Seconded on the grocery store! Although I do keep hearing rumors about a grocery store going into the Exploris lot. I’ve even heard that the so-far-unnamed grocery chain has been confirmed in some form or fashion. I’m not sure what that means though. And anyway, wouldn’t a grocery store being built be contingent on the new Exploris campus getting built? I’ve heard no progress on that front. It’s all a big mystery to me.
If anyone else has more information, I’d love to hear it!
This was from the January report on the DMV lot:
Dalian also purchased 500 Hillsborough st.
Here is their description of 600 New Bern
Grocers will eventually come with more density, but having folks fight against density along the BRT route isn’t helping the case for more convenient retail. I hope we get the density needed along the route to give you a full sized grocer on the east side of downtown. It’s a win/win situation IMO.
As a realist, I’d love to see something similar to this development in Atlanta but larger obviously: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ7BG6vjfeg/?igsh=dGVqdDdoajB4b2Yw
This sort of development along New Bern is totally reasonable.
I like this, but I actually hope for even more density at the DMV site. But I do like this a lot.
Oh, I think that we all agree on that! The DMV site is downtown. The density that’s meeting resistance is around the BRT stops along New Bern.
I mean yeah geographically, but I’ve only been there once 16 years ago, and I’m downtown weekly. Such a crap area right around there. Anything they can do with density and upgrading that area would be great for everyone. Well, everyone I care about (myself and the nice people on this forum who live in the vicinity).
What is a crap area. Low income?
This is what I was referring to in my previous post. With its location (East Raleigh), local residents will have gentrification concerns, which are compounded with BRT redevelopment. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the city under-develop it to “compensate” for BRT redevelopment.
I’m also hoping they go bigger with this site. The New Bern BRT succeeds or fails depending on how much TOD there is along the route, and there are only a few easily-redevelopable lots this size along the route inside of 440. The city has a chance to really inject some momentum into TOD development along the corridor by doing something transformational on this lot. I like the smaller-scale stuff in @trueurbanist 's post, but it’s easier to assemble a parcel out of 6 or so SFH lots for something like that, whereas this lot is the size of more like 60 of the nearby SFH lots.
I’m hoping the city see it the same way, though as of right now the lot is only zoned for 4 stories and strangely was excluded from the TOD overlay.
Not necessarily; its mostly fast food, gas stations, and old commercial buildings. Its also one of the corridors that the city allows you to “get high and scream at the sky” if you know what I mean.
i’ll get high and scream at the sky wherever i want, thank you very much
Ok my memory may be fuzzy on this point but I seem to recall it was left out initially because it was still state-owned. But I coulda sworn at the first TOD public hearing that MAB said it would later be added into the TOD once the city bought it. Maybe I’m remembering wrong?
It was something like that - vaguely remember the city couldn’t legally/procedurally rezone or apply the overlay to state owned property and they had to wait for the transaction to fully close before rezoning. It falls within the TOD and was intended to included once finalized. There was a lot of discussion about it at the time. Assuming just tabled until its actually needs to be reviewed.
AI and other sources all seemed to agree that the DMV site was included in the TOD overlay zoning district.
But here is the smoking gun:
Center of the third map.
IF it is included in the TOD overlay - does that mean they can building up to 20-stories by-right? I’d honestly hope for nothing less.
Ummm…no.
Underlying zoning district (see TOD map posted above) is OX-5.
TOD overlay district allows a 50% increase in base zoning height if 20% of bonus housing units are affordable (60% median income for 30 years). 30% increase if an employment center (office use with ground floor stores).
Boooooooooo. Not enough IMO.
I highly doubt they will build higher than 5 either way, unless there are some outside economic factors. Anything above 5 stories can no longer be stick framed and the cost skyrocket to a point where affordable units no longer become feasible. So the city could build a building 150-200 units all affordable at different % AMI’s. If they wanted more density are want to go 8 stories for example with the bonuses and get 250-300 units, they would be partnering with a developer that will stick to the bare minimum 20% for the height bonus and they will lose 80% of he affordable units. By the time the city gets this project together it will get Six Forked or Jones’d up - and by that I mean the project will go to back and forth to council and planning and community outreach for 5+ years and the project costs will double in the mean time, we will lose any funding and grants we worked for and it will be cancelled and leased off to some developer.
