what/where is royal bean? is that the one with no AC?

6/20/2014 12:32:53 PM

^ coffee shop in the old Royal building across from Meredith and they have AC

I know that they've had a few different owners over the years, but no idea what the current situation is. it's a good spot.

6/20/2014 2:40:37 PM

That's a shame if they've shut down. Place seemed pretty cool.

All things considered though I do think the Royal Bakery is kind of cursed. It's a very cool space, but it's far enough down Hillsborough that the places there can't seem to sustain business, other than Ben & Jerry's and whatever the hell the sports bar is currently called. I think it needs a destination tenant, but why would one want to relocate there? Dilemma.

6/22/2014 2:13:34 PM

I've been to Brickhouse there a few times and been to Jasimine's more than a few times at that location and they each have always had a good crowd. Do agree they need some kind of destination type tenant there though.

Saw that the old Sylvia's/Hot Box place still lists "Spring 2014" as when the rooftop seating would be finished and ready for whoever the next tenant may be - guess that didn't work out.

6/22/2014 6:16:57 PM

Quote :

"I know that they've had a few different owners over the years "

I worked at Royal Bean when they first opened up. In fact, I trained all the staff. The original owner was the wife of the owner of The Goat.

I don't know who runs it now but last time I went in there (last year around back to school time), the place was empty, looked dirty and the coffee was not good. I don't know if they switched coffee from the one that Amanda (the original owner) was using. Royal Bean is also one of the more expensive coffee shops on Hillsborough St.

Ah, yes...apparently they aren't using the same coffee that Amanda was using. She was getting her beans from Mr. Toad's Coffee in Cary and Google tells me they closed in 2009

[Edited on June 22, 2014 at 8:50 PM. Reason : f]

6/22/2014 8:48:45 PM

http://bizj.us/yhjlz

Lower cost, light rail alternative could be coming to Hillsborough to connect main campus and Centennial Campus.

7/2/2014 7:10:09 PM

lol yeah right, that looks like some vaporware shit

7/2/2014 7:40:04 PM

People have been hyping up PRT as this low cost magic bullet transit system for decades now and no one has ever managed to build a successful one outside of airports. None of the theory behind it seems to hold up when it's actually tried to put into practice.

7/2/2014 8:54:53 PM

^^^I'm still waiting on the thing similar to this on Western Blvd... wasn't that supposed to happen in the late 90's?

oh, and WVU has something similar looking... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgantown_Personal_Rapid_Transit
I've been on it.

7/2/2014 11:33:00 PM

I hear if that thing opens then all the brain dead slobs will be given cushy jobs.

7/3/2014 1:45:10 PM

Bingo - PRT is vaporware.

Problem is, they may be able to build it cheaply for all the physical infrastructure (guideways, foundations) but the control systems and stations will inevitably be expensive. You need a really awesome real time control system to enable 2-second vehicle intervals and allow two-way operation on what looks like single track guideways. In addition to substantial development costs and risks, They will need very rigorous (read: expensive) certification before it can be deemed safe for general use.

The cost of the steel guideways and concrete supports might indeed approach the order of $1m per mile installed in unchallenging terrain (which the urban environment of NCSU is definitely not) but once you throw in everything else to make the system work, including the cost of development, as well as the cost of planning and engineering, they would be WAY over that level.

That said, the idea of PRT or some sort of automated people mover between main and centennial is awesome, and may become necessary some time in the next 30 years or so.

In the mean time there are things they can do to make it easier to get between the two campuses. The pedestrian tunnel under Western Blvd is a big one. Connecting Pullen Rd to Oval Dr. to give a better route for buses, bikes and pedestrians is another.

7/7/2014 10:11:45 AM

so fenway, what do you have against brain dead slops and why r u posting here if you go to uva?

7/7/2014 8:10:18 PM

[Edited on July 8, 2014 at 7:49 AM. Reason : +]

7/8/2014 7:49:09 AM

Quote :

" but it's far enough down Hillsborough that the places there can't seem to sustain business"

You're neglecting the fact that it is right across the street from Meredith University...in fact it looks to be the closest lunch spot for them.

Quote :

"can't seem to sustain business, other than Ben & Jerry's and whatever the hell the sports bar is currently called."

[and Jasmin] - Jasmin is my destination tenant in that place, and they're not going anywhere.

Also where is there room in there for a "destination tenant?" Between the tenants you mentioned [and Jasmin] and the event space, all that remains is a few slivers.

7/8/2014 10:07:12 AM

Not sure where to put this, but a Marriott hotel and conference center is going up on Centennial campus. Groundbreaking coming by the end of this year.

7/8/2014 4:56:36 PM

Demolition of "Red Barn" restaurant building on Hillsborough Street to make way for 4-story apartment building
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/real-estate/2014/07/demolition-of-red-barn-restaurant-building-on.html

7/8/2014 10:45:06 PM

Awesome, that building was ugly as hell.

7/10/2014 4:12:14 AM

$2.1 million upgrade aims to make Oberlin Road more like a Main Street

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/07/09/3994514/21-million-upgrade-aims-to-make.html#storylink=cpy

For the most part I like this, but why 1920's style street lamps? That sounds like a terrible plan, use new clean-looking street lamps, the ones on Hillsborough street look good.

7/10/2014 9:13:39 AM

supposedly for continuity with cameron village?

7/10/2014 10:29:22 AM

which was built in the 50's

and those LED lights on Hillsborough rule

7/10/2014 1:23:59 PM

all of these options are terrible, just stick with what was used on Hillsborough Street

7/10/2014 1:43:22 PM

nothing says "looking toward the future" quite like lamps from an era that nearly no living person remembers

7/10/2014 1:48:42 PM

Hello, New Raleigh?

7/10/2014 1:49:55 PM

Since when has Oberlin road been design oriented? One look at the new apartments going up clues me in that streetlight aesthetics aren't that big a deal.

I say we put colonnades on top of all of the buildings so that they match Fidelity Bank.

7/10/2014 2:03:54 PM

Food and beverage business along Hillsborough Street is up 25 percent
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/2014/07/food-beverage-business-hillsborough-street.html

7/11/2014 5:12:31 PM

I haven't looked at the plans but I love old timey street lamps.

Put my dumb ass down for deluxe acorn.

7/12/2014 6:33:45 PM

so is anyone going to post a picture of the modern looking street lamps you're all whining about or

7/13/2014 3:59:56 PM

i'd prefer the kind that contributes least to light pollution

7/13/2014 5:01:36 PM

^^^ me too. I couldn't pick a better street lamp for the city of oaks than the acorn

7/13/2014 10:21:53 PM

A rezoning application has been posted for 2304 Hillsborough St:

http://www.raleighnc.gov/business/content/PlanDev/Articles/DevServ/CurrentDevelopmentActivity.html

This is right next to Bruegger's. The developer wants a 4-5 story building with 1-2 stories of retail and 3 stories of residential use.

7/24/2014 3:59:36 AM

^^^^ go to Hillsborough St

7/24/2014 7:04:23 AM

^^^^ go to Hillsborough St

7/24/2014 7:04:23 AM

^^^For the casual lurkers, this is used to be Sylvia's (& Hot Box Pizza?). I think that's the best thing to do with this property. Having that parking lot front part of Hillsborough St (which usually stayed pretty empty every time I passed by) was a pretty dumb idea.

7/24/2014 8:27:30 AM

This rezoning is for a redevelopment of the Sylvia's Pizza building only, not the parking lot next door. The parking lot next door is 2306.

Although the Sylvia's Pizza building is nothing special, I for one would rather see the parking lot, which is a dumb waste of space, go first, rather than the Sylvia's building which is actually useful.

7/24/2014 3:33:55 PM

<dupe>

[Edited on July 24, 2014 at 3:34 PM. Reason : <dupe>]

7/24/2014 3:33:55 PM

Anybody else think the height restrictions on Hillsborough St are kinda dumb? I mean, I understand people not wanting high rises there, but a three story restriction is too extreme. I would like to see more seven or eight story residential stuff. The more density on Hillsborough St., the better for business in the area.

The neighborhood association says they're concerned about the aesthetics of the development... have they freaking seen DH Hill?

7/24/2014 4:22:09 PM

that neighborhood has been a pretty successful lobby, they are why there are not more bars and why all the parking is 2hrs and heavily enforced. i don't understand why they are so angry, it's not like the university wasn't there when they bought houses in the neighborhood.

7/24/2014 4:26:10 PM

http://getbakedu.com
Finally another option for late night cookie delivery on Hillsborough St.

9/9/2014 10:38:09 PM

^ now if someone can just put a cereal and milk delivery place we can end this thread. Hillsborough Street would be revitalized.

[Edited on September 10, 2014 at 11:40 PM. Reason : ]

9/10/2014 11:40:15 PM

Quote :

"^ now if someone can just put a cereal and milk delivery place we can end this thread. Hillsborough Street would be revitalized."

I would've loved to have that place open when I was at State.

9/11/2014 1:43:54 AM

I could have actually gone for any kind of breakfast delivery

9/11/2014 8:15:32 AM

Quote :

"Tattoo parlor shuts down before 1 year anniversary [i]Wednesday, September 24, 2014 12:22 am Sam Roberson, Correspondent[/b] After less than a year in business, the Black Lotus Tattoo parlor on Hillsborough Street is no longer in operation. The tattoo parlor, which entered the scene competing with several established parlors on Hillsborough Street, closed in mid-August. Now that the business is shut down, the question remains of what type of business will open up on the 7,500-square-foot property. According to Kay Letterman, the owner of the property, several businesses have already expressed interest. “I’ve gotten interest from an ice cream shop, tobacco store, an Italian restaurant and another tattoo parlor,” Letterman said. Despite the failure of the most recent business at this location, the new offers have continued to come to Letterman for ventures eager to occupy the valuable real estate that would cater to NC State. “The ice cream shop and tattoo parlor have showed the most interest,” Letterman said. The property is in a prime location for students at NC State as well as the surrounding neighborhood behind Hillsborough Street. It is also one of the few locations on Hillsborough Street to offer ample parking around the vicinity. Although the property has some alluring features, it falls behind in style and curb appeal compared to other areas of Hillsborough Street. Letterman plans to combat this by renovating the building and dividing it up to accommodate several different businesses. “By the time construction is finished, there will be room for three new businesses,” Letterman said. With smaller spaces, the property will hold more businesses and cut the risk of maintaining a larger property as a new business; a problem that Black Lotus faced by having a large space for a type of business that tends to be in more compact areas. With possible renovation on the way, Hillsborough Street could see new businesses soon. The NC State community will decide if it becomes a part of campus, or just another short-lived venture on the ever-shifting turf that is a college neighborhood."

Why oh why

would a place

revisit any of the part i bolded/underlined

why?

let me simply go through for the benefit of oh i don't know A DEAD MAN

1) ice cream - see gelato, locopops, etc
2) "tobacco" store - smoker friendly, curious goods, Buddha's belly (relocated), etc
3) "Italian" restaurant - cute... like Piccola Italiano or those other places around downtown OR DO YOU MEAN PIZZA AND SUBS LIKE HILLSBOROUGH ZZZZZZTREEET
4) Tattoo Parlor - genius

[Edited on September 25, 2014 at 12:47 AM. Reason : +]

9/25/2014 12:42:34 AM

How about they forget finding a tenant and just redevelop the entire north side of Hillsborough Street from Wolf Mart to that old gas station turned used car dealer. Some might call it "gritty" and long for those good old days, but I would say "seedy" is more accurate. The south side of Hboro sure is cleaning up, let the north side be next. Gentrification? Yes, please.

[Edited on September 26, 2014 at 10:15 AM. Reason : blah]

9/26/2014 10:11:24 AM

^I agree with this. Was my top comment after walking around campus/Hillsborough St last Friday. Perhaps they would need to claim a few adjacent neighborhoods properties to build something decent?? Also, I can't remember----what's supposed to go where The Keg was? The new Irish bar seemed ok, but it's not really laid out any differently than what Porter's was. I did really like the new Talley! Was also impressed with the second floor of DH Hill & the Atrium.

Side note: RIP 3 Maiden Lane

9/26/2014 10:39:24 AM

Pretty sure the Keg & Two Guys were knocked down with plans to build apartments with mixed use retail on the bottom level where a new Keg/Two Guys may be able to go.

From what I heard is that over the summer, The Alley became the place everyone went on Wed/Thurs nights with PB's gone now. They have a ton of space up near their bar they could renovate to make it better, but I still wish some kind of bar would go in where the old textbook place was. There's like 3 places that current students can go on a hike night now (PR, EV, Alley).

9/26/2014 11:33:08 AM

I just drove by a few days ago and it didn't seem like Two Guys had been knocked down quite yet?

9/26/2014 11:48:12 AM

^^Mitch's?

9/26/2014 12:09:03 PM

they are tearing down the 2 guys building???

9/26/2014 1:16:40 PM

The problem with that part of western Hillsborough St is that most of the property owners inherited the property and have no interest in improving the area. They live out of town, collect their small rent check, and have no interest in spending money to improve the property, nor do they have any interest in selling the property and disrupting their income.

This is true of Wolf Mart, the building Black Lotus was in, College Beverage, Freedom Auto Sales, Sotos Auto, India Mahal, White Wall Auto, and Subconscious.

9/26/2014 3:08:45 PM

^^2 guys building is being torn down to make way for a 7 story student apartment building with retail space on the bottom floor.

The 2 guys building is a nondescript one story brick building. I won't shed a tear if it gets torn down.

Pretty everything in the Horne->Chamberlain block (Mitch's / Frazier's/ Porter's / McDaid's / etc) block is pretty nice and I hope that stuff never gets touched. The bowling alley is nice but not because the building is pretty, but rather because it contains a bowling alley. Other than that, though, everything on Hillsborough is fair game in my opinion if they want to replace it with something better.

Is 2 guys this the first place I would start with redeveloping Hillsborough Street? no. I'd rather they start with the worst building of all, the ridiculous Baptist Student Union. But to me, order doesn't really matter much.

9/26/2014 6:22:48 PM