Ongoing concerns about parking have delayed the Edison Office project again.
Developer Gregg Sandreuter this week requested the Planning Commission rescind its prior approval of the project. He told Commissioners that parking needed further discussion before moving forward.
The 13-story mixed use building will be located on a 1.3-acre lot on the south side of Martin Street, between Wilmington and Blount Streets. About 9,000 square feet of retail space and 305,000 square feet of office space are planned for the building.
Commission members had previously approved a plan for the Edison to share parking with the upcoming SkyHouse Raleigh apartment building. The arrangement meant that developers were allowed to provide 592 parking spaces instead of the 740 required by current code.
At a previous Planning Commission meeting, Commissioner Steven Schuster expressed concern about the potential long-term impact of approving fewer parking spaces and the developer’s plans for shared parking.
“I’d like to hear the city’s perspective of whether having more renters in the decks that are built is perceived as a good thing, or is that potentially heading toward an unintended consequence down the road,” he said.
Commissioners agreed to rescind their prior approval of the project.
The Edison Office project will be discussed again at a future Planning Commission meeting.
The Lincoln Approved for the Moore Square Area
A new residential development is coming to the Moore Square area.
Commissioners approved plans for a 4-story, 224-unit multi-family development near Moore Square that includes an integrated parking deck.
The development will be located on a 2-acre block of land bounded by East Hargett Street, South Bloodworth Street, North East Street and East Martin Street.
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Developers requested approval of an alternate streetscape that would allow them to do 14-foot sidewalks on only one side of the development and 10-foot sidewalks on the remaining three sides. City code requires 14-foot sidewalks on all sides.
When asked for the reason for the change, Developer John Florian replied that it had nothing to do with money.
“We just feel it’s more residential,” he said. “We just feel it is better design.”
Trees and landscaping will be added along the street and against the building to add variety and soften the edge of the building.
Area resident Patricia Dixon spoke against the project.
“I live here. I garden here, and this is my community,” she said. “I would just like for it to be sensitive and thoughtful.”
The property is in a designated transitional area on the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Florian addressed this when discussing the project’s design.
“Part of the transitional areas is to be able to create a blend of the downtown fabric with the neighborhood fabric and the historic fabric in those areas,” he said. “So we’ve been sensitive in the design of the project in creating that blend.”
New Townhomes Coming to Wade Avenue
Commissioners approved plans for 10 new townhomes on a one-acre property south of the intersection of Wade Avenue and Duplin Road.
Landscape Architect Graham Smith discussed plans to remove existing drives that are blind due to the slope of the property and putting in one larger consolidated driveway, addressing a concern from resident Ted Emigh.
Another resident, John Tate III, voiced his concerns about developer’s plans to include only 21 parking spaces. Tate said he has observed parking issues for years, and questioned where guests of the townhomes will park given the lack of on-street parking in the area.
