Friday, March 27, 2015
Periodically, poring over the plethora of permitted projects produces a chuckle or two over a particularly clever business name – in the past, we’ve enjoyed restaurants with names like Pho Pho Pho, for example. But last week saw permits issued for a business whose name we love to death – Puny Human Software.
Wikimedia Commons
They sure don\’t make TV Shows like they used to
For those not in the know, the name is a reference to the Hulk, a superhero so indomitable that he survived an awful 70s TV show and two disappointing solo films before becoming the breakout star of The Avengers movie in 2012. See, when hulked out, Bruce Banner would refer to his fellow, non-irradiated hominids as “Puny Humans.” Not the world’s greatest put-down, but really, who’s going to tell a giant green monster that his insult game needs work?
Anyway, Kimco Realty is spending $30k to renovate a space for the software company at the Pleasant Valley Promenade on Glenwood Avenue. Appropriately enough, this little shopping center is also home to Game Theory. What better way for the developers of Blade Symphony and Dystopia to unwind than some rousing tabletop adventure games?
As much as we like projects whose names are either clever puns or references to childhood hobbies this reporter has never outgrown, one of our favorite categories of projects is libraries. Are libraries? Not sure, clearly we need to be spending more time in them. We’ve written about some of Raleigh’s great libraries in the past, and last week, Wake Tech received permits to the tune of $129,896 to renovate 1,000 square feet of their “Health Science Library” near the Holly Hill Hospital. Muter Construction will be handling the work. I’m sure there’s some kind of joke in there about a “mute” company being ideally suited for library work, but, eh.
Wake Tech
Wake Tech Health Sciences Campus
Thursday, March 26, 2015
The largest renovation permit issued last week was for a million dollar renovation at an office park on Yonkers Road just off Capital Boulevard and just inside the beltline.
Wake County
2000 Yonkers Road
While many commuters may know the office complex better by the sign out front — “Consulado General De Mexico” — the renovation is actually for a new tenant — Turning Point Family Care.
The land in question on which this renovation will be taking place has been owned by York Properties since 1984. Incidentally, McDonald-York Construction will be handling this $1,000,000 renovation project.
The next three largest renovations last week were another group of Food Lions. Which ones? Does it matter? They’re all getting renovated, at some point, so if the one nearest you is in desperate need of a makeover, don’t worry. It’s coming. Actually, do worry, because once they renovate the place, it’s going to be impossible to find anything. Trust me.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
The West at North in downtown Raleigh will soon be adding another amenity to draw in visitors and residents alike — permits were issued March 20 for the Oak City Market Brewery at 400 West North Street.
Downtown Raleigh Alliance
The West at North
Gurkin Construction will be handling the job, which will encompass 16,502 square feet and is valued on the permits at slightly more than $480, 000. We don’t have much information on the project beyond its name, which leads us to believe it’s either an ice cream parlor or a haberdashery.
The West at North was originally built in 2008; county documents show that the units were sold at prices ranging from $200-$500,000. This reporter has been there, and it’s pretty nice. How could a place that has a rooftop pool not be nice? And also a rooftop “hangout” area. And of course, the units themselves are amazing.
Here’s a little description from the owner’s website that shows the kind of environment Oak City Market Brewery will be entering into:
Exclusive conveniences include: reserved covered parking spaces, secured building access, ground-floor retail shops and restaurants, Residents’ Room, state-of-the-art kitchens, panoramic skyline views, Wi-Fi throughout, enclosed private parking, residents-only high-speed elevators, and more.
Note — I didn’t feel it was appropriate to write about the tragic accident that occurred at Charter Square Monday in this space. It was a terrible thing that happened, and covering it in this column would be a disservice. The News & Observer and the local television stations have covered the story well, and I recommend reading some of their coverage if you haven’t already. The second link has some information about the victims.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Welcome back to Teardown Tuesday here on the Development Beat. Today, we look at a religious-themed demolition project.
Having been raised in the Catholic Church, this reporter isn’t sure whether Presbyterians also adhere to the whole “give up something you enjoy during Lent” — ice cream was a frequent victim to this practice — but if so, members of the White Memorial Presbyterian Church on Oberlin Road are giving up something pretty big indeed.
Wake County
The building in 2011
Demolition permits were issued for the “parsonage” located at 1700 Oberlin Road. The church purchased the property in November of last year, so it’s not so much that they’re losing a building as making way for a new one. White Memorial paid $959,000 for the parcel.
Cecil Holcomb Demolition will be tearing down the 3,973 square foot building, which was first constructed in 1941, at a cost of $26,600. Until the church purchased it last year, the home had remained in one family since its original construction — the Greens. Initially owned by a group made up of Bertha Gardner and Minnie & TE Green, the house was then sold in 1954 to a group consisting of Anna Green Ligon and Thomas E Green Jr. In 2008, the property was acquired by the Anna Green Ligon Trustee, which eventually sold it to the church.
Monday, March 23, 2015
When we wrote about the demolition of the Crazy Fire Mongolian Grill on Old Wake Forest Road earlier this month, we didn’t have any idea what would be taking its place. Now we do.
Don’t hold your breath for anything exciting though — although the project is categorized as a restaurant on the permits, it’s titled “Shell Building for Mattress Pro.” Because there’s a serious shortage of mattress stores in the area.
Google Maps
Seriously.
The owner listed on the permits is PHD @ Old Wake Forest LLC. The same company, under slightly different names, is also the one responsible for the Panera Bread that replaced the Fat Daddy’s on Glenwood and the one that tore down a fire station to build … a Mattress Firm.
90 Miles From Tyranny
Here comes the meat wagon!
While Bradley Construction handled the construction of the 4,167 square foot Mattress Firm at 2913 Wake Forest Road for $621,402, Callahan Construction is doing the 4,001 square-foot Mattress Pro at 7201 Old Wake Forest Road. I wonder if they sent in Tommy Callahan to make the hard sell on their services. Although that significantly lower cost for the build out might go a long way toward explaining how they got the job. We’re not saying this is the case here, as Callahan is pretty well established, but often times a contractor will take on a job at a loss to get in good with a developer. Good old capitalism.
There’s not really much more to say about this project. It’s a mattress store. Like banks and pharmacies, we have no idea why there’s so many of them. At least with all those new apartments, well, people need a place to live. Do they need a dozen plus options when it comes time to buy a new mattress? Oh well. Must be decent money in it if it’s the developer’s second in the area. Always a good thing when a business succeeds, so we wish them the best.
