Jibarra Moving Downtown
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”.
Empire Gets Extension
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.
City Votes for Plaza Land Condemnation
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.
111 Seaboard Project Canceled
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.
City Plaza Battles Continue
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:
City Manager Urges Reopening Bids for Site 4
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 Set To Open Mid-July
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
.
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.
7/14/08 Note: Solas is shooting for an 8/10/08 opening, though this is contingent on permits going through.
Good Evening, Raleigh
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.
Blount Street Commons Breaks Ground
The exciting redevelopment of four major downtown Raleigh blocks officially began today. Though site preparation has been ongoing for months, city officials were on hand this morning to break ground. The overhaul involves a 19-acre tract bounded by Peace, Person, Lane, and Wilmington Streets in Raleigh.
Centered around 25 historic houses dating to the mid 19th century, the Blount Street Commons project will add enough new construction to form a classic neighborhood including carriage houses, row houses, stacked townhomes, garden flats, and urban lofts. There will be almost 500 condominiums, and over 100K square feet of new retail space when the project is completed.
Coffee/Hookah Coming to Peace Street
The former Colonal Sanders (later Steak Out) location on Peace Street is being revamped and will open as a coffee and hookah lounge. Word is that the opening date will be some time in late August.
Hue Retail Taking Shape
Word is that some of the retail spaces in the upcoming
Hue condominium project
have been leased. Apparently a vegan restaurant, a day spa, and a pizza delivery service are the first to jump at these retail openings.
More good offerings are expected. The increase in walking traffic afforded by the relocation of Campbell Law School will create much street-level activity.
Mac To Go Under Knife
The Peace Street location of McDonald’s was gutted in 1986 in order to offer drive-thru service. After 22 years, it’s time for the site to be completely rebuilt. Word is that current location will close on September 30 after which a major renovation which will add 547 square feet and a new, swoopy look. It was previously thought that the site would be razed, however the artist renderings and
site plan
(.pdf) strongly hint at a major renovation instead.
Martin Street Pizza Open
After years of waiting, Martin Street Pizza is now open. In a casual, urban, chic setting, MSP offers a simple menu of pizza, salads, and a few sandwiches. While the room is a little sterile now, it won’t be long until the funky employees put a lot of personality into this soon-to-be mainstay of downtown fast-casual dining.
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