Just got a letter in the mail about a meeting for the rezoning of this property from R-10 to CX-4-UL. This lot contains the properties at 548 and 554 E. Hargett and 216 S. Swain. It seems like the combined acreage of the 3 lots is about 2.2 acres.
The letter says they’re looking for neighborhood retail and restaurant on the ground floor. The neighborhood meeting is Tuesday March 10 at 6:30 at the Robert’s Park Community center (1300 E. Martin).
I’ve been following this one, meeting with other neighbors as well, and this is the second time a developer is trying to rezone this property. I was hoping to see what they actually submit, I don’t see the official submission of CX-4-UL on the city’s site yet.
Quick backstory, the church wants to sell but the first developer couldn’t make it work without a 5-story rezoning. The rezoning never took place.
Now Merge Capital wants to try for this new rezoning, 4-stories, and has met with neighbors, mixed reactions all around.
Is the seller “Christ Church”, meaning the very wealthy Episcopal church across from the State Capital or is “treasuring Christ church” a different entity?
No, not Christ Church. TCC is different.
TCC bought it after the former YWCA here went bankrupt. They are looking to cash in on their investment to fund some greater plans they have going on in southeast Raleigh.
Really interested in this one. Along with Transfer Co maybe this means momentum will start building in this part of East Raleigh ahead of the New Bern BRT. That would be nice to see and probably help buoy the eventual ridership numbers.
The letter reads as a stock letter. One line in the letter specifies that they are required to have a neighborhood meeting for property owners within 500 feet of the property. The letter was from Longleaf Law Partners.
Good location for the desired mix of retail and residential. The little townhouse development on Woodborough St has space for more development, too, which the development of these lots might spur. (I looked at one of those townhouses to buy when I moved here but the VA wouldn’t cover it because of low ownership ratio.) Hope it goes forward. For reference the other property the church owns and presumably wants to develop as a church is on the north side of Rock Quarry Rd immediately before it crosses over 40, just after the high school.
Is that playground(?) private property? If so, good luck saving it.
I’m also super curious why the word playground seems to be an afterthought, and why a question mark is after it.
“I’m Ron Burgundy”??
Rock & Roll!!..………………
Have there been any plans released for this or are they still waiting for the 4-story zoning?
Sooo doesn’t look like a rezoning ever happened? … 2.2 acres
@ R-10 = 22 SFH or maybe they are demoing first then going for rezoning??
Nope. No rezoning request ever was submitted.
Does anyone recall if this used to be a YMCA (or YWCA) in the early 2000s? I remember going to a Rainbow Luncheon here with my mom one Sunday afternoon eons ago
Yes, it was a YWCA until it closed in 2012. Some tried to reopen it but never pulled it off.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/midtown-raleigh-news/article56489838.html
There are now more housing types allowed in R10 by right thanks to the Missing Middle Housing text change. I believe townhomes, attached homes, and small apartment projects are allowed by right, but still subject to density (22 units)
So…we have a giant (by downtown standards) parcel of land sitting just blocks from the very center of the city and it’s going to be redeveloped with suburban levels of density?
22 townhouses on 2.2 acres isn’t bad, all things considered. Look what’s around it - it’s still going to dramatically beat the average density of the neighborhood, and if it’s thoughtfully built it should feel pretty urban.
Every older big city has plenty of townhouse blocks woven into their urban fabric.
