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Development Beat: Wahlburgers Evicted, Top Real Estate Sales of 2018

Published on January 2, 2019 in Development by James B.

Brought to you by York Properties

Wahlburgers evicted

Brookside Market & Pizza closed

Farewell to bu•ku’s downtown Raleigh location

Sir Walter Apartments set for massive renovation

Olive Garden on Capital preps for renovation

Top Real Estate Sales of 2018

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

Wahlburgers Evicted From Downtown Raleigh

Wahlburgers has been evicted after being open for roughly seven months in downtown Raleigh.

The restaurant held a grand opening in May of 2018. Around December 27th or 28th, the Wake County Sheriff’s Department conducted the grand closing ceremony for Wahlburgers.

Posted on the now-padlocked front door of the Raleigh @Wahlburgers. pic.twitter.com/wJinVZYv7H

— Drew Jackson (@jdrewjackson) December 28, 2018

In a groundbreaking investigation, ABC11 spoke with some employees of Wahlburgers who described poor working conditions, including paychecks that bounced, no heat and air conditioning, and a lack of staff training. Some employees apparently found out about the closing from reading an article on ABC11.

ABC11 also reported the following:

“The November inspection report from the Wake County Health Department confirmed the workers claims that the facility had no working hot water.”

“Some workers even said the store started buying food from Sam’s Club.”

Apparently, Wahlburgers is “truly saddened” to hear about the news and is conducting an internal review of independent franchise owner Greg Pranzo, who operated the Raleigh location under the name Carolina Burger Company.

The long history of Wahlburgers begins in September of 2016. It was announced that the burger chain owned by brothers Mark, Donnie, and Paul Wahlberg, would be opening its first Raleigh location on Fayetteville Street in the former home of The Oxford.

The announcement was met with some backlash. In a video posted to Facebook, local bar owner Zack Medford challenged Mark Wahlberg to a “burger contest” that would be held at The Sir Walter Smoke-Off at Dix Park. Wahlberg did not show up.

By September of 2017, a company spokesperson told the News & Observer that the burger chain would open that fall. We wondered why the restaurant still had not opened by March of 2018.

Mark Wahlberg once said, “Making you feel the rhythm is my occupation, so feel the vibration.” It seems the owner of the Raleigh Wahlburgers franchise took that to heart, and spent entirely too much time on rhythm and far too little time on running a restaurant.

Triangle Food Guy summed it up best in the following Tweet:

Perhaps the most annoying thing about @Wahlburgers was that I first mentioned the "rumor" in September, 2016. That means we talked about it for 21 months – three times as long as it was actually open.

— Triangle Food Guy (@TriangleFoodGuy) December 28, 2018

Brookside Market & Pizza Closed

Brookside Market & Pizza has closed after opening in January of 2018.

The rumor mill on Nextdoor claims that the Mediterranean restaurant that once inhabited the space may be coming back in January 2019 for beer and wine and will be opening the grill on February 1st.

Farewell to bu•ku’s Downtown Raleigh Location

RIP to bu•ku, one of the best brunch spots and overall restaurants in downtown Raleigh.

The popular global street food restaurant that operated out of the Red Hat Tower since 2010 has closed. In early 2018, Red Hat announced plans to expand into the space on the ground floor, which meant that bu•ku would have to find a new home by the end of the year.

Fans of bu•ku need not worry, as the restaurant plans to open in the former home of AN in Cary in early 2019. They also opened another location in Wake Forest in 2018.

We checked in with Sean Degnan, co-owner of bu•ku and the successful so•ca in Cameron Village, about the news. Degnan mentioned some super secret plans for another restaurant that we can’t reveal here, and looked back on the time in the Red Hat building fondly. “What coexisted was a good thing. The Red Hat people came down for lunch and happy hour every day and we took great care of them, and everyone else.”

When asked about bu•ku’s food coma inducing weekend brunch, Degnan replied, “Who knew? I don’t think I’m getting out of the brunch buffet business any time soon. I guess I’m just going to buy some more brunch equipment.”

We’re hoping that Degnan, who also serves on the Board of Directors for A Place At The Table, opens a brunch buffet food truck ASAP.

Sir Walter Apartments Renovation Begins

The Sir Walter Apartments in downtown Raleigh are set for an upgrade.

Permits valued at more than $9 million were issued to Weaver Cooke Construction for a project that will add 21 new units on the 10th floor, renovate the existing 140 units, and make a number of upgrades throughout the historic building on Fayetteville Street.

The TBJ reported that the Capital Realty Group, based in New York, bought the 10-story building for $16.8 million and are planning $15 million in renovations. In 2018, the City Council approved $3 million worth of funding that will allow the building to continue to serve as affordable housing for seniors.

We previously reported on the closing of the Chick-fil-A that operated on the bottom floor of the building. We have yet to investigate what will replace it.

View this post on Instagram

RIP Downtown Chick-fil-A. We hardly knew ye, mainly because your hours of operation were 11:03 AM to 12:16 PM on the third Tuesday of the month during a blood moon. #rip

A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Nov 7, 2018 at 7:35pm PST

Originally built as a hotel in the early 1920s, the Sir Walter changed hands – and brands – a number of times over the decades before being sold in the late 1970s and converted to a senior housing complex.

That’s A Spicy Renovation

The Olive Garden on Capital Boulevard is about to get a whole lot classier.

Already considered Raleigh’s finest Italian dining establishment, the Olive Garden will soon undergo more than half a million dollars worth of interior and exterior renovations. Rumor has it that CBH General Contracting agreed to be paid entirely in breadsticks.

While we’re not exactly sure how CBH plans to improve on the perfection that is the Capital Boulevard Olive Garden, the permits indicate that this renovation will encompass the entirety of the building: 6,460 square feet worth of interior renovations and 2,737 square feet of exterior renovations.

Top Real Estate Sales of 2018

2018 has certainly seen more than its share of high dollar sales. Here are the top 10 sales of the last year.

10. Colonial Grand at Brier Falls Apartments

On March 23, 2018, the Colonial Grand Apartments on Crichton Street in Brier Creek were sold to Mid-America Apartment Communities for $45 million. The previous owner was based in Kernersville, NC.

9. Ridgewood Shopping Center

In September, we reported that Regency Centers, a real estate investment trust based in Jacksonville, Florida, purchased the Ridgewood Shopping Center. The 95,000+ square foot property was sold for $46 million.

8. The Mark Apartments

Located off Lynn Road, the Mark Apartments were sold in June 2018 to American Landmark Apartments based out of Tampa, Florida for $46.6 million. The previous owners were Charleston Property Management out of South Carolina.

7. 616 at the Village

On December 14, 2018, the 616 at the Village apartments on Oberlin Road near Cameron Village were sold to Heitman Capital Management out of Chicago for $48.5 million. The previous owners were based out of Atlanta, GA.

6. Elan City Center Apartments

In September 2018, the Elan City Center Apartments at 510 N. Wilmington were sold to Principal Real Estate Investors based out Des Moines, IA for $50.7 million. The previous owners were Charleston Property Management out of South Carolina.

5. The Village Apartments

The Village Apartments on Autumn Winds Drive in North Raleigh were sold in November to the Continental Realty Corporation out of Baltimore, MD for $51.6 million. The previous owners were Charleston Property Management out of South Carolina.

4. The Tribute Apartments

In July 2018, the Tribute Apartments on Tribute Drive off Glenwood were sold to Waterton Associates out of Chicago for $60.2 million. The previous owners were based out of Los Angeles, CA.

3. The Dakota

In September, The Dakota apartments on Wildgrass Drive near Carter-Finley Stadium were sold from one Boston-based company to another for $63 million. The new owner is the Eaton Vance Real Estate Group.

2. Midtown Plaza

In February, Kane Realty sold off Midtown Plaza at 305 Church at North Hills Street for $127 million to KBS Realty Advisors out of Houston, Texas.

1. Wells Fargo Center

The largest real estate sale of the year was the Wells Fargo Capitol Center, which went for $173 million back in August to Preferred Office Properties out of Atlanta, GA. Its previous owners were based out of New York City.

Development Beat: Updates on The Wade, Seaboard Station Sold

Protests Erupt Across Raleigh in Support of Brunch Bill

Published on June 21, 2017 in Humor/ITBNN by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

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Massive protests took place in Raleigh on Wednesday morning, all with the same message: free our brunches. Demonstrations were held in multiple locations, as citizens of all ages, races (but mainly Caucasian), and genders came together in support of ending brunch inequality.

“We’re all in this together. It’s not about party lines, it’s about brunch lines,” said Kelly Iredell, who helped organize the protests by creating a Facebook event.

The protesters were supporting SB155, also known as the “Brunch Bill”, which would let local governments allow restaurants to serve alcohol starting at 10 a.m. on Sundays. By statute, North Carolina currently allows alcohol sales statewide from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day, except Sundays, when alcohol service cannot begin until noon.

Pop-Up Suit Shop Opening Near Broughton

Published on June 9, 2017 in ITBNN by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

We’ve all seen the commercials. “Buy 1 suit and get 7 suits, 5 pairs of pants, and 4 shirts free.” This sounds like a good deal, until you discover the suits fit about as well as a Hefty trash bag, and looks like something straight out of Mugatu’s Derelicte campaign.

Thanks to Raleigh’s newest pop-up shop, Hengs Suiting + Armoury, we are no longer faced with the dilemma of wearing trash bags or being forced to brave the mall crowd when going to Brooks Brothers. Just months after debuting an app to connect clients with their mobile tailoring service, Glenwood South Tailors is now offering high-end custom suits and off-the-peg (the ITB term for “off the rack”) suits through their Hengs pop-up shop.

Pop-up shops aren’t just for hipsters selling conflict-free organic vegetables grown in gluten-free soil. If done properly, these shops can actually serve a purpose. Starting June 21, Hengs Suiting + Armoury will be open for business by appointment. The best part, it’s one block away from Broughton, located in the same space as Glenwood South Tailors + Alterations.

Hengs will offer two options to start. The High-end Custom Suit, aimed at the attorney and accountant type, includes a custom-made suit, shirt, styling, and shoe shine starting at $1,000. The Young Professional is an updated style and fit on the classic workhorse suit that’s perfect for YPN meetings or networking events at bottle shops in Raleigh. That starts at $550 and includes free standard tailoring and alterations. They’ll also offer bulk groomsman suit ordering for 2018 wedding parties and provide clients with personalized styling sessions.

A post shared by Glenwood S Tailors/Alterations (@glenwoodsouthtailors) on Apr 20, 2017 at 5:36pm PDT

In classic entrepreneurial fashion, they are leveraging relationships with Nordstrom and Cole Haan. As the top rep in the area, they’ll offer made-to-measure suits from J.Hilburn. Their fabric is sourced from Italy (I’ve been there) and produced under humane working conditions in Portugal. They’re also actively interviewing local cut and sew tailors and seamstresses.

I talked to my ITBFF, Brian Burnett (recently profiled in Walter Magazine) about starting the pop-up suit shop.

“The inspiration for Hengs comes from hearing horror stories about the big-box suit retailer experience. Guys aren’t getting measured properly and there’s little to no style advice or consultation. Not only are our clients saving time and money, they’re getting free personal styling, alterations, and tailoring with each suit. We care more about your look than just selling you a suit,” said Burnett.

Hengs has also merged with HarperGaston Personal Styling out of Chapel Hill, where Brian serves as Creative Director, to take care of clients that need more attention to their wardrobe. They’ve worked with professionals in engineering, law, finance, and tech to assist in personal style.

“In 2017, it’s about quality, service, and a personalized experience. That’s what Hengs is about,” added Burnett. With Father’s Day coming up and Christmas right around the corner (only 199 days away!), Hengs makes a great gift for those in need of a new suit and styling.

You can follow Hengs on Instagram @hengstailorraleigh and Facebook @hengstailorraleigh. Tell them ITB Insider sent you and get 15% off your first Young Professional suit. Also, be sure to download their app.

We’ve partnered with Glenwood South Tailors and Alterations to bring you this story.

Development Beat: New Tenants at Dock 1053, New Downtown Pizza and Beer Spots

Published on May 16, 2017 in Development/ITBNN by James B.

Brought to you by Rufty-Peedin Design Builders.

Week of May 15, 2017

Dock 1053 to get a new cafe and bar, and event space

Benny Capitale’s pizza coming to Fayetteville Street

Growler USA coming to Blount Street Parking Deck

North Ridge Country Club upgrades to Leisure Pool

North Hills is trying to create a Neighborhood Conservation District

510 Glenwood is getting a facelift

Hummingbird Cafe Coming to Dock 1053

The owner of PoshNosh Catering announced plans to open two new businesses inside the former food distribution warehouse on the corner of Whitaker Mill and Atlantic Avenue now known as Dock 1053. Hummingbird will operate as a cafe serving breakfast and lunch during the day. After 5 p.m. it will become a bar serving small plates, cocktails, wine, and champagne. According to the N&O, the stools will be repurposed from other venues, including Finch’s. Whitaker & Atlantic will be an event space that features an additional kitchen, bar, and bridal suite. Dock 1053 is currently home to several offices, artist’s working spaces, a furniture store, the Pinetop Distillery, and the Lynnwood Brewing Concern.

Grubb Ventures, which owns Dock 1053, recently acquired the nearby Peden Steel property, as we reported in January. The company is reportedly planning to develop a project similar to 1053, although the current tenant, Waste Management, still has several years remaining on its lease.

New Pizza Place Coming to Fayetteville Street

This pizza’s for lovers. Benny’s, a pizza chain billing itself as home of the “Virginia Slice” will soon take over the space at 121 Fayetteville Street previously home to Crema. The chain adds a different surname depending on its location, including a Benny Cappella’s in Chapel Hill and a Benny Pennello’s in Charlotte. The website notes that Benny Capitale’s will be opening in Raleigh this summer, offering $4 slices of cheese and $5 slices of pepperoni, sausage, and monthly specialty pizzas. Whole pies will be available ranging from $30-$38 dollars. Mama Mia, that’s a pricey pizza! The $28,000 renovation of the 1,615 square-foot space will be handled by Fusion Contractors.

They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot Pub

An endless array of draft beers are offered at Growler USA

The Blount Street Parking Deck is about to get a whole lot boozier. Microbrewery pub and restaurant chain Growler USA will soon open its newest location in a street-level space in the city-owned parking deck at 314 South Blount Street. Growler currently has ten locations across the country, including one in Charlotte. While the locations boast slightly different beer and menu offerings, they claim to offer up to 100 varieties of beer on tap. As the name implies, many of these beverages can taken home in a growler. The $358,000 renovation of the 2,152 square-foot space will be handled by Sparkman Construction.

Hilton Midtown Renovations

A massive 18-phase renovation of the Hilton Midtown Raleigh that will involve pricey, floor-by-floor renovations of the entire property is now underway care of Continental Contractors, which received permits with a combined listed cost of more than $4.7 million last week. We wonder if any of the contractors working on the job will be allowed to stay there during construction.

North Ridge Country Club Upgrades to Leisure Pool

North Ridge Members Forced To Practice Putting Due to Lack of Leisure Pool

Wading pools are out and leisure pools are in, apparently. The North Ridge Country Club on Falls of Neuse last week received permits for a $340,000 project that will replace the club’s existing wading pool with a brand-new leisure pool. For the unwashed masses who don’t know the difference, a wading pool is a “shallow artificial pool for children to paddle in,” while a leisure pool is just what you call a regular swimming pool when you’re in an amenities race with other country clubs in the area. Hopefully no one decides to throw a Snickers bar in upon completion. Aquatic Management Group will be handling the work on this project.

Progress on Exploris School

A 47,915 square foot building on Kindley Street just south of the Meymandi Concert Hall will soon be torn down — even the slab will be removed — in order to make way for the new home of the Exploris Charter School. Built in 1986 and previously the site of a Duke Energy data center, the building was acquired by Exploris for $4.4 million in April 2016. Exploris will consolidate both its middle and elementary schools into the new location, a ten-story structure that will also house commercial office space. Metcon will be handling the $50,000 demolition.

North Hills Neighbors Seek Shelter From Storm of Subdivisions

In an effort to “preserve and enhance the general quality and appearance of their neighborhoods,” residents of North Hills in February submitted to City Council a petition requesting consideration for a “neighborhood built environmental characteristics and regulations analysis.”

The analysis is the first step in creating a Neighborhood Conservation District, an overlay that helps preserve neighborhoods by regulating built environmental characteristics such as lot size, setbacks, residential density, building height, and vehicular surface area. Per the petition, the intent is to “maintain the current built character of the area and prevent subdivision of existing lots.”

City Staff performed an exhaustive analysis of the neighborhood in question, which we’ve linked here. At this point, the staff recommendation to Council is to authorize the initiation of a text change that would “incorporate the North Hills neighborhood built characteristics and regulations into the UDO.” The text change would also “modify the list of standards that can be regulated by the NCOD and contemplate a threshold for City Council authorization of a neighborhood study.”

Approval of the text change will require a public hearing before Council. We wish the neighbors the best of luck!

Land Swap Meet

A joint effort from Wake County, the City of Raleigh, and the Raleigh/Wake Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness and Catholic Charities could soon lead to the development of the Oak City Center on Wilmington Street.

Before the site can be redeveloped into a new home for the outreach center, however, City Council will need to approve a minor property exchange with Wake County.

Per today’s City council meeting agenda, “The exchange will involve a 0.142 +/- acre portion of the City’s 41.84 acre property located at 1500 South Wilmington Street for a 0.261 +/- acre portion of Wake County’s 4.2 acre property located at 1430 South Wilmington Street. The property exchange will be shown on a recombination plat and title transferred with deeds between the parties.”

While this seems like an odd bit of bureaucratic red tape to have to jump through, its inclusion as an item in the consent agenda likely means the approval will go through without any trouble.

510 Glenwood Set for a Facelift

One of the first new developments in downtown Raleigh, 510 Glenwood was built in the heady days of 1999. The luxury condo building is fast approaching its 20th birthday and facing much stiffer competition than it did when it opened 17 years ago. As a result, the building’s owners have announced that a major exterior renovation will be starting as soon as this week.

Per City records, a permit for facade alterations has now completed its final review. The $123,795 project will be handled by JM Thompson Construction. Our friends at New City Design Group will be handling the design work.

Downtown Discotorium

While we aren’t sure what a “discotorium” is, that’s what will replace the Mosaic Wine Lounge at 517 West Jones Street, which closed at the end of April.

This week’s City Council agenda notes that the owner of the Five Seventeen Lounge and Discotorium requested a two hour parking zone in the daytime and a passenger loading zone in the evening be established on the south side 500 block of West Jones Street. The two-hour zone will allow for short-term restaurant parking, while the passenger loading zone will offer customers “the convenience of having a safe and convenient area for curbside drop off and pick up in the evenings.”

While we have no idea what kind of place Five Seventeen will be — although we hope the owners take some aesthetic cues from The Simpson’s Disco Stu — the former Mosaic Wine Lounge was, for more than 10 years, “a home for many underrepresented music genres in the Triangle.”

Workout, Eat Tacos, and Drink Beer to Support Raleigh Firefighters

Published on March 29, 2017 in ITBNN by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Little City Brewing and Provisions Company and Heat fitness studio are hosting a fundraiser this Sunday, April 2nd to benefit the Raleigh Professional Firefighters Association.

As you may recall from our reporting a few weeks ago, a massive fire destroyed an apartment building under construction and severely damaged the Quorum Center and Link Apartment building. Over 100 firefighters worked throughout the night and totally dominated the five-alarm fire. To show their gratitude, businesses located a few blocks from the fire are putting on a fundraiser that includes a workout, tacos, and beer. All proceeds from all aspects of the event go directly to the cause.

The schedule:

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Heat fitness studio workout – 400 Glenwood Avenue

A free (donations are encouraged) group high-intensity interval training class. Class registration is required and space is limited. Reserve a spot by contacting Jake Giamoni at jake@heatstudios.com

Heat is also offering any Raleigh firefighters two weeks of free unlimited classes. Contact jake@heatstudios.com to set up the complimentary membership.

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Taco bar and beers at Little City Brewing – 400 W North St.

All are encouraged to head over to Little City Brewing to enjoy a pint of beer and a taco bar from Little City’s sister restaurant Virgil’s Original Taqueria and Chef Ryan Moore. The cost is $20 per person, with 100 percent of profits being donated. Firefighters, police, and first responders eat for free.

With a suggested donation of $5-$10 Head Brewer Burt Halbert will lead guided tours of their brewing process.

Mercedes-Benz of Durham as a company, along with individual employees of the store, have also contributed funds toward the event that are going directly to the cause.

The donation will be made to the Raleigh Professional Fire Fighters Association, a nonprofit association of career firefighters who are employed by, or retired from, the City of Raleigh Fire Department.

Development Beat: 9,000 Restaurants Opening and the Demolition of Shelton’s Furniture

Published on March 28, 2017 in Development/ITBNN by James B.

Brought to you by Rufty-Peedin Design Builders.

Week of March 27, 2017

Shelton’s Furniture building will be demolished

Brewery Bhavana opens this week

Level7 opening at North Hills AC Hotel

New tenants and openings in Cameron Village

Raleigh Provisions now open

Mulino moving in, Babylon moving to new location

BBQ reincarnation

Hotel to Replace Shelton’s Furniture

Before James gets to this week’s Development Beat of literally 9,000 new restaurant and bar openings, I would like to give a proper goodbye to Raleigh icon Shelton’s Furniture. Olde Raleigh posted this great picture from when the building first opened in 1942.

Rest in pieces, Shelton’s Furniture building (1942-2017). Another piece of Old Raleigh bites the dust according to trusted local news source @wnfiv #ITBNN. “Pouring out some furniture polish for Shelton’s. Demolition permits approved last week. 150-room hotel coming in its place. Shelton’s is now located in Clayton.” This picture was taken 11 May 1942 just after the building was finished. ______________ N.53.15.5328 From the Albert Barden Collection, State Archives; Raleigh, NC.

A post shared by Olde Raleigh (@olderaleigh) on Mar 27, 2017 at 11:42am PDT

The building at 607 West Morgan Street will soon be demolished to make way for Two Glenwood, a 150-room hotel and parking deck. This news comes less than a month after demolition permits were issued for the property across the street to make way for One Glenwood at the corner of Hillsborough and Glenwood. As we reported in February, the One Glenwood project will be a 10-story mixed-use commercial/office building.

To be clear, Shelton’s is not moving due to fears of another downtown fire, although I wouldn’t blame them if that were the case. They’ve been in the process of moving over the last few months and are now located in Clayton. Sadly, I don’t know where that is. Raleigh residents will miss filling their SUVs up with everything from antiques to dorm room furniture from this fine establishment. I’m going to go pour out some Murphy’s Oil in honor of Shelton’s moving and pray that the new hotel doesn’t catch on fire and ruin Moonlight Pizza next door.

-WNFIV

Brewery Bhavana Opens Wednesday

Brewery Bhavana, the collaboration between Patrick Woodson, co-founder and Head Brewer, and Vanvisa and Vansana Nolintha, the siblings who own the popular restaurant Bida Manda, opens this week at 218 S Blount Street in Moore Square. The transformation from Irish Pub (Tir Na Nog moved out in 2015) to Brewery Bhavana began in May 2016 and has resulted in Raleigh’s first ever brewery, flower shop, bookstore, dim sum restaurant, and taproom.

They offer a selection of 10 core beers, 10 provisional beers that rotate periodically, wine and cocktails, and a wide range of dim sum dishes. Vansana and Vanvisa Nolintha will also operate the small flower shop and bookstore in the space.

Downtown’s newest brewery will house its operations in two spaces: the restaurant and taproom at Moore Square, and a 7,200 square-foot space in a warehouse about a mile south at 1401 South Bloodworth Street. Built in 1915, the warehouse was acquired in 2015 by a local investor and is now leased and managed by York Properties. The renovation of the warehouse was designed by local firm Maurer Architecture.

William N. Finley IV attended a soft opening and will have an in-depth review soon.

A post shared by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Mar 26, 2017 at 5:05pm PDT

Rooftop Bar at New North Hills Hotel

Monday night saw the soft open of Level7, the rooftop bar on the seventh floor of the new AC Hotel at North Hills. The hotel is branded as an AC Hotel by Marriott, which are described as “European-inspired design hotels”. AC Hotels can be found across the globe, from Marseille, France to Pisa, Italy…and now Raleigh, North Carolina. To be fair, there’s also one in Kansas City. We imagine this will be a popular after-work spot for the North Hills corporate tenants.

The bar serves wine, beer, and liquor from local distilleries, along with tapas. William N. Finley IV got a preview last week thanks to Tabletop Media Group. (Note: Instagram now lets you add multiple images/videos in a post. Swipe or click to watch both videos.)

Preview of Level7 at the AC Slater Hotel. Swipe right to watch both videos. @level7rooftopbar @visitnorthhills @tabletopmediagp . . . #preview #bar #rooftop #hotel #ac #acslater #northhills #raleigh #raleighnc #nc #northcarolina #video #videooftheday #influencer #startup

A post shared by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Mar 24, 2017 at 10:16am PDT

New Shops in Cameron Village

In non-booze related news, Cameron Village will soon welcome a whopping five new tenants, including a new and improved Starbucks, which we first reported back in January. The current Starbucks in Harris Teeter will move into the building across the street.

Starbucks in the Cameron Village Harris Teeter will move across the street soon. I'm hoping HT uses the extra space to expand their LaCroix section. #itbnn

A post shared by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Jan 27, 2017 at 6:18am PST

Also coming soon:

Alumni Hall – a college sports apparel store will open in the spot occupied by Pendleton Woolen Mills

Steven Shell Living – a home décor and furniture shop expected to open in early June in the former Party Shop space

Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming – a pet food and supply store will move from its current North Hills location to the spot formerly occupied by Accipiter Gallery.

Stewart Physical Therapy – opening in the former home of North American Video, which closed in 2015 after nearly 40 years in operation.

Never Forget: Be Kind, Rewind. RIP North American Video.

so•ca Now Open

so•ca is now open in the space formerly occupied by Faire. As we noted in February, the “cocina Latina” (Latin kitchen) style restaurant is operated by the owners of the popular downtown restaurant bu•ku. WNFIV attended the soft opening, because apparently that’s all he does anymore. I’m not even sure why this isn’t just called “Soft Opening ITB Insider” at this point.

Welcome to the greatest luxury retail destination center in the world, @socaraleigh. Thanks for the invite @mandimae16 @bukusean. @shopcameronvillage

A post shared by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Mar 14, 2017 at 5:42pm PDT

Raleigh Provisions Opens in Downtown Raleigh

Raleigh Provisions, a small grocery store offering natural, high-quality products, is now open downtown at 107 E Davie Street. Work began on this project back in September 2016. Owner Kim Hammer, who also owns and operates the cocktail bar Bittersweet, intends to source locally.

Although Provisions has more in common with Standard Foods on Person Street than say, the Harris Teeter at Cameron Village, we imagine it will be quite popular with nearby residents.

Mulino to replace Babylon, Babylon Moving to New Location

Babylon, an award-winning Moroccan restaurant, will be moving to a new location soon. Owner Samad Hachby will turn the current space at 309 N. Dawson Street into Mulino Italian Kitchen and Bar.

According to the Mulino website, the focus will be on “homemade pastas, pizzas, and breads cooked in the woodfired oven, locally sourced meats and seafood as well as traditional Italian fare and an expansive Italian wine selection.”

Babylon will be open until April 2nd and Mulino is expected to open in mid-April.

As one BBQ Door Closes, Another BBQ Door Opens

Out in North Raleigh, Capital Boulevard’s beloved Barbecue Lodge closed its doors for good last week after more than 35 years. No word on what’s coming next for the space.

North Raleigh residents will soon have a new option for BBQ, as award-winning national chain City Barbeque opens its first Raleigh location, which we first reported back in January. Permits were recently issued to install outdoor seating for the restaurant, which will reside at the Olive Park shopping center at 9400 Falls of Neuse. The center will be anchored by another Raleigh first, the Sprouts Farmers Market.

Auntie Anne’s Getting a Facelift

This is a relatively minor project, but one we know likely matters a great deal to its regular Crabtree customers and mall walkers. The Auntie Anne’s at Crabtree Valley Mall received permits last week for a $42,000 renovation of its existing 535 square-foot space, care of Macallan Construction.

Demolition for Duke Raleigh Outpatient Rehab Center

Located on Executive Drive, the two existing buildings at the Duke Raleigh Outpatient Rehabilitation center will be demolished by Alabama-based firm Robins & Morton. The 16-acre site off Wake Forest Road has been owned by Duke University since 1998. The two two-story medical office buildings set for demolition were built in 1972 and 1973. The services once available at this outpatient location can now be accessed across town at the Duke Specialty Rehab Services Midtown at 5920 Sandy Forks Road.

Development Beat: Players’ Retreat Plans Unveiled

Published on March 21, 2017 in Development/ITBNN by James B.

Brought to you by Rufty-Peedin Design Builders.

Week of March 20, 2017

Players’ Retreat plans unveiled

Hargett Place is holding a Designer Showcase Open House

Historic fire sets back development

Nightclub replacing Harry’s Guitar Shop moves forward

Domino’s is coming to downtown Raleigh

Holt Brothers doing work on Sheetz

New ITB cottages

Plans Unveiled for Players’ Retreat Redevelopment

Following up on our story from last week, the fate of the Players’ Retreat may soon fall into the hands of the City Council. An unfiled rezoning case requiring Council approval would allow for the development of offices, apartments, retail, and town homes on the lots surrounding the beloved Raleigh restaurant.

Local developer Craig Davis told an overflow crowd at last week’s Hillsborough CAC meeting that plans for the redevelopment had kicked off two years earlier.

“Gus Gusler, the owner of the Players’ Retreat, started an adventure to attempt to acquire his building and the surrounding buildings. He wanted to secure the future of the PR.”

A year into that adventure, Davis said he was brought into the equation “to see if we could achieve that dream of his.” In that time, Davis said they were able to negotiate the acquisition of several of the surrounding lots, which will allow for a more cohesive development approach. “Our vision from day one has been to take this up a notch, quality-wise,” Davis said.

The current plan for the site includes the following:
-A 7 story and 3 story, 70,000 square-foot, 60-unit condo building with ground floor retail on the site where BB&T is currently located.
-A 140,000 square-foot office building with ground floor retail on the site of the David’s Dumpling & Noodle Bar building.
-A 5 story, 75-unit apartment complex on the site of a parking lot and duplex across Oberlin from the PR
-14 town homes, built on the parking lot and duplex site
-A three-level 500-space underground parking garage that will be accessible through the traffic circle
-Sam and Bill’s Hair Salon will be preserved
-A pocket park, contingent on the acquisition of additional land abutting the future apartment site

Local architect Michael Stevenson said the project is a “Planned Development,” meaning its approval would be based on the design.

The seven-story buildings exceed current zoning restrictions, so Gusler et. al will need to rezone several of the lots to move forward. Davis was hesitant to say whether the development was dependent on the approval of that rezoning. He did note that financing was very “project specific.”

Here’s how we interpret it: in order to ensure the PR stays, this development is necessary. In order for this development to move forward, the rezoning must happen. We don’t want to jump to the conclusion that “no rezoning = no Players’ Retreat”, as it is still early on in the process.

Another presentation of the plans will be made during The Wade meeting on Tuesday, March 28th at 7:00 pm at the Jaycee Park Community Center. All CAC meetings are open to the public; however, you can vote only at meetings of the CAC where you reside.

Hargett Place Designer Showcase and Open House

Hargett Place, a project consisting of 19 luxury rowhomes, is currently being built in downtown Raleigh at 133 S. Bloodworth Street, just a few blocks from Moore Square and City Market. We got to tour the place last week and it’s definitely the nicest new construction we’ve seen in the area. The rowhomes include Viking appliances, quartz countertops, 10 ft. ceilings on the main level, hardwoods, and an option for an elevator or dumbwaiter.

Hargett Place is being developed by Hyde Street Holdings, built by Greg Paul Builders, and sold and marketed by Fonville Morisey Barefoot. Trish and John Healy, of Hyde Street Holdings, came up with the idea of a Designer Showcase Home event and open house, featuring Raleigh-based designers and local businesses for the benefit of the Southeast Raleigh YMCA.

A benefit preview party will be held on March 24th, followed by an open house on March 25-26, April 1-2, and April 8-9. The Showcase Home offers around 2,300 square feet of interior living space, two-car parking, plus 1,000 square feet of outdoor living, including a rooftop garden with great views of downtown Raleigh.

Fire Destroys Apartment and Damages Buildings

Tragedy struck downtown last week when a five-alarm fire destroyed the unfinished Metropolitan Apartments on West Jones Street and severely damaged several surrounding structures, including the Quorum Center. A firefighter sustained minor injuries.

ITB Insider was on the scene and had the best coverage in the area during the fire. WNFIV even worked with Raleigh’s Aerial Look to provide more coverage you can ITBelieve in with the video below.

A brief history of The Metropolitan: Originally known as The Greyhound, the complex was being built on the former site of Raleigh’s Greyhound bus terminal, abandoned in 2014 and demolished in April 2016. Clancy & Theys began construction on the five -story project in July 2016.

Designed by JDavis Architects, it was originally scheduled to open in the fall of 2017 with a number of high-end amenities to be included. The building was about 40 percent complete at the time of the fire.

Real Estate Report

Our friend Ryan Boone is listing a lovely 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom condo at Parkridge Lane, between Cameron Village, Five Points, and Glenwood South. For under $170k, this is a steal. Call Ryan Boone at 919-438-0548 for a showing. Note: Taylor Swift may no longer reside in the area.
To feature listings here, contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com for options.

With Your Permit-ssion

Desperately-Needed Nightclub Replaces Raleigh Icon on Glenwood South

The iconic Harry’s Guitar Shop is gone. In its place will be a new club from business owner Dan Lovenheim, who owns local bars Alchemy (formerly 606 Lounge) and Cornerstone Tavern.

First built in 1966, 616 Glenwood became home to Harry’s Guitar Shop in the mid-1980s when proprietor Harry Tueting purchased the building. WNFIV tells me that if you grew up in Raleigh and took guitar lessons, you took them here. In September of 2015 the shop relocated to 556 Pylon Drive, off Blue Ridge Road.

The property was sold for $1.35 million to an LLC tracing back to a private individual in Chapel Hill. The most notable change to the property will be the addition of a covered patio area in front of the building. It will include a small bar and handicap-accessible restrooms. We were told last year that in order to make room for the new patio, the front wall on the building facing Glenwood will be knocked down and moved back.

The interior will be renovated to include a bar area, a stage, a DJ booth, a cooler, and two multiple occupancy bathrooms. The work, which has a permitted cost of more than a quarter-million dollars, will be handled by Carolina Design & Construction, which is owned by Lovenheim.

Downtown Domino’s

Permits were issued last week for downtown Raleigh’s most hotly anticipated restaurant of 2017: a Domino’s Pizza. The pizza chain will soon be opening on the ground floor of the Edison on Davie Street. WNFIV is now starting a campaign to get another Capital Creations location in that spot instead, but it’s probably too late for that. The $80,000 fit-out of the 2,254 square-foot space will be handled by Westroc Construction.

Construction Starts for Raleigh’s Eighth Sheetz

That was fast! Just over a month after permits were issued for the demolition of a former recycling center at 8101 Glenwood Avenue, work has begun on the city’s newest Sheetz. The 6,407 square-foot convenience store will be built out by prominent local contractors Holt Brothers Construction for a permitted cost just shy of a $1 million.

Terrence Holt, former NFL and NC State football player, told us, “The Glenwood Avenue project is our second with Sheetz. Permits have been pulled and site work has begun. Along with the new structure, we will be cleaning up environmental issues on the site, upgrading infrastructure, as well as adding new traffic signals to reduce congestion.”

As it happens, Holt Brothers is also one of the sponsors of Habitat for Humanity’s Build a Block program, which is working to build 11 homes on Lake Wheeler Road to raise awareness and address the need for affordable housing in Wake County. Those interested in lending a hand to this great cause can do so in the coming weeks. A complete list of dates and times is available here.

New ITB Cottages

Site work is underway for one of Raleigh’s newest residential developments: The Cottages at Filmore. Located on Filmore Avenue near the intersection of Glenwood and Wade, the seven homes in this new cottage court would be a mix of single-family and attached two-story structures.

The site was previously home to an apartment complex and a single-family home, which were torn down in November 2015. The land had been owned since 1986 by G Henry Temple and Vicky Huband, the developers of the Cottages at Filmore. Although Temple & Huband were both listed on the site plan filings for the Cottages, the property was purchased in October 2016 by The Hamilton Company. When the property was initially listed for sale, it was described as: “One of the last ITB infill development lots left with alley access.” so I assume this has WNFIV’s approval. Permits to build the homes themselves have not yet been filed with the city.

Raleigh Fire Recap

Published on March 17, 2017 in ITBNN by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Fires have always been a hot topic inside the beltline. If you’ve lived here long enough, you know what I mean. Thursday night was unlike anything Raleigh residents have seen, unless you’re pushing 100 years old. The Metropolitan, a new apartment complex across the street from the Quorum Center near Glenwood and Hillsborough, caught fire just before 10:00 pm. This wasn’t your typical “Wake County closing school because they heard it might snow a tenth of an inch” dumpster fire. This was a legitimate “it’s the end of days, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are coming” level fire.

Most importantly, Raleigh’s firefighters, police officers, and emergency workers did an incredible job of keeping the fire contained and everyone safe. 100 firefighters contained the fire after three hours. If you live in a building that was evacuated, call 919-996-2999 for information on when you can get back in to your building.

I’ll recap the entire night in a moment, but first let’s look at how Raleigh is coming together to help those in need.

Raleigh Rallies Around Fire

Plenty of Raleigh residents and businesses immediately offered support to those impacted by the fire. Within hours after the fire began, the Holiday Inn, or “Clarion” for those of you who recently moved here, offered rooms to those who had been displaced by the fire. By Friday morning, the Red Cross, First Baptist Church, and many others were setting up shelters.

Below are ways that you can help. We’ll update this as we get more information.

The Raleigh Police Dept. says the Quorum Center is hard hit due to extensive water damage from the sprinkler system running all night. Residents from both the Quorum Center and Link Apartments will probably not be able to get back into the building for a few days.

A relief center has been set up at 301 W Jones St – United Methodist Church Annex Building, where they are feeding firefighters and responders if you want to deliver food. Residents in need can contact Sergeant Dave Eckert (919-524-4527) who is coordinating overall efforts.

SportsChannel8 – is donating, and encouraging others to donate, to The 200 Club of Wake County, which “provides immediate financial help for the spouse and children of police officers, sheriff deputies, firemen, EMS squad members and North Carolina State Highway Patrol serving in Wake County who lose their life in the line of duty.”

Isaac Hunter’s Tavern – hosting a BBQ dinner Friday night at 6:00 pm. All proceeds go towards RFD and to support those affected by the fire.

VCA Triangle Tower Animal Hospital – offering to board pets. Call 919-231-8030.

Crank Arm Brewery – holding a clothing drive at its W. Davie Street location from open to close on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

518 West, or “Google Fiber” for those of you who JUST moved here, offered food, internet, charging, and a place to stay warm

Rise Cameron Village and North Raleigh – offering meals to any firefighter, police officer, EMT, or first responder

The Gramercy – letting people use their Clubroom, located at 650 West North St.

The Hibernian – donating a portion of today’s proceeds

ITB Insider™ Covers Downtown Fire Better Than Anyone Else

Around 10:08 pm on Thursday night, Brian Oschwald, a contributing ITB reporter who lives at the West condo, called to tell me the building across the street was on fire. I went to investigate, thinking it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. I drove down West Morgan Street and immediately saw a tower of flames as I passed Moonlight Pizza. Turning left onto Glenwood, then right onto Hillsborough, I took this video.

A post shared by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Mar 16, 2017 at 7:15pm PDT

It truly was like something you would see in a movie. I parked on West Street, in between Hillsborough and Edenton, and began a Facebook Live from the gravel parking lot before moving to the bridge on Hillsborough Street over the train tracks. My phone battery died, but only after I provided everyone with the best news coverage ever. I’m working on putting together a shorter video.

Fire

Posted by William Needham Finley IV on Thursday, March 16, 2017

To put this in context, here’s a clearer picture of where the fire started.

A photo of the site of the apt fire (cred: Stephen Thrift). Easier to understand location w/ light. Cc @WNFIV @NewRaleigh @wral @ABC11_WTVD pic.twitter.com/aBBoWihMLW

— Ashton Smith (@ashtonmae) March 17, 2017

Here’s exclusive footage from the West rooftop, from ITB contributor Brian Oschwald.

Posted by Brian James Patrick Oschwald on Thursday, March 16, 2017

This was taken from right outside of Clouds Brewing, less than a few hundred feet from the site of the fire.

A post shared by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Mar 16, 2017 at 9:24pm PDT

On Friday morning I kicked off another delirious Facebook Live from the West condo, in which I rambled on for about an hour.

Update from the scene of the fire. Didn’t expect to ramble for almost an hour. Just trying to bring you coverage you can ITBelieve in.

Posted by William Needham Finley IV on Friday, March 17, 2017

Still smoking. Talked to a few Quorum residents who can't get back in to the building but can see inside their condos from two blocks away. pic.twitter.com/vw3DvI4TR2

— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) March 17, 2017

Windows blown out in the Quorum Center. Looks like the sign actually melted. pic.twitter.com/xehqgTECau

— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) March 17, 2017

Additional coverage:

View from the roof of the West condo. Photo: Brian Oschwald

Another view from the West rooftop. Photo: Brian Oschwald

View from the HT parking lot in Cameron Village

Raleigh Tailor Goes Mobile With New App

Published on February 23, 2017 in ITBNN/Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Glenwood South Tailors + Alterations Releases Game Changing App

A native of Raleigh, Brian Burnett also happens to be the best dressed man in Raleigh. He should be, since it’s his profession. For almost two years, Brian has operated Glenwood South Tailors and Alterations, Raleigh’s premier mobile tailoring and alterations venture. They’re located in Glenwood South, right around the corner from Broughton, which makes them the most ITB tailor in town. They also just released a new app that makes it even easier to use their services.

Since I’m a media empire startup that covers technology, local businesses, and Raleigh, I sat down with Brian for an exclusive interview. I learned about how he and his team of fashion experts have brought back the element of concierge service and communication to the tailoring world. We also talked about the new mobile app, which is available in the AppStore.

WNFIV: First, let me say that you really are the best dressed guy I’ve met in Raleigh. And that’s coming from someone who still wears New Balance 991s with khaki pants.

Brian: Yeah, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that…

WNFIV: We’ll get to my style later. I’m going to need an overhaul for Fyre Festival in a few months anyway. Let’s talk about the app. Why does a tailor need one?

Brian: Well, we pride ourselves on our professional communication, in-person and digitally. We already offer mobile alterations and tailoring, where we come to your home or office, fit you, and return your items. And we also offer iStyling™…

WNFIV: Sorry to interrupt, but what is iStyling™?

Brian: iStyling™ is how we offer tailoring consultation and virtual alterations through FaceTime, texting, Instagram, you name it. With so many forms of communication available today, it’s a perfect solution for customers who can’t get to us. Just let us know your question and we’ll advise you.

WNFIV: So since I’m partially colorblind I could FaceTime you and you’d tell me what to wear so I don’t look like an idiot?

Brian: Exactly. Someone could ask what to wear to a business school or job interview. In your case, you could ask “Which pastel polo goes best with this Barbour jacket?”. So as you can see, we’re mobile in every way, which our executive clients value. Creating an app puts us in your pocket and makes that communication even easier.

WNFIV: So would you say you’re the Netflix and Uber of tailoring?

Brian: I’d say we’re the Raleigh of tailoring, and this app lets our clients reach us faster and easier than ever.

WNFIV: A lot of people build pointless apps just so they can tell people “I’m building an app.” when they’re at networking events. What does your app actually do?

Brian: Our clients can use the app to easily schedule appointments for all of our services, including both in-store and mobile tailoring and alterations, and iStyling™.

WNFIV: Have you thought about letting your clients add profiles on the app to show off how great they look in their tailored clothes? Then clients could match with each other based on how good they look. You could swipe right if you liked them and if you’re a match there’d be a catchy slogan like, “You two are a good fit!” you know, because it’s a play on words.

Brian: Yeah, we’re probably not going to do that, but let me walk you through our app. You can see all the services we provide on the main screen. At the bottom you can tap to schedule an appointment.

Brian: Then choose the type of appointment you want to schedule.

Brian: Select the time and date.

Brian: Enter your information.

Brian: The appointment is now scheduled and you can add it to your calendar right from your phone. You’ll also get a follow up e-mail.

WNFIV: This is amazing. I had to stop going to Crabtree for tailoring after the fake mall shooting, so I’m really glad someone took the initiative to make an app like this.

Brian: Thanks, we worked really hard on it.

WNFIV: So when I do a breaking news story on this I need a good title. I’m thinking “Raleigh Takes Its Clothes Off For New App” or “Raleigh Undresses for New App”.

Brian: How about just “Raleigh Tailor Goes Mobile With New App”?

WNFIV: That sounds good.

With this new app, Glenwood South Tailors and Alterations is definitely the most cutting edge outfit inside the beltline. Yeah, I went there. So go see Brian, tell him I sent you and he’ll give you 15% off your first item (slacks or suit jacket, no outerwear or fur) once you’ve downloaded the app.

We’ve partnered with Glenwood South Tailors and Alterations to bring you this story. We’ll follow up with Brian in the coming months as part of our People of ITB series where we take a closer look at the most interesting people in Raleigh.

How ITB Insider™ Won A Major Award

Published on February 17, 2017 in Humor/ITBNN by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

ShopITB.com

Being a startup is all about winning awards. And after being in existence for over six months I have yet to win any. That all changed last night when Raleigh’s hottest startup, ITB Insider™, took home a major award at the 2017 Downtown Raleigh Alliance annual meeting. Commonly known as the “DRA”, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance “supports downtown’s revitalization by contributing to its economic success”. They do a lot of great things for the city, which you can read about here because I’m too overwhelmed with joy to explain them to you right now.

One of their biggest events is the annual meeting, where they talk about Raleigh, give out awards, and probably do other stuff that I’m unaware of because I’ve never actually been to one. My standard protocol is to avoid the crowds by staying home and tweeting about the event. By using the hashtag they’ve selected for the evening, my tweets will show up on the big screens at the event for all in attendance to see. In the past I had just used Twitter to provide commentary on the evening, but this year I knew I needed more. It was time to take control of the event and give myself an award.

After realizing the event was being held last night, I checked with a source and began my work.

With the keys to the castle in hand, I proceeded to captivate the audience.

I leveraged synergies and mentioned my wonderful lawyer Stacy Miller and Miller Law Group, who I knew were in attendance.

I knew my plan was working because I received a text from another person at the event who thought I was there.

And then, it happened. I won my first award as a startup media empire. The Downtown Best Media Empire Award was given out to me, by me, so that I could get the respect and adulation that I think I deserve.

Wow. I did NOT see this coming. Downtown Best Media Empire Award for ITB Insider™! I'm speechless. #ITBlessed #allin2017 pic.twitter.com/xl6AhELpZE

— William Needham Finley IV (@WNFIV) February 17, 2017

I assume there was a 10 minute standing ovation and that people were crying tears of joy. “Finally, he did it! He’s worked so hard,” said someone really important, probably. “All those Tweets and Instagrams, all those impressions and pageviews he’s gotten over the last six months, this is so deserved,” said another CEO, I assume. “His investigative work on the Trolley Pub almost ruining the Raleigh Christmas parade, and that piece on The Alley closing, no wonder he won this,” added another attendee.

I obviously had a ton of people to thank.

It truly was an amazing experience and a great night for all. Congratulations to the other award winners as well. I look forward to going to Johnson-Lambe to get them to make an actual award for me that I’ll proudly display at our startup media empire headquarters. Here’s to more success in 2017.

How Raleigh Races Should Be Run

Published on February 13, 2017 in ITBNN by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Runologie Wins ITB Gold By Not Closing Raleigh Streets

On the nicest Sunday afternoon in February that I can ever remember, five runners raised money for charities and didn’t negatively impact anyone in Raleigh. The first ever “Run For Good” consisted of five runners on three treadmills placed on the sidewalk outside of Runologie and State of Beer on Hillsborough Street. No roads were closed. No businesses lost money as a result of streets being shut down. No one was standing on the corner ringing a cow bell at 7:00 am. No one had to drive all over town just to get to Rise Biscuits and Donuts or brunch. No drunken concert “performance” by the lead singer of Smash Mouth. No fake studies that claim the race had an $8.13 million economic impact were conducted. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. So amazing that I made a film about it that I’ll probably send to Sundance.

Two individuals and a relay team ran for four hours on those treadmills to raise money for three different organizations. Jason Tischer, Umstead 100 defending champ, raised funds for Team Tassy, an organization that pays for job creation and job training programs to eliminate poverty in Haiti. Omer Abdulrahman, a refugee from Sudan, raised money for the ACLU of North Carolina. The relay team of Brent Francese, Alex Warren, and Gavin Coombs (Uwharrie 20 Miler defending champ) raised funds for Common Cause NC, a group working to end gerrymandering. Runologie donated 15% of sales that day to the non-profits. Over $4,000 was raised at the event, which was sponsored by Runologie and State of Beer, with donations from Lysaght & Associates, John Montgomery Violins, and many more.

This is how all races in Raleigh should be done. Have five people run while everyone else drinks beer and raises money for good causes. I’ve always said we need to run road races on the beltline. It’s roughly the distance of a marathon and it wouldn’t impact any ITB roads. But this is an even better solution. Why stop at 3 treadmills? I don’t care if every sidewalk in downtown Raleigh is lined with thousands of treadmills, as long as it means the streets are never shut down and I never miss another brunch. And it’s not just for running, the possibilities are endless. Dogs of ITB treadmill runs, babies of ITB treadmill first steps parties. This is a billion dollar idea.

I hereby, quid pro quo, move to only run Raleigh races in this manner from now until the end of time. I second that motion and will now send it along via Twitter to the City Council so that they can make it into a law. I’m pretty sure that’s how laws work now, but I still need to check with my lawyer, Stacy Miller.

The Development Beat: Goodbye Busy Bee, Hello Trophy Tap & Table

Published on January 17, 2017 in Development/ITBNN by James B.

Brought to you by Rufty-Peedin Design Builders.

Week of January 16, 2017

Trophy Brewing’s newest restaurant begins work

Real Estate Report: a new ITB home from Cornerstone Properties

New Mayan restaurant on Fayetteville Street receives permits

Brigs restaurant rebuilds after fire damage

Sushi Nine breaks ground

Exclusive renderings of another new hotel for downtown Raleigh

Planned apartments no longer coming to Ridgewood

Planning Commission updates

Goodbye Finch’s

Before we get to this week’s development news, let’s all take a moment to thank Finch’s for their decades of service to Raleigh. They closed their location in Raleigh for good on Sunday, and will reopen in Durham in the spring of 2017. They will be missed.

The end of an era. Pouring out some syrup for Finch’s, an ITB icon that closed yesterday. They’re moving to Durham and will reopen in the Spring. They will be missed. #itbnn . . . #finchs #food #restaurant #moving #picoftheday #photo #photooftheday #photography #news #media #content #raleigh #raleighnc #nc #northcarolina #icon #iconic #919 #startup #startups #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #influencer

A photo posted by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Jan 16, 2017 at 4:11pm PST

Trophy Tap & Table

Despite William Needham Finley IV’s best efforts to “Save the Tots,” permits were issued last week to allow for the conversion of the former Busy Bee Cafe/Mash & Lauter into the new Trophy Tap & Table. Home to the Busy Bee for more than eight years, the spot at 225 South Wilmington will soon offer a new range of beers and a menu focused on chicken of the rotisserie variety. Notably absent from the new menu will be the Bee’s famous Tater Tots. Tragic, but we imagine the owners, who also founded Trophy Brewing, are looking forward to opening another storefront location in which to serve their beloved beer. And if the chicken is as good as the pizza over at Trophy on Morgan Street, customers will certainly be pleased. The Raleigh Agenda first reported on this change back in December 2016. The work for the renovated space, which will include an interior bench and an equipment change in the kitchen, will be handled for $3,000 by the building’s landlord.

Real Estate Report

A super ITB property is being sold by our friends at Cornerstone Properties. At over 2,600 square feet, this 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom new-build is located at 1007 Marilyn Drive in the Lacy, Martin, and Broughton (ITB trifecta) school district. This is an ITB no-brainer. Construction begins this February. Contact Broughton alumnus Dale Moody (dalemoodync@gmail.com) for more information, 919-607-4606. The lot next door, 1009 Marilyn Drive, is also available from Cornerstone Properties if you want to bring your own custom home plan.

Note: To feature listings here, contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com for options.

With Your Permit-ssion

Tulum, a new Mayan restaurant coming to 411 Fayetteville Street should soon open to the public, as it received its construction permits last week. The $265,000 worth of work will be handled by Edward Donohue. This spot has previously housed La Volta, Twisted Mango, and San Lorenzo. Owner/operator Alfredo Lara, who also runs two Mi Cancun restaurants in the area, told the Raleigh Agenda last year that Tulum’s food will be traditional Mexican fare with a Mayan touch. We just hope the menu doesn’t include tacos with a side of ritual human sacrifice.

The popular North Raleigh brunch spot Brigs Restaurant in Brennan Station on Creedmoor Road should be reopening its doors very soon, as permits to repair damage caused by an electrical fire earlier this month were issued last week. Brigs has four other locations in the region: two in Cary (ugh), one in Durham (double ugh) and another in Wake Forest (triple ugh). We’re glad to see they didn’t let a fire shut them down, and look forward to their grand reopening.

A bright future is in store for the customers of Capital Boulevard Storage at 8740 Wadford Drive, where permits were issued last week for a large rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system to be installed across six buildings. We first wrote about this new project in February 2016, which is being built by our friends over at Rufty-Peedin Design Builders for a listed cost of $5,870,000. Long in the works, the solar panel system is one-of-a-kind in Raleigh. The work will be done by Sundance Power. We’ll be following this one closely, so keep an eye out for updates.

Other Recent Permits of Note:

Gap at Crabtree Valley Mall (per the AP Stylebook, it is never to be referred to as “The Gap,” only “Gap” or “Gap Inc.” — who knew?) is set for a massive, $660,000 expansion into an adjacent space. The work will be handled by Commercial Contractors Inc.
Anchorlight Studios, an “interdisciplinary creative space, founded with the intent of fostering artists and small businesses at varying stages of their development” received permits for their new space at 1407 S. Bloodworth Street. The $122,000 worth of work is being done by Ellington Contractors.
Permits for renovations at Durant Park’s Campbell Nature Lodge, which will include the replacement of all HVAC equipment, ADA improvements to the second floor, the replacement of roof and canopy, and various aesthetic upgrades were issued to Scotia Construction. The listed cost for the project is just shy of $1 million at $999,200.
Durant Park

ITBreaking Ground

After being destroyed in a tragic fire in 2016, the beloved Sushi Nine broke ground on construction of their new restaurant. We covered this news over on the Raleigh Public Record when they received permits in December to rebuild in the same location. The owners worked with New City Design to design the new building. We’ll keep you updated on the construction progress.

Big news yesterday as we broke ground with Sushi Nine for the construction of their new restaurant! #sushi #suchinine Check out the link in our bio!

A photo posted by New City Design Group (@newcityraleigh) on Jan 16, 2017 at 7:12am PST

Site Unseen

For the second week in a row, we’re reporting on plans for yet another new hotel in downtown Raleigh. The proposed 12-story, 192,964 gross square feet 192-room hotel is planned for 413 McDowell Street. Currently home to an Enterprise Rent-a-Car and across the street from Poole’s Diner, the land was purchased by the Winwood Hospitality Group in July 2015 for just over $4 million. County records indicate it was “sold” to a subsidiary of Winwood in June 2016. Winwood operates a number of local hotels, including the Hampton Inn & Suites and the Hilton Garden Inn, both near the Crabtree Valley Mall. Updated renderings, received from Winwood on 1/16/17, indicate it would be branded as a Courtyard by Marriott and include ground-floor dining and retail options. Construction should begin in the fall of 2018. We hear Raleigh is in desperate need of more Mexican restaurants, so hopefully that’s the direction Winwood intends to take.

A 2.68-acre open lot near New Bern Avenue and New Hope Road, currently owned by Young & McQueen Grading Company, could soon be turned into a recreational field. Site plan review case SR-2-17 would see this empty space on Corporation Parkway behind the Wal-Mart transformed into a rec field with an accompanying 33-space parking lot. Plans depict a soccer field.

The new field would be located at 1751 Corporate Parkway in Brier Creek

A Zest for Zoning

The first rezoning case of 2017, Z-1-17, would allow for the redevelopment of 5.91 acres on a site at 7900 Falls of Neuse in North Raleigh. Presently home to a La-Z-Boy furniture gallery, a condition added to the property in 1994 prohibits any use outside of furniture sales on the land. We imagine the applicant, Ashby Furniture, has something like that in mind. If it were up to us, we’d use the land to rebuild a much, much larger space for New York Bagels & Deli, currently located in the shopping center across the street. If there’s a better bagel shop south of the Mason-Dixon, we’ve yet to find it. Z-1-17 is being handled by Capital Civil Engineering, which also worked on the REX Healthcare center in Holly Springs.

Planning for a Better Raleigh

Raleigh’s Planning Commission met for the first time this year to discuss a range of issues, from a new site plan for the Ridgewood Shopping Center to regulations governing transit easement and amenity installations. As fascinating as we find these meetings, we know this sentiment is not shared by all our readers, so here’s a quick recap:

SP-12-16: Ridgewood Shopping Center — this plan calls for a 21,159 square foot mixed use building with 14 structured parking spaces on a 9.86 acre site on Wade Avenue, just inside the beltline. Although new apartments were originally included as part of the redevelopment of this long-standing, Whole Foods-anchored center, they were dropped in part due to a perceived oversaturation in the multifamily market. Planning Commissioners unanimously recommended the site plan for approval.
CP-5-16: This more technical case (an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan) would have removed the proposed extension of West Morgan Street from the Street Typology Map; but commissioners unanimously recommended the case for denial.
TC-2-17: Transit Amenities: This text change would codify regulations relating to developer requirements for transit easements and amenities, which, per staff notes, had been planned somewhat haphazardly in the past. The case was referred to the Commission’s Text Change Committee for further discussion.
Z-38-16: This rezoning case would allow for a three-story mixed use development at the intersection of Buffaloe and New Hope Roads. The local Citizens Advisory Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of the project; Planning Commissioners last week chose to defer the case to a later date.
Z-41-16: Also deferred by the Commission was a case that would allow for more intensive residential development to a space on Everspring Road in Northeast Raleigh by rezoning it from R-1 to R-6.
Z-36-16: This rezoning case, which we wrote about back in November, would allow for the transformation of St. Augustine University’s Tuttle Community Center on North Tarboro Street into the Tuttle Public Health Center. Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend approval of the case.
Z-22-16: This case would rezone a 2.6-acre property at 7930 Six Forks Road from Residential-4 to Commercial Mixed Use with a three-story cap. No residents attended a neighborhood meeting about the case in June 2016; Planning Commissioners voted to unanimously recommend the case for approval.
Z-39-16: A 2.5-acre property on Green Acres Lane off Capital Boulevard could soon be rezoned to allow for the construction of a parking lot that would complement a “car sales” facility on Capital. Commissioners voted 8-1 to recommend approval.
TC-7-16: The first text change case of 2017 is a very exciting one: it would amend Section 1.1.12.C Historic Development District Design Guidelines of the Raleigh Unified Development Ordinance by renaming it to ““Design Guidelines for Raleigh Historic Districts and Landmarks.” Woah!! Commissioners unanimously recommend approval of the case.
CP-4-16: This amendment to the Comprehensive Plan would amend the Raleigh Street Plan and Area Plan Location Maps. Because this topic was so fascinating, Commissioners voted unanimously to leave it open to further discussion. We can’t wait!

Mordecai Outraged Over Rumored Buyers of Iconic Property

Published on January 12, 2017 in Humor/ITBNN by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

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Residents Fear Dave & Buster’s and Other Rumored Buyers

Raleigh’s most iconic motor lodge is officially for sale, and Mordecai residents are terrified. Our new investigative reporter, James Borden, brought this story to my attention in his first Development Beat earlier this week. The 19-bedroom, 14-bathroom Gables Motor Lodge property is listed for $1.5 million and is located in the Mordecai neighborhood, right outside of downtown Raleigh. Most importantly, it’s in the Broughton school district. Rumors are already circulating about prospective buyers, including:

La Quinta Inns & Suites, who would continue to operate the facility, but would bring the current 4-star rating down to a 1-star.

Dave & Buster’s, who are looking to expand into the Raleigh market after seeing success in Cary.

Mark Wahlberg, who plans to open a Wahlburgers Food Hall to complement the Wahlburgers restaurant coming to downtown Raleigh.

Big Lots, who plans to to build a “Mini-Big Lots” concept, similar to the new mini-Target coming to Hillsborough Street.

Apple, who is considering moving an iPhone manufacturing facility to North Carolina if HB2 is repealed.

Since my media empire is expanding, I considered buying the property to use as an office. Like any good real estate mogul, I figured I would need to win the residents over. So last night I attended an emergency Mordecai neighborhood meeting to discuss the rumored buyers. The level of outrage ranged from “ugh, the wait at Capital Club 16 brunch is 10 minutes” to “OMG a chain restaurant is coming to Fayetteville Street!”.

“This just doesn’t sit well with me. My chakras feel out of balance,” said Cassandra Winston, a Trustafarian who owns Pastallations, an Etsy store that sells hand-made vegan pasta in the shapes of astrological signs.

“What if they put something modern there?! My cousin dealt with this same problem over in Oakwood, and it did NOT end well,” screamed Jill Wiesner, a Mordecai resident.

“What the hell is a Wahlburger?!? Is this fake news? What would that even pair with?” asked Jason Shaw, a local craft brewer who uses fresh soil instead of hops to create unique flavors of beer at Oak & Walter’s, a new micro-brewery coming to City Market.

While most residents expressed their fears, a few did offer solutions.

“I would approve of an Ashley Christensen restaurant that offered 19 different concepts on mac and cheese, one in each room,” said Jessica Sanders, a food blogger who only reviews mac and cheese dishes across the region.

“I’m a minimalist, so I’d really like to see the space used by designers of local micro-projects that will be consumed by less than 100 people. Once a project gets too popular it loses its integrity and authenticity,” said a resident who only goes by “Fitz” and describes himself as a local nano-influencer with a purposefully small Instagram following of 27 people.

An example of a micro-project by a nano-influencer.

I left the meeting dumbfounded. There was no way I was going to win these people over. I had my development reporter research what I could do with the property if I decided to buy it. Borden informed me that there are no specific protections in place preventing the future owners from tearing down and dividing the lots to build Cary McMansions.

At first we thought that since the Lodge is considered a “contributing resource” in Raleigh’s Mordecai Place Historic District that any changes would have to be approved by the Raleigh Historic Development Commission. OldPrivy on Twitter informed us that Mordecai is a National Register district, not a local historic district. That means that any changes to the property won’t have to be approved by anyone. We’ll be keeping a close eye on who buys the property.

More on the Gables Motor Lodge

From Borden: The two-story, gable-roofed Tudor revival style home was built by William and Ella Johnson as a boarding house/motel to cash in on the tourist traffic from Route 1. Mrs. Johnson ran the place until the 1940s, and eventually sold it to Charlie Griffin in 1965. Known as “Uncle Charlie”, Griffin continued operating the Gables Motor Lodge until he passed away in August of 2016. His great-nephew recently decided to list the property for sale.

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The Development Beat

Published on January 10, 2017 in Development/ITBNN by James B.

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Welcome to a new chapter in ITB Insider™ history. Today, we expand our media empire to cover the world of real estate development in Raleigh. More than 60 people move to Raleigh every day, and I want to know where they’re living and what they’re doing here. That’s where my new investigative journalist, James B., comes in. While at the Raleigh Public Record, James has covered everything from the Dix Park controversy to breaking the epic story about the North Raleigh party mansion. (Seriously, go read the party mansion story.) James is first to a lot of stories because he’s an actual journalist that digs through records and finds facts instead of just tweeting all day about La Croix. He’ll be contributing a weekly article focused on development to ITB Insider™ and will keep me informed on a variety of issues going on in Raleigh. James announced the move last week and people seemed pretty excited about it.

We may tinker with the content and format, so let us know what you think. Now that we’re the number one place for development news, we’re also open to sponsorship deals from real estate brokers and developers (e-mail me at wnfiv@itbinsider.com if interested). Without further ado, I present James B.’s first Development Beat for ITB Insider™.
-WNFIV

Brought to you by Rufty-Peedin Design Builders

Week of January 9, 2017

Since William Needham Finley IV has the attention span of a White Memorial pre-schooler, I’ll hit the highlights before digging into the details:

Dix Park gets first tenant

Real Estate Report: 19 Bedroom ITB house goes on the market

Two new Mexican restaurants coming to Glenwood

Progress on the new restaurant from the Pho Nomenal Dumplings duo

Updates on Tower IV at North Hills

News on a downtown Raleigh hotel

Welcome…to Dorothea Dix Park
The first new tenant for downtown Raleigh’s premier destination park was approved by City Council last week through a memorandum granting a nine-year lease to the nonprofit Dix Park Conservancy.

The Conservancy, which has a public-private partnership with the City to help develop the Dix Park Master Plan, will most likely occupy the early-20th century Flower Cottage at 2105 Umstead Drive for the staggering cost of $1/year. In addition to leasing the property, The Conservancy has agreed to contribute $2 million for the development of the Master Plan, and may add another $1 million for other planning costs.

Built in 1910, the 1,200 square foot cottage was initially used as a residence but currently sits dilapidated and unused. The Conservancy will be responsible for all renovations and improvements, of which we imagine there will be plenty. On the upside, the organization will also have access to the adjacent 2.75 acres of open space, which can be used for “public and/or private events.”

Rumor has it that an early screening of William Needham Finley’s long-in-the-works “Dix Park” film will be held here. As long as it’s not organized by the Junior League of Raleigh, we’re sure it’ll be a smashing success.

Real Estate Report

Every week, we plan to highlight an interesting Raleigh property that’s currently on the market, be it commercial, industrial or residential. In the future, we’ll leverage local realtors to get their properties listed here. E-mail wnfiv@itbinsider.com if you’re interested in featuring a listing here. Credit where it’s due: the one and only Triangle Explorer brought this one to our attention over the weekend.

The Gables Motor Lodge Property in Mordecai
*Note* As it happens, my new editor was so excited about this property that he demanded additional research so he could write his own separate post, which contains answers to some of the questions we’ve seen asked on social media in the last few days.

The Gables Motor Lodge is now for sale. Listed for a cool $1.5 million we imagine this 19-bedroom, 14-bathroom property could sell for well above asking price. The three-lot property is located at 1217, 1219, and 1221 Wake Forest Road in the historic Mordecai neighborhood.

The 8,000 square-foot Victorian motor lodge was first built in the 1920s and is located on a .51 acre lot just outside of downtown Raleigh. This is truly one of Raleigh’s most iconic properties, and no matter what happens to it, we hope the buyer leaves the old signage in place.

With Your Permit-ssion

On December 30, permits were issued for the latest iteration of the long-suffering Helios Cafe at 413 Glenwood Avenue. The issued permit is for “The Cortez Restaurant,” a new concept from the brothers Ibarra (Hector and Charlie) and their chef, Oscar Diaz from Jose and Sons. This was first announced in early December, and LLC filings indicate plans have been in the works since at least June of 2016. Hutchins Construction will handle the $28,000 worth of renovations.

Jose and Sons was recognized by City Council in September as part of Hispanic Heritage Month

Also coming to Glenwood South is the new La Santa Cantina Mexican restaurant, which received permits January 4. The $12,000 project by Morris Construction will renovate the space formerly occupied by the Tobacco Road Sports Cafe at 222 Glenwood Avenue. Like most local Mexican joints, it appears the walls will be adorned with enchanting artwork. Tobacco Road itself just reopened this past weekend in the former home of Natty Greene’s at 505 West Jones Street.

La Santa restaurant shared some of their future artwork from Alexa Paint and Design on their Facebook page

Work on the recently announced Mofu Shoppe restaurant from for the award-winning folks behind the insanely popular Pho Nomenal Dumplings food truck also received its final permits on December 30. For those of you in the dark: Raleigh’s most famous food truck was the 2015 winner of the Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. Also, the slogan on their webpage is “Two Girls, One Truck.” That’s pho-cking funny. And a little bit gross, to be honest. Integrated Commercial will be handling the $89,000 worth of renovations at 321 South Blount Street in City Market.

Speaking of first time storefront locations, Sweetheart Treats, a local purveyor of delectable desserts such as cupcakes, cake push pops, Rice Krispy treats, brownies and more, will soon be opening its doors in suite 105 at the Falls River Shopping Center on 10930 Raven Ridge Road. Owner Mary Hinton, who previously operated Sweetheart Treats out of her home, told us they hope to open by the end of the month. Hinton said in addition to the standard dessert fare, the shop will also be offering a Cupcake Bar with alcohol-infused cupcakes.

Ma’am, have you been drinking tonight?
No, but I had about four cupcakes…

Rounding out our restaurant news for the week, permits for the first Raleigh location of the award-winning national BBQ chain City Barbeque were issued December 30 for a spot at the new Olive Park shopping Center, where work is also underway for Raleigh’s second Bad Daddy’s burger joint. The fit-out of suite 108 will be handled by Wimco Corp for $375,000.

Speaking of Olive Park: the center also received permits on December 30 for Happy Smiles Dental, which will be built out by Old Fields Construction for $250,852.

Other recent permits of note:

A $105,785 interior alteration for an RPD training center at 4205 Spring Forest Road to be handled by Diamond Contracting
A trio of automotive shops including 1-800 Radiator, Lucho-Lube (heh) and Bryan’s Auto Repair at 2407 Paula Street, all of which will be done by Greensboro’s Bar Construction
$25,000 “stair and platform” addition at Finley’s favorite club Still Life at 401 N. West Street. That work will be handled by JBK Construction.

Site Unseen

A wave of site plan reviews were filed in the final weeks of 2016, an appropriate finale to a year that’s seen tremendous growth within the City of Oaks. Amanda Hoyle over at the Triangle Business Journal did the hard work of actually talking to the relevant parties for most of these projects, so we’ll just link to her articles when we can.

SR 1-17: The first site plan of 2017 was for a proposed Alamo Drafthouse cinema/eatery in the Longview Shopping Center at 2000 New Bern Avenue in East Raleigh. According to Hoyle, no deal has been inked with the owners of Alamo Drafthouse, which operates 25 locations around the country but none in North Carolina. Raleigh already has, of course, Raleighwood, and there’s the CineBistro over at Waverly Place, plus a number of other chains that serve beer or liquor, which we believe is one of the main appeals of the Drafthouse chain. If built, the site plan notes the new theater would clock in at around 58,000 square feet.

The Longview Shopping Center could eventually be home to North Carolina’s first Alamo Drafthouse

SR 103-16: Local developer and hero of the historic preservation movement James A. Goodnight filed site plans proposing to turn an existing gas station at 502 W. Lenoir Street into a brand new restaurant. Our friend James Willamor brought this one up on Twitter a few weeks ago, where we also heard the rumor that the new joint will be titled “Raise Up.” No such information is contained on the site plans, which only indicate that Goodnight plans to turn it into a restaurant/bar, and reduce the size from 5,084 square feet to 4,583 square feet. Built in 1948 and most recently home to Dusty’s Service Center, Goodnight has owned the property since 2014.

SR 101-16: More mixed-use for North Hills, new plans for the long-in-development Tower IV. We’re glad Hoyle wrote about this one, because the informational pages on the project found on the North Hills and Kane Realty websites contradict each other, and the site plan drawings only add to that confusion. It turns out Tower IV is actually *two* towers: a 20-story office tower and a 31-story residential tower. They’re also planning to cram a hotel and some retail use in there somewhere. The site plans indicate the towers will come in at a whopping 735,665 SF, with, 1,046 parking spaces, 35,199 SF of open space, 300 residential units and 198 hotel rooms. We cannot confirm nor deny whether WNFIV will be given the penthouse suite based on the “IV” at the end of his name.

A rendering of the proposed Tower IV at North Hills

SR 102-16: There’s been a lot of fear mongering in recent years, especially by those lunatics over at the Raleigh Public Record about an alleged lack of downtown hotel rooms, so hopefully this site plan will shut them up for a little while. This site plan describes a 13-story (bad omen), 259-room, 260,890 gross square-foot hotel that will be a “dual brand” Hilton Garden Inn & Homewood Suites developed by CN Hotels. I think “dual brand” means they charge you twice for the same room, but I could be mistaken. The hotel will be located at 200 West Davie near the intersection with South McDowell. The site plan also notes a proposed 14th-story terrace and differs from a 2015 proposal calling for a Hilton Garden Inn at the same location. This project was first brought to our attention by the ever-dutiful James Willamor on Twitter last month.

A rendering of the hotel proposed for the site in 2015

SR 108-16: Greystar, the apartment developer behind a number of Raleigh multifamily projects including The Gramercy, The Devon Four25, the Devon Seven12 (yes, those are the real names), 927 West Morgan and more, is now planning to expand outside the downtown core. Greystar plans to develop the Overture Centennial apartments on Western Boulevard across from Pullen Park. The site plans describe the Overture as a 182,720 SF, three-story 180 unit complex that will include 235 parking spaces. As of now, the plans call for 108 one-bedroom units and 72 two-bedrooms. Given Greystar’s track record, we imagine this will be another upscale complex catering to wealthy Raleigh urbanites who want to live in proximity to both Pullen and Dix Parks.

The proposed location for the new Overture apartments

A Zest for Zoning

While rezoning cases are a lot rarer in the era of the Unified Development Ordinance than they were in days past, there were a pair worth looking at filed in the month of December.

Z-45-16: A minor request to remove a restriction on a property — it would remain zoned commercial mixed use — for some acreage out by Triangle Town Center at the intersection of Triangle Town Center Road and Old Wake Forest — filed by apartment developer Faison Inc. In 2008, Faison submitted plans for the Triangle Place Promenade Apartments, and it looks like they’re still hoping to build some multifamily with limited retail out on the site.

Some new apartments could be built near Triangle Town Center

Z-47-16: Most rezoning cases are filed by developers seeking to increase the allowed use on a given parcel of land; this one caught our eye because it was put together by residents of the ITB Country Club Hills neighborhood off Glenwood Avenue and a little south of Woman’s Club Drive in an effort to reduce the overall zoning from R-4 to R-2. According to the applicants, this would “preserve the existing character” of the area and “discourage teardowns and the construction of houses that are not harmonious with existing neighborhood development.” Normally one of the only ways residents can fight encroaching development is to purchase surrounding lots; we like this more realistic — and legalistic — approach a lot better!

Residents of this Glenwood neighborhood want to preserve its character

Trolley Pub Almost Ruins Raleigh Christmas Parade

Published on November 21, 2016 in ITBNN by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Use this link or enter the code “ITB” to save 30% on your first order.

The events in this story are 100% accurate. This is not a joke. Post updated to include a response from the Trolley Pub owner.

The Raleigh Christmas Parade was almost derailed by a rogue Trolley Pub on Saturday. As you know, the Raleigh Christmas Parade, presented by Shop Local Raleigh, features a variety of groups and organizations from our community that we all know and love. For some reason, the Trolley Pub is allowed to participate, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with Christmas and brings joy to no one. While it is worth noting that the Trolley Pub partners with the American Diabetes Association for the parade, I still loathe 95% of their customers. This year, four Trolley Pubs were scheduled to ride in the parade, yet only three of them ended up participating.

When I posted this Zapruder-like film of the Trolley Pub being extremely loud and obnoxious at 9:30 am I had no idea that I was capturing the moments immediately before this rogue agent would be leaving the Christmas parade.

I thought being woken up by a marathon a few weeks ago was bad. Then this happened. The Trolley Pub in the Christmas parade. Is nothing sacred anymore? Be sure to turn the sound on to hear the guy yelling "REVERSE! REVERSE!"

A post shared by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Nov 19, 2016 at 6:44am PST

After seeing the video, sources reached out to inform me that this particular Trolley Pub was kicked out of the parade because they were being too loud, drunk, and obnoxious. Apparently, the riders had rented the buzzkill on wheels for a 30th birthday party and were told by the company that they would be able to ride in the Christmas parade. A chance to get drunk AND be the center of attention is what these people dream of.

According to two separate sources, the riders began drinking in the early hours of the morning. A parade official approached the group and informed them that alcohol was not allowed in the parade, to which one rider replied, “What?! But the point of this is to get DRUNK.” The parade official clarified that while getting “DRUNK” may be the point of the Trolley Pub, the point of the Christmas parade was to provide family entertainment for the people of all ages in attendance. The riders countered, “But we already paid for this, we’re riding in the parade whether you like it or not.” The parade official warned them that the Raleigh Police Department would have the right to cite them for having open containers in public. They resisted again, gave the official the one finger salute, at which point the parade official gave up to go check on Santa Claus. (Apparently, Santa’s tour rider demands check ins every 15 minutes) The Raleigh Police Department approached the Trolley Pub riders, determined that they were too intoxicated and obnoxious to be in public, and pulled them from the parade. One down, three to go.

A response from the Trolley Pub owner shed more light on the matter:

“This year I was out of town and apparently a tour asked/or was invited to join but were not informed of the rules. Our mistake. When one of the parade officials came up one of the customers got upset but quickly settled down. Management found out and we decided it was best for that group to exit the parade at a convenient point, and the tour agreed. That Trolley was cleared to enter the parade and participated for part of it but left early. So no Trolley Pub was “kicked out”.”

The parade began and crowds looked on in disgust as the remaining unholy trinity of Trolley Pubs slowly chugged down Hillsborough Street.

Uh, @WNFIV? We need to have a conversation about this. pic.twitter.com/LtQHlkmA3J

— Brian LeBlanc (@bdleblanc) November 19, 2016

Trolley Pubs in the parade? Someone alert @WNFIV

— Jay Deadbolt (@JayDeadbolt) November 19, 2016

Where's @WNFIV when you need him?? pic.twitter.com/Ek6g3PhryJ

— Mark Weldon (@tunehunter) November 19, 2016

Some of the best things in Wake County are featured in the parade. Trolley Pub is also in the parade. @WNFIV's favorite! pic.twitter.com/7enUMBvG8A

— Annie Sheffield (@DrywallAnchor) November 19, 2016

Most parents shielded their children from the horror. Some used it as a teaching experience on what not to do in life.

@WNFIV There were three of them. I covered my kids' eyes, then vomited. Outrageous.

— Gene Chianelli (@TheRealEWC) November 19, 2016

@WNFIV My four-year-olds: "What's that, Daddy?" Me: "The apocalypse." True story.

— Gene Chianelli (@TheRealEWC) November 20, 2016

After the Trolley trio had terrorized everyone and almost ruined the entire parade, a miracle happened. The sweet sounds so familiar to many of us could be heard coming down the street. It was the Broughton marching band, bringing the joy of Christmas to all. Once again Broughton saved the day, and no one even had to buy a mattress from them. (I still don’t understand why Broughton moved from selling fruit to selling mattresses to raise money for the marching band.)

@WNFIV will video of @BroughtonHSBand suffice for now? pic.twitter.com/hJllqsqmYp

— Brian Shrader (@wralbrian) November 19, 2016

Well done #Broughton band! pic.twitter.com/jwSuWzfh53

— WNCN (@WNCN) November 19, 2016

Overall, the parade was a huge success and enjoyed by all in attendance. I do have a few minor suggestions for next year:

Parade Improvements

1.) Ban all Trolley Pubs

2.) Add a Dogs of ITB float

3.) Include more Tahoes

4.) Hoverboards – not those fake ones that people break their legs on, the real ones from Back to the Future II. That movie already predicted the Cubs winning the World Series and the rise of Trump (Biff Tannen). Hoverboards can’t be that far off.

5.) More giant inflatable balloons. A Lemon La Croix can, for example.

6.) Famous live performers on floats, including: The Connells, a hologram Michael Jackson, and a hologram Nat King Cole.

7.) A Rise Biscuits float with a biscuit/donut canon that shoots biscuits and donuts out to the crowd.

8.) Felson’s Dance Floor Float – no explanation necessary

While it was good to see one less Trolley Pub in the parade, that’s not enough. I’ll be speaking with parade officials in the coming weeks to determine how to remove the Trolley Pub from the Raleigh Christmas Parade entirely. Stay tuned. And Merry Christmas!

Hopscotch Band Or…

Published on September 12, 2016 in ITBNN by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Now that the Hopscotch music festival has come and gone, it’s time to recap my favorite game, “Hopscotch band or…” where I question whether random words strung together are names of bands playing at Hopscotch or something else entirely. I would have posted this before the festival, but I didn’t want to risk having any of the bands, or Twitter social justice warriors, accuse me of some sort of microaggression, then attack me on social media and potentially hurt my burgeoning startup company. I’m just a small business trying to build a media empire. I’d love to dedicate more time to analyzing Hopscotch and why things like the picture below exist, but I’m busy running a company.

Spotted at Hopscotch…. Sun’s out, blowup dolls, suspenders, and short shorts out? #hopscotch15

A photo posted by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Sep 11, 2015 at 12:47pm PDT

Here are the 2016 entries for Hopscotch band or…

Housefire: Hopscotch band or ITB pastime? ????????????????? pic.twitter.com/5DMbtA8mNC

— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) September 9, 2016

Lacy Jags: Hopscotch band or flag football team at Lacy Elementary? #hopscotch16 pic.twitter.com/nkYITnJ7F7

— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) September 9, 2016

Rainbow Kitten Surprise: Hopscotch band or new type of ecstasy? Or both? #hopscotch16 pic.twitter.com/TeAyJlOavC

— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) September 9, 2016

Man Forever: Hopscotch band or poster boy for HB2 supporters? #hopscotch16 pic.twitter.com/l7pp7j4io5

— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) September 9, 2016

Ricky Eat Acid: Hopscotch band or what happens when you run out of Rainbow Kitten Surprise? #hopscotch16 pic.twitter.com/9jxkIA6bGN

— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) September 9, 2016

Downtown Raleigh

Wahlburgers Evicted From Downtown Raleigh

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Brookside Market & Pizza Closed

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Farewell to bu•ku’s Downtown Raleigh Location

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Sir Walter Apartments Renovation Begins

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That’s A Spicy Renovation

Top Real Estate Sales of 2018

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Week of May 15, 2017

Hummingbird Cafe Coming to Dock 1053

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New Pizza Place Coming to Fayetteville Street

They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot Pub

Hilton Midtown Renovations

North Ridge Country Club Upgrades to Leisure Pool

Progress on Exploris School

North Hills Neighbors Seek Shelter From Storm of Subdivisions

Land Swap Meet

510 Glenwood Set for a Facelift

Downtown Discotorium

Week of March 27, 2017

Hotel to Replace Shelton’s Furniture

Brewery Bhavana Opens Wednesday

Rooftop Bar at New North Hills Hotel

New Shops in Cameron Village

so•ca Now Open

Raleigh Provisions Opens in Downtown Raleigh

Mulino to replace Babylon, Babylon Moving to New Location

As one BBQ Door Closes, Another BBQ Door Opens

Auntie Anne’s Getting a Facelift

Demolition for Duke Raleigh Outpatient Rehab Center

Week of March 20, 2017

Plans Unveiled for Players’ Retreat Redevelopment

Hargett Place Designer Showcase and Open House

Fire Destroys Apartment and Damages Buildings

Real Estate Report

With Your Permit-ssion

Desperately-Needed Nightclub Replaces Raleigh Icon on Glenwood South

Downtown Domino’s

Construction Starts for Raleigh’s Eighth Sheetz

New ITB Cottages

Glenwood South Tailors + Alterations Releases Game Changing App

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Runologie Wins ITB Gold By Not Closing Raleigh Streets

Week of January 16, 2017

Real Estate Report

With Your Permit-ssion

ITBreaking Ground

Site Unseen

A Zest for Zoning

Planning for a Better Raleigh

Residents Fear Dave & Buster’s and Other Rumored Buyers

More on the Gables Motor Lodge

Week of January 9, 2017

Real Estate Report

With Your Permit-ssion

Site Unseen

A Zest for Zoning