Good morning, readers.
New businesses are coming to North Hills as Kane Realty Corporation finishes construction on a major expansion in the heart of the shopping district.
The North Hills expansion is controversial among nearby residents, who are worried about increased traffic along the already-bottlenecked Six Forks Road and the destruction of green space.
Hearings for Kane’s multiple rezoning requests have attracted dozens of critics, many of whom are unhappy with the new character of the shopping center, which originally opened in 1960 as a strip mall. Today, the district is rapidly growing into an elite “live-work-play” space with a much higher price tag for residents and customers.
Construction of the new “Main District”—on the site of the old J.C. Penney department store—is expected to finish this March, with stores to open later this year.
Clothing outlets J.Crew and Madewell are coming in, according to a news release sent earlier this month. The two chains are the newest additions to the district, which includes four buildings centered around a public plaza.
Construction is also finishing up in some parts of the “North HIlls Innovation District,” a 33-acre site on the north side of I-440, across the street from the busiest shopping areas. This side of North Hills is more residential, with several large apartment buildings.
The new space will be home to more local businesses, with Standard Beer + Food opening another location in the area. Six minority and/or women-owned businesses will set up shop on the ground floor of Channel House Apartments in “microretail” spaces (350 to 900-square-feet), and a cycling gym will open on the ground floor of Tower 5, an office building. Construction is still ongoing at St. Albans Lofts, marketed as a “luxury” apartment building.
Have a good Thursday,
—Jasmine
Editor’s note: The primary election is just around the corner and we are planning our Election Guide for February 7. Endorsements in local races will publish in print and online, and candidate questionnaires, which are being sent to local campaigns this week, will publish on our website before early voting begins on February 15.
Durham
ICYMI: Residents of Durham’s JFK Towers, who have complained of poor living conditions for months, filed a class action lawsuit against the property’s owner Millennia.
Duke will pay $24 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that the university, and 16 others, practiced illegal price-fixing in its admissions. Duke denies wrongdoing.
Wake
The INDY spoke with former Raleigh city council member, NC senator, and state treasurer Janet Cowell about how she would approach the job as Raleigh mayor following her announcement this week that she’s running for the seat.
Several Raleigh chefs and restaurants scored James Beard Award nominations.
FIrst Lady Jill Biden will visit Raleigh tomorrow.
Orange
Carrboro’s 203 Project, which will be home to the new Southern Branch library and other facilities, is on track to be completed in August.
North Carolina
A UNC-Greensboro associate dean and department head resigned this week in protest over the university’s proposal to discontinue several academic programs.
Today’s weather
Rainy with a high of 73 degrees.
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