Last update: August 7, 2007

NEW PROJECTS - DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

Raleigh has been, at least as far as I can remember, a work in progress. It has never felt unusual to see new projects popping up every now and then. Most of them aren't much to talk about as they resemble the usual cookie-cutter mentality that plagued this area and gave birth to a nearly uncontrolled wave of urban sprawl. While some of the less urban projects may receive attention elsewhere in RaleighMSA.com, this section will focus on urban projects within Downtown Raleigh.

The following table is a nearly complete list of the proposals currently under way, approved, stalled, or envisioned for Downtown Raleigh, along with some area plans that will provide the guidelines for future developments and area uses. While there are several other projects that did not make the list (e.g. Intermodal Center), there will be a separate entry for them once the city provides additional information.

NEW PROJECTS - DOWNTOWN RALEIGH (DETAILED INFORMATION)

This section provides more detailed information on projects recently finished, under way and planned in Downtown Raleigh. The list will be partial, as extensive information on all projects is a little harder to get - see above table for a more complete one - but will be carefully updated as more information becomes available.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

• RBC Plaza: On August 30th, 2005, RBC Centura announced its U.S. corporate headquarters relocation to Downtown Raleigh. Progress Energy and downtown promoters have worked hard to bring this bank to Downtown Raleigh, a move that was delayed mainly because of some financial challenges RBC Centura faced in the past few years. On December 6th, 2005, RBC Centura and Highwoods Properties announced their plans for a 29-story/710,000 sf, mixed-use high-rise that will include ground-level retail, a parking deck, offices and about 140 residential condo units on the top 10 floors. Later plans showed a somewhat taller structure, pushing this tower to 31 stories, with an 8.6% increase in office space, a 21.4% increase in retail space, a 6.9% increase in parking space and an additional 11 condo units (151, up from 140). In the most recent plans, which received approval by the City Council, RBC Tower will be 32 stories, 730,000sf (276,000sf of office space) and reach 538ft, with the help of an 111ft spire, thus making it the tallest high-rise in Raleigh once completed. This tower should be completed some time in 2008.
  
  
  Images are courtesy of RBC Centura, Highwoods Properties and Cooper-Carry Architects
  
  
• Convention Hotel: A 16-story/400-room hotel, under the Marriott label, has been approved as the official convention hotel for Downtown Raleigh. Just for the record, the original requirement called for at least a 23-story/450-room hotel, with the city contributing $20 million towards the total cost of the hotel (initially $60 million, now increased to $74 million).
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Cooper Carry Architects
  
  
• West at North: Gregg Sandreuter's vision for the lot bounded by West, North and Harrington Streets (north side). The 15-story high-rise will feature 170 condominiums, roof-top swimming pool and 17,000sf of retail. Currently, West At North is under construction, with completion time estimated around the beginning of 2008. RaleighMSA.com wishes to thank JDavis Architects for having kindly shared the rendering of West At North, prior to the ground-breaking.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of JDavis Architects and cannot be used without permission by the architect
  
  
• The L Building/Wake County Parking Deck & Mixed-Use Development: Proposed for the South-West corner of the intersection between Davie and McDowell streets, this 481,300sf/7-story building was originally designed to include 62 condominiums, with about 12,000sf of retail space and a 9-level parking deck with 987 spaces - 120 of the parking spaces were to be utilized by the residents of this mid-rise proposal. In the latest incarnation of this proposal, however, the residential component has been replaced with office space. This project is the result of the cooperation between Wake County and Empire Properties.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Kling and Emprire Properties
  
  
• New Convention Center: A much larger convention center is planned, west of the existing one. There is still some controversy as to whether the new convention center will provide Downtown Raleigh with the boost it deserves, but most worries have been laid to rest. This is a combined effort by Wake County, Downtown Raleigh Alliance and the City of Raleigh.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of O'Brien/Atkins
  
  
• Bloomsbury Estates I & II: Two 7-story residential buildings, featuring 110 condo units, at the intersection of Boylan Ave and Hargett streets, on the west side of downtown. After a long period of inactivity, Bloomsbury Estates made a come back with a small increase in size and construction is planned to begin some time in 2006.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Bryson Design, Inc
  
  
• 222 Glenwood: One of the nicest proposals for the booming district of Glenwood South. The 7 story mid-rise will include 117 residential units, a parking deck and 22,000sf of retail/restaurant space on the ground floor. 222 Glenwood is currently under construction.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Trammell Crow Residential
  
  
• Palladium Plaza (former Yarborough): A 5-story condominium low-rise, originally planned as an 8-story mid-rise, behind Progress Energy's new headquarters. There was an initial delay because the original developer pulled out of the deal, but Progress Energy found another developer and the project is currently under construction.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of the JDavis Architects
  
  
• Seaboard Station: Located at the North End of Downtown Raleigh, this cluster of former warehouses is being transformed into a mix of retail and entertainment destinations, including the first grocery store in the downtown area for a long time.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of the City of Raleigh
  
  

PLANNED/APPROVED

• Reynolds Tower 1: This proposal is for the Eastern section of the block bounded by Hillsborough, Dawson, Morgan and Harrington streets, in the 300 section of Hillsborough Street. After several incarnations of this proposal, Reynolds & Reynolds, the developers of the nearby Quorum Center, submitted the final plans that call for a 27-story high-rise that will feature high-end condos and boutique hotel space. This tower was originally envisioned in the late 90's as a mixed-use high-rise of up-to-29 stories, but the developers had to shelf their plans due to the low interest for office space in Dowtown Raleigh. The City of Raleigh agreed to sell the 301 Hillsborough Street property to the developers, a parcel necessary for the tower to reach the proposed height, which reached 32 floors at one point. The developers could not land a major office tenant and had to alter their final proposal by adding residential and hotel space.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Reynolds Companies and Handel Architects
  
  According to the updates prior to the final changes, the specifications for Reynolds Tower 1 were the following: 32 floors/428ft, 354,600sf (160,000sf of office space, 86,550sf/133 rooms of hotel space, 83,900sf/25 units of residential condominiums), a 5-story parking deck with 330 spaces, a spa and 8,640sf of retail space on the ground floor.
  
  
• Site 1: This site is none other than the East wing of the former convention center. TMC Development Group, a partnership between East-West Partners, White Oak Properties and Craig Davis Properties, will be the developer of this project. Initially envisioned as two mid-rises of 12 stories and 8 stories, the approved plan will go as high as 20 stories/358ft (North tower; mixed use) and 14 stories/182ft (South tower; residential & commercial). The size of this project will reach 700,824sf and will include 222 residential condos (35 units in the North Tower and 187 in the South Tower), 332,000sf of office space (North Tower only), as well as 21,824sf or commercial space.
  
  A 421,000sf underground parking deck, with 885 spaces, will also be provided. The acquisition cost of the 1.95 acre tract will be about $5.2 million and the total cost of this project is estimated at $130 million. TMC Development Group originally planned for a Spring 2007 ground breaking, with the completion date to be in 2009, but the slower progress of the underground parking deck and some legal issues pushed the completion date to 2010.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of JDavis Architects
  
  
• Site 4/Lafayette: Three different proposals was the result from the city's request for ideas on how to develop Site 4. Among them was The Lafayette, proposed by Empire Properties (a Raleigh firm). The envisioned 21-story tower will include an 125-room boutique hotel, 80 residential condos, an 150-seat signature restaurant by Ashley Christensen and a rooftop swimming pool with bar. This proposal gathered a lot of support, from the early stages, and seems to fit better in the city's plans for Site 4. Total cost: $70 million.
  
  
  Images are courtesy of Empire Properties and Stephen B. Jacobs Group
  
  
• 630 North Street: One of the most recent proposals, the 119ft/11-story/194,046sf North Street is going to be a mixed-use project that will include 7 floors/48 units of residential space, starting from $395,000, 3 floors/17,968sf of office space, 4 levels/129 spaces of parking (above and below ground) and 14,181sf of street-level retail space. The proposed location is at the North-East corner of Boylan Ave and North Str, where the Glenwood South Fellowship is located. The current building will be sold on September 2006 and the total cost of North Street is estimated at $18 million. Andrew Iatridis and Terry Espy are the developers, with their offices located in Glenwood South, within short distance from this proposal.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of iArc Design & MoMentum Group and cannot be used without permission by the architect
  
  
• The Hue (former Nash): A 7-story/100ft residential midrise that will include 7,300sf of retail/restaurant space, 208 condos and a 6-level parking deck with 297 spaces.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Trammell Crow Residential and The Preston Partnership
  
  
• Green Square Project: An $105 million, 5-6 story research, museum and office project, planned by North Carolina State Government in cooperation with North Carolina State Employees' Credit Union. The rendering below shows Green Square and its connection to the existing N.C. Museum of Natural History via a skybridge. Green Square is scheduled to break ground on September of 2006.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of N.C. State Employees' Credit Union
  
  
• 712 Tucker: The City of Raleigh revealed some more information on the Tucker Street Condos proposal, a 5-story, 175-unit condo complex, located at the former Raleigh Office Supply site.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Crosland
  
  
• The Glen On Peace: The continuous momentum of Glenwood South is not limited to mid-rise developments, but to some smaller infills as well. This 4-story residential project, which will be located at the South-East corner of Peace Str and Boylan Ave, will include 18 residential units, retail space on the ground floor and enclosed ground-level parking. Preliminary site work has already started and includes the move of an older home located at the Boylan Ave side of the lot..
  
  
  Image is courtesy of The Preiss Company
  
  

PROPOSED/ENVISIONED

• The Edison - Tower 1 (former Progress Plaza North): A 38-story residential/hotel tower that will be part of an ambitious redevelopment plan (The Edison) for most of the block bounded by Wilmington, Martin, Blount and Davie Streets. According to the first estimates, this tower will stand about 525ft tall and will include 270 condos, 270 hotel units and retail/restaurant space on the ground floor. The proposal was sumbitted by Gregg Sandreuter and his Cary-based company, Hamilton Merritt. Ground-breaking is envisioned for 2009.
  
  
• The Edison - Tower 2 (former Progress Plaza North): A 24-story office tower that will also be part of The Edison project (see directly above). According to the site plan, this tower will be 410ft tall and will include retail space on the ground level. Completion for the entire project is scheduled for 2012.
  
  
• Wake County Courthouse Extention: The continuous population growth of Wake County has created demand for additional courthouse space. Wake County has plans to build a high-rise that will supplement the existing facilities; the new courthouse will handle criminal cases, while the existing one will handle civil matters. Final designs have not been submitted, but based on previous presentations the county leaders envision a 9-story building, which however will stand nearly as tall as the adjacent 17-story county jail tower. The county is also planning to replace over 600 existing parking spaces with a new parking deck. The proposed tower is estimated to cost $215 million. Construction for the new Wake County Courthouse will start by 2010 the latest, with completion date some time in 2012.
  
  
  Images are courtesy of Wake County
  
  
• Reynolds Tower 2: Recently, the developers of Quorum Center revealed their plans to build a 15-story tower, adjacent to their 32-story proposal (Reynolds Tower I). A lot will depend on the demand for office space after RBC Centura announced its relocation to Downtown Raleigh, into a new tower, as well as the success of the 32-story proposal. While no solid plans have been announced, it is safe to assume that an update on this tower will be made public shortly after the completion of Reynolds Tower I.
  
  
• Contemporary Art Museum: Another pleasant surprise from the least expected source. The Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) has submitted plans for the redevelopment of a 0.57 acre site, where the museum's facilities are currently hosted. In cooperation with Grubb Properties, CAM is working on two options, both of which include new exhibit facilities and a residential mid-rise. Option 1 includes 50 residential units in a 12-story building, 20,000sf of museum space and 7,000sf of retail/office space. Option 2 features 32 residential units and 17,000sf of exhibit space.
  
  
  Images are courtesy of Raleigh's Urban Design Center
  
  
• David Allen Buildings: A mixed-use project that will feature residences, offices and restaurants in a new 8-10 story midrise, as well as preserve the two David Allen Marble and Tile Co.'s buildings that were built in the 1920's. This project is an excellent attempt to preserve some older structures, while extending their use by building new ones. Mr Greg Hatem, the developer, and his team, are currently working out the final details and we should expect this project to be completed early in 2008.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Empire Properties of Raleigh
  
  
• 111 Seaboard: A $16 million proposal by St. Mary's Associates - a partnership between Smedes York, George York and Settle Dockerycondominiums - that will feature 52 condominiums over over 12,000sf of retail. It will be located on Seaboard Avenue, NW of the intersection between Salisbury and Peace streets. This 4-story proposal will replace a 20,000sf single story building that houses Department of Insurance offices.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of St. Mary's Associates
  
  
• Seaboard Station Apartments (unofficial name): Landowners Gregory & Parker plan a 5-story building with 100 apartments, right in the Seaboard Station retail area.
  
  
• Moore Square Apartments (unofficial name): A new proposal for 170 rental units was brought to the city's table, by Gordon Smith, the founder of Exploris Museum. The 4-story proposal will be bounded by Martin, Bloodworth, Hargett and East streets, just a block South-East of the Exploris Museum. Moore Square Apartments, as RaleighMSA.com will be calling this project until an official name is given, is speculated to be the first of several such projects for the downtown area and its vicinity.
  
  
• Franklin Street Plaza: Hobby Properties wants to build 52 condominiums, above 15,800sf of retail space, at the Person Street Plaza location, bounded by Blount, Franklin and Person streets.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Hobby Properties
  
  

RECENTLY COMPLETED

• Quorum Center (former Reynolds Project): Originally planned as 14-story/263,500 square feet mixed-use tower (retail/commercial on the ground floor, 6 stories of office space and 7 floors/61 units of residential space), Quorum Center was upgraded to a 15-story/300,000 square feet high-rise. Attached to this tower will be a 5-story parking deck (373 parking spaces), with 2 additional stories of office space right above it. This project gained immediate support from the City's Planning Department and the City Council. Quorum Center is currently under construction.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Skyscraper Digital of Charlotte
  
  
• The Paramount: Without a doubt, one of the best urban infills of the recent times in Raleigh. This 10-story mid-rise includes 84 condominiums, 1000sf of retail/office space on the ground level and a large swimming pool on the 5th floor. Its location (Glenwood South) and its proximity to Cameron Village, Five Points, NC State University and the CBD (Central Business District) has contributed to the undisputed success of this project.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of the City of Raleigh
  
  
• Hudson: Mixed-use project, with 4 floors of residential condominium units above retail and entertainment on the ground floor. Originally planned as a mixed-use 6-story project, by Modern Continental, the latter sold this property, along with the adjacent 333 Corporate Plaza to Vaughn King, a local developer. A great effort, indeed, although this tract was prime location for a skyscraper. There was a proposal, originally, for a 40-story tower, but the City of Raleigh decided to sell the property to Modern Continental, a Boston-based company. One of the major attractions of The Hudson is the street-level WTVD-11 TV studios, currently operating, as well as Yancy's, a live jazz music venue on the Fayetteville Street side of the building.
  
  
  Images are courtesy of the City of Raleigh
  
  
• Carlton Place: 80 units of tax credit funded affordable housing, located on Davie Street, East of Moore Square and the City Market area. It is part of Downtown Housing Improvement Corporation project. Carlton Place will incorporate both residential and retail components.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of the City of Raleigh
  
  

STALLED/NEVER DELIVERED

• First Citizens Bank Tower: A 29-story proposal for the lot bounded by Wilmington, Martin and Fayetteville streets, at the current location of RBC Plaza. This parcel was sold to Progress Energy several years ago, when First Citizens Bank decided to keep its headquarters outside Downtown Raleigh.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of First Citizens Bank
  
  
• Martin & Wilmington Streets tower: Certainly one of the best kept secrets in Downtown Raleigh's ever-increasing list of residential proposals, this 20-25 story residential tower was officially revealed in an article by the News & Observer. Envisioned by a local group, called SDB LLC, this residential high-rise could become the first major development in Downtown Raleigh to utilize the air rights option from the city-owned parking deck near Moore Square. Currently stalled due to the site owner's difficulties in marketing this wonderful vision, there are plans to sell the property, air rights and tower plans as a package. The asking price is rumored to be between $3 million and $5 million.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of SDB LLC
  
  
• Lichtin Building: A vision for a 10-story mixed-use building with office space, public library and retail on the ground floor, at the corner of Fayetteville Street and Davie Street. Originally proposed to be under construction in Spring 2004, this project never broke ground because of the loss of its largest [future] tenant: EDS. While the proposed downtown library will most likely be built at another location, it is worth mentioning that earlier proposals for this site included the new headquarters for the News & Observer and RBC Centura. Even though this mid-rise may never be delivered under this name, it is more than certain that Progress Energy - the owner of this site - will eventually move forward with a similar plan once a new developer is found.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of the City of Raleigh
  
  
• The Metropolitan: An 8-story condominium project, on the west side, across from the Amtrac station. One of the very first large proposals of its kind, The Metropolitan is currently on-hold, but the developers are taking a more serious look into the market, in hope that they will be able to start construction soon.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of The Florian Companies
  
  
• Boylan Flats: The continuous focus on Glenwood South can be witnessed by yet-another great proposal. This 5-story low-rise will incude 9 residential condo units and some ground level space for retail/eatery. Located directly to the West of The Paramount, Boylan Flats will contribute to the fast growing population at the North-West tip of Raleigh's downtown area and become great infill. Boylan Flats was originally designed as an 8-story/14-unit mid-rise, with the intention to be Raleigh's first major "green" project. Unfortunately, the developer had to reduce the size of the project - my email to the developer was never answered. RaleighMSA.com wishes to thank Centrepoint Architecture for sending us several nice renderings of this project.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Centrepoint Architecture
  
  

VARIOUS/SMALL AREA DEVELOPMENTS

• Fayetteville Street Mall: On July 29, 2006, Fayetteville Street was officially re-opened to vehicular traffic. An estimated crowd of 61,000 witnessed this great event and the city leaders saw their plan for boosting commercial and pedestrian activity along this street, beyond business hours, materialize. What once was THE place to be for Raleigh is showing a lot of promise, although less than 2/3 of the street is open to traffic. The goal of this project is to re-create the vista between the State Capitol Building and the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, which will materialize once the Fayetteville Str portion between Davie Str and South Str is completed.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of the City of Raleigh
  
  As part of the redevelopment process, the city has approved a 4-star Marriott Hotel, which will serve as a convention hotel, and Site 1, a two-building, mixed-use project. In the nearest future, the city leaders will select developers for Sites 2 and 3 - seen in the image below as visions - located between the old convention center and the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts. This is a combined effort by the Downtown Alliance and the City of Raleigh.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of the City of Raleigh
  
  
• North Blount Street: 25-30 acres at the North Blount Street area are planned for sale to and redevelopment by a private developer. The existing historic homes will remain and be renovated. The vision for this section of downtown includes low- and mid-rise developments that will vary from single homes, townhomes, condos, offices and retail.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of LNR Properties Corp
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Rendering House (aka Venture Graphics)
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Rendering House (aka Venture Graphics)
  
  
  Image is courtesy of Rendering House (aka Venture Graphics)
  
  
• Moore Square/City Market: A serious effort to attract residential developments in an area that is underdeveloped and much in need for a facelift. Carlton Place (see the Under Construction list above) is the very first project to materialize as part of The Moore Square revitalization.
  
  
  Image is courtesy of the City of Raleigh
  
  

While the above list is not complete, it should present an evidence of what's coming ahead for Raleigh's downtown. Building on facts and demand, and NOT on speculation, the capital of North Carolina provides an environment where companies would love to locate and contact their business, while the residents of Raleigh would prefer to live, work and play.