Harris Teeter Development - plans for the old George's Garage

In the past four posts about redevelopment of the grassy field behind what used to be George's garage, I spoke at length about the perils of car-dependent suburban development championed by the Harris Teeter developers and the deleterious effect it could have on the entire Ninth Street Shopping District. And while the developer has recently indicated that it would be open to some compromise regarding adding windows on the side of the Harris Teeter itself and making changes to the internal layout of the store, the core part of the design - a big box store surrounded by the sea of parking remains unchanged.

But not all is bad. Unlike the Harris Teeter itself, the site plans for the former George's Garage building on the corner of Ninth Street and Hillsborough show real promise. According to the site plans, the developers will transform a poorly designed, internally oriented and forbidding building into a far more open, inviting and pedestrian-friendly space, replacing the infamous blank wall facing Hillsborough with a patio and large windows. The new "Erwin Square Restaurant & Retail Center" is designed to house one or two restaurants and a small retail shop.

The  parking lot facing side of the building is much improved, with more windows, tree canopy and increased roof articulation. Compare the new design with the current design, featuring a huge blank wall on the south-west side of the building and ugly green yawing  throughout the rest.

  

 The east side is likewise much more inviting. As it stands now, it is a blank wall facing Ninth Street.

 Even the long suffering  Hillsborough side will get get some sprucing up. In particularly, the corner of Ninth and Hillsborough is gaining an attractive brick patio, which go a long way toward connecting visually Ninth Street to Vin Rouge and other businesses across the street on W. Markham.

Finally, the west side, which will be facing the new Harris Teeter, will also have some attractive windows and front-facing retail space. While this side will be overlooking parking, it is a huge improvement over another forbidding blank wall.

HT Saga Continues - Herald Sun Picks Up The Story

Following the outpouring of community concern on both OWDNA and WHHNA listservs, including several letters already sent to Harris Teeter about lack of consideration for the neighborhood character, today's Herald Sun picked up the story (reprinted after the break). The bottom line is that Erwin Square Developers as well as Harris Teeter representatives are stonewalling. Nobody can be reached for comment. But, in a curious development, the HT sign that was previously displayed on the corner of Ninth Street and W. Markham has been taken down. I posted the picture of the sign here.

If we as a community want to be successful in changing Harris Teeter's attitude toward the site, we must maintain -- and increase -- the pressure by continuing to write letters, posting on their facebook page, and reaching out to our elected representatives. One would think Harris Teeter would not want to alienate their customer base before their store even opens.

Harris Teeter on Ninth Street - Design Plans Revealed

There has been a further update on Harris Teeter plans and its looks worse than expected: to skirt the new Ninth Street zoning, the developers submitted plans to convert the area between Station Nine Apartments on the west side and George's Garage on the east side into a big-box Harris Teeter with a square footage of almost 52,000 sq. ft. and a 200-car parking lot facing the street.

The south side of the store will be facing new Circle Nine Apartments. The description, as conveyed by Tom Miller of OWD Neighborhood Association is reprinted in full after the break. If I understand correctly, there is not much the neighborhood can do legally at this point, as the builders have secured all the necessary permits to start construction. But I wonder if organized and vociferous neighborhood opposition can persuade them to alter their plans in a way that would seek to make the store more cohesive and consistent with the historic nature of the neighborhood.

The store of this size, built without any regard to local neighborhood wishes and in direct contravention to the new zoning ordinance, may permanently alter the character of the neighborhood and set back Durham's efforts to encourage high density mixed-use development in the area. In fact, it would make a mockery of these efforts! For some perspective, take a look at a similar monstrosity that Harris Teeter built in Durham sometime ago.

Please read more about the Harris Teeter plans below. I really hope these developers listen to reason. If not reason, perhaps they would listen to neighborhood-wide boycott of the store. I, for one, will not set foot in a grocery store that seeks to destroy what makes Ninth Street unique.

City Council Approves Ninth Street Development Plan

Following a strong show of support from OWDNA and the community at large, the City Council has approved the Ninth Street Development Plan in its original form. The vote was unanimous 5-0. This is great news for our community and shows that power of action by citizens who are concerned about the impact unrestricted development can have on their community can have. The article from the Herald Sun describing the issue in more detail is reprinted after the break.

Critical City Council Vote on Ninth Street Plan this Tuesday

**Update: the City Council voted in favor of the Ninth Street plan as originally proposed and agreed to by OWDNA**

There is a critical City Council vote this Tuesday, January 17, on the recomendation of the planning staff to adpot the Ninth Street Plan, turning it into the UDO (uniform development ordiance). Below is the message from Brett Walters, the President of the OWDA Neighborhod Association, which I am reposting in full. This community has always been at the forefront of civic engagement, and I hope that our readers will consider attending this important vote and voicing their support for turning the Ninth Street Development Plan into reality. The failure to do so could open our neighborhood to large-scale development, obliterating the character and charm of this place and turning us into another generic development with no soul. The full message is after the break.

Bull City Car Wash coming to Markham Ave.

Bull City Car Wash is a new full-service car wash  that will soon open at 1810 W. Markham Avenue in Durham, just a block away from Ninth Street Shopping District. Nestled among several car garages, the new owners have been busily renovating the the old Kwik-Kar Wash building, installing new surface parking, new lighting,  and redesigning both the interior and the exterior of the building. I think this is a good location for this type of business, although being this close to a residential neighborhood may raise a few heckles from nearby residents. Still, better to have a new tenant in the neighborhood than an abandon building that was looking increasingly like a sore. The search of public records reveals that CDLJ Enterprises, a company owned by legalzoom.com, is behind the project. You can check out the website of the new carwash here.

Ninth Street - the crucible of urban design in Durham

The Durham News has a great article about the challenges -- and the possibilities -- of designing and implementing a clear mixed-use development plan for Ninth Street. Despite weak economy, this area is poised for growth, and the challenge is going to be to ensure that the growth is organic and enhances the unique character of this neighborhood rather than replaces it with a generic vision of corporate America. For a cautionary tail of great urban neighborhoods stripped of all their charm and character, one needs to look no further than Crystal City or Rosslyn neighborhoods in Arlington, VA.

Doing it wrong!

Crystal City, courtesy of ElvertBarnes

Rosslyn, courtesy of Ms. Gemstone's

Doing it right - Del Ray neigborhod in Alexandria

Del Ray, courtesy of Payton Chung

New energy-efficient apartments in Del Ray