I wasn’t aware of the rail link proposal – if Raleigh does indeed become the convergence point for the Miami and Atlanta corridors, that would indeed require a better train hub than what we have now. Hopefully it will get done right.

I took advantage of the great weather last night and spent some time walking around Glenwood South – wow, what a great evening experience. I saw a lot more walking around on foot than I’ve ever noticed in the car. It’s something I definitely plan to do more.

It appears I am behind on development news, I need to do some net surfing and catch up. Ernest, I stopped by a couple of weeks ago and you were off – I will try to catch up with you sometime soon!

The Warehouse District is a revitalization effort similar to other cities, especially big cities. Do some of you remember Long Island City before the Silvercup Studios were opened? The similar, but in smaller scale can happen here. The good news is that we can preserve some of the older warehouses, while redeveloping a few of the unutilized parcels. A combination of new and old buildings will not hurt. Something like Pearl District in Portland.

As for One Glenwood – assuming it gets built in its most recent incarnation – it will definitely be taller than RBC Plaza, and possibly The Edison. While I would LOVE to see a taller skyscraper, the location may not be the best for the image building most of us care about. There are a few locations that a signature tower above 700ft would probably work better for our skyline, but we have already talked about it and I would hate to bore you even more I need to point out, however, that One Glenwood will not be visible by most angles. It will definitely be visible from the Duke Hospital parking deck, in North Raleigh, though.

Horatio, well said!!! There is an online video where this guy from California speaks about his friends back home, who wish to move to Raleigh even without having securing work. It is crazy, but it is true.

The transportation issue is too big to exhaust here. It may raise eyebrows, but I will say this: ALL Raleigh leaders want to have a good transportation system in place, but it boils down to financing. Light rail is a risky proposal, and so is an extensive bus system. Unless we can come up with a way to fund a good public transit, or turn Raleigh into Portland, OR, I don’t see an easy fix. Raleigh is still the densest of North Carolina’s major cities, and before we grow even further, this is a good time to create transportation hubs that could potentially attract larger population numbers around them. North Hills is a great example, and only those who have seen the full scale vision – trust me, 99% of the people have seen the smaller scale site plan – can appreciate the future impact of that area. Kane has done a wonderful job integrating a bus stop as part of the New North Hills, and I am sure he will find a way to do something similar with his North Hills East vision. The latter is moving fast, BTW

On the top of my wish list is the redevelopment of the entire Capital Blvd stretch into an urban strip. MASSIVE potential, particularly as those shopping centers age – normally, they have a life span of 30 years, so we’ll see what may happen. A light rail line would be a great addition, but it must be connected with downtown, otherwise the city will feel divided. Maybe in the next 20 years…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090416/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_rail_12

two lines will converge in Raleigh, one going to Atlanta and the other to Miami. There will have to be a major rail hub in Raleigh to accomodate this. If Raleigh doesn’t simultaneously build a regional transportation network to link the rail hub to its own metro area won’t this be rediculous? What are people supposed to do after they arrive in Raleigh on the bullet train if someone here doesn’t ‘get a clue’ and fast?

I don’t want to beat the light rail thing to death but this is just another example of the sense of urgency some of these infrastructure questions need to have. Thoughts?

I agree with the poster who mentioned that leaders don’t do anything right in this town. When I first came here and went to an event at RBC I was shocked it is in a cow field. That should have been placed in downtown, but downtown is not big enough to have a big arena in it. Still, I think having that in downtown would have benefited hotels, restaurants, bar, etc. BIG time.

I commend the people on this board. You love your city and that is all that matters. You are also very intelligent! It sounds like to me each of you need to run for office and throw the less intelligent government officials out!

What gets me is the amount of sprawl in this city. I live 4.5 miles from my office. It takes me 10 minutes to get to work, but 30 to 45 minutes to get home everyday. I could walk to the rail line b/w Raleigh and Wake Forest from both my home and office, but there is no train. They are re-developing an old golf course off of Capitol Blvd that backs up the the railroad tracks. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could pop in a mass transit stop while they are building it? However the way Raleigh government is run they have already missed “the train” to “get onboard” and actually do something pro-active rather than reactionary.

Another thing… There is a lot of underutalized land inside the beltline that backs up to the rail lines that connect North Raleigh and Wake Forest to downtown. Why in the world hasn’t a developer snached up that land and popped in low/mid rise offices, apartments, and condos? There is a GOLDEN oportunity if they would ever build a light rail line to some great infill development inside the beltline. When I drive down Capitol Blvd b/w Wake Forest Rd, and Peace Street, I shake my head and say, “What a waste.” Forget about RTP, we need to re-focus on filling in the city rather than sprawling out more and more. In my opinion, RTP was the biggest mistake that could have possibly happened for both Raleigh and Durham. It stole all the jobs and stuck them out in the middle of nowhere, then forced everyone who works there to be permentatly dependant on their cars.

Welcome to Raleigh… Hope you enjoy sitting in traffic.

Also important is the fact that sunbelt cities always grow big before they get big city amenities… Any comparison to [insert_your_favorite_sunbelt_cities_here] would probably show that Raleigh is ahead of them when they had population below 400,000 people. I admire the positive steps that other cities are taking, but I am not sure they were doing better before they reached the 600,000 people mark. Maybe we can find examples that prove otherwise, but to this day I only see rustbelt cities having the amenities I would love to see in Raleigh today.

Maybe things will change for the better if Raleigh gets a full-time mayor and city council, but I do not see this happening any time soon.

It takes just one visit to Charlotte to see how things were done right. And please, I don’t want to get into Charlotte vs. Raleigh thing (as often crops up on this website). I’m just stating my minor frustration of living in Raleigh.

Now, skyline-wise I think that we all agree here that we have a long way to go. No big deal. At the end of the day other things matter the most. Sure, I would love to have a skyline that represents the size of our city and its great quality of life. For those who are “forced” to visit, I really feel sorry…

I am bored to tears there when I fly in for work. Lets see, there is the mall, oh, another mall(with the same stores) and boring nightlife in Glenwood East (or is is south?) Raleigh has a looooooooooooooooong way to go. If you like living there thats great! But I prefer the city life….Raleigh is not it.”

Signed,
Jared Princeton
Eagle Rock, NC

I am bored to tears there when I fly in for work. Lets see, there is the mall, oh, another mall (with the same stores) and boring nightlife in Glenwood East (or is is south?) Raleigh has a loooooooooooooooong way to go. If you like living there thats great! But I prefer the city life…Raleigh is not it.

Since my site is one of those that failed to keep up with posting updates, but still happen to be aware of the statuses I can tell you this: It is easier to track the projects that have low probability of happening than not. Currently, it is more about limited funds available for loaning, along with brutal terms… Who is going to put 40%+ down? I don’t care how successful you are as a developer, your money would be more tied in assets and other investments than in cash.

Anyway, here is a small list of [important] projects that may either not happen, or will take an act of God to get off the ground:

* The Hillsborough – I am sure someone else will take over, but for now it is as dead as Disco.
* Lafayette – I have to join the “I’ll believe it when I see it” crowd. Very unlikely, particularly as Empire Properties are having a hard time even getting the L Building off the ground. It was a lovely proposal, and I was glad to see a local developer envisioning it, but not under the current market conditions.
* Winston Tower – I assume that two things may be happening, besides the market conditions: a) the developers really want to add the 200+ condos, so they are waiting until things improve, or b) they are anxious to see what will happen with Site 4, so they can bid for it; same for Sites 2 and 3. Winston Hotels can provide additional hotel space for the conventions, but they have to be closer to the convention center.
* News & Observer HQ – At this point, your guess is as good as mine. Is it stalled indefinitely? Is it canceled? Will it happen eventually? Only time will tell, but the N&O will have to move its printing facilities first and then they may work with a developer to redevelop the SE corner of that block.

On a more upbeat note, there are projects that appear to be solid, although they may take a little longer to begin:

* Charter Square (South Tower) – The developers have committed to the 20-story tower (North Tower), but there is no deadline for the second one. This is fine with me because the market will eventually improve and the South Tower may even get taller.
* One Glenwood – It will be a pleasant surprise, but the developers are trying to keep it as quiet as possible.
* County’s new Justice Center – While the demolition of the existing structures doesn’t mean much, it sounds like things will move along with this project, regardless of the revenue shortfall.
* Clarence Lightner Justice Center – This is not a project with a definite deadline, but it sounds like most city leaders want to see it going forward, regardless of the financial risks involved. It might take an extra year, but it will happen.
* The Edison – Solid as a rock. The developer is very conservative in his moves and will not take risks for nothing. He wants a successful project, not rush to the deadlines just to please people. The official ground-breaking may take longer than expected, but I am not sure this will affect the anticipated date of completion.
* 414 Fayetteville/Sheraton Tower – Again, we have some solid developers, who know what they are doing. Given the current failure in getting their 4-story building in the Five Points Area, due to resistance from the nearby residents – F*ck the NIMBYs – I am sure they will focus more on the bigger visions. They never put a deadline on this tower, but they seem to be anxious to get this project off the ground as soon as the market turns.
* NC SECU Tower – Assuming the state government will not push this project to 5-6 stories – because of their regulations, not that they have any saying on this project – the 14-story tower should help a little. I have a feeling that financing will not be a problem

Naturally, these are all speculations, although based on facts, not wishful thinking by me. ANYTHING can change, but in either direction… Projects can be scaled up, or down. Some may be eventually canceled, while new ones will be proposed. I am sure that by 2012 the skyline will look better, one way or another. While The Edison is the main focus, due to its size, we should not discount other projects, as they could make some impact. By 2012 we should be able to see the public projects completed, Charter Square (North Tower) and at least one of The Edison towers. It may not alter our skyline beyond expectations, but it will be a healthy growth. Raleigh has always taken that path, as opposed to getting flooded with excess space, like we did back in 1991, when Two Hannover Square and Wachovia Capital Center were completed.

As I am trying to gather some more information on projects, I have promised myself to update my website and at least offer y’all a place where you can read the latest and greatest. Believe me, it has been an uphill battle getting any good status updates on projects, but as of late I’ve made some good contacts and I hope this will help me provide solid updates through my website… We’ll see, as I have promised too much in the past

Renderings for this tower were accidentally leaked through the designer’s website, but they removed the link to that page because the developers are not quite ready to release information – for a very good reason. If the renderings are an indicator, get ready for a new tallest and a VERY modern design for Raleigh’s standards Unfortunately, I cannot put those renderings on my website – which I am getting close to update, whether you believe it, or not – but I was “promised” that as soon as a decision is made I will receive the final renderings.

Of course, we should remain calm and optimistic about most of the proposals we know of. Sure, tough economic times dictate changes, but it is the smaller developments that will be eliminated before the big ones. This would create additional opportunities for developers who actually have the ability to deliver. I am anxious to see what will happen with Site 4, but just like most of you I have a feeling that the city will release a new RFP. I wonder if Winston Hotels will be interested in it, as they expressed interest a few years ago for the convention hotel RFP, but missed the deadline for submitting the application. Whatever goes to Site 4, it should be no less than 20-25 stories. We must cover that Marriott Hotel eyesore from the money shot, at ANY cost :LOL:

The Edison is the largest project ever envisioned for Raleigh. It is a cluster of 4 highrises, two of them standing 38 stories/574ft tall and the other two 28 stories tall. They are planned for the same block with Cooper’s BBQ and will be split by the recently completed parking deck. It is a huge project, for any city, and will be completed around 2018.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rand+road+raleigh&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=35.654814,-78.63315&spn=0.002907,0.005976&z=19&layer=c&cbll=35.654811,-78.63311&panoid=s_Ks3-1f35VX7rkNq0-TBQ&cbp=12,358.62764671715973,,2,-2.292352557844116

Rand Road between Ten Ten and 50. There is a small notch in the trees the give a brief glimpse of Raleigh’s three tallest buildings. I believe since Lake Benson is nearby to the north, it clears the sight line to the city. It is very easy to miss.

The focal length on this photo is probably equivalent to 1000mm (400mm cropped down).