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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.
Do you sell ITB license plates for the front of cars?
Only if you buy a car from Thompson Cadillac.
But we’re considering expanding to allow for all ITB residents to purchase these.
Are we going to leave out the fact that with Guasca there will be five Latin + South American restaurants on a 5-block stretch of H street?
According to a history of the Boylan apartments, William Montford Boylan died in the bathroom at Montford Hall:
“Tragically, William Boylan was found dead in the family home on February 5, 1935. Newspaper accounts state that Boylan tripped over a gas pipe in the bathroom while shaving and succumbed to poisoning by the fumes.”
http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/WA2889.pdf
You misspelled Harris-Teeter Opens At Seaboard.
That site on H-born suffers from serious radio waves from the sub-station next door. I hope they give residents aluminum foil capes. Better Call Saul.
Ben – Mexican, Peruvian, and Venezuelan food aren’t the same so not sure what your point is?