Harris Teeter construction to start late summer; lots of other development to follow

The yesterday's Herald Sun has a good summary of all of the new development coming to Ninth Street, from the new Harris Teeter (which has undergone significant design changes in response to the neighborhood concerns) to renovating the space formerly occupied by George's Garage, and the shops along the west side of Ninth Street, including "Duck Shop" and 701 Ninth Street.

Much of this has been covered by this bog previously, but one significant piece of news is that the developers have secured all of the financing and now seem primed to begin renovations in late summer/early fall.

1. The look of the new Harris Teeter on Ninth Street
2. Redesign drawings for the former George's Garage Building
3. Suggestions for improving Harris Teeter parking lot 

For a look at the proposed designs, see my previous posts above. The full article is reprinted after the break.


Construction targeted to start this year for Ninth Street-area development

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Y LAURA OLENIACZ

loleniacz@heraldsun.com; 919-419-6636

DURHAM – A team of developers bought land at the corner of Ninth Street and Hillsborough Road in Durham and plans to begin construction this year of a development project that includes a new Harris Teeter grocery store.

That’s just part of the developers’ plans for the western side of Ninth Street, the street near Duke University’s East Campus that houses a number of independent businesses, from the coffee shop Bean Traders to The Regulator Bookshop.

The plans also include renovations of the existing building that previously housed the eatery George’s Garage, and to of buildings on Ninth that house the collegiate apparel store The Duck Shop and a Subway and that previously housed Specs Eye Care.

The developers also bought a neighboring lot that’s been leased by the city for public parking, and have pursued a proposal to develop it into a bank with drive-through lanes. However, plans for that lot haven’t been finalized.

“I think clearly, they’ll be an investment of new money that upgrades the look and feel of the entire west side of the street,” said Jack Dunn, managing partner of Raleigh-based Chartwell Property Group that’s partnering with Florida-based Regency Centers Corp., a national owner, operator and developer of shopping centers, on the project.

At the end of May, a limited liability company managed by Dunn paid $18.75 million for property in the Ninth Street area, according to property and business records. Certain properties were transferred to limited liability companies also controlled by the companies, or by just Chartwell Property Group, Dunn said.

The purchase included the vacant land slated to house the Harris Teeter, the former George’s Garage building, and the buildings that front on Ninth that house The Duck Shop and other businesses.

In addition, the purchase included the redeveloped former textile Erwin Mills building, Dunn said, that houses apartments and office space leased to Duke University. The purchase also included a medical office building and nearby property off Rutherford Street, which intersects with West Main Street near Erwin Square.

The plan is for construction to begin in the early summer to late fall, Dunn said, on the approximately 53,000 square-foot grocery store, as well as on the renovation of the former George’s Garage building and of the retail buildings on Ninth.

The building that previously housed George’s Garage is planned to be renovated to include more outdoor seating and dining, and more stores fronting on Ninth Street.

The renovation of the buildings that house The Duck Shop and other businesses is also slated to start at the same time, but could finish earlier, Dunn said in an email. The buildings will remain one-story, but will get infrastructure upgrades such as façade improvements, Dunn said.

“All the financing is done, and is simply a matter of pulling permits and starting,” he said.

As for the lot that was leased by the city for public parking – Dunn said there’s no final plan in place.

A site plan was submitted to the planning department for a new bank with drive-through lanes on that lot.

The plan, which drew criticism from some Ninth Street merchants that rely on the lot for customer parking, is still under review, said Alysia Bailey Tailor, planning supervisor for the Durham City-County Planning Department.

“Relative to the lot that’s currently available to the city or the public, we’re still evaluating the best alternative to that site, and are working with neighbors and merchants to come up with a solution,” Dunn said.

There was concern from local neighborhood groups that the developers’ plans for the projects were submitted before the approval of new development regulations for the Ninth Street area, allowing them to get approval under the old guidelines.

“(We) started under old guidelines, it was easier to finish under the old guidelines,” Dunn said, adding that the developers spent “a fair amount of time” with neighborhood groups on the project design.

Tom Miller, chair of the zoning and land use committee for the local neighborhood group the Watts Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhood Association, said he’s “pleased” with the design of the new grocery store, and the plans for other development in the area.

“For one, I am pleased that the new, decidedly not old, West Durham scaled developments going on in the Erwin Square property have looked to the remaining mill buildings for architectural information,” he said.

To allow construction to begin, Dunn said they need to file for permits from the Durham City-County Building and Inspections department.

“We’ve been working on this project for probably a year and a half, we finally got everything buttoned up and ready to go, and closed,” he said.