In the summer of 2001 I was eating at Pulcinella’s in North Raleigh. As we left the restaurant, it dawned on me: what if this L-shaped shopping center were reoriented to two parallel strips, and the facade where broken up to look like Franklin Street (in Chapel Hill)? At that point many in Raleigh were worried that the dying North Hills would be replaced by a big box store, a few outparcels, and sea of asphalt. The idea of a village-like shopping center excited me, so I put some thoughts together on paper and dropped them in new North Hills owner John Kane’s mailbox.

Kane kindly responded that wheels were already in place for a very similar project, which was a huge relief to my family. The letter became the seed for the Raleighing.com project, but has not made an appearance on gogoraleigh. So, to celebrate gogo’s 2nd birthday, here is what started the whole blogging thing for me:

September 7, 2001

Dear Mr. Kane:

I am ecstatic that you are interested in redeveloping the North Hills Mall property. I grew up in the mall’s back yard and always felt that it could do more for our area. It is GOOD to have local ownership again!

I am troubled by the recent events with Neal Coker’s Oberlin project, and fear the same from some of the similarly short-sighted neighbors of mine in the North Hills subdivision. When I hear of residents intending to treat the 100-foot buffer like a forest preserve, I worry that logic is being trampled by an emotional fear of change. North Hills Mall is a dump, and it is time to put something there that makes Raleigh a better place to live.

One of the most cherished locations in the Triangle is Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street. It amazes me that more people haven’t tried to recreate that feel with other commercial properties. The area is pedestrian-friendly, slow-moving, and tree-lined. Unfortunately several developers in the area have blown opportunities to create another charming destination by choosing to slap down big boxes and a sea of parking spaces. A trip out Capital Boulevard reveals countless instances of uninspiring, faceless properties that will offer Raleigh no benefit in 20 years. You have the chance to develop a project that will shine over all of those anonymous boxes.

Enclosed is map of the property. I have no idea if it is even close to scale, nor do I know if the buildings portrayed are a workable size. I am a dentist and admittedly have NO CLUE how much square footage of rentable space it will take to make this work, nor do I understand any existing contracts, zoning laws, or current environmental issues concerning the property! However, this is an idea that can be far more charming and successful than the laughably-neon Cameron Village.

The concept basically extends Currituck and Dartmouth into the property and adds one street that extends from the back side of the existing plaza straight through the mall property. In this example the street is named after Isaac Hunter, whose land was near this property. Of course, all existing buildings on the mall portion of the property will be demolished.

The project incorporates two peripheral, yet convenient parking decks, a large hotel, and 13 buildings of varying sizes and functions:

Buildings A-D: This is the heart of the village. The intent here is to recreate a slightly urban version of the intersection of Franklin and Columbia Streets in Chapel Hill. The existing driveway contains the tree-lined vista that could be the cornerstone to the urban-town feel. All four of these buildings should have street-level shops and restaurants.

Building C is interesting. Its triangular shape can actually make it an architectural centerpiece of the project. It’s presence could easily be felt from the beltline, and would be a natural home to a business wanting to display its name on the South side of the building (a la Ernst & Young’s Highwoods presence). All of these buildings could be from 3-10 stories, yet still maintain the charm found on Franklin St. The street isn’t the only place a marquee restaurant could be found. Top of the Hill in Chapel Hill has been a remarkable 3 ^rd story success. A similar restaurant could easily be perched high on building C (as shown) or building B.

Buildings A, E, G, F – These are more street-level shops, especially buildings A and E. G and F could be whatever is needed from Barnes and Noble to a multiscreen theatre (which ought to be named The Cardinal!).

Buildings I, J, K – These are more street level shops with condos upstairs. Two-story condos above the street-level shops featuring rear balconies overlooking the beltline might be a big hit.

Building H – This could be a big-box store such as Target, Best Buy, or J.C. Penney. Since none of these stores really fit in the urban setting, this secondary location would work perfectly.

Building L – More street-level shops with offices or condos upstairs. This is the current location of the U.S. Post Office building.

Building M – Existing shopping plaza with storefront parking.

Hotel – The hotel could be something as nice as a Ritz-Carlton. Something on the order of 6 to 9 stories would work well. A hotel of this caliber would have a restaurant of regional stature, a rooftop pool on the back, and would make the North Hills project a focal point for travelers to the entire Triangle. The front door and driveway would be on the Hunter St. face of the building, and the alley between the hotel and building B would offer quick access to the parking deck for valet parking. The hotel would have a second floor access to the parking deck.

Parking Decks – Certainly some street-level parking can be offered throughout just as it is in some areas of Franklin Street. Parking Decks are located within a block of anyone’s destination, and should be easily accessible from these locations. Entrances to the D/H deck could be from Hunter St. and directly from Six Forks Rd. The main exits could be onto Dartmouth and Six Forks Roads. The B/Hotel parking deck could be accessed from an alley between B and the Hotel (for hotel customers only), from Currituck, or directly from Lassiter Mill Road. A pedestrian tunnel from the B/Hotel deck directly to building C can provide safe, sheltered, easy access for employees in the C tower. The tunnel could also be used by shoppers who want to cross Dartmouth safely. It is this kind of easy access (from parking to storefront) that will make North Hills a viable shopping destination.

What will make the D/H Deck really shine is a pedestrian bridge crossing Dartmouth over to building G. This would reduce the pedestrian traffic in the fast-paced entry segment of Darmouth and, if designed with charm, can be a fantastic gateway to the project from Six Forks Rd.

Parking around buildings I, J, K, L, and M should be diagonal storefront parking such as that found on Fairview Rd. approaching Five Points. Residents of buildings I, J, and K could park on the back side of those buildings.

Traffic Circle – There is a traffic circle at Hunter and Dartmouth. A large fountain or sculpture in the middle of the circle could act as yet another symbol for the project. Actually a circle could keep traffic flowing better than a signal if estimations of the Hillsborough Street renovations are correct. Also notice that the flat faces of buildings A and C compliment each other, as do the notched faces of buildings B and D. This architectural balance adds to the intensity of the center’s focus. Imagine the sense of place one would feel sitting at a sidewalk café in building B’s notch!

Service Access – All trucks could be restricted to Currituck Street and the alley between E and F. This should provide adequate access to all buildings quite well while providing a pedestrian-friendly, truck-free zone on Hunter and Darmouth.

The two biggest political problems will be the approval by those residents on Lassiter Mill Road and the overall traffic impact. Putting the main height of the project across Lassiter Mill Road should help minimize the impact on neighbors. If neighbors object to the hotel’s location, building D and the Hotel could be swapped, as long as the Dartmouth/Hunter face of the hotel still contains street-level shops and restaurants. (The main garbage collection area could be placed adjacent to Lassiter Mill Rd. if the neighbors complain about the possibility of a hotel!)

Traffic flow should not be a problem. Because this is a truly mixed-use development, there should be no particular swell in traffic like that seen on Capital Blvd in the afternoon. Offices and stores will cause much traffic during the day, while restaurants, bars, and movies tend to generated nighttime traffic. Because tenants of the project will be generating a mix of traffic flow throughout the day, the distribution of the traffic load will be even. This project will actually be safer than the existing situation because the additional traffic signal at Hunter and Lassiter Mill would reduce the accesses to Lassiter Mill Road in that area from the current 3 to 2.

There is growing resentment in the Triangle concerning the proliferation of strip-mall lined arteries. Several Durham residents already resent the plan for The Streets at Southpoint because they feel it will mock the struggling Downtown Durham. The North Hills project is different. It is not on virgin land, and it introduces a mature, eroding area to a more responsible use of land. If the project is architecturally charming, it could easily win over the hearts of Raleigh residents.

Regardless of what plan is enacted we will be excited to see the continuing progress at North Hills. Good luck!