The Hillsborough Street Revitalization thread gets a bit off track sometimes. So for all things Ashley Christensen, RedHat, Amphitheater news, Blount Street Commons, and any other restaurant/development news....a new thread.

8/26/2011 11:48:19 AM

*Red Hat

8/26/2011 11:49:31 AM

I will start with a double, and add this from the other thread:

Quote :

""Red Hat to move HQ to Progress Energy building Triangle Business Journal - by Amanda Jones Hoyle and Chris Baysden Date: Thursday, August 25, 2011, 2:55pm EDT - Last Modified: Thursday, August 25, 2011, 2:59pm ED Red Hat plans to move its headquarters to downtown Raleigh into the Two Progress Plaza building currently occupied by Progress Energy , according to Red Hat spokeswoman Leigh Day. Day couldn’t say how much space the company would take, and says there isn’t a set time line for the move. But the plan would be to relocate all 600 of Red Hat’s Raleigh workers into the facility. “It’s appropriate for the needs of our employee base,” she says of the building at 100 East Davie Street. Red Hat will get its name on the building, Day says. Progress Energy will sublease to Red Hat space in the 365,000-square-foot building located at the corner of Wilmington and Davie streets through the end of Progress Energy’s lease term. Progress Energy signed a lease with a 30-year term when the building opened in 2004. Red Hat’s headquarters is currently located at N.C. State University ’s Centennial Campus. Red Hat (Nasdaq: RHT) announced in January that it would keep its headquarters in Raleigh after also considering sites in Georgia and in Texas, but the company had not yet chosen a location in Wake County for its expansion. The company committed to adding 540 jobs and investing $109 million in a new Raleigh headquarters facility after securing agreements for two state economic development incentives grants worth up to $15 million over 12 years. Red Hat employs more than 700 people in North Carolina.""

8/26/2011 11:49:45 AM

Niiiiice.

I shall be contributing to this here thread.

8/26/2011 11:52:58 AM

http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/videri-chocolate-factory-coming-to-the-warehouse-district/

Also, this is awesome news for the Warehouse District

http://www.wral.com/entertainment/out_and_about/blogpost/10034931/

And this is awesome for Hargett

8/26/2011 11:54:02 AM

What with CAM and everything else in the Warehouse District, it's such a difference walking down there compared to even four years ago. That being the case, I don't know why a lot of people still think it's sketch.

8/26/2011 12:01:01 PM

I live close by, and love the changes to the warehouse district. The main corner by Hargett between CAM and the former Club Raleigh LIV can be questionable late at night, not because of the people, just because of the blown out old warehouses.

For all the Ashley Christensen freaks out there: http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2011/08/25/ashley-christensens-sunday-supper-featured-in-bon-appetit/

She was featured in last months Bon Appetit.

8/26/2011 12:02:58 PM

Mostly because of Tantra, I would imagine.

8/26/2011 12:03:06 PM

What's the deal with Blount Street Commons? Did they run out of funding or something? Seems like they haven't done jack over there in ages.

8/26/2011 12:05:35 PM

I don't know if they ran out of money, but they started the thing at the height of the housing bubble and lending may have tightened up or demand might have slacked.

I recently saw the remainder of that block for sale for $7 million.

8/26/2011 12:09:48 PM

I'm also curious about the hole at the end of Fayetteville Street across from the Marriott. A failed skyscraper it seems.

8/26/2011 12:34:57 PM

So how does Red Hat moving off Centennial impact NC State? I assume less revenue, but are they going to convert that space to educational use or try and find a new suitor?

8/26/2011 1:17:51 PM

^^that hole is supposed to be this: http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/invest/developments/view/charter-square



As for blount street commons, the original developer filed for bankruptcy, I think someone else took it over. They are offering the current units with crazy low interest rates through Capital Bank. Not sure if we will ever see the project finished how it was envisioned, which sucks, because this development could have been huge for the progress of downtown raleigh and probably led to more residents, grocery stores, shopping, etc.

[Edited on August 26, 2011 at 1:18 PM. Reason : .]

8/26/2011 1:18:10 PM

Yeah something tells me the Charter Square project has gone belly up. The entire time I worked in the BB&T building I didn't see them doing squat to the site.

And I agree it's a shame about these projects going bankrupt. Puts a real damper on the revitalization efforts.

8/26/2011 1:28:03 PM

They did all of the underground/foundation work. From what I understand they just need an anchor tenant, or another Hotel Chain to sign on to get the project going. Banks won't finance any buildings downtown with condos as the main tenant/usage, so they need to find a company/hotel/etc. to fill the void. Many were hoping that Red Hat would be the right suitor, but the Progress Energy space was too good of a deal to pass up. I don't put it past RedHat to build their own building in the next 4-7 years. I am guessing they wan't that big red logo up in lights on the skyline at some point (that is if they and their employees enjoy their experience downtown)

8/26/2011 2:35:57 PM

Quote :

"So how does Red Hat moving off Centennial impact NC State? I assume less revenue, but are they going to convert that space to educational use or try and find a new suitor?"

From the news articles that I have seen, they will try to find another company to sublease to


Found it:

Quote :

"The software company's move downtown will be a big loss for Centennial Campus, where Red Hat leases 188,000 square feet. Two-thirds of that space is leased through 2020, and Day said Red Hat would work with NCSU officials to market the property to other tenants. Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/08/26/1437148/red-hat-to-move-to-citys-center.html#ixzz1WAEkEesL "

8/26/2011 2:53:16 PM

the economic downturn of 2008 just had to hit at a bad time! SUCKS !

we could have had all these built......charter square, edison, L building, Lafayette, Blount Street Commons, etc etc etc

http://www.raleighmsa.com/newProjects-downtown.html

8/26/2011 2:59:54 PM

The warehouse district has some cool stuff but it is not easy on the eyes. Nothing is perfect.

8/26/2011 3:14:53 PM

The Edison would/will be a very nice addition to the Raleigh skyline

8/26/2011 3:15:08 PM

Its true that it did hit at the wrong time, but I sort of feel that we are better off (knowing that it did eventually hit) that we didn't build all of this stuff. We could have 1,000,000+ square ft. of vacant office space had this all been built. Currently, its frustrating that we don't have any major projects going on, we are poised to rebound and have a great vacancy rate.

I also think people underestimate the amount of infill going on right now. 7-10 major apartment/mixed use/condo projects going on which I think are crucial for bringing grocers, shopping, and more options for downtown residents.

+ the green square project is cool as hell, the Walt (or whatever you want to call it) has been super successful, and the new SECU building will be cool once finished!

8/26/2011 3:21:59 PM

^^are they still building it?

[Edited on August 26, 2011 at 3:25 PM. Reason : ^]

8/26/2011 3:25:32 PM

Reading about all of the projects taking place between this thread and the Hillsborough street thread makes me wish I could be back at State to watch some of this expansion. Yeah I know it'll be a mess as they build everything, but as an engineer I love watching large projects come to fruition.

8/26/2011 4:38:31 PM

^^i actually don't know. last I heard they were all but ready to start on it before the economy went to hell. who knows if they will move forward with it once the economy is fully recovered? at least they didn't start it only to have it end up dead in the water

8/26/2011 4:44:32 PM

For real they need a supermarket downtown. I don't really count that Kroger on the outskirts. Something condo dwellers could easily walk to. They could do it European/Asian style and have it basement level if need be.

8/26/2011 5:04:22 PM

I also wonder if the Edison is still going to happen. Would have been nice to see more development in that area of downtown.

8/26/2011 5:08:20 PM

is construction at CV considered downtown or h-boro?

8/27/2011 3:24:18 PM

knowing cameron village, they probably think they're part of midtown

8/27/2011 3:43:32 PM

^^^^I agree...this is one of the few things from keeping downtown Raleigh from actually being the modern notion of "livable"

8/27/2011 4:11:03 PM

we really need some retail downtown... that's the next big step. people need a reason to go downtown other than to eat and drink. also with more housing and condos going up, it just makes sense to have more shopping available in downtown areas.

8/27/2011 7:24:39 PM

CV is lower west side.

8/27/2011 7:32:28 PM

Gossip Girl here

8/27/2011 7:53:02 PM

This building is being finished at this time in downtown Raleigh. The globe is going to be pretty amazing if you haven't driven past the construction site its worth driving bythere.

Quote :

" The North Carolina State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) has unveiled plans to build a 12-story branch and office facility on Salisbury Street in the State Government Complex in downtown Raleigh, NC. The new 240,000-square-foot building will include a six-story parking deck, a credit union branch and about 77,500 square feet of office space reserved for future growth. SECU said in a statement it has considered building the facility for several years and now plans to begin construction in fall 2009 “in order to bolster the NC economy and to take advantage of the much lower level of current construction costs.” The credit union is building the facility in conjunction with the state of North Carolina, which plans new offices for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and to expand the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, both adjacent to the credit union site. Coordinating project planning will save both the state and the credit union a substantial sum. An existing SECU branch on the site has been demolished in preparation for the new development. SECU, which has owned the site since 1960, plans to occupy 13,000 square feet in the new building while renting the excess space until the credit union grows into it, said Bobby Hall, senior executive vice president. The credit union now owns five operations support facilities in the Raleigh area encompassing over 400,000 square feet of space. All existing facilities are operating at capacity, while the credit union continues to grow at double-digit annual rates."

8/27/2011 9:22:47 PM

8/27/2011 9:31:50 PM

Some cool renderings of the SECU/Green Square:



(leaving the other 3 just links ... check 'em out)

http://previsioncompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/SECU-composite_production_10-26.jpg

http://dtraleigh.com/images/greensquare/greensquarerender3.jpg

http://dtraleigh.com/images/greensquare/greensquarerender5.jpg


Be sure to check out the construction webcam:
http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/greensquare/webcam

8/28/2011 12:27:49 AM

Now that PNC Bank is buying RBC Bank's American retail business, what happens to the RBC Plaza in downtown?

8/28/2011 2:40:52 AM

I've seen two concrete elevator towers (10-15ish floors high) recently on the Raleigh skyline. Is that something under construction or a stalled project?

8/28/2011 3:49:24 AM

^ Green Square

8/28/2011 4:04:00 AM

^^^ Red Hat is renting it.

^^^^ To me, looks like a Death Star to me

8/28/2011 9:38:18 AM

Red Hat is renting the Progress Energy building.

8/28/2011 9:39:44 AM

i think TWW should rent the former RBC building

8/28/2011 10:19:43 AM

I'm mixing up my buildings

8/28/2011 10:20:14 AM

for real

build a grocery store already

8/28/2011 11:13:42 AM

I honestly believe that you will see another grocery store attempt in the next 3-5 years. Its definitely a numbers game, and all of these new residential projects will add up. I think the HT @ cameron village will eventually be overrun by people and so busy that they look to build another in the area. I actually loved Capital City Grocery, but it had a bad location for visibility, and not enough residents to support it. I talked to a ton of people who lived in the area and still drove to HT for their weekly trips, and only used Cap City for individual/luxury/last minute purchases.

8/28/2011 11:18:23 AM

The key is that is has to be a regular grocery store. A niche-y place like Whole Foods is great if it's accessible to enough people who want to go there, but unless you live in the immediate area it can be a pain to go to Seaboard. There needs to be a standard HT-type store on the grid.

8/28/2011 12:08:56 PM

please god put a decent grocery store downtown

8/28/2011 12:25:37 PM

Quote :

"So for all things Ashley Christensen"

Vomit.

8/28/2011 12:27:09 PM

8/28/2011 12:29:00 PM

A Harris Teeter with the salad bar and sub station would be the tits.

8/28/2011 12:29:12 PM

^^^ & ^^ I didn't make any judgements about her, but to say she isn't part of the fabric of downtown is a bit silly. Love her or hate her, people will still discuss her.

8/28/2011 1:44:45 PM

It's nice that ol' Raleigh has high hopes and all, but I'm wondering if they know the economy is awesome right now, and that parking downtown is the best ever...

8/29/2011 2:44:21 AM