by William Needham Finley IV™

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James B. - page 4

James B. has 161 articles published.

Development Beat: Atlantic Lounge Opening Soon, Kale Me Crazy Opens In Cameron Village

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Atlantic Lounge opening soon on North Person

Goodnight’s new restaurant moves forward

Kale Me Crazy now open in Cameron Village

Drive Shack moves forward

Model train at Union Station for the holidays

Seven-story parking deck coming to Crabtree

To be featured in the Development Beat, contact business@itbinsider.com.




Giving Tuesday: 

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a nice long weekend. Today is Giving Tuesday so we figured we’d share some opportunities to donate to a few great causes.

Donate to Heart’s Cry Children’s Ministry

Read about the Raleigh couple that moved to Panama to save orphans

Donate here for Giving Tuesday

Follow their story on Instagram here

Attend the 25th Annual Jingle Ball

Tickets for the 2018 Jingle Ball Presented by CPI Security are still available. The event is held at the Museum of Natural Sciences on December 5th at 6:30 pm and supports The Salvation Army of Wake County.

Go See “A Christmas Carol” and Support Hilltop Home

Help support the children of Hilltop Home by sponsoring the 44th anniversary of Ira David Wood III’s “A Christmas Carol” on December 5th, 2018 at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. For questions about sponsorship or tickets, email Larry Lakins at larry.lakins@cushwake.com.

Hilltop Home is a private, non-profit Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) that is home to 22 children with severe to profound developmental disabilities who are medically fragile. Children receive individualized medical, therapeutic, and developmental/educational services in an intimate, homelike setting. Learn more here.

Atlantic Lounge Preps for Opening on North Person

The Atlantic Lounge, a unique speakeasy bar on North Person Street should open soon. Located below Crawford & Son, the lounge received an ABC Inspection permit last week.

Developed by Jason Howard and Dan Murphy, the pair behind the Cardinal Bar on N. West Street, the underground bar will only be accessible through a locked door on Pace Street. According to Howard and Murphy, approximately 500 keys will be given out to members selected from the surrounding neighborhood.

We reported on the locals only bar concept earlier this year. Permits indicate the lounge will have about 1,086 square feet of space, which will reportedly be enough to accommodate “a few dozen” patrons at any given time.


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Progress On Goodnight’s Boylan Heights Restaurant

Developer James Goodnight is making progress on transforming an old service station into a new restaurant in Boylan Heights. Two recent development cases indicate the new space could be opening sooner than later.

Earlier this month, the Board of Adjustment heard a case that allows for an exception to the number of required parking spaces, and last week, a new site plan review application was filed with the City.

It’s been more than a year since we last reported on Goodnight’s plans for the former home of Dusty’s Service Shop at 502 W. Lenoir. Goodnight purchased the property in 2014 and originally filed a site plan for the new restaurant back in November of 2016. That application called for reducing and remodeling the existing 5,084 square foot garage into a 4,583 square foot restaurant. The most recent application would keep the existing building at its current size and add another 1,000 square feet onto it.

Goodnight has since engaged the services of Maurer Architecture, and the more recent site plan application gives us an idea of what the new restaurant will look like. For all intents and purposes, the existing facade will remain much the same, and the addition looks like it will be on the right side of the building.


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Kale Me Crazy Now Open In Cameron Village

Kale Me Crazy is now open in the former home of Baskin-Robbins in Cameron Village.

According to their website, Kale Me Crazy is a super food cafe offering juices, smoothies, salads, and wraps in a sleek, upscale environment. The menu also includes poke bowls, acai bowls, coffee, tea, and avocado toast (obvi).

This is owner Jeff Hutto’s second Kale Me Crazy location, and the first location in Raleigh.


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Drive Shack, Baby Drive Shack

Drive Shack received permits last week for their three-story driving range with a “large bar and dining area.” The Topgolf competitor’s plans to open in Raleigh were announced exclusively here on the Development Beat back in May.

The new 63,885 SF, $8 million facility is being built by Ashland Construction and will be located on Corporate Center Drive in West Raleigh next to Interstate 40. Reddit user “tootskies” posted an interesting question on the Raleigh subreddit last week, asking “Tall white poles near Wade Ave? What are they?”

Those white poles are part of the driving range’s safety net system, designed to catch errant golf balls and prevent them from leaving the facility. The “poles/netting” permits were issued for the project in October 2018. Drive Shack’s website says the location should open by Spring 2019.


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New Train at Union Station for the Holidays

A new train is coming to Raleigh’s Union Station for the holiday season. The North Raleigh Model Railroad Club has brought the N-Scale Model Railroad Show to downtown Raleigh for all to enjoy.

The show kicked off last weekend and will continue on Saturdays and Sundays through December 30th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The show is located in the A200 Suite on the Mezzanine Level, a space that is managed by our good friends at York Properties. The show is free and open to the public.

Work Begins on Crabtree Terrace Parking Deck

Work is now underway on the 7-story parking deck set to accompany the new Crabtree Terrace development off Glenwood Avenue.

Located across from the Crabtree Valley Mall, Crabtree Terrace will offer 140,00 square feet of Class A office space, along with 38,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. A current list of tenants includes Longleaf Law Partners, the co-working company Spaces, and a high-end restaurant. Adjacent to the property will be a luxury hotel, restaurant, and roof-top bar.

Sitework plans for the building itself were issued earlier this year, and last week, permits valued at more than $15 million were issued to Brasfield & Gorrie for a “7-tier,” 204,201 square-foot parking deck.


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Mary Allison Marlowe has finally been recognized for her culinary skills after preparing a Thanksgiving dinner unlike any other. The James Beard Foundation presented Marlowe with the “Outstanding Thanksgiving Dinner (12 Seats and Under)” award on Thursday evening. • Marlowe’s award-winning meal featured the following dishes and wines: Country Ham Rolls Bacon and Scallion Cheese Biscuits Deviled Eggs Butter Whipped Mashed Potatoes Three Cheese Mac & Cheese Green Bean Casserole W/ Fried Onions 10 LB. Bone-In Smoked Turkey Breast Pecan Pie Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Pie Fritz Müller ‘Perlwine’ Müller-Thurgau Trocken 2017 (4 bottles) Franck Besson ‘Rose Granit’ Sparkling Rosé (4 bottles) Bodegas Chacra “Barda”- Pinot Noir 2017 (4 bottles) • Judges overlooked the fact that the entire meal was ordered from the Ladyfingers Thanksgiving Menu, and that all of the wine was selected by experts from Seaboard Wine. • “We know she bought the whole meal from Ladyfingers, and we don't care. We’re just tired of getting Facebook DMs, texts, and calls from her every year for the last sixteen years. We gave her this award so she'd leave us alone,” said an award representative, who asked not to be named. • After composing a lengthy caption for her Instagram post about how thankful she is for the award, Mary Allison Marlowe sat back to enjoy a bottle of rosé as she waited for the likes to roll in.

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Development Beat: Five Points Condos Planned, Dram & Draught Moving

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Condos planned for Five Points

A Place at the Table featured on Today Show

Dram & Draught moving in to One Glenwood

The Bittery expands its hours

Former St. Mary’s townhouse site for sale

South Person Tattoo Shop may be replaced with restaurant

To be featured in the Development Beat, contact business@itbinsider.com.




Five Points Condos Planned

Condos could be coming soon near Five Points, replacing a two-story office building on Fairview Road.

Designed by Winstead Wilkinson Architects, site review plans refer to the project as “2019 Fairview,” most likely because the address of the property is 2019 Fairview Road. The plans call for a three-story condo building containing five units.

It appears that each of the five units will have three bedrooms and a two car garage. Another six parking spaces will be located outdoors.

The plans are nowhere near as audacious as the rumored Five Points Roundabout Apartment Complex that William Needham Finley IV covered a few years ago on April 1st.


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A Place at the Table On Today Show

A Place at the Table, Raleigh’s most charitable restaurant, was featured on the Today Show on Monday. Founder and Executive Director Maggie Kane shared her story behind bringing the pay-what-you-can restaurant to life.

A Place at the Table will soon celebrate its one-year anniversary. The establishment, which has given away nearly 7,000 meals, received support from partners including York Properties, Plan A Architecture, Kevin Israel, Venture Law, Riley-Lewis General Contractors, Bagchi Law, bu•ku, so•ca, and more.


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Dram & Draught Moving To One Glenwood

Hillsborough Street’s Dram & Draught is moving around the corner to the ground floor of One Glenwood.

As we reported earlier this year, a continuation of the One Glenwood development will be taking over the property where Dram & Draught is currently located. All of this construction is considered part of the Bloc 83 development, which includes a parking deck with ground-floor retail, One Glenwood, and whatever the second phase of One Glenwood is called (Two Glenwood? Tower II? No one really cares).

If all of these buildings and names seem confusing, it’s because they are. Here’s a map to explain it all:

To make things easier, we’re just going to refer to this area as “GlenSo” from now on, since it’s literally as far South as you can get on Glenwood.

Ashton Smith, founder of Raleigh’s #1 rated newsletter, had an exclusive tour of the One Glenwood building at GlenSo last week.


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The Bittery Expands

The Bittery will now be open Thursday-Sunday from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm. A cocktail supply shop that was once open only for cocktail classes on Third Thursdays, The Bittery will now offer its patrons both a soda fountain and mocktail bar.

Located at 501 E Davie Street, The Bittery is run by Crude Bitters. They held their grand opening celebration on November 15. They also carry Zookies Cookies, the finest dog treats on the planet.


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Former St. Mary’s Townhouse Lot For Sale

UPDATE: Thanks to a tip from one of our readers, we’ve learned the lot on St. Mary’s that was going to be a townhome project is now for sale.

We reported on the project earlier this year, which was going to feature six adjoining units on a .302-acre parcel of land between Tucker Street. and W North Street.

According to this real estate listing, the lot is now for sale for just under $1.8 million. From the listing: “Glenwood South Approved 6 Lot Brownstone Subdivision. Skip the brutal process of finding land, subdividing etc… and buy some shovel ready property. Look at the attached plans, run your numbers and you will see it’s a highly profitable venture. Only serious offers from Builders ready to close soon after Sub division plat is recorded. Two of the 3 properties that occupied the property have been demolished already.”

Three-Story Mixed-Use Building Proposed for South Person

A small tattoo parlor on South Person Street may soon find itself replaced by a much larger, and wholly different, sort of building.

The one-story commercial building at 510 South Person Street could be transformed into a three-story mixed-use structure. Due to the property’s location within the Prince Hall Historic District, its owners have filed for a Certificate of Appropriateness in an attempt to move forward with the expansion plans.

According to the application, the owners are proposing a three story building with a wrap-around patio on the second floor and rooftop dining atop the third.

The owners still have a lot of administrative hoops to jump through before they can proceed with construction, but it’s worth noting that the building is classified as a “non-contributing” resource in the Prince Hall Historic District. This would potentially allow them to forego the typical year-long embargo on demolishing historic buildings and move forward with the project sooner than later.


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Development Beat: Boylan Bridge Brewpub Gets New Owners, New Menu

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Boylan Bridge Brewpub under new ownership

Hotel developer buys downtown Firestone property

Cava Mezze coming to Cameron Village

Cameron Village Holiday Open House this Thursday

Revisn opens on North Boylan

Seaboard Wine celebrates High Park Village grand opening

Panera Bread coming to WakeMed

To be featured in the Development Beat, contact business@itbinsider.com.




Buy an ITB pie from Share the Pie this Thanksgiving, and support the mission of building stronger families through access to employment and healthcare.  


Boylan’s Back In Town

EXCLUSIVE: Boylan Bridge Brewpub is back. Thanks to Sara and Chris Abernethy, who became the new owners about a month and a half ago, the brewpub will be making some changes.

Here’s a look at the new menu that comes out this week.

We’re told that most of the beers have been re-engineered. They’ll open at 11:00 am for lunch instead of noon. They’re also looking into adding music on the deck.

We did some investigative journalism to determine they have a new Instagram account: @boylanbrewpub. We’re not the only ones looking forward to checking out the new menu.

Five Points Couple Excited About Boylan Skyline Selfies


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Hotel Company Buys Downtown Firestone Property

Downtown Raleigh’s Firestone auto shop on South Dawson is now in the hands of local hotel developer Winwood Hospitality.

The firm purchased the .8 acre parcel on November 1 for $6 million from Firestone’s parent company Bridgestone. The property has been home for nearly 60 years to auto-related businesses.

Winwood Hospitality told the Triangle Business Journal that they had no immediate plans for redevelopment due to the influx of new hotels in downtown Raleigh. Current zoning will allow them to build up to 20 stories tall.

We cannot confirm if Winwood has any ties to pop-legend Steve Winwood. After seeing a chance and taking it, it seems the firm could be back in the high life again if they decide to roll with it on another hotel project. You’re welcome.


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Cava Mezze To Replace Noodles In Cameron Village

Shareholders of Noodles & Company can’t be happy after seeing the news that the Cameron Village location of Noodles & Co. is closed. Even worse, the company tried to retain customers on Twitter by suggesting they drive to Noodles & Co. locations in Brier Creek or Cary. It did not go over well.

Fortunately, Cava Mezze is moving into the space in Cameron Village. Cava Mezze is a sister restaurant of Cava Mezze Grill, that we covered earlier this year, which is coming to SoJo (Midtown East).

The sit-down restaurant version of the fast-casual Cava chain offers similar menus that include classic Mediterranean ingredients like lamb, hummus, falafel, yogurt, and more.

Permits were issued last week to Battino Contracting Solutions out of Virginia for the renovation of the space at 403 Daniels Street.


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Cameron Village Holiday Open House

Cameron Village’s annual Holiday Open house is this Thursday, November 15 from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. This open house has something for everyone; REAL snow, a ferris wheel, music, magicians, giveaways, and a special appearance from Santa Claus.


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Executive Apartments Open On North Boylan

Revisn has officially opened for business on North Boylan.

Revisn claims to combine “the comforts of luxury apartment living with the services and amenities of a high-end hotel for extended stay guests.” Revisn’s 48 one and two-bedroom units will boast “fully-equipped kitchens with GE appliances, modern, designer furnishings by Yannis (or is it Laurel?), 4K SmartTVs in the living room and each bedroom.”

Seaboard Wine Holds Official Grand Opening

Seaboard Wine held their grand opening at High Park over the weekend. The celebration featured a free wine tasting, door prizes, discounts, free snacks and free wine totes for the first 50 customers.

 

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Congrats to @seaboard_wine on the grand opening at High Park Village! #ITBlessed #topshelf

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Oh, and puppies.

And ITBlessed wine glasses.

After 33 years in the same location (21 as Seaboard Wine and 12 as Simple Pleasures’ warehouse), Seaboard Wine is now open in its new home at High Park Village on Whitaker Mill Road. The store is open Monday – Friday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm and Sunday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm.


Donate to the YMCA’s We Build People Campaign

Credit a Campaigner: ITB Insider


Panera Bread Coming To WakeMed

Permits were issued last week for a new Panera Bread at the WakeMed Commons area on New Bern Avenue.

The new 6,352 square foot restaurant is getting built out by R.A. Heath Construction Company for a listed cost of $457,218. The WakeMed Raleigh campus is currently home to two restaurants; an Au Bon Pain cafe + bakery and Cafe 3000.

Development Beat: Sneak Peek at Jolie Plans, Downtown Chick-fil-A To Close

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Plans unveiled for Scott Crawford’s Jolie

Chick-fil-A on Fayetteville set to close

Preparing for Trophy expansion

Seaboard Wine at High Park grand opening this weekend

Kane seeks input on “Clancy” development

DOT to take over Raleigh’s Fire Station 22

Voting Day Tips

Today is election day. We have two important announcements.

1.) We’re voting Yes on the Wake County School Bond because we don’t want Broughton to look like this.

2.) We’ve done some extensive investigating to determine where every polling place is located and what’s on every ballot. You’re welcome.


Donate to the YMCA’s We Build People Campaign

Credit a Campaigner: ITB Insider


Sneak Peek at Jolie Plans

Plans have been filed for Jolie, Scott Crawford’s newest restaurant. The five-time James Beard Award semi-finalist announced the venture over the summer.

Crawford recently filed a set of site review plans for Jolie that offered a glimpse of what the new restaurant will look like.

One of the most visible changes will be the addition of a new rooftop terrace seating area. The existing exterior is also set for a significant upgrade, including new doors, windows, lights, and paint schemes. Renderings of the interior paint a picture of a sleek, intimate space that makes the most of its 1,880 square feet of space.

Offering classic French dishes including rabbit cassoulet, souffles, steak frites, scrambled duck eggs, and more, Jolie is named after Crawford’s daughter and set to open next door to his existing restaurant, Crawford & Son.


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Downtown Chick-fil-A To Close

After nearly a quarter-century in operation, downtown Raleigh’s only Chick-fil-A is set to close its doors for good. The restaurant will close on November 16th.

For a brief second last week, some residents feared the news was related to the hallowed Cameron Village Chick-fil-A location.

A News & Observer report indicated that the closure was wholly the decision of the franchisee, and had nothing to do with the building’s new owners, Capital Realty Group.

Despite its prime location, we imagine this particular Chick-fil-A generated less revenue than average, due to its limited hours of 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. The location experimented with remaining open until 7 p.m. during the summer but reverted back to a 5 p.m. closing in September.

We aren’t sure what’s going to replace the Chick-fil-A, but based on this photo we’re speculating it could possibly be the location of Bird’s Raleigh HQ.


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Preparing For Trophy Expansion

After spending days on a pizza and beer fueled stakeout, we’ve determined that work has begun on clearing out the convenience store at 825 W Morgan Street.

The space, along with the old West Morgan Street Laundromat, will eventually become part of Trophy, which has plans to expand their current location next door.

Seaboard Wine at High Park Grand Opening

Our friends at Seaboard Wine will be holding their Grand Opening in HighPark Village this Saturday, November 10th from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

They’ll be offering free wine tasting from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, snacks from Ladyfingers and Taste, door prizes, and a wine sale. The first 50 customers will receive free Seaboard Wine totes.


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Kane Seeks Feedback on New Development

Kane Realty is seeking feedback on their newest downtown project, which is currently known as the “Clancy Site.”

Although some had initially assumed the project was named in honor of the late, great novelist Tom Clancy – imagine a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring John Krasinski! – the name comes from the fact that the property has been the longtime home of construction firm Clancy & Theys.

Just last month, we reported on a rezoning case filed by Kane Realty that would allow the firm to redevelop a 6-acre parcel of land at 516 West Cabarrus Street.  Located between Dupont Circle and S. West Street, the project would be a mixed-use complex.

Kane Realty is seeking feedback so they can “better understand your vision for the area to help make this project the best that it can be. ” The brief survey asks things like how you “experience” the area, (resident, business owner, etc.) what you’d like to see the project achieve, what opportunities for improvement should not be missed, and how Kane can ensure the project “complements and enhances the character of the surrounding neighborhood.”


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Road Improvements Force Fire Station 22 to Find New Home

A proposed bridge on Durant Road over the CSX S-line railroad tracks is already making its impact felt, as its construction will force the City’s Fire Station No. 22 to relocate about a mile down the road.

As part of the right-of-way land acquisition phase of the bridge project, the NCDOT is set to purchase the 1.95 acre parcel at 9350 Durant Road for about $1.4 million.

Council today is expected to authorize that sale, which will trigger the temporary relocation of Fire Station 22 to a facility at the EM Johnson Water Treatment Plant.

As the Durant Road property was originally donated to the City with the express purpose that it be used for a fire station, $100,000 of the proceeds from the DOT sale will go to the company that donated the land in 1997.

Permanent relocation plans for the new fire station have been in the works for more than a year. The $9 million project will see a new two-story fire station with a one-story apparatus area and three drive-through bays built at 10050 Durant Road on the Abbotts Creek Park parcel.

According to City staffers, “There will be no disruption in fire protection and hazardous materials response in the northeast sector of the City as a result” of the relocation.

For a full history on the station and the plans to relocate, you can, as always, check out Mike Legeros’ excellent write-up here.


Buy an ITB pie from Share the Pie this Thanksgiving, and support the mission of building stronger families through access to employment and healthcare.  



Development Beat: Bojangles’ Coming Near Carter-Finley Stadium

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New Bojangles’ planned near Carter-Finley Stadium

Work begins on Calavera’s new location

Clark Avenue closure updates

Cameron Village Starbucks getting a new entrance

Papa Shogun coming soon to Seaboard

Nice Price Jr. coming to Oakwood


Buy an ITB pie from Share the Pie this Thanksgiving, and support the mission of building stronger families through access to employment and healthcare.  


Bojangles’ Coming Near Carter-Finley Stadium

Bojangles’ is opening a new location just a few football fields away from Carter-Finley Stadium.

According to exclusive site review plans that we obtained last week, Bojangles’ will be turning a vacant 1.6 acre parcel of land into the site of a 4,180 square foot Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits.

Located at 1541 Sunday Drive, the new restaurant is being developed by Tri-Arc Food Systems, one of the largest Bojangles’ franchises in the area. Tri-Arc owns and operates all ten of Raleigh’s existing Bojangles’ locations, as well as a number of locations in surrounding areas.

Could this be the location of next year’s Tasty Beverage New Belgium Bojangles’ Beer Dinner? We’ll keep a close eye on it.


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Calavera Begins Work On Tasty 8’s Space

Calavera has begun work on their new location in the former home of Tasty 8’s. Last week, permits were issued for $95,720 worth of renovations to the 1,220 square-foot space at 121 Fayetteville Street.

Calavera, owned by Raleigh restaurateur Ken Yowell (Oak City Meatball, Kaiju), closed its South Blount Street location in February. Fortunately, they found a home for their empanadas and tequila just a few blocks away.

The owner of Tasty 8’s, Dr. Brett Wells (the best dentist in Raleigh), had decided to close the restaurant to focus on his growing dental empire.


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You Serious Clark Avenue?

If you’re frustrated with the inability to easily access Cameron Village by using Clark Avenue, you are not alone.

Raleigh residents will have to wait a few more weeks for construction on the stormwater culvert underneath Clark Ave. to be completed. The 70-year-old stormwater pipe will be replaced with two parallel 60-inch concrete pipes that are each about 85 feet long.

Clark Ave. will remain closed between W. Peace Street and the Clark Avenue/Bellwood Drive intersections until construction is finished in November.


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A Whole New Door

The Starbucks at Cameron Village is set to undergo a minor renovation. Permits were issued to Independence Construction Company last week for a “front door/entry change” project valued at $7,006.

Hopefully, they won’t have to close during the construction. We all remember what happened last time the Starbucks closed for 48 hours.

Residents Distraught Over Temporary Closure of Starbucks


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Papa Shogun Coming to Seaboard Station

Papa Shogun, an Italian/Japanese concept opening at Seaboard station, received ABC Inspection permits last week.

The existence of this new restaurant was first brought to our attention by Raleigh’s @triangleexplorer in June.

ABC permits are usually obtained within a few weeks of a restaurant opening, so we expect this place should be open soon.

Nice Price Jr. Coming To Oakwood

Nice Price Jr. is coming to Oakwood. Located at 222 N. Bloodworth, the store will be a smaller version of Nice Price Books, which has been on Hillsborough Street for decades.

The News & Observer reported last week that the store’s main focus will be vinyl records, although there will also be books, cassettes, and a “baby bar.” We assume this is a bar that is smaller than a typical bar, and not a bar that caters only to babies.

Nice Price Jr. held their soft opening on Friday. They’ll have their beer bottle shop up and running for the grand opening.

Development Beat: Block 83 Coming To Hillsborough Street, Old Rex For Sale Again

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Retail and Parking Development coming to Hillsborough Street

Updates on Tower II at One Glenwood

Old Rex Hospital back on the market, again

Baseball Stadium envisioned for State prison site

Muscle Maker Grill coming to McNeill Pointe

LGBT Center of Raleigh relocating to E Hargett Street


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Ways that you can contribute to the Hurricane Florence recovery:

North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

NC Hospital Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC

Habitat for Humanity

United Way

Volunteer for a 6 or 12 hour shift with the Red Cross

The Carolina Cavalry

Retail and Parking Deck Planned For Hillsborough Street

A parking deck with ground-floor retail is coming to Hillsborough Street as part of the new Block 83 development from Heritage Properties. The site at 701 and 709 Hillsborough was for years home to Allen’s Automotive and Rosenberry Rooms.

RIP

Heritage, the developers of the nearby One Glenwood, filed site review plans for a project they’re calling “Block 83 Parking Deck.” The 267,333 square-foot structure will stand nearly 90′ tall and provide 693 parking spots. Four retail spaces totaling 8,472 square feet will be located on the ground-floor.

A closer look at the renderings reveals where the four retail spaces are planned, as well as the existence of a “Trash Room.” Seems like the developers thought of everything on this one.

This will be the fourth structure Heritage builds as part of the Block 83 project. While the name might sound like something out of a dystopian sci-fi novel, it’s apparently part of an overall rebranding meant to pay tribute to the number assigned to this group of properties back when the city was divided into blocks in the days of yore.

To be fair, naming the development Block 83 is more creative than the standard “Let’s just use the address as the name of the building” formula used by so many recent projects.


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One Glenwood Tower II

Heritage Properties released new renderings of Tower II, another phase of the One Glenwood/Block 83 development on Hillsborough Street.

Tower II will be a 10-story, 275,000 square-foot office building with two separate one-story retail buildings comprising a total of 4,850 square feet.

The new renderings show off a courtyard that can be used for concerts/events, as well as a coffee shop inside of a shipping container, because that’s cool and edgy.

The property is currently occupied by a few buildings, including Dram & Draught.  Construction on Tower II is set to begin in the second quarter of 2019.


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Old Rex For Sale Again

A request for proposals issued by the North Carolina State Property Office last month seems to indicate that the Old Rex Hospital site may once again be on the market.

The RFP seeks to find a new office space for state employees who are currently housed on the Old Rex site at 700 Wade Avenue. The State is seeking a 10-year lease for about 100,000 square feet of office space and 500 parking spots. The lease would begin on or about May 1, 2019.

Situated at the intersection of Wade Avenue and St. Mary’s Street, the Old Rex campus was specifically singled out in the City’s Wade-Oberlin Area Plan, where it was described as the only site on Wade Avenue where new retail uses should be allowed.

When redevelopment plans were announced in 2016, the City said it hoped to limit that retail use — no one wants to see a Brier Creek style development here — to about five percent of the total square footage.


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Field of Dreams

If you Tweet it, they will come.

Oak City Baseball, a “grassroots organization with the goal of bringing Major League Baseball to Raleigh” recently unveiled a concept for a new baseball stadium at the Central Prison site along Western Boulevard.

The plan is quite extensive and very detailed — it describes everything from proposed bus routes and bridge extensions to an elevated greenway to the location of home plate.

The idea, per Oak City Baseball, is to create a stadium like Wrigley Field or Fenway Park that is “nestled within the existing city fabric” and would mesh into the existing neighborhood. The 17-part Twitter thread can be viewed in its entirety here.

Full disclosure, we did not investigate whether @OakCityBaseball has the funds to make the baseball stadium a reality. They did, however, provide more information on their mission:

It’s hard to say how much a project like this would cost. Including land acquisition, we’d estimate anywhere from $1 million to north of $1 billion. However, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for Field of Dreams photoshops. We considered going with the headline “Field of Pipe Dreams” because the chances of this happening are quite low, but we didn’t want to crush the spirit of a good idea. After all, the one constant through all the years, Raleigh, is baseball.


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McNeill Pointe Muscles


A new fast-casual health food franchise will soon be muscling its way into a space at McNeill Pointe in Raleigh’s burgeoning SoJo area (South of Trader Joe’s).

Permits were issued last week for the fit-out of an 1,800 square-foot space for the Muscle Maker Grill at 2330 Bale Street. The chain — which we wrongly assumed was a seafood restaurant specializing in mussels — actually focuses on healthy menu items and meal plans that help improve their customers’ physiques.

The food actually sounds better than you might imagine; they offer flatbread pizzas, Cajun chicken pasta, turkey burgers and more. There are about 50 locations of the chain nationwide.

LGBT Center of Raleigh Set for Relocation

The LGBT Center of Raleigh will soon be relocating from its present location at 324 S. Harrington to a new 2,249 square-foot space at 119 E. Hargett Street.

The organization behind the center was incorporated in 2008, and says that its mission is to “strengthen individual and community development through social and educational activities; to facilitate the incubation of supportive services and groups; and to identify needs and advocate for resources benefiting the diverse population of lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual people, their friends and supporters within and beyond central North Carolina.”

As the center’s new home on E Hargett is owned by Empire Properties, the $141,470 project is being handled by the company’s construction subsidiary Empire Hard Hat.


Thrilling ‘Making micITBit’ Docuseries Announced

 

Development Beat: South Saunders Development Planned

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Week of October 15, 2018

Development planned for South Saunders

WakeMed medical office coming to Cameron Village

Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Community Appearance Tonight at Union Station

Hotel planned next to Nash Square

Tower 4 under construction in North Hills

Crabtree Terrace progress


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Ways that you can contribute to the Hurricane Florence recovery:

North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

NC Hospital Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC

Habitat for Humanity

United Way

Volunteer for a 6 or 12 hour shift with the Red Cross

The Carolina Cavalry

S. Saunders Planned For South Saunders

A new mixed-use development, including a hotel, residential units, restaurants, retail, and office space could be coming to South Saunders, near the edge of Dix Park. Five Horizons, who recently completed the 10Arros project on New Bern Ave, submitted a rezoning application for a new project named S. Saunders.

The development would be located on a 9.15 acre property bounded by South Saunders Street, South Dawson/McDowell Street and Rocky Branch Creek.

The property would be a mix of industrial warehouse conversions and new buildings ranging from 12 to 20 stories that would feature retail, high-density residential, and a public event space.

According to the rezoning application, “The Southern Gateway Corridor Study, led by the Raleigh Urban Design Center, highlights the site as a prime opportunity to create a ‘maker’/tech start-up district.”

The plans note that the site will be oriented to maximize walkability for pedestrians. The development “incorporates the greenway and creek into the overall design to promote natural resources protection, as well as pedestrian access to the creek and greenway.”


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WakeMed Plans Medical Office Building in Cameron Village

WakeMed announced plans to redevelop the property at 505 Oberlin Road into a medical office building. The building is currently home to the Cameron Village Post Office, which has been ranked the #1 most trauma-inducing passport office in Raleigh.

WakeMed Physician Practices offices will anchor the building, bringing health and wellness services to Cameron Village. Services will include primary care, urgent care, and other outpatient offerings.

“WakeMed is an exciting addition to the Cameron Village neighborhood,” added George York, president and CEO of York Properties, Inc. “We strive to make the Village a truly complete community serving all our residents and customers.”

The facility is slated to open in mid-2020.


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Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Community Appearance To Be Held At Union Station

The Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Community Appearance will be held tonight at Raleigh’s Union Station. According to their website, these awards recognize “outstanding new contributions to the character, environment and appearance of the City of Raleigh.”

More than 200 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards have been given to developers, designers, building owners, community groups, civic clubs, churches, and citizens over the last 30+ years. The awards are given out by the Raleigh Appearance Commission.

A reception with refreshments will be held at 5:30 pm, followed by the presentation of awards at 6:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public. As of right now, we are still unsure if ITB Insider has even been nominated. Fingers crossed!


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Plans Filed For Hotel Next To Nash Square

A nine-story hotel and restaurant could soon be coming across from Nash Square. The Raymond Management Company, a developer based out of Wisconsin, filed plans with the City for what is currently being called The Nash Square Hotel.

According to the plans, the 196,337 square-foot building would stand 112′ tall, offer 190 hotel rooms, and a restaurant on one of the hotel’s upper floors.

The project would be developed at the intersection of West Martin and South Dawson across six separate parcels of land, which are home to a total of 11,940 square feet of existing buildings. The most well-known of these is the Nash Square Building at 227 West Martin. Built in 1970, the two-story brick office building will be torn down.


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Tower 4 Underway At North Hills

Construction of Tower 4 is now underway in the Park District of North Hills. Designed by Duda|Paine Architects, the 20-story building will front Six Forks Road with 11 floors of Class A office space atop 8 levels of integrated parking and ground-level lobby.

According to an exclusive press release, the 328,600 square feet of office space will have access to a conference center and terrace-level amenities, in addition to street-level restaurants. Adjacent will be a 570,000-square-foot 32-story residential tower. The building will have 10 levels of boutique hotel rooms and 22 levels of luxury apartments.

Tower 4 will open in summer 2020.

Foundation Work Underway for Crabtree Terrace

The construction of Crabtree Valley’s newest mixed-use development has hit is latest milestone with the issuance last week of a set of foundation permits to Brasfield & Gorrie.

Located across from Crabtree Valley Mall, Crabtree Terrace will offer 140,00 square feet of class A office space, along with 38,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. It’s expected to be completed by summer of 2019.

Development Beat: Kane’s Cabarrus Plans, Junction West Opens, Pizza In SoJo

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Week of October 8, 2018

Plans for Kane’s Warehouse District development

Junction West opens in Warehouse District

Smokey Hollow Updates

Firenza Pizza coming to SoJo

New Drive-Thru for Chick-fil-A on Lake Boone

North Hills Chipotle opening soon

Aldi on Wake Forest to undergo significant renovations


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Ways that you can contribute to the Hurricane Florence recovery:

North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

NC Hospital Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC

Habitat for Humanity

United Way

Volunteer for a 6 or 12 hour shift with the Red Cross

The Carolina Cavalry

Kane’s Cabarrus Plans

Kane Realty is set to expand its growing footprint near downtown’s Warehouse District. Rezoning plans were recently filed to redevelop a 6 acre parcel of land along West Cabarrus Street between Dupont Circle and S. West Street into another mixed-use complex.

Plans for the site include up to 500 residential units, 350,000 square feet of office space and 50,000 square feet of commercial/retail space. The ground-level retail entrances will mostly be located along West Cabarrus, and a minimum 2/3 of that first-story facade will be made up of windows. One of its more unique features is a plan to install a rooftop garden on the property’s parking deck.

The rezoning documents also included notes from a recent neighborhood meeting held for the project. 36 different issues were discussed between the developers and the 42 neighborhood attendees, including traffic concerns, architectural styles, community benefits, and the prohibition of bars/lounges.


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Junction West Opens

Junction West, a new bar and event space, recently opened next to Raleigh’s Union Station. Located at 310 S West St., Junction West is the creation of Rob and Gabie Frantz. The couple told the TBJ that they plan to focus on local and North Carolina craft beer, along with wine and spirits.

In addition to the bar and event space, there is an outdoor area.

View this post on Instagram

Grab a drink, play some corn hole, watch the sun set.

A post shared by Junction West (@junctionwestnc) on

Junction West will be open 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm Monday through Thursday, 1:00 pm – 12:00 am Friday and Saturday , and 1:00 pm – 10:00 pm on Sunday.


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Smokey Hollow Updates

We’ve covered this project a lot recently, but a presentation with new details was recently given at a Glenwood South neighborhood meeting. For context, here’s the area of Peace Street being developed.

The main takeaways from the presentation are that the retail, the coveted Publix, and the residential units are expected to all be finished by 2Q of 2020.

Here are some exclusive screenshots we obtained.

Phase I – Peace Raleigh Apartments will have 417 residential units and 50,000 square feet of retail, including the Publix.

Phase II – A 9 story 225,000 square foot office building will be built at 413 North Harrington Street.

An additional mixed-use building, Smokey Hollow, will consist of 280 residential units and 40,000 square feet of retail.

Not much was mentioned about Phase 3, but we assume there will be a connection into the downtown canal that is being constructed on Capital Boulevard. Here’s a link to the full presentation.


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Firenza Pizza coming to SoJo

A new build-your-own pizza shop is coming to McNeill Pointe, in the newly named SoJo district of Raleigh. For those who don’t follow @WNFIV closely on Instagram, SoJo is the area located south of Trader Joe’s and near the only car dealership in that area, Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac (#hiMark).

Firenza Pizza, a chain where customers get to pick out every last detail of their pizza before it’s cooked, currently has two locations in North Carolina – both of them in Charlotte.

Permits valued at $176,297 for the renovation of a 2,600 square-foot space on the ground floor of 2320 Bale Street were issued last week to Triangle Enterprises. The company’s website lists the Raleigh location as “Coming Soon” with no indication of how soon “soon” is. We’d wager the restaurant should be open by early next year.

Chick-fil-A Drive Thru

The Chick-fil-A on Lake Boone Trail is planning to upgrade one of the most crucial elements of their business: the drive-thru.

Permits valued at just over $100,000 were issued last week to R & L Builders & Sons for the installation of two new drive-thru canopies. We imagine these will look like the lovely canopies that were recently added to the drive-thru at the Cameron Village Chick-fil-A.

North Hills Chipotle Opening Soon

The new North Hills Chipotle that we first reported on about five months ago will soon be opening its doors to the public. The Chipotle will be located in the Lassiter District between the Panera Bread and the Verizon store that some old guy drove his car through last month.

ABC inspection permits were issued for the new Chipotle at 4421 Six Forks Road last week. It will be Raleigh’s sixth location of the popular chain.

Aldi Shamed Into Renovating Wake Forest Location

Facing fierce competition from the nearby Lidl, the Aldi on Wake Forest Road has decided to make some improvements, likely in an attempt to win back some customers who may have strayed to their chief competitor.

On October 4, permits with a listed value of $1,056,394 for the “interior remodel and expand parapet section” of the Aldi at 4031 Wake Forest Road were issued to National Contractors, LLC.

In November 2017, Lidl opened its first Raleigh location less than half a mile up Wake Forest Road. It’s hard not to draw a straight line between that and Aldi’s current million dollar renovation project.


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Development Beat: Wilson’s Eatery Opening Soon At Dock 1053

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Week of October 1, 2018

Wilson’s Eatery opening soon at Dock 1053

Outdoor office space at Union Station

Plans to redevelop Capital Plaza Hotel

Tavern/Restaurant to replace Devolve Moto on Glenwood South

Crabtree Valley Mall food court to become food hall

Updates on Downtown Wayfinding Kiosks

Trinity Road pedestrian tunnel opens


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Ways that you can contribute to the Hurricane Florence recovery:

North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

NC Hospital Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC

Habitat for Humanity

United Way

Volunteer for a 6 or 12 hour shift with the Red Cross

The Carolina Cavalry

Wilson’s Eatery Coming Soon to Dock 1053

Wilson’s Eatery, a restaurant named after Wilson the dog, will open Monday, October 8th at Dock 1053. Our investigative journalism broke the news about this restaurant back in May. We kept a close eye on the story by following Wilson’s on Instagram and can confirm that they recently shared their menu:

Starters
Chips and Dip (V/GF) $5/8, Pork Nachos $11, Charcuterie Plate $14, Pimento Cheese & Pork Cracklins $7, Lettuce Wraps (GF) $10

Salads
Chopped Salad $10, Market Salad (V/GF) $11

Sides
Broccoli Salad (GF) $3, Beer Cheese Mac (V) $4, Belgian Fries (V) $3, The Dock Slaw (V) $3

Sandwiches
Cha Cha’s BLT – glazed pork belly, lettuce, tomato & Duke’s mayo on sourdough

Grilled Pimento Cheese (V) – house-made pimento cheese with Ashe Co. cheddar & poblano on sourdough

Ell Bell’s Double Cheeseburger – two smashed patties, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, house pickles & Duke’s mayo on brioche

Veggie Burger (V) – falafel, tzatziki, lettuce, tomato & house pickles on brioche

Southern Fried – crispy chicken thigh, pimento cheese, lettuce & house pickles on brioche

Carnitas Torta – braised pork, ham, avocado, black bean spread, cabbage, American cheese, tomato, house pickles & Duke’s mayo on brioche

Flatbreads
Neopolitan (V) – tomato, mozzarella & basil

Old School – tomato, mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, peppers & red onion

Veggie (V) – white sauce, mushroom, spinach, red onion & tomato

Steak & Arugula – white sauce, flank steak, arugula, blue cheese & chimichurri

Pork & Pimento Cheese (GF) – pimento cheese, braised pork, pickled red onion, charred cabbage & house-made BBQ sauce

Desserts
Cookies

Wilson Bars – decadent house-made bars with toasted rice cereal, peanut butter, butterscotch & chocolate. We assume the idea for these came from Wilson the dog, who was recently featured on DogsofITB:

We got a sneak preview of the menu at the soft opening.


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Outdoor Offices At Union Station

Starting this week, you can work outside at Raleigh’s Union Station. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance, Alfred Williams & Company, and a number of coworking spaces have leveraged synergies to turn Union Station Plaza into Raleigh’s hottest new outdoor office. This space has something for everyone; WiFi, solar-powered shade umbrellas, white boards, tables, benches, a conference table, and more amenities to make sure you and your colleagues can actualize cutting-edge relationships as you begin to close out Q4.

Located at 510 W Martin Street, guests can stop by and work, reserve the 6-12 person conference table in hour long blocks, or attend special events after 5:00 pm. The outdoor office will be open until Friday, October 12th. There is no dress code that we’re aware of, but we assume the standard Patagonia startup vest is acceptable.



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Plans for Capital Plaza

The site of the Capital Plaza hotel has seen a number of incarnations over the years, including a Holiday Inn, a Doubletree, and the Hotel Europa. Despite its chic surroundings (two pawn shops within walking distance) and its Eastern Bloc-esque design, the final concept lasted less than a year. The massive five-story concrete structure has sat vacant since 2005, causing it to become a hot spot for urban exploration.

A plan to transform the old hotel into a Radisson was announced in late 2015, but never happened. Last week, a new developer gave a presentation at the Brentwood Community Center on their plans for redeveloping the 8-acre parcel of land.

LIV (a developer, not the nightclub in Miami) would like to demolish the old hotel and replace it with 312 apartments and 24 townhomes. The units would combine to house 500 residents. The residences would not have any affordability limits, and would range in price from $900-$1,800/month.

At the meeting, Andrew Murray of LIV said they would not need to completely rezone the land in order to move their project forward, but noted they would need to revise the conditional uses that prohibit any sort of multifamily outside of senior living.


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No Mo’ Moto

A new tavern-style bar and music venue is coming to Glenwood South. The venue will replace Devolve Moto and Vickers & Ruth Plumbing at 304 and 306 Glenwood Ave, the Triangle Business Journal reported last week.

After opening as a bar/cafe/retail shop in 2015, Devolve Moto closed the retail portion of its business in October 2017, and closed the cafe/bar earlier this year.

The space will be filled by a joint effort between Dan Lovenheim (the owner of Cornerstone Tavern, Alchemy, and Capital City Tavern) and Matt Kenner (the owner of Milk Bar, Southern Charred, and Dogwood Bar and Eatery).

From Food Court to Food Hall

CVM Holdings, the owner of Crabtree Valley Mall, apparently wants to break into the food hall space. What better place to start than with their existing food court?

Travis Bailey, creator of Raleighite.com and the first person to bring video streaming to Raleigh, notified us via Twitter about a sign at the mall’s food court.

Initially, we had assumed Crabtree was going to try and compete with the food truck space.

We had our technicians enhance the renderings and it looks like the remodel will include new tables, paintings of crops and greenery, couches, a fireplace, and more.

Making Your Way Downtown

Update: City Council was expected to authorize a plan to install interactive kiosks throughout downtown Raleigh on Tuesday. Some members raised objections about the kiosks producing too much light, among other things. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but it doesn’t look good right now.

The kiosks are designed to “assist with pedestrian wayfinding and public service announcements/communication.” We first broke the news about these over a year ago.

Downtown Raleigh expert Bill King recently posted an example of the kiosks.

The kiosks would include advertisements. But in a day and age where you’re forced to watch video ads while pumping gas, this was to be expected. Due to limitations on advertising in the public right of way, the type of ads displayed will be more restricted and likely in the vein of government-sponsored campaigns.

It appears that our idea of having ITBlake the intern serve as a virtual assistant will need to be put on hold until we can figure out how to run a government-sponsored campaign.

Trinity Tunnel Opens

NC State fans were finally able to enjoy the new pedestrian tunnel under Trinity Road last weekend. The tunnel allows pedestrians to walk safely and quickly from their cars to the stadium.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation, which oversaw the $4 million+ project, announced last week that the tunnel would be open in time for Saturday’s game. The press release noted that “in addition to providing a safe crossing for fans attending events at the football stadium and PNC Arena, it will also provide safety for attendees to the State Fair in October, when thousands of vehicles are parked on the stadium side of Trinity Road.”


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Development Beat: Smokey Hollow Phase II, More Apartments Planned For Hillsborough Street

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Brought to you by York Properties.


Week of September 24, 2018

Smokey Hollow Updates

Andrews-Duncan House will be a home

Hillsborough Pointe files site plans

Sam Jones BBQ coming to downtown Raleigh?

Apex Outfitters opens downtown

U.S. Attorneys moving into downtown Raleigh

Shoppes at Battle Bridge in Southeast Raleigh expanding


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Ways that you can contribute to the Hurricane Florence recovery:

North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

NC Hospital Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC

Habitat for Humanity

United Way

Volunteer for a 6 or 12 hour shift with the Red Cross

The Carolina Cavalry

Here are a few tips on donating:

Why cash is better than donations

How to avoid charity scams.

We’ll keep you updated on additional ways to help as things progress.

Smokey Hollow Phase II

Kane Realty and Williams Realty & Building Co. recently picked up roughly an acre of land along North West Street, paving the way for Phase II of their Smokey Hollow development.

County records indicate the developers paid about $4.52 million for three parcels of land on August 31. The costliest of the three was a .66 acre piece of land at 506 North West that had been serving as a 96-space surface parking lot.

Phase One, which will include 400 apartments, ground floor retail, and a Publix grocery store, is currently under construction. Phase Two will include office space and additional retail. A third phase is planned as well.


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Andrews-Duncan House Will Be A Home

Good news from Goodnight Raleigh. Last week, Ian F.G. Dunn wrote a fascinating and in-depth article about the historic Andrews-Duncan house, which the State of North Carolina recently found a buyer for.

According to the article, the buyer plans to live in the seven bedroom, six bathroom mansion located at 407 North Blount Street. The 10,000+ square foot home was completed in 1873 and commissioned by Colonel Alexander Boyd Andrews, a “construction magnate, railroad executive and capitalist”.


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The Pointe Planned For Hillsborough Street

Sadly, the iconic The Point bar in Five Points is not opening a second location on Hillsborough Street. Hillsborough Pointe is actually the name of Blue Sky Development’s planned apartment building at the intersection of Hillsborough Street and Bagwell Avenue.

The project would be four stories tall, 29,555 square feet, and would include ground-floor retail. Plans show a total of 29 residential units — 12 one-bedrooms and 17 two-bedrooms.

The site is currently home to J & J Auto, which would have to be torn down before work starts on Hillsborough Pointe.

Blue Sky Development recently built the Friendly Apartments just off Hillsborough, and more recently announced plans for the University Park Condos, an 88-unit building near the Arby’s.


Keeping Up with The Joneses

EatRaleigh reported some news last week that we hope turns out to be true: Sam Jones of Sam Jones BBQ and Skylight Inn might be opening a restaurant in downtown Raleigh.

There is currently one location for Skylight Inn — in Ayden, NC – and one for Sam Jones BBQ, in Winterville, NC. Several other users on social media seemed to confirm the rumor of the downtown Raleigh shop, but until we hear something official we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

Downtown Raleigh’s Apex

Apex Outfitters and Board Co. has officially opened in downtown Raleigh. The outdoor retailer had announced its plans to move into the former home of DECO at 19 W Hargett Street earlier this year.

Not surprisingly, Apex currently has a location in … Apex, NC. Their wares include everything from skateboards to waterproof jackets, although we imagine the store’s winterwear will be more popular than its longboards over the next few months.

Law & Order: Wells Fargo Capital Center

Downtown Raleigh’s white-collar criminals beware: the U.S. Attorney’s Office will soon be moving into the Wells Fargo Capital Center, an upgrade that can only mean they want to be located closer to Miller Law Group after Stacy Miller’s historic Fyre Festival victory.

Permits issued last week indicate the U.S. Attorney’s Office will move from the Terry Sanford Federal Building on New Bern Avenue into three stories of the Wells Fargo Building at 150 Fayetteville Street. McDonald York will be handling the build out of the space.

Southeast Shopping

The Shoppes at Battle Bridge in Southeast Raleigh will soon be expanding, as site review plans were filed showing plans for three new out-parcel buildings.

These include a 4,000 sq ft retail building, a 1,835 sq ft restaurant, and a 1,800 sq ft vehicle repair shop. They’ll be built at the intersection of Rocky Quarry and Battle Bridge Roads.

The shopping center at present has a total of 62,000 square feet of space and is anchored by a Food Lion. County records indicate it was built in 2007 and expanded in 2011.

Development Beat: Ridgewood Shopping Center Sold, Lola’s Opens In Five Points

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Brought to you by York Properties.


Week of September 17, 2018

Hurricane Florence recovery efforts

Ridgewood Shopping Center sold

Lola’s Beach Bar opens in Five Points

City Hall Civic Campus updates

Land by Crabtree sold for more apartments (probably)

Noir adding another patio

Chavis Park awarded redevelopment grant

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Hurricane Florence Recovery Efforts

Before we begin, we’d like to highlight some ways that you can contribute to the Hurricane Florence recovery. Raleigh was spared from a horrible storm, thanks to Bonner’s masterful control of the Raleigh Weather Dome™®. As you’ve seen in the news, many other areas were devastated.

There have been tons of great efforts already, from local businesses to individuals who are willing to drop what they’re doing and take supplies to areas that need it the most. This list of organizations below is by no means comprehensive. City Council Representative Nicole Stewart has done a great job on Twitter (@Nicole4Raleigh) of keeping the public informed of ways to help. Here are a few:

North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

NC Hospital Foundation Disaster Relief Fund

Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC – donations will be collected Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Carter-Finley Stadium (inside Gate A) and at the food bank distribution facility at 1924 Capital Blvd.

Habitat for Humanity

United Way

Volunteer for a 6 or 12 hour shift with the Red Cross

The Carolina Cavalry

Here are a few tips on donating:

Why cash is better than donations

How to avoid charity scams. Do your homework first by checking out a charity.

  • Visit www.give.org to see if national charities meet the standards set by the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, and www.charitywatch.org for ratings of charities by the American Institute of Philanthropy.  Other good sources of information are www.guidestar.org and www.charitynavigator.org .
  • Find out whether or not charities are licensed.  Many charities that solicit in our state are required by law to register with the N.C. Secretary of State. You can call that office toll free at (888) 830‑4989 or check out a charity or fundraiser on its website.

We’ll keep you updated on additional ways to help as things progress.

Ridgewood Shopping Center Sold

Regency Centers, a real estate investment trust based in Jacksonville, Florida, purchased the Ridgewood Shopping Center last week. The 95,000+ square foot property was sold for $46 million, leaving many residents speculating on what is to come.

A two-story Whole Foods? A Snooker’s expansion that takes over the entire shopping center? The return of Tripp’s muffins? Unfortunately, plans for the property have not been announced.

Regency also owns Cameron Village and a number of other shopping centers in the area, so we’re confident that Ridgewood is in good hands. We assume Regency became aware of the property after reading @WNFIV’s article Dads Won’t Stop Fly Fishing In Orvis Parking Lot.


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Lola’s Beach Bar Opens in Five Points

Lola’s Beach Bar in Five Points is now open. The @TriangleExplorer brought this to our attention on Sunday.

Located a few doors down from NOFO and Third Place Coffee Shop on Glenwood Avenue, the bar stated on Twitter that they were open, but with a limited menu.

This is sure to be a big hit with Five Points parents, who have been at home with their children for 5 straight days.



City Hall Civic Campus Updates

The master plan for the City’s new downtown Civic Campus is now complete, and both City Councilors and members of the public have a chance to review it. The 60 page plan is available here.

Before we get into the details, let us not forget that the City has already knighted us to lead a panel on La Croix water fountains for this new development.

Here are a few of the highlights of the three phase project:

  • Phase I
    • Build a 20-story, 420,00 square foot East Tower of the new City Hall
    • Demolition of the vacant police headquarters
    • Enables the City to fully consolidate its fragmented downtown workforce
    • The land and new building will be owned and maintained by the City
    • Phase I is on track for completion by 2023 and has a projected cost of $190 Million (funded through a combination of lease savings, asset sales, and debt capacity)

  • Phase II
    • Develop the 20-story, 180,000 square foot West Tower
    • The West Tower will provide additional departmental offices and conference facilities for staff and additional public facing functions

  • Phase III
    • Replace the existing municipal parking deck with mixed-use private development and new parking facilities

The master plan will be voted on in today’s City Council meeting. As many predicted, we do not have that report on La Croix ready at this time, but we are working hard on it.


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Land Across From Crabtree Valley Mall Sold

Land across the street from Crabtree Valley Mall was recently sold for $9.5 million. Kotarides Developers purchased the 11 acre property, which is currently home to an apartment community. Developers have attempted to redevelop the land a few different times over the last ten years. There was even talk of a pedestrian bridge over Glenwood, which sounds like a great idea until you say it out loud. Go ahead, say it out loud. Yeah, you wouldn’t set foot on that thing either.

The latest developer, based in Virginia, hasn’t said what they plan to do with the land. Since this property is located too far from Hillsborough Street, we can take “luxury student housing apartment complex with six golf simulators and a bitcoin mining cave” off the table. We’re betting it will be redeveloped into an apartment building/complex with some sort of retail or office space.


Noir Adding Second Patio

The owners of Noir Bar & Lounge recently filed site review plans to build a second patio behind the bar. The plans for this fenced-in, 1,460 square-foot patio would actually reduce the amount of impervious surface, although not by much. The fence will be eight feet of “solid wood” that will enclose the entire rear of the property.

The existing Noir patio usually serves as a performance area for digital musicians, often known as “DJs,” who use “samples” of songs to take their audience on a journey through various musical genres. We were unable to confirm if this second patio was simply for an additional DJ, or if it was some new type of vape club. We will not be investigating further.

Chavis Park Redevelopment

Today, the City Council will hear a report on a $747,600 grant issued to Chavis Park from the National Park Service Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The grant will be matched by the City using funds from the 2014 Parks Bond, for a total of $1,495,200. The money will go toward implementing a master plan that will transform the park in a number of ways, including a new water feature (perhaps tied into the downtown canal?), an improved playground, and a new community center.

The total cost of the project stands at around $14 million, and construction on phase one is expected to start late this year or in early 2019.

Development Beat: Vita Vite Opens Second Location

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Brought to you by York Properties.


Week of September 10, 2018

Vita Vite Opens North Hills Location

Council Approves Olde Towne Rezoning

Triangle Glides Moving Out of City Market

Peace of Pizza Art

More Apartments Planned for Hillsborough

Update on Dix Park Master Plan

Apartment complex planned off NC-54

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Vita Vite Opens North Hills Location

Vita Vite has opened its second location. The popular wine bar and art gallery, which began with a downtown location nearly three years ago, opened a new location in the North Hills Park Central district over the weekend. @WNFIV got a tour of the space last month and obtained these exclusive images.

The new location offers a wine bar complemented by craft beers, and small plates. The 6,000 square foot space has a mezzanine level with outdoor seating and bars on both levels.

They’ll also display a collection of southern art along with goods from local artisans and vendors.


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A Grande Olde Rezoning

A 600-acre parcel of land in Southeast Raleigh was rezoned by the City Council last week. In February, PNC Bank announced plans to rezone and redevelop the land near the intersection of Rock Quarry Road and New Hope Road into single-family housing, restaurants, retail, and a grocery store.

The site was originally set to be developed by Greystone Development as a golf-course community known as Olde Towne. Greystone had begun clearing the land but abandoned the project. The property had a land-use restriction that required any future development be accompanied by a golf course.

City Council approved rezoning case Z-7-18, which removed the golf course condition, reduced the number of homes that would be built, and set requirements for a 25-acre park and greenway space. PNC will now begin looking for a company to develop the land.


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Gliding Out of City Market

Photo: Triangle Glides

Triangle Glides, the tour company known for its “electric Trikke” tours, has moved from their home in City Market. Thanks to Ashton Smith’s #1 rated e-mail newsletter Raleigh, over-easy., for bringing this to our attention.

Triangle Glides will be located in a space adjacent to the new Union Station, which is managed by our good friends at York Properties. (John Koonce (johnkoonce@yorkproperties.com — 919-645-2765) is handing the retail leasing and Brian Wallace (brianwallace@yorkproperties.com — 919-645-2773) is handling the office leasing.)

Not a bad idea to have something like this right next to a train station, and judging by the company’s online booking calendar, this relocation has hardly impacted their business.

A Peace of Pizza Art

Photo: @TriangleExplorer

Triangle Explorer discovered the greatest art installation ever last week. The City of Raleigh unveiled “Pizza Time” at the corner of Peace Street and Salisbury Street. After some investigative reporting we learned that this was the creation of Broughton faculty member Graymon Ward.

“Pizza Time” is part of the first Raleigh ArtBeats, a series of 16 semi-permanent sidewalk paintings. The City of Raleigh Transportation Department, the Office of Raleigh Arts, Artspace, and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance are behind the project. They’ll debut a new public art installation each month until August 2019.

We’re thrilled to see that the City is focusing on pizza art instead of another Light + Time tower, which has yet to produce a single rainbow. We even made this rendering of a full pizza at the Hillsborough Street roundabout in case the artists need any ideas.


More Hillsborough Street Apartments

More apartments are planned for Hillsborough Street. Shockingly, they aren’t located on what we’re now calling “Luxury Student Apartment Row” (the area between The Velvet Cloak Inn (RIP) and the last new roundabout on Hillsborough Street).

Known only as “5700 Hillsborough Street” the new complex will be made up of two, three-story residential buildings comprising 176 total units, as well as a variety of parking options.

Given the unit breakdown — 20 one-bedrooms, 53 two-bedrooms, 27 three-bedrooms, and 76 four-bedroom+ units — we imagine this is going to be student housing.

5700 Hillsborough is being developed by CA Ventures — the same firm working on an apartment complex a few miles down the road at the site of East Village.

It’s All Part of the Dix Park Master Plan

City staffers last week presented Council with a update on the status of the Dix Park Master Plan. Here are the highlights:

  • The Dreamville Festival was going to be held this weekend, but was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence
  • The Department of Health & Human Services will begin transferring ownership of several buildings over the coming months, including All Faiths Chapel, 3 stone houses, the House of Many Porches (which sounds like something out of Harry Potter), Benner House, and Richardson Circle
  • While the City will make basic safety and security improvements, the Dix Park Conservancy will likely handle any more significant renovations
  • The park has had more than 3 million impressions on social media
  • 15,000 visitors attended SunFest – oddly they did not mention @WNFIV’s highlight video about Club Sunflowerz
  • The master plan phase is expected to wrap up at the end of March 2019
  • All the necessary DNA samples have been acquired from Dr. Wu. They arrived in a mysterious package addressed to a “Gonner Baylord” with no return address.

District 54

A new apartment complex is being planned off NC-54 near I-40. Known as the District at 54, the 245-unit development will include four five-story residential buildings and a 200+ space parking deck on a six-acre lot, according to site review plans filed with the City. There will be 129 one-bedroom units and 116 two-bedrooms.

District at 54 is being developed by the Kaplan Companies, a large real estate development firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. This would be the company’s first foray into the Raleigh market, although they do have an office here.

We don’t know much else about the complex at this point, although if we had to wager, we’d say construction will start some time in the Spring of 2019.


How To Prepare For Hurricane Florence Without Leaving Your House


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Development Beat: Transfer Co. Announces Food Hall Vendors

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Brought to you by York Properties.


Week of September 3, 2018

Transfer Co. announces food hall vendors

Cameron Village Post Office closing

AILLEA opens in Cameron Village

Heirloom Brewshop opening soon

Westin Hotel coming to Crabtree

Warby Parker, STIR coming to North Hills

Fitness coming to North West Street

Storage facility planned for Capital Blvd near Wade

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Transfer Co. Announces Lineup

Transfer Co. has revealed the list of restaurateurs and vendors that will occupy space in the 50,000+ square foot establishment located at 500 E. Davie Street. We obtained this information, and the following quote from Joe Kwon, cellist for the Avett Brothers, through an exclusive e-mail blast. It’s basically the same thing as interviewing him.

“Transfer Co. is an unprecedented opportunity to create connections between artisans and people in our community,” said Joe Kwon, culinary influencer, Transfer Co. creative consultant and cellist for the Avett Brothers. “We are turning this space over to the makers in our community so they can demonstrate what it takes to produce, say, a bar of chocolate or a fish fillet. In doing so, Transfer will showcase the incredible talent in our community through the lens of North Carolina culture. I’m very excited to see this historical warehouse repurposed as a place to gather and create connections between our gifted chefs, artisans and the people they aim to serve.”

Kwon’s passion for this project was very evident during the time we spent reading the e-mail that contained that quote. Here’s a quick rundown of the vendors and our brief descriptions of what they’ll offer:

Videri Chocolate Factory: Chocolate. 

Locals Seafood: Oyster bar and seafood market focusing on North Carolina seafood. 

Burial Beer Co.: Beer.

Benchwarmers Bagels: Jubala Coffee and Boulted Bread teamed up to invent bagels.

Che Empanadas: Argentine-style baked empanadas.

Chhote’s: Mumbai street-food.

Captain Cookie and The Milkman: Cookies, milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches. 

Dank Burrito: Tacos, burritos, bowls.

Falafel & Co.: Palestine cuisine such as fresh pita, crispy falafel, dips, and salads.

Sushinara: Asian street food.

Sweet Peas Urban Gardens: An urban farm. (We’ll be covering this in the next few weeks because it’s a great story.)

Transfer Co. describes itself as “a community gathering and events space, market, restaurants, and a creative production hub designed to maximize opportunities for innovation through the transfer of knowledge across tenants and customers.” Transfer Co. is scheduled to open in early 2019. The list of vendors with much more details can be found at the end of this post.


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Cameron Village Post Office Closing

The Cameron Village Post Office will close at the end of the year. Despite inaccurate reports from other outlets, the building has not been sold. The owners of the building brought in a partner about two years ago, but still own a majority of the property. They will still own the building after making some upgrades for the new single tenant (stay tuned) that’s moving in.

On one hand, 99% of the employees of this post office were extremely polite and courteous. On the other, this was the most difficult place in the world to obtain a passport.

This post office had already cut back their hours. Ever try going at lunch? It’s closed. Need to swing by after work at 5:00 pm? Closed. Nevertheless, a few people on Nextdoor are trying to save it.

We do not anticipate that their efforts will be successful. However, the post office already has representatives looking for a new space in the 27605 zip code. If you need a post office box, the UPS Store next to Moe’s may have some available.


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AILLEA Opens In Cameron Village

AILLEA celebrated its grand opening  on August 25 in Cameron Village. The beauty supply chain specializes in “luxury clean beauty brands,” whose best quality, in our opinion, is that none of them are tested on animals. According to this Cameron Village article, Kathryn Murray Dickinson, a former executive in the beauty industry, founded AILLEA after she discovered a lack of transparency when it came to organic, clean products. The Raleigh location will be the area’s premier clean beauty destination.



Heirloom Brewshop Opening Soon

Heirloom Brewshop received their ABC inspection permits last week. The owners told us they should be open in the next 2-3 weeks. Located in The Dillon, this unique store offers premium coffee, tea, saké, and an Asian-inspired menu.


A Sequel for Soleil?

Ten years after it was set to be the anchor for the doomed Soleil Center, a new Westin hotel will finally make its way to the Crabtree Valley Mall area.

The luxury brand, owned by Marriott, is slated to open in June of 2019 at 4501 Creedmoor Road, according to a listing on the Marriott website. Although permits were applied for in September 2017, they do not appear to have been issued yet.

Valued at more than $60 million, the permits describe work for a pool, a parking deck, the hotel itself, and restaurants on the 4th and 18th floor. We would, however, take those permits with a grain of salt, as they state the Westin will be a 42-story structure with only 54 rooms. Something about that just sounds off.

The Triangle Business Journal reported that the hotel will also include a conference center, a rooftop bar and a full-service restaurant.

STIR Coming to North Hills

STIR, a new oyster restaurant, is coming to the ground floor of the Bank of America Tower in North Hills. We have obtained an exclusive press release confirming that the restaurtant offers “premium oysters, craft cocktails with artisanal ice, and a made-from-scratch menu.” That’s right, artisanal ice.

The release actually includes a full paragraph about artisanal ice:

“Using purified, artisanal ice that has been hand-cut to complement each one of their imaginative craft cocktails, STIR is bringing an intense focus on artisan ice and craft cocktails to Raleigh’s cocktail and dining scene. STIR uses the freshest ingredients available, refreshing food and beverage menus regularly to highlight seasonal delicacies and keep the creative juices flowing.”

It’s about time someone in Raleigh stepped up to the plate and delivered the artisanal ice we’ve all been demanding. STIR is set to open in 2019. In the meantime, we’ll just have to get by with our cloudy, generic, plebeian ice.

Warby Parker Coming to North Hills

Photo by photojournalist Jeffry Aden.

Warby Parker, an upscale chain that sells sunglasses and prescription eyewear, will soon be opening at 4154 Main at North Hills. Jeffry Aden, husband of Broughton graduate Caroline Williams, obtained the above photographic evidence indicating that the store will be located next to Chick-fil-A.

Pilates Studio Coming to North West Street

North West Street will soon be home to Raleigh’s first FlowCORPS High-Intensity Pilates studio, a fact brought to our attention through Ashton Smith’s #1 rated weekly newsletter, Raleigh, over-easy. The company’s website states the studio will be opening in fall of this year.

Permits for the fit-out of their new space at 911 N. West Street were issued in early July to Riley-Lewis Construction. This will be the latest tenant for the recently revived “Rainbow Building” whose overhaul was overseen by our friends over at August Construction Solutions.

Unlimited Storage

Yet another site review plan was filed last week for a self-storage facility on Capital Boulevard. Bee Safe Storage, based out of Greensboro, will build out two, five-story buildings totaling 145,486 square feet, because you never can have enough storage.

Located at 1108 and 1261 Capital Boulevard, the site is currently home to the used car dealership Skyline Motors. Bee Safe has an existing Raleigh location off Falls of Neuse Road.

Burlington Coat Factory

We first reported on North Raleigh’s new Burlington Coat Factory last September, and now, a year later, the store is set to hold its grand opening. Burlington will serve as the anchor retailer at the Plantation Point shopping center on Capital Boulevard, inhabiting the space that was once occupied by Marshalls.

Transfer Co. Vendors

  • Videri Chocolate Factory: Videri’s second location, featuring a chocolate production factory, retail counter, event space and pastry training center for chefs. Among many accolades, Videri holds three consecutive Good Food Awards and acclaim as Travel Magazine’s Best 10 Things to Do in Downtown Raleigh and GQ Magazine’s 50 Best Things to Eat Right Now.
  • Locals Seafood: Oyster bar, restaurant and seafood market focusing on North Carolina seafood and seasonal interpretations of traditional dishes. The restaurant and market will sell fresh fish, fresh and steamed shellfish, smoked seafood and ready-to-cook entrees. Locals Seafood already enjoys a strong North Carolina presence in cornerstone establishments such as Whole Foods.
  • Burial Beer Co.: An art-focused space from Asheville’s Burial Beer that will host can and bottle releases as well as offer a draft selection of hallmark brands and experiential, small-batch beers for purchase. Burial Beer Co. crafts a range of innovative, hop-forward ales, big dark ales and quaffable lagers, all with a dedication to modernization and revitalization. Its wild program boasts a full array of Belgian-inspired and Carolina terroir-driven sour ales. The brewery touts accolades such as Craft Beer & Brewing’s Top 25 Best Small Brewers in the World, Draft Magazine’s Top Beers of the Year and Paste Magazine’s Best Saison.
  • Benchwarmers Bagels: An exciting new collaboration from the masterminds behind Jubala Coffee and Boulted Bread, a bakery that earned acclaim as one of Food & Wine’s Top Croissants in America and Bon Appetit’s 2016 Best New Bakeries.
  • Che Empanadas: Chef Anabel Rossbach brings Argentine-style baked empanadas, handcrafted from historic recipes that feature local and organic ingredients.
  • Chhote’s: A taste of the Mumbai street-food scene with a variety of authentic bite-sized offerings in an atmosphere designed to cultivate conversation. Designed by Anson Fernandes, a Mumbai native and founder of Biryani Maxx in Cary, North Carolina. Biryani Maxx was named one of three brightest yet hidden culinary gems by News & Observer’s Greg Cox in 2017.
  • Captain Cookie and The Milkman: “North Carolina’s sweetest superheroes” serving small-batch cookies, local dairy, hand-dipped shakes and made-to-order ice cream sandwiches, which Eater listed as one of its top ice cream sandwiches.
  • Dank Burrito: Clarke Merrill, executive chef and owner of Circa 81 Tapas & Cocktaileria, Dank Burrito and Beaufort Olive Oil Company, brings his chef-inspired tacos, burritos and bowls, featuring fresh ingredients and house-made salsas, slaws and kimchi.
  • Falafel & Co.: The Bahhur family, long-time Triangle restaurateurs, launch a crave-worthy menu of Palestine cuisine with generous servings of authentic dishes, such as fresh pita, crispy falafel, savory dishes and signature dips and salads.
  • Sushinara: Chef Jae Lee offers Izakaya-style Asian street food featuring a special combination of flavors representing different countries in Asia. Chef Lee has worked at highly acclaimed kitchens around the country, such as Veritas and Danube in New York City and the Washington Duke Inn and Fin’s in North Carolina. He has spearheaded several Asian concepts in the Triangle.
  • Sweet Peas Urban Gardens: A certified naturally grown urban farm cultivated in large shipping containers. Sweet Peas grows and provides nutrient-dense microgreens to local chefs, farmers’ markets, CSAs and produce delivery services in the Triangle.

Development Beat: Boutique Inn Planned For Boylan Heights, Guasaca Coming To Hillsborough Street


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Development Beat: Boutique Inn Planned For Boylan Heights, Guasaca Coming To Hillsborough Street

in Development by

Brought to you by York Properties.


Week of August 27, 2018

Boylan Heights mansion could become boutique inn

Guasaca coming to Hillsborough Street

Dogwood Country Club opens in downtown Raleigh

Urban Outfitters opens in Warehouse District

Kale Me Crazy coming to Cameron Village

Condos planned for Hillsborough Street

Gigi’s Pizza opens in former home of zpizza

Melting Pot set for renovations

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Montfort Hall Owners Planning Boutique Inn


Updated as of Wednesday 8/29/18 2:30 pm.

A boutique inn could be coming to a pre-Civil War era home in Boylan Heights. Jeff and Sarah Shepherd and Keith Shepherd and his wife Natalia Luckyanova purchased the historic Montfort Hall property in June. The new owners hope to transform the roughy 6,000 square foot mansion from its current state resembling the home of Miss Havisham into a 6-10 room boutique inn and event space.

Located at 308 South Boylan Street, the home was built in 1858 and will require extensive renovations and a rezoning before it can become a boutique inn.

The owners met with Boylan Heights neighbors last week, a prerequisite to filing a rezoning application. The News & Observer reported that some neighbors expressed concern that, upon rezoning, future owners could build something industrial on the property.

The new owners offered to place a variety of conditions in the rezoning application that would ensure the property could only be used as an inn, even if it were sold in the future. Overall, there was overwhelming excitement and support of the project, even from those who had concerns. According to the attorney for the new owners, there was actual applause at the end of the meeting, which he said has literally never happened before.

County records show the new owners purchased the home in June for $1.1 million. An Instagram account (@montfort.hall) and website www.montforthall.com have been set up so people can follow along with the project. Jeff and Sarah Shepherd are driving the vision and day to day management, and Sarah will run the business once the inn is operational. The owners hope to be open by January 2020.

UPDATE: Here are some pretty amazing pictures from one of our insider photojournalists. We can’t wait to see the renovations once the Ghostbusters get through with it.


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Guasaca Coming to Hillsborough Street

Guasaca will soon open its newest Raleigh location on the ground floor of the Target at 2512 Hillsborough Street (RIP The Alley). Fit-out permits for the space were recently filed, which means they should be open in the next few months.

The restaurant, known for their delicious arepas, has operated out of its flagship Lake Boone Trail location for about five years. No word on if they’ll add any Twisted Freezes to the menu to compete with the Taco Bell Cantina down the street.


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Dogwood Days of Summer

Downtown Raleigh’s very first “urban country club” held its grand opening celebration this past Saturday. Dogwood Country Club isn’t your typical country club. It’s actually a retail store, golf training facility, and simulation outlet located at 301 W Cabarrus Street.

Members of Dogwood will receive priority booking on the simulation machines, unlimited practice time, discounts, a free birthday lesson, and more.



A Truly Urban Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters held its grand opening celebration this past Friday at The Dillon, downtown’s newest mixed-use development.

Urban Outfitters bills itself as “a lifestyle retailer dedicated to inspiring customers through a unique combination of product, creativity and cultural understanding.”

August Construction Solutions, a local firm best known for its role in redeveloping North West Street, handled the construction.

Kale Me Crazy Coming to Cameron Village

It looks like the national “Super-food” cafe chain Kale Me Crazy will soon be open in the former home of Baskin-Robbins in Cameron Village.

The restaurant, which also offers “juices, smoothies, salads, and wraps in a sleek, upscale environment,” says it wants to support its customers’ “healthy lifestyle[s] through the use of fresh, organic, and raw foods.”


Condos Coming to Hillsborough Street

Blue Sky Development filed site plans last week for the University Park Condos, an 88-unit, 5-story, two-building condominium project at 3411 Hillsborough (near the Arby’s). Blue Sky recently built the Friendly Apartments just off Hillsborough Street and is planning another apartment complex at 2812 Hillsborough.

Currently home to the shuttered Friendly Gas Station, the site would include the two condo buildings, covered basement parking, surface-level parking and about 7,000 square feet of amenity space.

The 88 units would be broken into 59 one-bedrooms, 28 two-bedrooms, and 6 three-bedrooms. Blue Sky still described the project as an apartment complex on their website, which appears to have been the initial plan for the space. The recently filed site review plan leaves little doubt that this will, in fact, be a condominium. The main selling point, we imagine, will be views of Hillsborough Street’s iconic Arby’s, whose sign at night sometimes reads “Roast Sand Delicious.” Mmm-mmm.

Pizza Replaces Pizza on Fayetteville Street

Just three months after the closing of zpizza at 421 Fayetteville Street, Gigi’s Pizza has opened in its place.

In addition to New York Style pizza, the eatery also offers an array of classic Italian dishes, including strombolis, calzones, chicken parmigiana, and Garfield’s favorite, lasagna.

Considering the quick turn around from the closure of zpizza to the opening of Gigi’s Pizza, we weren’t surprised to learn that Gigi’s has kept in place the 20-tap self serve draft system.

Melting Into a New Space

The Melting Pot on Wake Forest Road could soon be subject to a significant expansion, according to a site review plan filed earlier this month.

The plans note that the existing 4,852 square foot restaurant would expand into the vacant 1,136 square foot space in the rear of the building, which had previously been home to an Enterprise Rent-a-Car.

The site plans don’t hint at what use may be made of the space. We’re hoping it’s something like a Guinness Book of World Records sized fondue pot.

The Best Back to School Rosé

Development Beat: Lola’s Beach Bar Coming Soon to Five Points, Morgan Street Food Hall Opens

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Brought to you by York Properties.


Week of August 20, 2018

Lola’s Beach Bar set to open soon in Five Points

Morgan Street Food Hall opens

Foundation work begins on The Standard

City to finalize agreement on new Triangle Racquet Sports Facility

Tapworks opens on Glenwood

Council To Award Renovation Contract for Kiwanis Park

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Beach Bar Opening Soon at Five Points

Five Points has long been home to some of Raleigh’s most popular night life spots. Icons such as Churchill’s and The Point will soon be joined by Raleigh’s first “gritty surf/tiki bar” in the form of Lola’s Beach Bar.

We first reported on plans for the new bar/eatery back in September 2017. This was followed up in May of 2018 with some top-notch investigative reporting by William N. Finley IV, who discovered that Lola’s would be serving beer, margaritas, cocktails, street tacos, burritos, nachos, and more.

Then we uncovered a bombshell….an ABC Inspection permit was recently issued for the space, usually the final piece of the bar-opening puzzle.

Lola’s Beach Bar has already set up a slick website, and has a presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. As of this writing, none of these revealed an exact opening date.

Although we had originally heard the bar/restaurant would be opening in July, the end of August or early September seems like the perfect time for a bar that will bring back fond memories of summer revelries and help Raleigh’s bar-going crowd ease back in to the fall and winter months.


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Morgan Street Food Hall Opens

Morgan Street Food Hall has opened its doors in the former Jillian’s space at 411 W. Morgan St. The newest food baby from Niall Hanley, who also brought you Hibernian Restaurant & Pub and Raleigh Beer Garden, is unlike anything we’ve seen in Raleigh. Imagine if food trucks could operate indoors, or if the Crabtree Valley Mall food court consisted of food that was edible.

Niall Hanley, father of the food hall

Designed by New City Design Group, the food hall contains nearly two dozen vendors, an outdoor patio, and more. Here’s a list of the vendors that William Needham Finley IV exclusively obtained from the gift bag he received while visiting in July.

The Arbor – bar

Auntie Betty’s – cocktail bar

Bella’s Wood Fired Pizza and Tapas – pizza

Boba Brew Bubble Tea and Smoothies – self-explanatory

Carroll’s Kitchen – a nonprofit social enterprise restaurant dedicated to ending homelessness for women in Raleigh, NC. Go support them.

Cocoa Forte – they dip things in chocolate. More restaurants should follow their lead.

Cousin’s Maine Lobster – it was on Shark Tank, they serve lobster. Have not verified if they are actually cousins.

Cow Bar Burger & Fries – self-explanatory and delicious

Curry in a Hurry – Indian cuisine

Hook & Cleaver – they have the meats

Iyla’s Southern Kitchen – Southern food, it was good

Makus Empanadas – Argentinian, empanadas

MKG Kitchen – Vietnamese cuisine

Morgan Street Java and Creperie – crepes and espresso

Oak City Fish and Chips – fish and chips, in Raleigh, hence the name

Raleigh Raw – another location for the raw juice and smoothie shop from Sherif Fouad and Leslie Woods

Raleigh Rolls – this is actually Thai ice cream that’s rolled with toppings

Sassool – Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine

The Bowls – East Asian cuisine, rice bowls, egg rolls, etc.

The Broth – Ramen and Japanese cuisine

Wicked Taco – tacos

Hours:

Sunday – Wednesday: 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Thursday – Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

The space will also house retail tenants, including The Soaperie, Five Points Baking Co., Hail Mary Mix, Mike D’s BBQ, and more to come.

So congrats to Niall and everyone who worked hard to bring this to downtown Raleigh. After driving by on Monday, we can already tell this is going to be a huge success.


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A Standard Foundation

It’s been just over three months since Landmark Properties began tearing down the former home of the North Carolina Equipment Company at 3101 Hillsborough Street. Last week, permits were issued to Landmark’s construction arm for foundation work for The Standard, a new five-story, 232-unit student apartment complex that will include a parking deck and ground-floor retail.

Perhaps the most crucial of the numerous conditions required in the rezoning case for the development was a promise to attempt to preserve the iconic tractor sign that once sat on top of the building.

“The tractor sign will be placed on the Hillsborough Street frontage and lighted,” the rezoning case noted to everyone’s delight.

Not to take all the credit for this, but ITBlake the intern’s efforts to save the historic sign were covered in The News & Observer.

The N&O Praises Intern For Saving Iconic Sign



Raleigh Racquet

In January of this year, City Council was presented with a plan that would turn 48 acres of City owned land off  Mount Herman Road into the $25 million, 50+ court Raleigh Racquet Sports and Health Center. (Note: We originally wrote that this was on Mount Herman Church Road. A commenter informed us that Mount Herman Church Road is in Durham. We apologize for not knowing much about these roads, as we’ve never actually driven on them.)

Today, Council is expected to authorize a lease with Triangle Racquet Sports that will allow the project to move forward. Staff highlighted a number of benefits that will come with the agreement, including annual revenue to the City of about $275,000 and an economic impact of $3.5 million.

Although the entire cost of building the facility will be covered by Triangle Racquet Sports, the City will get 50 percent of the court reservation fees and 20 percent of any third-party leasing fees. Triangle Racquet Sports is requesting a one dollar per annum 50-year lease for the property.

In addition to the tennis courts, the facility will include a public park with amenities such as playground, walking trails, community picnic shelter, and public restrooms.


Tapworks Open on Glenwood South

Just over three months after construction began on the self-serve beer shop Tapworks on the ground floor of 222 Glenwood, the store has opened its doors to a thirsty public.

A grand opening celebration for the 50-tap shop is scheduled for Thursday, August 30, where beers from Blueprint, Highland Brewing Company, CrankArm and more will be served alongside a unique array of appetizers and light entrees, such as the North Carolina-themed First in Flight, which features three duck bacon + sweet corn wontons alongside three duck wings. If this and other dishes are half as good as they sound, we imagine Tapworks will become known just as much for its food as it is for its wide array of beverage options.



Council Set to Award Contract for Kiwanis Park

Kiwanis Park, located at 2525 Noble Road, will soon be subject to a massive renovation project, following an expected contract award to Poythress Commercial Contractors at today’s City Council meeting.

Due to recurring floodplain issues, it was decided that a mere renovation of the existing community center was impractical. The project will include the demolition of the existing Kiwanis Park buildings, construction of a new 3,140 square foot community center, new multi-age playground and athletic court, installation of a pre-engineered picnic shelter, and parking lot improvements.

The construction award for this project was delayed slightly due to an error with the original bid form, which meant that the initial round of bids were all rejected. Of the four new bids received June 18, Poythress was low by about $200,000.

In addition to the above-mentioned renovations, two add-alternates were selected as part of Poythress’ bid package, including playground site preparation and a new basketball court.


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Development Beat: Taco Bell Cantina Opens

in Development by

Brought to you by York Properties.


Week of August 13, 2018

Taco Bell Cantina opens on Hillsborough Street

Townhomes coming soon to West Street

The Fairweather requests design adjustment

Mojito Lounge opens this week

Brovelli opens in City Market

Apartments planned for Hill Street in Northeast Raleigh

Panda Express Coming to Wake Forest Road

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


Taco Bell Cantina Has Arrived

The Taco Bell Cantina has officially opened. In January, we broke the news that Taco Bell would open its first Raleigh “Cantina” location on the ground floor of the 2304 Hillsborough apartments. On Monday morning, the restaurant opened its Fire sauce packet arms and welcomed patrons.

ABC Inspection permits – the ones that will allow this Taco Bell to serve draft beers and liquor slushies – were issued last week.

Liquor slushies aka “Twisted Freezes”

For those unfamiliar with the Cantina brand, they differ from traditional Taco Bells in three main ways: they’re slightly more upscale, there’s no drive-thru, and they serve booze. The Hillsborough Street location offers six draft beers, liquor slushies (Twisted Freezes), and frosé (frozen rosé).

There’s also a nice mural by Clark Hipolito.

While this isn’t exactly the return of Hillsborough Street’s iconic Cantina bar that was once located across the street from East Village, we imagine this location will be quite popular.


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The West Street Way

Work is now underway on downtown Raleigh’s latest townhome development. The West Street Townhomes, located near the intersection of West and Lenoir Streets, will be comprised of 12 single-family row homes spread across three separate buildings, all of which will be connected by an adjoining courtyard.

Lambert Development has said that the townhomes will offer three distinct designs ranging in size from 1,400-1,600 square feet. Each residence will include “sleek, modern, high-end contemporary fixtures and finishes and garage parking” as well as “skyline views from rooftop terraces.”

Concept 8, a local firm that has built a number of custom homes throughout Raleigh, will be overseeing the construction.


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Fairweather Progress

The Fairweather, a luxury condo development boasting spectacular views and close proximity to Dix Park, has filed an administrative alternative design request dealing with the city’s “transparency” requirements.

Outlined in the Unified Development Ordinance, transparency requirements are specified in order to lend “visual interest to street-facing building facades.” We don’t imagine the developers will have much trouble getting this adjustment approved.

The demolition phase of the project began last month with the teardown of the old Motor Parts Warehouse at 522 S. Harrington. The development is expected to stand five stories tall and include 45 residential units, structured parking, and street-level retail.



Mojito Lounge Replaces Stag’s Head

Less than a month after it was announced that Glenwood South’s beloved Stag’s Head bar would be closing, its replacement is set to make its grand debut.

The Mojito Lounge will hold its grand opening for “Raleigh’s New College Night” this weekend. The “sophisticated Latin-Themed Lounge” will feature music by DJ David Dice, DJ Juice, and YODJWoody.

According to its Facebook page, the lounge will include a full bar, live entertainment, bottle service, and VIP Service. Those planning to attend should “dress to impress” as a flier for the celebration notes that the dress code will be “strictly enforced.”


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An Oily Opening In City Market

Brovelli is now open in downtown Raleigh’s City Market. The shop offers 25 different infused oils, infused vinegars, herb blends, wine, and gift items.

Hill Street Blues

Plans for a new Raleigh apartment complex were filed last week, and for once, it looks like it won’t be built on Hillsborough Street. Site plans for the Hill Street Apartments, a two-building 14-unit complex, were filed by local developer Springfield Ventures.

Located on Hill Street off Skycrest Drive, the two, two-story buildings will stand less than 30′ tall and offer a total of 22 parking spaces.


Panda-monium

Panda Express is making its way to Raleigh. Permits were issued last week for the construction of a new 2,200 square-foot building at 4215 Wake Forest Road, near the T.G.I. Friday’s and across the street from Raleigh’s first Lidl grocery store. Venture Construction will oversee the $250,000 build-out of the new restaurant.

The chain offers a variety of classic Americanized Asian dishes such as Orange Chicken, Chicken Teriyaki and String Bean Chicken, and we imagine the Wake Forest location will be open either at the end of this year or the beginning of 2019.

Development Beat: Jazz Club Coming To Village Subway, Apartments Planned At East Village

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Brought to you by York Properties.


Week of August 6, 2018

A jazz club is coming to the Village Subway in Cameron Village

Apartments planned for Bellwood Drive behind Cameron Village

Apartment planned for East Village property

Yacht Club coming to West Johnson Street

Tasting bar now open at Seaboard Wine at High Park

Dix Park to add a cafe

Krispy Kreme plans kiosk for Crabtree Valley Mall

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Jazz Club Coming to Village Subway

The Village Subway is on its way back. Smedes York has plans to open a jazz club in Cameron Village’s iconic underground that was once home to music venues, bars, and shops during the 1970s to the mid-1980s.

York, a Broughton graduate, member of the Raleigh Hall of Fame, and Chairman of the Board of York Properties, hopes to bring life back to the space that has been dormant for decades.

This is some of the greatest news we’ve ever reported (first in a 2016 article about the return of The Fresh Market that apparently no one read, then re-reported last week on Twitter).

The N&O covered the story as well, reporting that the club hopes to open towards the end of 2019. We’re thrilled at this development, as it gives us hope that Felson’s could potentially return. (It isn’t returning.)

While we await the arrival of the new establishment, be sure to check out “The Underground: Photographs of Raleigh’s Music Scene 1976-1985” which is currently on display at the City of Raleigh Museum (COR).

For an in-depth look at The Village Subway, read Goodnight Raleigh’s coverage from 2008, which includes a list of bands that played there and a wealth of information in the comments section.


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Apartments Planned for Bellwood Behind Cameron Village

A new apartment project is being planned on Bellwood Drive, just behind Cameron Village. As journalists, we’ve known about this since 2017, when we got a hot tip from a reader that “the townhouses on Bellwood are falling apart. It’s a long story but the HOA is trying to get all the owners to allow them to negotiate a sale.” We were too busy (lazy) to actually do any journalism on the matter, until now.

The project was presented to the Cameron Park Development Committee last week. A representative from the developer shared the following details:

349 units

Buildings will be 4 stories, with one 6-story building that will be the same height as the 4-story buildings due to the slope of the land. They’ll need a zoning variance for this.

520 parking spaces

Rental rates between $1,500 and $2,500 a month

Roughly 65% of the units will be 1 bedroom (750 square feet to 1,000 square feet)

Residents will have access to ground floor office space, but the project will not have commercial space. They probably realize it’s foolish to compete with Cameron Village in the retail arena. The project will probably take at least 2 years to build, and another year for approvals.


Apartment Planned For East Village Property

Site review plans were filed last week for a 3-story mixed-used apartment building located on the property that’s now home to East Village, College Beverage, Curious Goods, DIGITZ, and Triangle Motorsports.

CA Ventures, a real estate investment holding company based in Chicago, is listed as the Client/Developer/Owner on the project, named 3020 Hillsborough. The property will be developed across a total of nine existing parcels.

Designed by JDavis Architects, the 246,350 square-foot building will house 142 residential units (76 one-bedrooms, 59 four-bedrooms and 7 two-bedrooms) and ground-floor retail. The plans also offer a small preview of some of 3020’s amenities: a pool and adjoining clubhouse, a “cyber lounge,” and 147 parking spaces with a separate bicycle storage area.

So what does this mean for Hillsborough Street icons East Village and College Beverage? We spoke with some nice people at JDavis, but they were not sure what the developer had planned for the existing businesses.

Update: According to some crowdsourced journalism, East Village has stated that a developer is looking at the property but it is not under contract yet. If the project is approved and moves forward, East Village will have the right of first refusal to put the restaurant in the bottom floor of the apartment building.



Raleigh’s First Yacht Club

Raleigh will soon be getting its very own Yacht Club, sort of. Site plans were filed for the renovation of the property at 710 W. Johnson Street that would turn the one-time home of the Office Tavern into The Yacht Club.

The site plans indicate this will be a two-story restaurant/bar, with 1,451 square-feet of space on the first floor, 2,296 square feet on the second floor, and 781 square-feet of outdoor dining space, of which 402 square-feet will be covered.

Based on the name, we’re guessing there will be some sort of nautical theme. We’re hoping they at least have a solid Yacht Rock playlist full of hits from Hall & Oates, Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, and more.



Tasting Bar Now Open at Seaboard Wine at High Park

Just a few weeks after moving to their new location at High Park, Seaboard Wine has now opened their Tasting Bar. Hours for the Tasting Bar are:

Monday – Friday: 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Saturday – Sunday: 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

We imagine this will be a hit with the surrounding Five Points neighborhoods, who often participate in nightly wine walks. More information on tastings and events can be found on their website, www.seaboardwine.com.



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Cafe on a Hill

Ashton Smith’s number 1 newsletter in North Carolina (Raleigh, over-easy) recently called our attention to a new Dix Park development, Dix Café.

They are now serving food from 7:00 am – 3:00 pm and offer “Handcrafted Sandwiches, Fresh Salads, All-beef burgers, Smoothies & more” at a location on the grounds of Dix Park. The café is run by Services for the Blind, a division of DHHS, as part of their blind entrepreneur program, NC Business Enterprises.

It’s worth noting that there was at one time, an eatery named “Dix Grill” on Cafeteria Drive in one of the old Dix Hospital buildings, but it appears that space is used now for meetings of the Dorothea Dix Master Advisory Committee.

We’ll keep an eye on this as more details emerge.


Krispy Kreme Bringing Doughnut Kiosk To Crabtree

You know when you go to the mall and see those kiosks selling things like emoji-shaped pillows, cell phone accessories that will break within six months of purchasing, and random stuff that you’d never actually buy? Well, for some reason, Krispy Kreme decided to put one of those at Crabtree.

Permits were issued last week for a “Krispy Kreme Kiosk” for Crabtree Valley Mall. First, did no one at Krispy Kreme stop and think about that acronym? Maybe go with “doughnut stand” or any other word that doesn’t start with the letter K.

The stand will be installed on the first floor of the mall by Gleeco, Inc. for $8,282. The 123 square-foot doughnut stand is described as “pre-manufactured” — which may explain why the permit cost was so low.

We have no idea what this will look like, but Reddit user TheLegendofMikeC shared this UK “micro-store” last year.


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Development Beat: Work Begins On Raleigh’s Wegmans

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Week of July 30, 2018

Work begins on Raleigh’s first Wegmans

Update on Oberlin and Fairview fire station

Cameron Village Chick-fil-A set for upgrades

Players’ Retreat set for crucial addition

Rosewater coming to North Hills

The Warehouse District: Then & Now

Old Amtrak Station finally receives demolition permits

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Work Begins on Wegmans at New ITB Shopping Center

North Carolina’s first Wegmans grocery store is now under construction, as permits for the foundation were recently issued to Vannoy Construction.

Located in the new Midtown East shopping center off Wake Forest Road, the 22 acre site will include about 21 retail and restaurant spaces, a 700 space parking deck, and the coveted Wegmans.

The current lineup of entities not named Wegmans includes Maple Street Biscuit Company, Club Pilates, Cava, Salon Del Sol, and Bella Lifestyle.

In a June meeting of the Midtown Citizens Advisory Council, Paul Muñana of Regency Properties, which owns a number of other local shopping centers (Cameron Village), provided an update on the project. Here are the full minutes of that CAC meeting.

In addition to the Wegmans, they are building 7 new buildings (5 managed by Regency, 2 “paid leases”) and two new roads. Muñana said Midtown East would also be home to a 150-room hotel.

A “smaller than average” Wegmans (110,000 sq. ft.) will be located at the back, top deck of the property with a road leading to it and with parking beneath it. Muñana pointed out that there will be a nice open space area with artificial turf. According to Muñana, Midtown East is expected to open in the late third quarter or early fourth quarter of 2019.

WNFIV Note: I will never refer to any part of Raleigh as “Midtown.” North Hills is North Hills. Full stop. According to cartography, the area where Wegmans is being built is closest to Crabtree Heights. If that doesn’t sound catchy enough, might I suggest coming up with a new name based on nearby landmarks or areas the way they do in larger cities (ex: how SoHo refers to South of Houston Street in Manhattan). Here are a few options: BTB (below the beltline), NoThomp (North of Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac (Hi Mark)), or SoJo (South of Trader Joe’s).


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Update on Oberlin and Fairview Fire Station

Last week, we did some hard-hitting journalism to find out why it was taking so long to finish building the fire station on the corner of Oberlin and Fairview. Country Club Hills residents were having flashbacks to that fateful morning in December, over 20 years ago, when they awoke to the glow of a mansion on fire. A mystery to this day…

We did some journalism by asking the following on social media:

Fortunately, Raleigh fire expert Mike Legeros had already covered this on his Fire Blog (not to be confused with WNFIV’s upcoming Dumpster Fyre Podcast). The delay in construction was caused by the discovery of some contaminated soil that had to be removed. Construction is now underway and should be finished in the spring of 2019. Here’s the project page with more information that our friends at the City of Raleigh sent us.

Until then, here are some options for nearby residents.



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Cameron Village Chick-fil-A To Add Canopy

In my years of writing this column, I’ve been witness to the pitfalls and the possibilities, the perils and the promise that new construction can bring to the City, but few projects have ever achieved pure perfection in the way the Cameron Village Chick-fil-A did.

Built in 2011, the two-story 7,574 square-foot Chick-fil-A is surely the prize gem in Cameron Village’s already shining crown, serving up delicious efficient food in a gleaming complex packed with clean tables and more than enough room to host a serious birthday bash.

So that’s why I was caught off guard by a renovation permit issued for the space last week: what do you do to the building that has everything? The answer, apparently, is an improved canopy.

The $50,00 permit issued to R & L Builders and Sons last week is for a new overhead shade canopy, although it doesn’t specify where the canopy will be located. While it may not be finished in time to protect patrons from North Carolina’s cruel August sun, we’re sure it will be a welcome addition for years to come.


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A Rosy New Plan for Former North Hills Bruegger’s

Kane Realty Corporation announced last week that Rosewater, a Mediterranean restaurant from the Giorgios Group, will open in the old Bruegger’s space in 2019. This put to rest the rumors we started last year that Bonner Gaylord would use the space to fulfill his dreams of opening his own surf shop.

Giorgios Group has restaurants in Durham, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, and Asheville including Vin Rouge, Parizade, and Bin 54. The North Hills location will be their first restaurant in Raleigh.


A New Retreat at Players’ Retreat

Two years after undergoing a major renovation to their kitchen, Players’ Retreat is set to upgrade another crucial element of their building: the restrooms.

Permits were issued last week to Benjamin Hale Builders for the addition of a wall to create a new accessible toilet room. The $5,000 project will add a new 50 square foot restroom to the popular restaurant.



This Warehouse is No Longer Bare

In last week’s Raleigh, over-easy newsletter (currently the number 1 ranked newsletter in Raleigh) our friend Ashton Smith included an interesting photo comparison showing the Warehouse District as it was in 2006 and as it is today. Kudos to Matt Robinson of Raleigh Skylines for this flashback.

Power of the Press

A week ago, we reported on some reporting that demolition was underway on Raleigh’s old Amtrak station at 516 West Cabarrus Street. Here’s an updated look from photojournalist Rachel Meyer (who also runs The Whisk Project, @the_whisk_project on Insta).

On the same day our journalism debuted, a demolition permit was applied for — and approved a mere three days later by the City of Raleigh. We’re not saying our Pulitzer-level work spurred Clancy & Theys into action on this $40,000 permit, but we’re also not saying it didn’t.

It’s always sad to see a long-standing downtown structure demolished, but it’s not as though the old station was on par with Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal, or Raleigh’s new Union Station.


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Development Beat: Pooleside Pie Progress

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Week of July 23, 2018

Pooleside Pies files plans

Demolition begins at old Amtrak station

New kind of pharmacy coming to Glenwood

Work begins on Oak Steakhouse

Crabtree Terrace progress

5401 North continues to expand

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Planning for Pizza

Renowned Raleigh restaurateur Ashley Christensen is one step closer to achieving our dream of a Poole’s mac and cheese pizza. Site plans were recently filed for Pooleside Pie, which will offer Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas at 428 S. McDowell Street, right next to Christensen’s Poole’s Diner.

The building is currently the home of the “All are welcome, Raleigh, NC” mural, which is one of the most Instagrammable spots in Raleigh. Built in 1915, the 3,950 square foot brick warehouse building will now undergo a significant renovation.

Top 5 Instagram spot in Raleigh

The project is being designed by Louis Cherry Architecture, perhaps best known for their beautiful redesign of the Cameron Village Library. Pooleside Pie won’t be the firm’s first venture into restaurant design. They were also behind Crawford and Son and Joule Coffee.

While it’s hard to say how far out Pooleside Pies is from opening, Christensen has been keeping her future customers updated through social media on @poolesidepie, so we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any new updates.

For all you non-foodies out there, Neapolitan is a style of pizza made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. According to Wikipedia, it must be made with “San Marzano tomatoes, which grow on the volcanic plains to the south of Mount Vesuvius, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, a protected designation of origin cheese made with the milk from water buffalo raised in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio in a semi-wild state.” It is not pizza made with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream.


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On Track for Demolition

With Amtrak service having switched over to the new Union Station earlier this month, we knew it wouldn’t be long before the teardown of the old station began. Our friend Ashton Smith reported in her newsletter, Raleigh, over-easy., that the demolition work has started.

While taking pictures of the site, we learned that the canopy, built in 1897 and part of the original Union Depot (also known as Union Station), will be moved to Spencer Yard. Spencer Yard is home of the N.C. Transportation Museum, and is named after the first president of Southern Railway, Samuel Spencer.


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Farmacy Coming to Glenwood South

The Hemp Farmacy is setting up shop on Glenwood South. Located on the corner of Glenwood and Hillsborough Street, they’ll be selling products infused with CBD Oil, which claims to offer all the benefits of THC without the high.

According to their Facebook page, which really should be using the tagline “The Dopest Farmacy In Raleigh,” the store will offer “a wide variety of nutritional supplements derived from the Hemp Plant,” and “CBD products from a large number of manufacturers.”

The Farmacy will supposedly be “The East Coast’s First Stand-Alone CBD Dispensary” and its products will come from organically-grown American processors.


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Now open in their new location at High Park.


Oak City Steak Coming To The Dillon

Permits for one of The Dillon’s tastiest tenants were recently issued to the Lennon Construction Company. They’ll transform a 5,125 square-foot space on the ground floor of The Dillon into Raleigh’s first location of the high-end Oak Steakhouse chain.

This won’t be the Oak’s first North Carolina location. The restaurant won this year’s “Best Steak” in Charlotte’s “Best of the Best Awards,” which is surprising, since most people in Charlotte have underdeveloped palates.

In addition to its location in Charlotte’s South Park district, the chain also operates restaurants in Atlanta, Charleston, and Nashville.


Newest Mixed-Use Underway at Crabtree

Final sitework permits were issued last week for Crabtree Terrace, a six-story 178,000 square-foot office and retail development at 4509 Creedmoor Road.

Located across from Crabtree Valley Mall, Crabtree Terrace will offer 140,00 square feet of Class A office space, along with 38,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Developer East West Partners officially acquired the land in January 2018, after which it wasted no time in tearing down the existing three-story, 31,000 square-foot “solar glass” exterior building constructed in 1972.

Just when we think Crabtree Valley has reached a maximum level of density, we’re proven wrong. We can’t imagine what the area will look like in ten years.

Northern Living in North Raleigh

Years after the final sitework permits were issued for the start of 5401 North, a planned mixed-use community off Louisburg Road just north of 540, work continues on this massive 400-acre development.

Last week, permits were issued for 5401 North Apartments, along with a number of single-family homes. The apartment complex will apparently comprise four 3-story buildings each containing 48 units, and offer a number of amenities including an outdoor pool.

When complete, 5401 North will offer everything from single-family residential units to townhomes and the aforementioned apartments, in addition to office, retail, dining and amenity spaces. Despite its outside both beltlines status, 5401 North sounds like a pretty nice place.


Development Beat: Seaboard Wine at High Park Opens, Work Begins On Apartments Replacing NC State Tailgate Lots

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Brought to you by York Properties.


Week of July 16, 2018

Seaboard Wine at High Park is now open

Work begins on luxury student apartments at former NC State tailgate lots

Condos planned for North State Street

Village Subway photo exhibit at City of Raleigh Museum

Raleigh is getting its first Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar

Deco Raleigh opens in new location

Two Roosters Ice Cream coming to Person Street Plaza

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Seaboard Wine at High Park Opens

Today is the big day for our friends at Seaboard Wine at High Park. After 33 years in the same location (21 as Seaboard Wine and 12 as Simple Pleasures’ warehouse), they are now open in their new home at High Park Village on Whitaker Mill Road.

The store will be open regular hours Monday – Friday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, and Sunday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Their tasting bar will tentatively re-open Monday 7/23. More updates can be found at www.seaboardwine.com and Facebook (@seaboardwine), Twitter (@seaboardwine) and Instagram (@seaboard_wine).

Also, congratulations to Lisa Jeffries for being the first customer! She’s been tracking the progress and shared the first ever inside look with us. History was made today.

 


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NC State Tailgating Takes an L

In April, we reported that the Trinity and TX parking lots on Trinity Road, renowned for their popular tailgating at NC State football games, would one day be replaced with a luxury student housing complex. That day has come.

Over the last few months, many NC State fans put out yard signs that read “Save the parking lots!” in hopes that the development would be stopped. In a show of solidarity, some fans even met in the empty parking lots to eat Bojangles’ tailgate specials paired with Coors Light and listen to pregame speeches.

Despite their best efforts, final sitework permits were issued last week for The Station at 4200 Trinity Road. The project was  described in the preliminary site plan as a 3-story apartment complex of 174 units (12 one bedroom, 4 three bedroom, and 158 four bedroom) located in 21 buildings, and accompanied by 729 parking spots.


Developer Landmark Properties is behind the project, along with many other luxury student apartments across the country. If The Station is similar to their other projects, and we assume it is, students can expect amenities such as a gaming lounge, golf simulator, resort-style pool, outdoor terrace, fitness facility, meeting rooms, a clubhouse, and…..free printing!

It’s sad to see the loss of such a great piece of tailgating real estate. On the bright side, college football is only 39 days 7 hours 2 minutes and 16 seconds away.


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Condos Planned for North State Street

Five Horizons Development, a local firm that’s also behind the 10 Arros project on New Bern Avenue, has filed plans for a new condominium development on North State Street.

Tentatively titled the North State Street Condos, the project will offer 30 one-bedroom units and a total of 33 parking spaces.

The three-story building will comprise a total of 78,148 square feet, take up .64 acres of impervious surface area, and provide 3,620 square feet of open space. We’re not sure what kind of amenities the new condos will offer, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted with any future developments.


Reliving the Village Subway

The City of Raleigh Museum (COR) kicked off “The Underground: Photographs of Raleigh’s Music Scene 1976-1985” last weekend. The photography exhibit will let visitors experience the music scene of of the iconic Village Subway, once located beneath Cameron Village.

As everyone from Raleigh knows, the Village Subway housed everything from music venues, bars, and shops. Photographer Chris Seward has some incredible shots of the Village Subway’s spectacular music scene.

The exhibit will be open from now until December 2018.



Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar Coming to McNeill Pointe

Permits were recently issued for Raleigh’s first location of The Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar at McNeill Pointe. McNeill Pointe is currently under construction and is located  just across the street from Mami Nora’s restaurant.

The Shuckin’ Shack has locations stretching from Maryland to South Carolina, with one in Durham and two (two!) in Cary. Although it specializes in seafood, the restaurant also offers meals more suited to landlubbers, including chicken wings and mini corn dogs.

When complete, McNeill Pointe will comprise a total of four buildings and over 30,000 square feet of space for office, retail, and restaurant uses.



Deco Raleigh Moves Into New Space

Deco Raleigh, a gift store and gallery that carries work from local artisans and makers, has moved. Fortunately, they didn’t move far. Previously located at 19 West Hargett Street, the store moved just a few feet away to 207 South Salisbury Street.

Two Roosters Coming to Person Street Plaza

Two Roosters Ice Cream is coming to Person Street Plaza. They’ll be taking over the location that housed Lumina Clothing.

According to their Instagram post, Two Roosters will be doing a pop-up space during the summer and will close for the winter to work on renovations.


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Is La Croix Bad For Your Teeth? ITBlake Investigates

Development Beat: Union Station Is Open, Empire Properties Expands On South Dawson

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Week of July 9, 2018

Union Station opens

Empire expands on South Dawson

The Local Squirrel expands in Cameron Village

Kaiju Bowl & Bao opens

Papa Shogun coming to Seaboard Station

PNC Arena upgrades player fitness area

Sultan Kebab House heading to Western Boulevard

Rockin’ Rolls Sushi begins work on Raleigh location

Contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com with news or to be featured in the Development Beat.


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Union Station Opens

Union Station is now open for business. Official Amtrak service at Raleigh’s brand-new train station began at 6:30 a.m. this morning.

Located at 510 W. Martin Street, the station’s original opening date was delayed slightly due to the platform not meeting required regulations regarding its slope, which was apparently too steep by one percent.

Union Station also includes three stories of commercial and office spaces, which are managed by our friends over at York Properties. John Koonce (johnkoonce@yorkproperties.com — 919-645-2765) is handing the retail leasing and Brian Wallace (brianwallace@yorkproperties.com — 919-645-2773) is handling the office leasing. York will also coordinate the event space leasing.

Congratulations to all involved on making Union Station a success!


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Empire Expands on South Dawson

Just a few blocks from Union Station, Empire Properties has acquired three more properties along the west side of the 400 block of South Dawson. This is in addition to Empire’s planned 12-story mixed-use project at the intersection of Dawson and Davie.

424, 426, and 430 South Dawson, which are home to Mad Ethel’s Tattoos and Deep South bar, were recently acquired by a subsidiary of Empire for an undisclosed sum. The three structures were originally built in the 1940s and have been home to a variety of tenants, including the Matthews Shade Company, a roofing company, and others.

Although we don’t know what plans Empire has for their newly acquired South Dawson buildings, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a restoration similar to what they did with the old Dr. Pepper building, the Baldwin& building, Personify, and Reunion Marketing, all of which are nearby.


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The Local Squirrel Expands In Cameron Village

After two years, The Local Squirrel is expanding into a larger space in Cameron Village. The store, owned and operated by Rachael Riddle, offers jewelry, home accessories, and gifts, all with a focus on local vendors. They even carry items form the highly coveted ITB Insider merchandise line.

“The new space allows us to expand many of our categories in store starting with our baby selection. We have an additional room in the shop that we’re calling “The Little Acorn Room.” Look for swaddles, toys, accessories for baby and mommy, surrounded by beautiful local artwork perfect for a nursery. We’ll also be bringing in several new Local Makers. I mean at the end of the day, Raleigh is kinda a big deal,” said Riddle.

They’re now located at 2014 Cameron Street. Stay tuned for a potential trunk show hosted by ITBlake the intern.

Kaiju Bowl & Bao Opens

Kaiju Bowl & Bao, a ramen restaurant from Ken Yowell, owner of Oak City Meatball Shop and Calavera Empanadas and Tequila, officially opened its doors to the public last week.

Located at 170 East Davie Street in the former home of Dickey’s BBQ and next door to Oak City Meatball, the restaurant has been under construction for nearly 8 months.

The restaurant features a kind of “Asian chicken wing,” along with a variety of other Japanese-inspired menu items. The $25,000 renovation of the 1,350 square-foot space was handled by Carolina Design & Construction.


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Axis Powers Invade Seaboard Station

Less than a month after the loss of Korean restaurant Kimbap, it appears that a unique new restaurant will be taking its place. Triangle Explorer recently posted about Papa Shogun, a new Italian/Japanese concept that will open in Seaboard Station.

While there’s been an explosion of so-called fusion restaurants in recent years — like the sushi/burger Cowfish at North Hills, or the spectacular Korean/Mexican Lucha Tigre in Chapel Hill, this is the first time since World War II we’ve read about the Japanese and Italians joining forces.

It’s certainly an interesting concept, and we’re interested to see what kind of menu Papa Shogun will offer when it opens.


A Better Workout at PNC Arena

Permits valued at around $170,000 were issued to Spec Con Inc. last week for an improvement/alteration to the PNC player fitness area/locker room.

We’re not exactly sure what kind of gym upgrades that kind of money can buy, but we’re glad the Hurricanes are making these improvements.

In addition to an improved workout, the permits indicate the players will also have improved cabinetry, a relocated sink, and new ice and beverage machines. This should lead to a Stanley Cup victory within the next 2-3 years.

The Sultan of Western Boulevard

After the closing of Greek Fiesta’s Western Boulevard location, N.C. State students were at a loss for a quick, easy place to get kebab-style meals — but not for much longer.

An ABC inspection permit was issued last week for “Sultan Kebab” at 3933 Western, and while the name implies it won’t be kebabs of the Greek variety, grilled meat is grilled meat.



Rockin’ Out on Strickland Road

Rockin’ Rolls Sushi, Durham’s popular Japanese restaurant, will soon open a brand-new Raleigh location at Harvest Plaza on Strickland Road.

The $332,930 renovation of the 4,910 square foot space at 9650 Strickland Road is being handled by Golden City Construction. An opening date has not yet been announced.

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