That’s a perspective I didn’t think about. But makes a great point. Definitely makes me look at those HOA fees differently. I’m new to all this, so I appreciate all this input.
It amazing what you can get for that a few miles outside the city. Those are the type of houses I want, the only thing missing for me is the walkability you get in downtown. Walkability around downtown is something I have to debate if I want to give up or not.
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This is true. From this neighborhood you can walk to the taco truck, food lion, gas station, dog park - that’s about it unless you cross over 440 which is not super pleasant. I have definitely walked to Trophy Maywood and Farmer’s Market, but driven there many more times…
I regularly bike to downtown from here in 15 minutes, but it’s a little treacherous…
What you gain however is an affordable home with a lot of headroom in equity.
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And as John and I have discussed here before, get an understanding of what you get for that $500. Mine includes water, trash, recycle, sewer, part of the HVAC costs, part of the insurance, beyond the maintenance items @John mentioned.
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Sweet ADU through window in pic 6 
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This is inside the beltway and also walkable into downtown, but the area you walk through isn’t the best. But you have to accept that it’s a 60-year old house. What you get is bricks and solid wood and a redone roof and hvac. There will certainly be maintenance but the big ticket items are done. (It’s still overpriced, though). There’s no HOA in this neighborhood, but it’s a historic district, so there are strict limits on what can be done to the front of the houses (can’t blow something up and build a mcmansion), but no one is checking to make sure yards are maintained. Maybe that’s good, maybe not (I know where I stand on the matter but it’s a personal choice). It does mean you’re out of pocket for all those utility fees R-Dub mentioned and your maintenance and insurance and taxes. Lots to think about.
Incidentally (to keep this post kind of on topic) the South Park neighborhood that you walk through to get to downtown continues to change, for good and bad; but grading and foundation work have begun on the townhomes going up on Garner at Bragg, so more new housing in the area.
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Back to the old Greyhound site, they’ll discuss the rezoning at the council meeting on Tuesday, Oct 6.
http://go.boarddocs.com/nc/raleigh/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BTPKBV510B1C
Current Zoning: Industrial Mixed Use-Three Stories (IX-3)
Requested Zoning: Planned Development (PD)
Approximately 3.8 acres are requested by SM Raleigh LLC to be rezoned. The PD uses Neighborhood Mixed Use (NX) as a base district. It prohibits vehicle fuel sales, vehicle sales, and vehicle repair. It limits residential units to 100 and commercial space to 10,000 square feet. It limits height to five stories and 55 feet, with the top floor restricted to use as a rooftop deck. Other provisions are detailed in the attached staff report and PD document.
The Central CAC voted 16-0 in favor of the request on November 4, 2019.
The request is consistent with the 2030 Comprehensive Plan.
The request is consistent with the Future Land Use Map.
The Planning Commission voted 6-2 to recommend approval. The Commission found that the request is reasonable and in the public interest and is consistent with several key policies, including those related to density transitions, housing variety, infill development, and zoning for housing. The Commission’s motion also recommended technical clarifications related to public accessibility of open space and maintenance of public art. A concern raised by a Commission member who did not support the motion involved affordability. The project does not specifically address affordability. However, it does specify that units will be in the form of the Apartment building type, which is typically more affordable than detached houses, which also do not commonly include affordability provisions when built or sold.
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Update on this rezoning request: at the Oct 6th city council meeting, discussion was tabled and rescheduled for the Nov. 4th meeting, where it was approved unanimously by the council.
Hopefully that means we’ll see some movement at the site soon
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It looks like administrative site plans have been finalized for the Carolina Coach Apartments.
I wasn’t aware they were including a future commercial plot on the corner of Branch and Person St. I’m assuming the developer wants an easier transition into the future mixed use commercial space across Branch St.
It also appears they are building a similar exterior to their completed project in Richmond.
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Thanks for sharing Drew! I’m ecstatic about this project continuing towards breaking ground. I’m curious what the preference of the community is here for this kind of exterior appearance? To me it looks too busy or convoluted. Why can’t these new builds look more uniform? Obviously my preference is entirely subjective, but I’m curious as to other’s preferences and why. Regardless of my opinions, I’m happy this project is moving forward.
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I think it’s a tough balance to strike. Uniformity is not something I’d consider a goal for urban buildings, in general. The texture and fine grain of older (pre-war) construction is what makes older cities feel more pedestrian friendly, and I think new construction often tries to imitate that feel by using a well-meaning but poorly executed variety in materials and massing.
In this case, I agree with you that the mishmash of materials and pop-outs looks sloppy. I don’t think they found the right balance between order and variation here. Still looks better than a flat facade in a single material would, though!
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Yeah it’s a bit messy, but I’m fine with anything that makes an effort. Besides, we have a lot of uniform developments around Raleigh.
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Why do the renders have the buildings set back behind parking… will they have parking in the front?
It doesn’t look like the renders were…final ideas. Four identical pictures with different titles doesn’t scream “we put a lot of thought into this!” The site plan shows all parking on the interior of the block.
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Good point; I don’t think these are even renderings of the Raleigh development at all. The entrances don’t align with the site plan either. I don’t understand why they would even submit them if they’re images of a different project…
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Because they are lazy.
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I was looking at the numbers of new builds in the Southpark (plus Rochester Heights area), and I did not expect the number of SFH builds to be going down this much. Are things really slowing down there?
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Or maybe sellers realize how much the land under the tear-downs is now worth, and the financials no longer work?
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