TBJ: Ninth Street North plans on the move

It's official: Developer Glenn Dickson has refined his proposed Phase II of the Ninth Street North project, filing new plans with the City in late August that would quadruple the size of the project to 200,000 sq. ft. -- the size of the new Diamond View II building in the outfield at the ballpark.

According to a very good report by Amanda Jones Hoyle that headlines this week's Triangle Business Journal, the new project would reach as far north as Green St. and would encompass most of the block towards Iredell St. to the east. The building where Vin Rouge resides is said by the TBJ to be included in the redevelopment.

The buildings in the new Ninth Street North plan could reach 75 feet in height and include office space, street-level retail and apartments or condominiums.

The original, 50,000 sq. ft. plan had the backing of local neighborhood leaders in keeping with the thoughts expressed throughout the Ninth Street small area plan of adding density to the area as long as it is away from the historic mill commercial district. OWDNA head John Schelp is quoted in the TBJ as reserving judgment on the project until more details come forward.

We'll try to get our hands on a copy of the plan from City Hall this week. Look for the project to come before City Council in October according to Hoyle's reporting.

Comments

[JG]

Looks big and exiting. If the project could go ahead and not be delayed, that would be great.

[GreenLantern]

I would like to see the plans, but I'm not a member of the TBJ. Could you please post some of the drawings?

[CG]

I hope it is designed more thoughtfully than NSN Phase I was. That project unfortunately created surface parking on 9th Street and set the building back away from the corner of Ninth and Green to create a few more parking spaces on the side. I'm a bit surprised that the OWD neighborhood didn't fight tooth and nail for these design features, though admittedly, I don't know the history of that particular project. Maybe they did. The building itself is otherwise attractive. I believe the City and Durham citizens are more urban-design conscious now than they were a few years ago when phase I was completed, so I'm more hopeful, perhaps cautiously optimistic, for Phase II.

Does this mean that the Vin Rouge building will be torn down for redevelopment? If that is the case, it might make sense to close down that odd appendage of a street that shoots off of Hillsborough and runs in front of Vin Rouge. It serves no real vehicular purpose (Hillsborough connects with 9th just a few yards away), is a confusing intersection for unfamiliar motorists and makes the stretch between George's Garage and Vin Rouge devoid of meaningful space and unfriendly to pedestrians. The additional developable land created by such a closure could accommodate new buildings.

At some point, there is going to have to be structured parking in the Ninth Street district. Two hundred-thousand square feet is a big project, and those people are coming in cars.

[BB]

There must be some kind of parking component built into this scheme - this is not in the DDO, so they're going to have to have some kind of small deck to accomodate 200,000 SF, right? Experts please chime in...

[mr. puffy pants]

"it might make sense to close down that odd appendage of a street that shoots off of Hillsborough"

Plans are in the works for a redesign of this (Safeway) street. Word is that it will be (no surprise) a parking lot... YAY.

[John Schelp]

Glenn hasn't had a chance to share his latest plans... A suivre.