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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.
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.
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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The proposed Triangle Racquet Sports facility is on Mount Herman Road near Brier Creek. Mount Herman Church Road is in Durham.
Lola’s = No Parking. How Bobby Lewis has continued to rent this is absolute genius.
It is obvious that Lola’s is a Gringo place. The decorative direction signs are for St. john, Nassau, an Witch’s Rock — no Latin destinations where tacos are indiginous cuisine.
I give this place six months.