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Worst thing that could happen to this Outlet Mall. We don't need anymore office space around RTP. This is a prime location and would have rather seen something more unique like "Chinatown" concept come into fruition.
It's a prime location, except that it's not. It's built over low lying (swamp) land in the first place, really really close to the airport right in the line with the runways.
And, while it's close to where people live, it isn't THAT close to many residents.
That same proximity to the airport is what makes it a desirable location for the lab that is now going to call it home, they can run their couriers to the Fedex/UPS docks at the Northeast end of the airport back and forth all morning and get their samples.
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Originally Posted by paytonc
No, the food court did not survive. Instead, the renovation created a space for one public coffee shop between the two X-shaped wings. Since it's a full-building lease, there's a good chance that the public space could be private instead.
374 employees in 245K sq ft of space is really spacious -- that's typically enough for about 3-4X as many office employees. Labs generally have more space per worker, but still...
You might be surprised by how much of that space is taken up by the machinery. It's more like a sterile factory than an office.
Restaurants only survive when other people get money to spend in said restaurants. We have plenty of retail space already (so much so that there are multiple mostly-empty malls around!) for people to open restaurants in. We apparently don't have many spaces suitable for DNA sequencing machinery, which well, help people live longer so that they can go spend money in restaurants.
Specific to the Chinatown idea, the family that owns Grand Asia Market has purchased the Harris-Teeter strip mall at Western/Jones Franklin/Buck Jones, and may be planning something like that once H-T moves.
You're not really helping your argument by comparing two long death spiraling defunct and dying malls to a growing office development market.
You should ask the residents around Cary Towne. Did they wish for a mixed retail with IKEA or did they prefer Epic Games HQ. Point made.
Same thing with Morrisville Outlet. Do Morrisville/Cary residents which has a huge Asian population prefer a Chinatown? Yes they were very excited.
You think they're excited now that it's another office space?
What does Chinatown have to do with Chinese restaurants? Unless that's your myopic view of Chinatown. I suggest you culturalize yourself better. Chinatowns typically have markets, bakeries, museums, parks, places of worship, theaters, other retailers and services. Restaurants are only a small aspect.
Having a Chinatown in the Triangle area would have made us a more distinct city with a unique retail destination. Think Dallas, Houston, SF, NYC, Vancouver, Seattle, LA, etc etc.
I'm thinking on behalf of residents and consumers. Doubt they are excited about more office space.
My parents' neighbors near Cary Towne Center emphatically did not like IKEA, and openly protested TopGolf. Office makes for a quieter neighbor, and besides, there's already plenty of shopping options all around them.
Office districts aren't where good restaurants are found -- only mediocre lunch joints. It's too expensive to have all that kitchen stuff just for 5 meals a week, and nobody wants to drive back to the office just to get dinner. Far better to have restaurants close to where people live than where they work. My grandfather had to open his restaurant in Chinatown, but when my uncles branched off and opened their own restaurants, they went to the suburbs where people lived instead.
A great Chinatown, like any great business community, is a bottom-up creation that consists of lots of small businesses and local shopowners. It isn't developed by big out-of-town companies off in some distant location that happens to be kind of cheap.
My parents' neighbors near Cary Towne Center emphatically did not like IKEA, and openly protested TopGolf. Office makes for a quieter neighbor, and besides, there's already plenty of shopping options all around them.
They must not be the norm. If I lived near Cary Towne, I'd rather have IKEA or other mixed use retail that increases my property value and at the same time able to walk to retail. Think Park West Village and North Hills and what those did to property values. I despise living next to office space. When I leave work, I want to be as far away from office as possible. And living right next to offices don't do much for property values.
Quote:
Originally Posted by paytonc
A great Chinatown, like any great business community, is a bottom-up creation that consists of lots of small businesses and local shopowners. It isn't developed by big out-of-town companies off in some distant location that happens to be kind of cheap.
Exactly what was happening with Morrisville Outlet. The concept was drummed up by local Asian merchants. However, they were at a disadvantage since they don't have the money like big companies that just come in and convert to more boring office space.
As an Asian living in the Brier Creek Asia, I was so looking forward to a Chinatown there.
I'm still thrilled that our defunct Earth Fare is going to turn in a nice Chinese market. About time!
You should ask the residents around Cary Towne. Did they wish for a mixed retail with IKEA or did they prefer Epic Games HQ. Point made.
You're missing the point. The overall market doesn't reflect the need for those giant long depreciating mall spaces. If there was a logical business venture it would have happened.
The point to be made here is that office space demand exceeded the need for any retail use for those malls.
It doesn't matter what the residents "wish for" — it matters what the market at large wants and will pay for.
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