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Week of November 6, 2017
Metropolitan moves forward with rebuilding
Publix coming to Peace
Saigon Bar & Grill opens on Glenwood South
Allen’s Automotive bought by Charlotte developer
New fire stations coming
Hotel planned for Gorman
Before we get to any news this week, we’d like to encourage everyone to donate to the YMCA’s We Build People Campaign, which is the Y’s annual effort to raise money to support all of their community outreach programs. They run some amazing programs that are truly changing the lives of kids and families in our community. There are 9 days left to donate. Fun fact: Randy Jones, the cowboy from the Village People, is from Raleigh. So the famous “YMCA” song is most likely based on the Alexander Family Y.
Metropolitan Rises From the Ashes
It was never determined what started the fire that destroyed the wooden frame of the under-construction Metropolitan Apartments. Designed by JDavis Architects, the 274,000 square foot building was originally set to open in the fall of 2017 as a luxury apartment complex offering amenities including a rooftop deck, a pet spa, and a golf simulator. The fire, of course, delayed those plans. You may remember ITB Insider’s exclusive on-the-scene coverage of the event. It was Pulitzer-worthy.
The unsolved mystery hasn’t stopped the developers from moving forward. On November 1, a set of permits for the rebuilding of The Metropolitan were issued. Clancy & Theys will once again serve as the general contractor for the 241-unit apartment complex and parking garage. The firm will be utilizing a number of local subcontractors to handle the electrical and structured cabling work.
One minor critique: we would’ve gone with a new name. Any future tenants Googling this place will inevitably read stories of the fire. We would have gone with “The Phoenix,” but hey, it’s their project. For a fascinating, in-depth analysis of the fire, check out this article from FireEngineering.com.
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Publix Coming to Peace
We thought everyone had known about this for years, but for some reason the media went wild last week over the “official” announcement of Publix coming to Peace Street. Our own William Finley IV broke the news first, leaving traditional media in the dust.
Publix coming to Downtown Raleigh is official. I’m expecting a lot of “Grocery store wars” headlines from the media. pic.twitter.com/cwxVFi27DX
— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) November 2, 2017
My Publix tweet: 9:39 am. Others were hundreds, and even thousands of seconds behind. Mail me my Pulitzer. I don’t have time for a speech. pic.twitter.com/tB30i8LOMU
— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) November 2, 2017
Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2020, unless….
Wonder if any city councilors will try to shut down the new Publix. Might be time to start a non-Development Beat on ITB Insider. pic.twitter.com/OUe9L7JwGd
— ITB Insider™ (@ITBInsider) November 2, 2017
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Saigon Bar & Grill Opens
The Saigon Bar & Grill, which we reported on just a month ago, held its grand opening celebration on October 26 at its new space on Glenwood South.
Located on the ground floor of the 222 Glenwood condominium, Saigon offers a range of dishes, from porkbelly tacos to jumbo lump crab and New Zealand snapper.
Charlotte Developer Acquires Additional Hillsborough Street Property
FMW Real Estate, the company behind the new apartments behind Hillsborough Street’s old IHOP, acquired another parcel of Hillsborough Street property: 701 Hillsborough Street.
Most recently home to Allen’s Automotive, the 2,268 SF building, built in 1956, is located across the street from Char-Grill and Snoopy’s. In other words, an ideal location for FMW’s specialty: luxury apartments.
No site plans or rezoning requests have been filed, and FMW did not respond to our inquiries, so we’re not sure what’s coming next for this space. Our guess: the auto shop building is coming down and apartments are going up.
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New Fire Stations for Raleigh
In other fire news, two new fire stations are coming to Bragg Street and Harden Road. Final site work permits for Fire Station 14 were issued last week to Brasfield and Gorrie, the general contractors building the new station at 3510 Harden Road. The new station will be “approximately 18,100 square feet with three equipment bays, including one bay for a ladder, a second bay for an engine, and a third bay for two chief vehicles or future equipment needs.” Station 14 is currently located next to Rex Hospital at 4220 Lake Boone Trail. The great Mike Legeros has a complete history of the station that you can read here.
City Council is expected to approve the $3oo,000 purchase of a 1.74 acre parcel of land at 1034 Bragg Street for use as the future home of Fire Station 3. According to the City, the existing Station 3 facility, located at 13 S East Street, is ‘not large enough to accommodate needed fire apparatus and is not in the most optimal location.”
The City came to an agreement with the NC Department of Corrections to purchase the Bragg Street property, which fronts Rock Quarry Road. Once again, a rich history of Station 3 is available from Mike Legeros.
New Hotel Planned for Gorman Road
A new hotel will be coming soon to the intersection of Gorman and Thistletown. Site plans filed earlier this month describe a new Marriott TownePlace Suites, a four-story, 91-room hotel catering to long-term guests. The rooms at TownePlace Suites hotels feature full kitchens along with a range of other first-class amenities like free breakfast and a separate bedroom area.
Welcome to Moe’s
The Falls Pointe Shopping Center on Falls of Neuse Road will soon become the second Falls of Neuse shopping center to house a Moe’s Southwest Grill. Permits were issued for the $154,618 renovation of the 2,364 square-foot space at 96600 Falls of Neuse that previously housed Casa San Carlo Italian Bistro. San Carlo closed in July. Schrade Custom Homes is serving as the general contractor.
GameStop Begins Leveling Up at Crabtree
After months spent hoarding the raw materials, gold, and laborers required to transform their level four store into a level five location, GameStop at Crabtree Valley Mall has finally received permits for these long-awaited renovations.
Although local firm Neal Contracting will be the general contractor on this $97,000 remodel, it looks like a Brooklyn-based company by the name of Mario Brothers Plumbing will be serving as the mechanical subcontractor.
