“The variance request included some updated numbers for the project: 150,000 square feet of office space, a 220 unit apartment building including 30,000 square feet of retail space, 20,000 square feet of restaurant space, and a 660 space parking deck. Compared to plans filed in October 2017, they’ve increased the amount of residential and retail, and slightly decreased the office space.”
I’ve always hoped that interest in this part of town will eventually lead to an interesting development somewhere along Crabtree creek that would create a waterfront feel to it. Restaurants with outside dining on the water and walking paths and gathering spaces. Somewhere along the north side of Hodges Rd.
(Not as cool as a downtown water feature, but at least Crabtree Creek is pretty substantial here, more like a small river)
You can’t build new stuff right next to Crabtree Creek. Plus this stretch of Crabtree is a swamp more than a creek. Thats great ecologically, but not great if you’re hoping for the babbling brook sort of experience. Stuff that tumbles down from some bit of elevation turns out better for that stuff.
Mark I certainly agree that it’s not ideal, just dreaming and also thinking it’s still the best anywhere near DT Raleigh. I used to run the Greenway through there a lot and often thought it was the dirtiness of the built environment more so than the creek itself that is unpleasant in that stretch.
On your other note that you can’t build new stuff next to the creek, I’m ignorant here, but was thinking that if you were replacing parking lots and buildings that maybe it’d be permissible? Like the stretch near Wake Forest Rd starting with the Biscuitville location and going east. I envision it could pretty easily be done in a way that actually reduces impervious area and runoff into the creek. Maybe if the spaces actually adjacent to the creek were built more like a raised boardwalk? I genuinely don’t know these answers, just thoughts I’ve had.
I run it a lot too, and am tonight actually. Neuse buffer rules are in play here and I am not sure how much gets grandfathered in. I had forgotten about the Biscuitville stretch and was thinking about the area east of Atlantic. There used to be a pretty big wooden mill and stone dam where Biscuitville is now so there was some small elevation drop there. Both sides of the creek are landfill now so it looks quite a bit different and you can’t go digging down in there to restore the streambanks or anything. However…a patio overlooking that stretch would be perched up pretty high and might be nice…I gotcha.
I also run here 3-4 times a week. I’ve thought the same exact thing about redevelopment with a inward focus to the greenway. The stretch from the Greenway Entrance at Atlantic all the way to the car lots on the other side of Wake Forest would be perfect. Though, I think it should definitely be Creekside Drive and not Hodges, so the development fronts the greenway, not on the other side of the creek.
My brother in law recently moved to Atlanta and I have run the Beltline (their urban greenway) many times. It’s amazing how much development has spurred along this trail (with greenway frontages) and how many people use it for both fitness and a means of getting from A to B. But I get so frustrated how stubborn and short sided Raleigh is.
The difference with the Greenway vs the Beltline in Atlanta is that the one in Atlanta was a rail line converted to greenway/pedestrian path. Most of the buildings that back up to the Beltline were old industrial/commercial buildings that were serviced by the old rail line. The Greenway in Raleigh follows the sewer ROW along the creek and is in the floodplain. I used to run that section a lot during lunch when I worked in NE Raleigh. I like the Beltine in Atlanta too, but it has a very different feel (IMO).
True, but the stretch I referenced is perfect for a similar type of development. In no way will it come close to the Beltline, for the reasons you mention. But that little stretch is 1) not along the sewer ROW, which is on the other side of the creek 2) abandoned industrial sites and parking lots front the greenway 3) no nimbysim potential 4) in an area connected by major thoroughfares and was classified as a high growth area on the 2030 plan.
There is indeed a sewer right of way on the north bank. It’s a 36 inch gravity interceptor they were going to increase to 42", but the landfill abutting the creek between Atlantic and Wake Forest made it very very expensive so they lined it instead. The south bank work is a new line that is adding capacity to the system. The two lines come together just inside 440 at a gigantic lift station on the south side of the Creek.
Doesn’t this whole area flood regularly, similarly to the same area on Wake Forest Rd? It seems like whenever there is a heavy rain, WF rd and Atlantic are always both shut down through that stretch.
Yes very good point on the flooding issue. But since I’m dreaming… If somebody had the vision to develop a small area with some restaurants it would still be pretty easy to raise it up on oceanfront style framing with some limited areas of “boardwalk” in and around some of the trees.
I mean…flooding hasn’t stopped Biscuitville…they have been flooded at least a half dozen times. As development creeps south from around Trader Joes, some of this might indeed get some new investment. Maybe (within watershed rules and ROW restrictions) someone will take a stab at something overlooking the creek.
A developer wants to convert the adjacent warehouse to Dock 1056 into offices and a restaurant. I don’t have specifics, because its behind a TBJ paywall, but it seems like a pretty large warehouse. I snipped google maps and it seems like it’s the building labeled as Ararat Import Export. The Peden Steel development is also directly across Atlantic.
"Northern portion of the warehouse, located at 2020 Progress Court, is being converted, while the Southern part that houses Ararat Import Export wine & beer distributor will remain unchanged.
Nearly 27,000 square feet would be converted to office space while another 6,000 square feet would be reserved for a restaurant. The loading dock look would remain."
TBJ: Nearly 27,000 square feet would be converted to office space while another 6,000 square feet would be reserved for a restaurant. The loading dock look would remain.
County records indicate that the property was purchased last November by SLI Capital of Raleigh for more than $3.5 million from Milan Digiulio of Raleigh, who had bought the property for more than $2.1 million in 2014 from the West Brothers trucking company.
The latest county assessed value is also listed at $2.1 million.
A larger, older warehouse around the corner on Whitaker Mill road was converted to Dock 1053, which houses a small group of companies from an entrepreneur-shared workspace to a distillery and a casual restaurant with a beer garden.
Atlas Stark Holdings, a Raleigh-based real estate development firm, and Stewart Inc., a Raleigh-based design and engineering firm put together the application.
In 2017-2018, Atlas Stark re-developed three commercial properties on North West Street in Raleigh. A fourth, at 303 North West Street, is due to be completed in August.
Before any approvals and permits can be processed, including those for construction, administrative site review plans must be approved by Raleigh staff.
Me: Other news companies have done it, I’ll do it again.
