20-story development allowed near Dix Park and downtown Raleigh
The City Council approved a more than 1 million square-foot, mixed-use development near Dorothea Dix Park and downtown Raleigh on Tuesday night.
It was the last hurdle for the 9-acre development, located on a triangle between Western Boulevard, South Saunders and South Dawson streets. It is one of the first major redevelopment projects proposed near Dix Park.
The rezoning will allow up to 20 stories on the property. Only three stories were previously allowed there.
Project details are scarce, but the site can now have multiple buildings with a total of 1 million square feet of office space; 312,000 square feet of retail space; 975 residential units, some of them “micro-units”; and a hotel with nearly 400 rooms.
“From my perspective, this is the type of development we want to see developed near the park,” said Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin. “It is going to be on a (bus-rapid transit) line, so transit friendly. I really like the idea of micro-units there, so they were thoughtful in determining what kind of housing options would go there.”
Raleigh-based Merge Capital submitted the proposal in late 2018. The property comprises over a dozen parcels nearing $2 million in total value. A few businesses, including an car repair shop, are located on the property now.
‘A gateway project,’ says developer
“This is a gateway project,” said Corey Mason, one of the developers “It is really an iconic sort of site of for city, and so we need to do the right thing for it. What we put here really matters.”
The architecture needs to be the best the city has seen, it must connect to the greenway system and it must have a connection to Dix Park, he said.
“We have made a significant investment as a city in the largest park planing process in the country,” Mason said. “This will be the first project to reinforce that investment, if you will.”
The project will include 3.5 acres of “preserved natural environment” and public access to Rocky Branch Creek. The revitalization and expansion of the creek is one of the first parts of the development plan for Dix Park. There is also an opportunity for shared parking for Dix Park, according to the presentation.
No one spoke against the project during Tuesday’s public hearing. The Southwest Citizens Advisory Council voted in favor of the project.
“I think it is a transformational project for not only (Southwest Raleigh), but for the southern gateway into the city,” said Council member Saige Martin. “What I really appreciated about the development team who came forward is their commitment to the community conversation and taking that feedback and really seeing the value in it.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 4:41 PM.
