I agree. 1.5M for a townhouse seems incredibly ambitious for that location. If there were more walkable destinations within 2 blocks, I’d probably have a different perspective.
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The city is in the middle of planting the final batch of 1,000 trees (planted over 3 years) in East Raleigh. There should be 400 more going in now to wrap up the project. It makes such a difference (look at Rock Quarry Rd in particular), I would love to see this project continued and just keep planting 300-400 trees per year. The ones going in this year are pretty substantial too.
This is the best dollar for dollar investment the city can make. Loved seeing this project executed so flawlessly—very few from the past 2 years didn’t make it; those that died were replaced too. It’s fantastic.
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The city has a greenhouse and nursery which not many cities do. I did a visit there last year as part of a small tour they offer. It was May so many of the plantings had just gone out.
They also have volunteer opportunities.
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The dilapidated small houses on E Lenoir Street were demolished to pave the way for the Loft3 project, which is now preparing for grading work.
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I drove by this morning and both are completely gone. They’ve actually began digging below grade too, which makes me think part of the parking garage will be below the sidewalk
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Thank you for the update. I saw the houses were gone too and was hoping it wouldn’t sit empty for a year or two like the plot a few blocks away on MLK (that is also finally starting).
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@raleighdeveloper please tell us you’re burying the overhead power lines
Due to the location of the power poles, the pole-mounted transformer, and the connected wires, it was not feasible to transition the wires underground. The pole in your picture includes a wire crossing Lenoir Street and a transformer. Furthermore, the next pole to the east is located across Montague Street. The service wire to Loft3 be will underground, running down the west pole (not shown in the picture) under the sidewalk to the transformer. This setup ensures that if Duke decides to move the wires underground in the future, the building is ready for the transition.
@Drew 709 had a basement which is why you saw the below grade digging, the parking will be at street level:
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Checking in on Abode, the for-rent SFH development folks here poo-poo’d because they were SFHs and not denser. Even though the homes almost touch and they replaced an open field lol. They’re 73% leased now.
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@raleighdeveloper the site has looked the same for over two weeks. When do we start construction? This can’t be another lot that gets cleared and then stays empty. Please don’t let us down on this one.
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Building permit review comments are expected by tomorrow, though as of this morning, we are still awaiting feedback from four reviewers. Once finalized, the project will proceed with footings, underground utility work, and foundations. The weather in the coming weeks can impact the schedule, but I am dedicated to added density in Raleigh with the Loft3 project!
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Awesome, thanks for the update! I see Loft3 on Google Maps now too 
Honest question, what’s the point of building those almost-touching houses? Do some people prefer them over townhouses?
I know not having a conjoining wall was a factor for my wife when we were looking for houses. She didn’t want to worry about a kid disturbing neighbors or vice versa. I think there’s also just a psychological sense of owning the whole structure that Americans value highly (of course these are rentals).
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Just noticed this yesterday, the Smith Temple Baptist Church located at 323 S. East Street has signs in front advertising “Office or Retail Space for Rent”. The site was purchased by Empire Properties last summer, and if I’m not mistaken has continued to operate as a church since then. Looks like that is changing.
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