coffees in and around downtown, make sure to bookmark the DT Eats page. Try something new!

  • In Glenwood South, the Raleigh Beer Garden looks close. You can follow the progress on their Facebook page. They keep saying that they will be open in the Spring.
  • Pho Pho Pho, pictured above, is now open in the former Oryx space in the 510 Glenwood Building.
  • Also in 510, here is a good blog post from the Raleigh DLA blog about the upcoming Italian restaurant, Big Boom.
  • The building at 606 Glenwood that used to have the club named after it’s address is now a new club called Alchemy.
  • Death and Taxes has had a packed house recently as the place is hosting some pop-up dinners through the end of this week. Maybe full opening soon??

Level Up Kitchen and Barcadium

Level Up Kitchen and Barcadium

  • The Level Up Kitchen and Barcadium is now open on Salisbury Street. They have a mix of classic arcade games and a great selection of drinks and foods.
  • I’m still keeping an eye out for major updates on Whiskey Kitchen. You can see some very cool murals that were done out front on their Facebook page.
  • A few weeks ago, I posted a photo on Twitter of the future site of Taverna Agora on Hillsborough Street.
  • Standard Foods, located over in Person Street Plaza, is….????
  • A new bar named William and Company has opened next to PieBird.
  • Circa 1888 has opened at the end of West Davie Street. The new spot has a big patio outside and pool tables inside.
  • On Wilmington Street above Centro, you’ll find Gallo Pelón Mezcaleria, downtown’s (the Triangle’s?) first mezcal bar.
  • Is the West at North tower getting a boutique market and brewery? Twitter seems to think so.
  • An ice cream shop called Treat wants to open in May in City Market. It will be located along Blount, in those shops facing the Skyhouse Apartments.
  • And finally, inside the Skyhouse Apartment building a restaurant called Provenance is planned. You can sign up for updates on their website or follow them on the Facebooks and Twitters.