August 15, 2007

Published in Wake Forest, NC

planningzoning_subdivisions.aspx?rld=308 and look at “plan review information” for the status.

            Update: Many Wake Forest residents have low water pressure, particularly on the north side of town. The project designed to increase the water pressure, a 24-inch water line from the Raleigh water treatment plant on Falls of the Neuse Road up to the one-million-gallon elevated tank near the intersection with Old N.C. 98 could be completed in December or early in 2008.

            Update: Current 12-inch line carrying water from the treatment plan to the tank and all of Wakefield as well as the new 24-inch line run underneath the bridge over the Neuse River at the Falls Lake Dam. The proposed demolition of that bridge and construction of a new, larger bridge would mean Raleigh’s Public Utilities Department would have to find a new route for the water lines. That could mean boring under the river, Ed Buchan, a water conservation specialist in the department, said this week.

            Update: As many of you have learned, the State Department of Transportation wants to demolish and rebuild the Neuse River bridge starting in late 2010, reroute traffic 10 or 12 miles along N.C. 98, Capital Boulevard and Durant Road, and then begin building the second planned bridge over the Neuse – the one that will connect Falls of the Neuse Road with New Falls of the Neuse Road into Wakefield – in 2013.

            If you have an opinion about the timing, the 22,000 extra vehicles on Capital Boulevard or any of the other aspects of the plan, you can call Tracy Walter at 715-2120; send an e-mail to twalter@dot.state.nc.us; or write to NCDOT Project Development and Environmental Analysis Bridge Unit, 1551 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1551.

            Update: Cinelli’s, a pizza restaurant, will open next year in Heritage Station at the intersection of Rogers and Forestville roads. This is a local chain, an offshoot of the original Cinelli’s restaurant in New York City that is owned and operated by Joseph Cinelli. His Tar Heel brothers – Gaitano (Guy), Gianni and Peter – own the other local Cinelli’s in Durham, Cary and Raleigh, and two of them own the restaurant with their names in the Wakefield Commons Shopping Center on New Falls of the Neuse Road.

            Update: People have asked about the scaffolding on the front of Johnson Dorm on North Avenue at the North Main Street intersection. “We’re just doing some exterior cosmetic work to make sure that the building looks more attractive to those in the surrounding community, particularly our neighbors along North Main. We don’t have any plans to totally renovate the building or put it into use in the near future,” Jason Hall, the director of communications for Southeastern Baptist Theological

Subdivisions in progress

            This is an incomplete list but gives readers a taste of the residential building underway in town, which had a population of about 5,700 in 1990. The town’s planning department estimates there are over 25,000 residents in mid-2007. You can calculate 2.6 residents for each dwelling unit. The town has approved 6,826 homes that remain to be built, including these below.

• The Alexan at Ligon Mill will have 288 apartments in 12 buildings along the future extension of Ligon Mill Road between Wal-Mart to the south, the future Shoppes at Caveness Farm to the west and Caveness Farm Apartments to the north. It was approved at the May 15 town board meeting, and most of the work will be done in 2008.

• Holding Village will have about 1,350 homes – apartments, condominiums, townhouses and single-family homes – on 256 acres between the N.C. 98 bypass to the north, the CSX rail line and South Main Street to the west and Heritage to the south. The town commissioners approved it on May 15.

• Austin Creek on N.C. 98 east of town will have 430 single-family homes and 196 townhomes when complete in about 2015. Beazer Homes has pulled permits for 13 of the single-family homes thus far, five last year and eight this.

• Bowling Green, which will connect internally to Austin Creek subdivision and have entrances on N.C. 98 and Jones Dairy Road, will have 283 single-family homes and 94 townhouses in 2010, when the project is slated to be complete.

• Grading for streets and the construction of the first homes have begun in Saddle Run, a 34-home subdivision on Chalks Road.

• Heritage North will have 387 homes when built out in 2011 or so. It lies along Heritage Lake Road.

• Reynolds Mill on Forbes Road and the future Ligon Mill Road has just begun construction of the 125 single-family homes planned.

• Shearon Farms has nearly completed its single-family section and has just begun the 372 townhouses and apartments planned for that subdivision along Capital Boulevard just north of the Neuse River and south of Burlington Mills Road.

• Heritage South and Wildflower are jointly planned subdivisions south of Rogers Road. Heritage South will have 444 single-family homes. Wildflower, approved in 2004, will have 111 single-family homes and 165 townhouses.

• Dansforth on Burlington Mills Road was approved in 2001 for 313 single-family homes and is expected to complete the last 33 homes this year.

• Thornrose on Forestville Road has nearly completed all its 187 single-family homes.

• Stonegate at St. Andrews was approved in 2004 for 691 single-family and multi-family lots. About 400 single-family homes and 217 multi-family homes remain to be built.

Subdivisions in review

• Traditions is the name of the multi-use project the Ammons brothers – Andy, Jeff and David – are proposing for the 357 acres north of Wait Avenue on the west side of the Smith Creek reservoir. There would be a Traditions Retirement Community with a variety of living for seniors – from single-family homes through a nursing center – along with homes for younger families. Altogether there would be about 1,560 dwelling units. Planner Chad Sary has said the review is underway and the project may reach the planning board this summer.

• The Carriages at Bishop’s Grant (formerly named The Landings at Bishop’s Grant) is planned for 149 single-family homes on 34 acres just to the east of Bishop’s Grant, where homes are now being constructed. The Wake Forest Planning Board recommended approval on Aug. 7, and the town commissioners will have the final vote on Aug. 21.

• Trillium will have 92 single-family homes along Harris Road near its intersection with West Oak-Wall Road.

• Olde Chestnut Townes is planned as 32 affordable townhouses on West Chestnut Avenue. The CPC sent this forward for development on April 17.

• The Registry at Bennett Park will be 31 single-family lots along an extension of West Holding Avenue, bounded on the west by Richland Creek. The master plan was approved in June of this year.

Future shopping centers

• The plans for another shopping center, Quail Crossing, were recently submitted to the Wake Forest Planning Department by JDH Capital LLC. It consists of a shopping center and out-parcels on the 13.48 acres in the southeast corner of the intersection of the N.C. 98 bypass and Jones Dairy Road where there had been plans for an Eckerd’s drug store. Planner Ann Ayers said the review process has just begun and the plans are not on any planning or town board agendas. The partners in JDH Capital are Gary J. Davies and David P. Hill, both of Charlotte.

• Lowes Foods will be the grocery store anchor for Gateway Commons Shopping Center where Jones Dairy Road meets the N.C. 98 bypass. The shopping center will also be accessible from Heritage Lake Road and Friendship Chapel Road. The plan for the center was approved by the Wake Forest Town Board on May 15.

• The plan for Purnell Place on the east side of Capital Boulevard north of Harris Road was recommended for approval by the Wake Forest Planning Board Aug. 7, and the town board will make the final decision on Aug. 21. It was originally to be called Wake Forest Commons. The developer is Regency Center of Raleigh, which plans for 80,000 square feet of retail and commercial space in three buildings with four out-parcels.

• La Scala Uptown is proposed for Star Road on the east side of Capital Boulevard near the former Chris Leith Kia dealership. Ayers has only preliminary plans and the development could hinge on a consultant’s recommendations about Star Road, where a number of other developments are planned. La Scala is proposed to have a full-service entrance on Capital Boulevard, Italian architecture, upscale boutiques and restaurants, an office park and an amphitheater.

• Wake Forest Towne Center is planned for the Parker-Hannifin site on Wake Union Church Road. A major department store will anchor the center, but the name has not been announced and plans have not been submitted to the town. It is a joint venture of local developer Jim Adams and Weingarten Realty.

• The Shoppes at Caveness Farm has an approved master plan, and Weingarten Realty Investors has announced Steinmart will be one of the anchors. Three restaurants are being constructed on out-parcels (see below).

Future  and recent restaurants

• Old Chicago Pizza and Pasta Restaurant has opened at 2108 S. Main St. in the Wake Pointe Shopping Center (Wal-Mart).

• Charlie’s Grill featuring burgers of all sizes and buffalo wings has opened at 109-10 Capcom Ave. off South Main Street.

• Chili’s and Red Robin have opened for customers. They are in the future Shoppes at Caveness Farm on Capital Boulevard. Land has been cleared next door to Red Robin, and that will probably be the site for the Texas Roadhouse, which has been approved, but there are no signs as yet.

• Over the Falls Deli has been purchased by Doug Pearce and his family, who will continue to operate the South White Street eatery. See the July 18, 2007, edition of the Gazette for the complete story in The Growth Rate.

• The Well, a combination church and coffee house, is holding church services at its new location, 1248 S. Main St., but the coffee house business will not open until later this year. Owner Mark Edwards recently closed the coffee house and church on South White Street in anticipation of the move.

• No Lone Star at the corner of Retail Drive and Warmoven Street. The company has pulled the building permit and has been told to secure the site. No reason was given.

• The Mellow Mushroom will be built at the corner of Wake Drive and South Main Street (U.S. 1-A) between the American Pride carwash and Taco Bell. The master plan was approved by the town board at its May meeting.

• A Steak ‘n Shake is planned at Wake Pointe Shopping Center (Wal-Mart) next to O’Charley’s, but there is no construction or clearing yet.

• Construction is almost complete for the Carolina Ale House at the corner between the N.C. 98 bypass, the extension of Retail Drive into the North Park office buildings and the ramp from the bypass to Capital Boulevard. Construction.

New stores and services

• A plan for an RBC Bank in Heritage Square at 3619 Roger Road is under review by the Wake Forest Planning Department.

• An 11,050-square-foot flex building at 1219 S. Main St. behind the Porter Paint Store has been approved by the planning and town boards.

• Some of the national stores said to be looking at Wake Forest are Kohls, J.C. Penney, Marshall’s and T.J. Maxx.

• An Aaron Rents Furniture store is seeking Wake Forest Planning Department approval for a store on an out-parcel at Wake Pointe Shopping Center (Wal-Mart).

• Planner Ann Ayers is reviewing plans for Heritage Medical Center which would be at the corner of Rogers Road and Heritage Branch Road. The developer is Heritage Medical Office Associates in Raleigh.

Government projects

• The site plan for the new Wake Forest Town Hall should be on the agendas for the planning and town boards in September if everything goes as planned. At their meeting July 17 the town commissioners agreed with a new site configuration which will save some landmark trees and $347,000 by eliminating a two-story parking deck.

• A modular building that will be the new American Legion hall is on its site on East Holding Avenue between the water tower and the North Wake Senior Center. The town is constructing the new building as part of its contract with the American Legion to purchase the existing building and land on East Owen Avenue for the future town hall. That contract specifies the town must hand over the building and a storage building on or before June 30, but the town, with the Legion’s agreement, has extended the date to Oct. 31. The town also purchased the land and building where Green & Wooten Insurance Company had operated for many years. The company has moved to Ligon Mill Road west of South Main Street, and the police department has used the building for several exercises.

• Thompson Construction is totally changing the landscape at the 110.5-acre site on Forestville Road that will be Heritage High School. The school is slated to open in the fall of 2009.

• Wake County is building the Northern Regional Center on East Holding Avenue next to the Wake Forest Library. Due to open in January of 2008, the center will offer an array of services. Ross Yeager, the director, wants to offer the services the Wake Forest-Rolesville-North Wake area wants. To give him your ideas, call 623-8312 or send a note to ryeager@co.wake.nc.us. The enlarged parking lot now being built will serve both the center and the library.

Commercial projects

• Wake Forest developer and builder Daryl Cady (acting as La Scala Associates LLC) has purchased the land along Star Road which Allen Massey and Jeff Looper (Star Group LLC) had had rezoned for a five-lot commercial subdivision. Clearing is underway on the land just to the north of Living Word Family Church. The subdivision could be part of a larger future project, LaScale Uptown, a mix of retail and offices with an amphitheater planned on 82 acres between Star Road and Ligon Mill Road.

• Clearing has begun for Heritage Center, a four-lot commercial subdivision at the corner of South Main Street and Rogers Road. The entrance will be on Rogers Road, and the street named Heritage Center Drive will connect to Farm Road, a dead-end dirt road.

• Rex Health Park at Wakefield is underway in the northwest corner of Capital Boulevard. There will be a 39,500-square-foot wellness center and a 113,000-square-foot multi-specialty ambulatory care center. The wellness center will be similar to those Rex operates in Cary and Garner, with a gym, heated pools, physical rehabilitation services and nutrition and exercise programs. The ambulatory care center will provide therapeutic and diagnostic services, heart, vascular and oncology services.

• The Lodge at Wake Forest will be a three-story, 118-unit apartment building for active seniors on the east side of South Main Street just south of the N.C. 98 bypass. The apartments will not have kitchens. The residents, who are expected to be single people in their 80s who do not need assistance, will eat meals in the communal dining room. The wood-frame three-story building is under construction.

• Crews are putting up steel on the south side of Rogers Road behind the BB&T Bank and The Factory for a 32,000-square-foot, two-story building that will be Heritage Medical Park. The developer is a group called Vanguard, headed by George Venters of Raleigh. One of the tenants will be a specialized pediatric dentist.

• At the end of South Main, between it and Capital Boulevard, the former Weavexx tract is being transformed into Glenn Boyd’s Nissan dealership. He also owns Crossroads Ford in Cary and Wakefield Ford in Wake Forest. Poythress Commercial is constructing the large building and parking lots; the January building permit said the cost would be $2.8 million.

Church building

• Wake Forest Baptist Church has submitted preliminary plans but has not yet made a formal application to build a church, called a life center, on the large part of the Stephenson tract on Wake Union Church Road. Planner Ann Ayers said she was not sure if the plan, once formally requested, will need planning board review. The land is zoned rural holding, and churches are a permitted use in that zoning district. Ayers said the preliminary site plan she has calls for a church with all the customary additions such as Sunday school rooms.

• Bay Leaf Baptist Church, which has owned the property on Falls of the Neuse Road just south of its intersection with Old N.C. 98 since 2001, began work in January on the new church that will be called Wakefield Baptist Church. The large building should be completed by the end of the year and already has a congregation which has been meeting since 2001, most recently in a Capcom Avenue building. The 17 acres was once the site of the William Thompson house, which was moved in 2005 to its new location along Old N.C. 98 but still on the remains of what was the Thompson plantation.