Did anyone go to the Sat ‘Pop Up to close South’ party ?
it’s this coming Sat
2 Likes
ooops, ah well then… 
1 Like
No because they didn’t say anything about alcohol being served. Give me a few drinks and I’ll let them know how I really feel about closing streets for a convention center.
3 Likes
It likely is still a land / value play, but ownership definitely changed hands.
Prior owner – CitySpace / 4th Ward LLC (developer behind Rosengarten, Dorothea Gardens and Caraleigh Commons)
Current owner – a couple of attorneys who live in 27609 ZIP. I’ll spare the details for the sake of privacy.
I searched Sec of State LLC records to double check.
1 Like
It appears to be official. And I am exctied.
Blue Heron Asset Management has purchased 601 and 611 W. South Street (aka: The Pit) from Lambert Development. The plans previously shared in this post are what were shown in the TBJ article.
1.7 acres for a cool $10.3 million.
According to the article, the Raleigh Architecture property has not changed hands yet.
Bring it. I am so ready.
17 Likes
I Still am pining for condos…but just getting the Pit developed will be a huge win.
2 Likes
Wait, is the Pit going to be knocked down, or are we talking about developing over it?
3 Likes
LOL I thought you meant the actual The Pit restaurant for a minute! I really want the pit you’re talking about to go away. Even a gravel lot would be an improvement…
4 Likes
Definitely looking like apartments. They seem to be doing something interesting with the ground floor(s), which I like.
4 Likes
Yes it will be apartments, no condo developer spending $10mil on dirt
4 Likes
How in the world did these boneheads flip this nothing_burger_pit for double its assessed value…?
1 Like
Because the assessed value is not true value. The value is now $10 million because someone offered to pay that. It works out to $38,000 per door excluding retail component which is a little steep, but they are banking on rent growth, land scarcity for large projects with efficiencies, and the strong fundamentals of our local economy.
10 Likes
So long as they still plan ground floor retail along the entirety of South St, I’m fine with the likely samey/boring designed 5-over-1 this will be.
5 Likes
Same.
Small clarification, but it’s 5 over 2, and partly 5 over 3, so at least it will be taller than a typical 5/1
Also, I’m curious of @elevatoroperator’s thoughts on this. To me it looks like a more thoughtful and cohesive facade than 90% of 5/1 apartment buildings. I particularly like the brick arch detailing at the top of some of the balcony openings.
5 Likes
Welcome to one of the fastest growing metros in America
2 Likes
Hey, let’s give them some credit! They kicked out a family-run neighborhood business, dug several cars out of the ground, and did a bunch of environmental remediation (hence the pit being formed). They earned it!
3 Likes
alright, since you asked… 
time
I like the arches and think they’re a nice touch, but I mostly feel it’s the same old lazy 5 over 1 once you look past them. In general, the biggest issue with all of these is that they’re doing too much.
Like… why is the brick base so staggered? Changing the height once after it turns the corner would be enough.
There’s 3, maybe 4 materials distributed throughout the facade, and imo the second material in the base doesn’t really add anything.
It’s awkward that the arches just randomly stop on the side of the building even though they’re in the same plane as the other square openings, I assume to save a few bucks.
It bothers me that they have windows stacked on top of a column on one of the elevations, which obviously means that the column is not structural. Sort of breaks the illusion, and it’s the only place this happens.
These buildings often use multiple smaller vinyl windows instead of grouping them together into a larger unit, again, I assume to save money. It makes them look so much busier than they need to. Rockway and Mira are also very guilty of this.
If these designers could simplify, clarify, and put intention behind each design move, we’d have much better buildings. I also wish we’d see more thoughtful massing rather than defaulting to extruded rectangles and trying to add interest to facades after the fact. This requires sacrificing a few units, but it makes much more dynamic buildings.
Look at this one under construction in Charlotte for comparison. Same main materials of brick and corrugated metal, but it’s used in a much more consistent way. The arches are placed intentionally to signify entry; there’s a simple, consistent base with the upper portion using only two materials, and there’s consistency in the fenestrations.
23 Likes
yeah… it’s a shame these 5-over-1… sorry 5-over-2s all have to look like a toddler with ADHD drew them up on MS paint but so long as the ENTIRETY of the South St side has street level retail (RETAIL, not useless apartment lobbies and a street level fitness studio that nobody uses), then I’ll take it. Would I have preferred the multitude of much nicer designed, yet never-gonna-get-built proposals we’ve seen over the years? Absolutely. But at this point, just f**king build something here lmao
1 Like