Upscale Mexican restaurant Jibarra is moving to The Depot complex downtown in “early Fall”. The restaurant’s current location will close on August 3 and convert to El Rodeo.

“I’ve been extremely impressed by the present and future plans for the downtown area; we obtained an excellent location, a space situated in the Historic Depot, and feel it has the makings to become a vibrant, contemporary Mexican restaurant,” owner Joel Ibarra explained.

The new restaurant will move away the existing chic, contemporary decor and go with a more industrial look. New City Design, which previously worked with Porter’s, Duck and Dumpling, and Fins, will handle the design.

I love what Jibarra is striving to be. The menu has disappeared from the website, but it is a restaurant aiming at difficult Mexican food similar to Rick Bayless’ and Rosa Mexicano’s (warning: music) cuisines. Jibarra will still offer dishes such at Conchinta Pibil (a Yucatecan specialty in which pork is marinated in sour oranges and annatto seeds) and Cabrito (a slow roasted young goat left on the bone that reaches fork tenderness), as well as their robust tequila menu.

My numerous experiences have been mostly hits, and Jibarra is an unequivocal asset to Raleigh. The new downtown location will be even better fit for their concept. I think this move officially marks North Raleigh as “Dead”.

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Don’t forget, regardless of portrait or landscape orientation, the proper way to display the flag (for this purpose) is with the stars on the upper left. The photo on the left, which appears on the back page of today’s North Raleigh Observer, shows a house of patriots who simply rotated their flag 90 degrees. They needed to rotate and flip, like North Hills did, to put the stars in the right place.

At 1330 St. Marys an outdated office building is being gutted and reinvented. The office building was originally designed for doctors offices supporting the former Rex Hospital across the street. The hospital moved to its current location in 1980, and the building has seen better days. The Lewis Group has high hopes for their project, and has a website for the project that includes much information, including an nice summary about the Hayes Barton neighborhood:

The finest representation of Raleigh’s upper class domestic architecture is found in Hayes-Barton, a ca. 1920 suburb named for Sir Walter Raleigh’s birthplace in Devon, England.  Hayes-Barton is bordered by Glenwood Avenue, Fairview Road, Williamson Drive and St. Mary’s Street and is abundant with Pecan and Willow Oaks as well as faithful reproductions of Georgian and Colonial Revival homes that date back to the mid 1920s. Hayes-Barton remains an area of impeccably manicured landscapes and well-maintained facades, and still houses many of the capital city’s most politically and socially influential citizens.

Before the Raleigh city limits extension of 1920, the Five Points intersection consisted of dirt crossroads between adjacent farmlands owned by B. Grimes Cowper and Mrs. B.P. Williamson. In 1912 electricity provided by Carolina Power and Light Company powered a trolley line from Peace Street northward up the center of Glenwood Avenue to the newly created Bloomsbury Amusement Park, behind what is now the Carolina Country Club. Brilliantly lit on weekend evenings, Bloomsbury Park housed a roller coaster, a boathouse overlooking the lake, and a carousel. Within several years the picnic and amusement facility dissolved and later the carousel was moved to Pullen Park.

As is usually the case, development followed the transportation system, bringing scattered homes and a store or two to the Hayes Barton area between 1912 and WW I. With much foresight, The Allen Brothers realty firm struck an agreement with the two farmland owners to develop their combined 175-acre property. The former’s land was situated on the west side of Glenwood while the latter’s holdings were located to the east of Glenwood. Landscape architect Earle Sumner Draper was commissioned to create a design based upon principles seen earlier in Charlotte’s Myers Park. All lots have 40 feet of frontage and the natural contours of the land were preserved. Hayes-Barton appealed to the well-to-do with its promise of private large wooded lots and close proximity to downtown Raleigh. The Fairview Company, which sold the lots, saw a slow start in the post World War I economy. By the end of 1921, however, nearly two-thirds of the lots were purchased.

Hayes-Barton continues to grow, still offering the convenience of downtown Raleigh and the beauty of Draper’s well-preserved plan.  The area remains known as one of Raleigh’s most historical, cultural and influential addresses.

Wild Ocean 3D is opening this Friday at the IMAX Theatre. It’s an action-packed documentary exploring the interplay between man and our endangered ocean ecosystem. The film highlights one of nature’s greatest migration spectacles, plunging viewers into an underwater feeding frenzy, an epic struggle for survival where whales, sharks, dolphins, seals, gannets and billions of fish collide with the most voracious sea predator, mankind. Filmed off the Wild Coast of South Africa and set to the rhythm of the local people, Wild Ocean reveals the economic and cultural impact of the ocean while celebrating the communal efforts to protect our invaluable marine resources.

While Wild Ocean explores the causes and effects of man’s impact, it is an inspirational film looking toward a bright future, taking audiences to a rare unspoiled marine wilderness to glimpse what the oceans of the world once looked like. The film champions the creation of marine reserves necessary to bring our oceans back to life. South Africa currently leads the way in this effort.

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JELD-WEN windows and doors recently announced its “Reliable Lighthouse Restoration Initiative”. Public voting is now open for selecting a winning lighthouse to receive new windows and doors from JELD-WEN. Bodie Island Lighthouse is among the 12 finalists, and your vote can help the tower win 8 windows and one door that are reproductions of the originals.

As you may recall, Bodie Island Lighthouse was pulled from the budget just minutes before the US Senate voted in December 2007. Funding for its restoration will be requested again, but it has been passed over for several years, and there is no guarantee of its future funding. Help restore the windows and door by voting today.

The Raleigh City Council voted unanimously to grant a 4-month extension to Empire Properties for their proposal to develop a piece of city land known as Site 4. The City Manager’s suggestion was to reopen the bidding process to interested developers, as Empire has missed deadlines for submitting site plans and cannot prove any serious financial support for the project. The City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Empire Properties to develop the property 24 months ago.

One of the issues at hand is the agreement for the widening of Salisbury Street in front of the property. The widening is needed according to preliminary site plans, and Empire agreed to split the costs of construction, about $100,000 total, with the city. Contract work is done and the city is almost ready to begin the work, but has received no funds for the project from Empire.

The city voted to grant an extension until November 1 on three conditions:

• The funds for widening Salisbury St. be presented
• A site plan be submitted for approval
• No more extensions

While the first two items are clear success criteria, the issue of “no more extensions” is vague. If Empire presents with only an updated site plan and $50,000 funding for the street widening, but no proof of funding, is the project still theirs? If so, then when should they prove funding, and would this be, in fact, an “extension”?

Clearly Empire received preferential treatment in the extension of this agreement based on the merits of their previous work. Their attention to detail in renovating some of downtown’s oldest buildings is obviously appreciated. Hopefully they can excel in creating tomorrow’s historical building at Site 4 as well.

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The Raleigh City Council voted 6-1 today (Mayor Meeker abstaining, Councilor Isley dissenting) to grant City Manager Russell Allen condemnation rights for the remaining piece of private land needed to proceed with the public City Plaza. The $24M project, which includes improvements for the extension of Fayetteville Street to Lenoir St., has been on hold due to easement negotiations with The Simpson Company, owners of the Bank of America building. The City Manager will continue negotiations with Simpson in the coming weeks, but can now push forward to sue for condemnation proceedings.

The project’s preliminary schedule calls for completion on September 2, 2009. More specifically:

• 8/1/08: Complete permitting
• 9/9/08: Begin Construction
• 8/7/09: Open Street to Traffic
• 9/2/09: Project Complete

The plan for the project has been scaled down in the last year to manage costs. Originally there were to be 4 water features, however the current plan calls for only one. It will be an active, interactive water fountain in front of the Bank of America Building that will supposedly sense pedestrians’ movements and react in certain ways. There will also be four separate pavilions in the plaza which will handle small retail outlets, art displays, etc.

Fayetteville Street will run straight through the project with no elevated curb. Instead, bollards will demarcate pedestrian and vehicular zones during normal programming. However when the street is closed for special events the plaza will appear as one big space. Paver patterns for the plaza have been changed to reduce costs as well.

The plaza’s marquis feature is the set of four City of Oaks Light Towers. Designed by local artist Jim Gallucci, the towers appear to be planned for 40-50 feet in height. The actual details of the designs were not presented, though it was mentioned that their fabrication will take 9 months.

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The proposal for a bypass road on the west side a Crabtree Valley Mall has been debated for 40 years. The middle third of the project, Crabtree Valley Avenue, is complete, but its planned extensions appear to be doomed.

The current recommendation is to finally remove the road from the city’s comprehensive plan. After all this time, the City has not found justification for its existence. Today the City Council recommended pushing the topic back to committee to consider its need with the ensuing developments behind Crabtree. According to Michell Silver’s presentation today, though, it is likely that this road will not be included in the new comprehensive plan for the city.

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Newfoundland trio Great Big Sea will bring their brand of Celtic/Folk/Pop Rock to Fletcher Hall (in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts) on October 29.

Truth be known, their hit “Sea of No Cares” was one of my favorite songs of 2002.

Apparently the York Properties condo venture near the Seaboard area, 111 Seaboard, has been canceled due to “changing circumstances and uncertain timing.” Reservations are being released and refunds are being made.

Tomorrow’s City Council meeting (1pm - TWC channel 11) contains an agenda item that is critically important to the continued Fayetteville St. renaissance. Plans for the City Plaza, situated between the two former Hannover towers, aim to offer a living room for the city. However city leaders and one of the plaza’s owners, The Simpson Organization (an Atlanta-based real estate firm), have not been able to agree about certain undisclosed terms.

It has been speculated that the controversy centers around issues with the underground parking garage. The plaza’s opening was supposed to coincide with that of the new convention center Marriott hotel, but tomorrow City Manager Russell Allen will formally present a plan for the City of Raleigh to condemn Simpson’s land and move forward with plaza construction.

Simpson had earlier agreed to design, construct, and fund the four pavilions, as well as furnish other improvements to the space. It is unclear what Simpson’s involvement in the plaza’s construction will be should the condemnation proceed. Boyd Simpson, though, is clearly unhappy about the situation:

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One of the main pieces to the Convention District redevelopment plan, Site 4 (.pdf file), has returned to the city’s microscope. The City currently has an agreement with Empire Properties for development of “Site 4″. The current plan calls for a 21-story,  Stephen B. Jacobs-designed boutique hotel/condo project that would feature a rooftop restaurant and pool and an external glass elevator. The Lafayette was originally expected to open in 2009, however work still hasn’t begun due to financing troubles.

Empire Properties recently missed an April deadline extension to submit revised plans to the City of Raleigh. Now City Manager Russell Allen is calling for the removal of Empire as site developer and the opening of the site to a new bidding process. Allen claims that other companies have both expressed interest in developing the property, and requested reopening the parcel for public bids. Allen’s recommendations state:

That the City Council declare the Purchase, Sale and Development Agreement between the City of Raleigh and Empire Properties for the development of City Site #4, ratified March 7, 2007, and amended March 27, 2008 to be in default by the Developer, and direct the City Attorney to collect the Good Faith Deposit ($14,450) from the Escrow Agent as a reasonable liquidation, and upon receipt of the Good Faith Deposit that the City Council release the Developer of any further liability under the Agreement.

Authorize the City Manager to prepare and issue a Request for Proposals for the development of City Site #4, in general accordance with the mix of land uses and intensities included in the first RFP.

The topic is on the agenda for the Raleigh City Council’s meeting tomorrow at 1 pm. This should be interesting, folks. Empire’s president, Greg Hatem, is a close, personal friend of many on the City Council. Will the council grant Hatem, a proven renovation specialist, an additional extension on his project as they have to the Reynolds family (for their proposed tower on Hillsborough Street)? Will the city vote to stop losing money on a site going undeveloped for so many additional months (with no apparent end in site)?

No matter who ends up developing the property, the end result needs to be the addition of an architecturally significant, nice hotel in the Convention Center area.

Solas (Gaelic for “light”), the new 3-story entertainment complex on Glenwood Ave (next to Helios) is set to open on July 17. The new building replaces the old brake shop, and will feature a first-floor restaurant, second floor nightclub, and a third floor rooftop patio. The project is backed by Hibernia Entertainment, and was designed by New City Design Group.

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NOTE: We are apparently in the Twilight Zone. The above information was based on the countdown clock on Solas’ website. However, as of 10:35pm on 6/1/08, the site now reports that Solas will be open in 17 days, 49 hours, 24 mins, 21 secs. Apparently the clock is not actually functional. Oh well. We’ll keep waiting.

Dusk falls upon Raleigh to end a perfectly beautiful summer day. The nearly completed RBC Tower, convention center, shimmer wall, and Marriott all wait for tomorrow.

It looks like May 22, 23, and 24 (2009) are the big days for which Bob The Builder fans (warning: music) have been waiting. Check Ticketmaster for tickets.

WPTF (680am) has hired Scott Fitzgerald away from Cincinnati’s WLW (700am). Fitzgerald’s father, Jim Scott, has been the 40-year morning host at WLW, but Fitzgerald is putting his dreams of taking his father’s seat one day on hold. This will be Fitzgerald’s first full time on-air gig.

As previously mentioned, Cameron Village is set to get a new noodle shop. Turns out that Noodles & Co. will be taking the spot formerly occupied by The Grape. The quickly growing chain outlet offers noodles in three styles (Asian, Mediterranean, and American) at rock bottom prices, according to the Durham location’s menu (.pdf file).

Cameron Village’s newest boutique offering, Francesca’s Collections, opens Monday. Located on Woodburn St. (in the strip that contains Talbots) Francesca’s features women’s apparel, jewelry, accessories, and gifts. This will be Francesca’s fourth North Carolina store.

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The Art Institute of Charlotte, a branch of the national Art Institutes brand, is opening a branch in the Triangle. Classes at the Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham will begin on August 21. The institute will occupy about 34,000 square feet in the American Tobacco District complex in Durham.

“I am excited about the opportunity for The Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham to provide a career focused, market driven education to the residents of the Triangle and surrounding communities,” said Michael DePrisco, newly appointed president of The Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham.  “We look forward to working with the many fine businesses and community agencies in the region to help meet their employment needs.”

The Raleigh Wide Open 3 (RWO3) celebration, set to begin Friday, September 5, will be a 36-hour fiesta this year. The fun begins with a Noon ribbon cutting, while at 5pm that afternoon RWO3 will take over Fayetteville Street.

The celebration this year is focused primarily on the opening of the new 500,000 square foot convention center, where the International Flavor Festival will be running.

Saturday’s celebration begins at 11am and ends at 11pm with the music of Lou Gramm, lead singer for Foreigner.