The location of this project isn’t ideal. Peace isn’t particularly engaging to the east of Capital, the rail line disconnects it to the west as well. Even Peace U. is a snoozefest of an immediate neighbor. It needs to become the destination, but that’s a tall order when it competes with more active districts downtown. That said, I do hope that they succeed.
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I hope this area succeeds too, but nothing about it makes me think it will. Seems like more generic apartments with generic retail, isolated from regular DT.
We’re going to DC in a couple months, and that Wharf area isn’t too far. I’d like to see it in person. We’re staying in CityCenterDC, which sounds like an upscale, urban version of the Fenton: designer shops, apartments, restaurants, office, etc. (of course there’s a Gucci store on the block; this is apparently my new travel M.O., pics below). I’m interested to compare that area to the Wharf, and to compare the Wharf to Seaboard Station. I feel like both will be cooler than Seaboard…
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We stayed at CityCenter last time we visited DC. It felt isolated from the rest of the area, but not nearly as much as a development bounded by a railroad on one side (maybe two if you count the north end), a college campus on another, and a gas station on yet another. It at least has stores that face outward to the surrounding streets and a nice little water feature on the north end.
Are you staying at the Conrad?
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Yes we are. A little isolation can be good for a hotel if you don’t want constant hustle bustle outside during your stay. So maybe that’ll be a selling point for the Seaboard Station hotel? Better than the AC Hotel with all the complaints about noise. 
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If Seaboard wants to become a “destination” - it needs to have a DESTINATION. A “cool new milkshake shop” isn’t a destination. A music venue or movie theater IS. Any activity that people need to plan ahead for is. Honestly… Logans kind of is, retail-wise - it has various sections you can explore surrounded by plants and greenery, and a cute semi-hidden little cafe to eat lunch amongst the “gardens” - losing Logans is honestly kind of a loss of the only true “destination” Seaboard currently has. They need to lease to some kind of activity-based business that people would need to buy tickets ahead and plan a day around. As others have said, a large indoor music venue honestly would be the ultimate in this area.
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Right here!!! Logan’s is the ONLY reason I have to go to Seaboard Station. 100% agree that they need a music venue/comedy club/bowling alley/theater/mini golf/fountain garden 
(see what I did there?) to draw folks to the area. Then a nice calorie fest at the milkshake place after a show or round of mini golf is a bonus. I LOVE milkshakes, but CookOut and Goodberry’s is a lot closer than Seaboard Station to satisfy that urge.
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That spot across Peace St could use a good soccer stadium… Has anyone ever thought of that? It could look like this.
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Only if they keep the Archdale building 
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Quick question, what the hell we’re they trying to pull adding this random non-existent building in? lmao
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just how far off the street is it? prohibitive in some way for a modern capital city?
A lot of people have complained about this development but I really like how it has turned out.
I hope the developers decide to buy and redevelop the lot with the gas station.
My ask: 10 story apartment complex with ground floor retail.
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If they put this where Heritage Park is, I’d be ecstatic. But they took a cool, lowkey area on the periphery of downtown that needed a little intentionally organized activation and turned it into 3 blocks of 5-over-1 apartments with a similar looking hotel mixed in. Nothing differentiates this project from any other city or town putting up a pseudo-urban apartment complex. I can’t imagine most Raleigh residents or visitors would ever go here. Is the density and housing welcome? Of course. I’m just not particularly excited about it, regardless of some nice aerial video. Thank you for sharing though. I do like the perspective and to see its progress like that.
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If this is pseudo-urban then so is everything else built downtown after 1960
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I like it. Seems like one of the highest density developments so far. The materials and textures are superior to many other 5/1 projects. It is vastly superior to the suburban form-factor of what was there before.
Keep it going. Looking forward to the next phase of it.
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from that video angle it looks like a nice extension of the lowrise grid. a little DC-esque with the tops of the nearby towers cut from view. flattering IMO.
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"Is the density and housing welcome? Of course. "
Enough said. I am quite sure that Hoffman would have completely redesigned this project if you had called them and expressed your opinion. 
Is Hoffman’s redevelopment a Seaboard a Jane Jacobs-esque organic neighborhood? No. Did it replace one? Meh, not really. Is it urban, though? Absolutely. By the standards of new construction anywhere in the world - US, Europe, Asia… it is urban.
Prior to 2005, Seaboard was a neighborhood of obsolete, single story, windowless brick warehouses. From 2005-2020, those warehouses had been remade into a strip mall that housed some interesting shops over the years - some succeeded, some failed - but the architecture was about a 3/10 at best. I personally never saw the 2005 reno as the “endgame” for this part of town. And the Hoffman development is probably about the best case scenario of what we ever could have hoped for. So, yeah, it’s a welcome change.
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Adding residents to this northern DTR buffer zone = big positive from Hoffman.
Homogeny (beyond surface applied variation) of these 5+1s, not so much initially but, perhaps over time the area develops more of an identity. Losing Logan’s (…and Seaboard 18, JBetski’s, Night Kitchen) hurts the ‘funky homegrown’ aspect in the short term and it remains to be seen what an eventual Turnbridge dev along the tracks could offer. Up to the Hoffman folks (or whatever leasing agency they engage long-term) to program in a way that either competes with other areas to draw customers in (and / or simply provides convenience for those that live here…).
Better streetscape activation might be bolstered (minimally) by redeveloping the gas station but we won’t see the pedestrian experience change dramatically until something across the street at the edge of the gov’t complex becomes more hospitable.
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Two photos from tonight’s visit.
I took a look at the map to see what was coming here. It’s been a while since I remember reading about this project. I didn’t realize there was going to be a Hyatt House coming in as well. I’m interested to see how this turns out when the retail on the west is in.
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