Euphorius

I think this building will really add to the skyline at night. There are lots of opportunities for a dramatic lighting scheme like SECU, especially with the swooped roof.

I'm hoping it's wood. Sandstone is very patio around the mcmansion pool.

I really hope so, because this one isn't hitting on much. I like the wood around the base. It looks a little more inviting than the base shown in the previous renderings.

They have updated renderings on the website. The only thing that is changed is the base, and it's a slight change. http://chartersquare.com/building-details/

The new Hibernian is open and work is starting on Carolina Ale House. Also, Taverna Agora is moving beside Second Empire. http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/05/3676397/inside-the-beltline-restaurant.html

Yet another NYT article on Raleigh. This time it isn't featuring "The Triangle" it's just Raleigh. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/travel/36-hours-in-raleigh-nc.html?smid=fb-share

New updates and renderings for Union Station from the meeting today. http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/27/3660026/raleigh-union-station-plans-add.html

This is definitley more impressive than the usual "best of" lists we show up on.

The toll section of 540 isn't a problem, but it's stop and go from Capital to Glenwood every morning. 40 is better since they added the extra lane, but it's still slow moving during both rush hours. Our traffic definitely isn't as bad as Atlanta, but it is close to being as bad as Charlotte. I travel all across the Triangle for work, and I have to add 30 minutes to the time my GPS says it will take me to get to my destination every morning. Sometimes that still isn't enough extra time.

I thought the same thing when I read how much GE let the land go for. RTF got an amazing deal on that land.

According to the N&O article, this is going to be Park Center. The new master plan for RTP shows Park Center and Kit Creek Center being the smaller, not quite as densly developed centers of the 3 new development areas. I can only imagine how large their dreams are for Triangle Commons given how much hype has already surrounded this smaller development center. http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/03/3588172/rtp-to-build-new-retail-residential.html

It kind of sounds like this will be the anchor for Triangle Commons. Or maybe project ARCHIE is Triangle Commons in its entirety

I lump PNC Plaza in with the clunky, clumsy looking box buildings. Abomination may have been too strong of a word, but I still think it's ugly. The ground level is really nice, but once it gets to the first stepback, it's all over. It's hideous from there on up. To me, the only nice thing about the tower is the color of the glass.

PNC Plaza is a lot better than the Mariott. I just don't like how the tower looks. There is a blurb in this article about $6 million in improvements to the Mariott that is supposed to happen this summer. http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/01/29/3575113/real-deals-will-new-marriott-in.html

Downtown is definitely lacking hotel rooms. This is not a bad hotel. It's just not a hotel that should be downtown. This is something that should be near 440 or 540.

Exactly! That mindset is what has left us with abominations like PNC Plaza and City Center Mariott. City council was so scared that the developers would run away if they demanded better architecture, and now we are stuck with those ugly buildings. They did defeat the humpback top on PNC Plaza, but what we got instead is a dunce cap.

Yet another boring box in shades of blend right in brown and assimilationist beige. Is there no hope for noteworthy architecture in Raleigh? What is it going to take to wake up the city council to the fact that we are building one of the most boring calling card pictures in our peer city group? I know I sound like such a buzz kill, but this is just disheartening. Do most cities go through this "let's let the developers build whatever boring box they want to" phase before the real architecture shows up? This is a complete 180 from Hatem's proposal.

I agree with that. I know Raleigh isn't a city that is highly regarded for urban architecture, but I really wish these developers would put at least a little thought into their designs. I was just happy to see new buildings when downtown development really started to pick up steam, but with each new lackluster proposal I become more and more cynical toward the lack of stand out architecture. Maybe I expect too much.

It's not the use of the building that bothers me. It's the design. They could use the most expensive materials in the world to finish the exterior of this building, but it won't make the design any more appealing. This onslaught of rehashed Eastern Bloc style housing in downtown isn't going to help the image of our area. 3 year olds create better looking buildings out of Lego blocks and Lincoln Logs. I just find it hard to believe that developers can't find a way to make a building attractive while still being cost effective. This reeks of copy and paste architecture. I'd almost be willing to bet that it was a pre-programmed design on whatever software they used to design the building.

I was kind of hoping this project would die. I'd rather look at a surface lot than another Hue looking monstrosity. This is such a waste of prime land. It's a pure shame Coopers was torn down to build this.

Having another stepback would make it look much better. It would be nice if they were going to add a few floors for luxury penthouse suites.

There is also a night version of that pic. It's quite impressive. I can't figure out how to get just the pic on here. The photographer has disabled right clicks on the images. Here is the link. http://raleighskyline.com/content/2013/11/16/the-north-carolina-skyline-at-night/

So they hired these consultants to come in and tell us what we already know, and what the plan that was presented to commissioners years ago already said? Sounds about par for course. We've only been studying transit plans for the area for 30 years. If Coble and his ilk have their way, we will still be planning for rail transit in 2050. If Coble runs another campaign you can count on this showing up as a spun to death talking point. It will probably sound something like, "I saved the Wake taxpayers over a billion dollars on a train that nobody will ride."

Looks like the Ale House is finally moving forward. http://m.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2013/10/15/demolition-in-glenwood-south-marks-the.html?ana=e_du_pap&s=article_du&ed=2013-10-15&r=full

5 of the retail spaces now have signed leases. I'm not sure how many retail spaces are in this building, but we can count on 2 restaurants, a coffee shop, a workout studio, and a massage/spa place. http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/12/3189596/niall-hanley-readies-three-restaurants.html More info near the bottom of the article.