Raleigh clears new downtown towers up to 20, 40 stories with living, retail and office space

Downtown Raleigh is going to keep growing with the recent approval of new projects up to 20 and 40 stories in height.

Source: Kayli Thompson
Published On: October 19, 2022

Downtown Raleigh is going to keep growing with the recent approval of new projects up to 20 and 40 stories in height.

On Tuesday, the Raleigh City Council voted unanimously to approve a rezoning for 121 and 131 S. Boylan Ave, which sits across Hargett Street from Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing and is adjacent to the Block83 development in Glenwood South, from seven stories to up to 20 stories with conditions.

The 0.69-acre site is owned by Neari Coleman Associates, which is partnering with Tennessee-based developer Hutton to develop the site. The rezoning application indicates the project will include residences and office and retail space.

The maximum number of units allowed is 231 while there can be up to 194,000 square feet of office space and up to 19,000 square feet of retail space. One of the conditions attached to the rezoning is that the owner must provide tenants at least 120 days written notice before lease termination. The properties currently hold houses that are rented out.

The total assessed value for the properties is about $3 million.

Molly Stuart with Morningstar Law Group told the council the request for taller development is because the adjoining property for an 18-story tower in Bloc83 includes a 7-story parking garage. The original rezoning request called for a 7-story mixed-use project called Bloomsbury Mixed Use. When Neari Coleman saw Bloc83’s plans, it reconsidered. If Neari and Hutton were to build only seven stories, half of the residences in the building would face the parking garage. To avoid that, Stuart said they want to make the first seven stories ground-level retail and a parking garage with residences on top.

The Boylan Avenue site will be Hutton’s fourth multifamily project, the others being in Arkansas, South Carolina and Florida. Neari Coleman also owns 118 S. Boylan Ave., which is across the street, and 115 St. Mary’s St.

Hotel site to change

Council also voted unanimously to approve up to 40 stories with conditions at 200 W. Lane and 300 N. Dawson streets. The 0.95-acre site includes The Longleaf Hotel and Lounge and the property next to it. The previous zoning was for up to 12 stories.

Owner Loden Properties of Raleigh will develop the space for office and retail, according to the rezoning application. Residences will also likely be involved as it will be a tower allowing for a maximum of 1,056 residential units. More than 1 million square feet of office space and 31,047 square feet of retail is allowed.

Loden previously said that if the rezoning is approved, the 2-year-old boutique hotel will become part of the new development. The Longleaf Hotel sits along Capital Boulevard and serves as a gateway into downtown. Loden acquired the property in 2019 for $6.5 million, turning a run-down Days Inn into the 57-room hotel it is today.

The total assessed value for the two sites is $6.37 million.

Conditions attached to the rezoning include a public art installation and restriction of the types of businesses that can lease space.

The rezoning for this site is taller than its surrounding buildings, which are all mostly government buildings. The property is in a core transit area and located within the station area of two station locations of the future Bus Rapid Transit system.

Loden has several projects in the works in the Triangle, including the recently acquired 14 Glenwood Ave. as part of its ongoing plans in Glenwood South with Northpond Partners.

Raleigh clears new downtown towers up to 20, 40 stories with living, retail and office space

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