CASE STUDY: EVOLUTION OF THE MALL
THE CHALLENGE
Despite its status as the state capital of North Carolina, Raleigh struggled economically in the decades post-World War II.
That changed as the end of the century neared. With the development of research facilities that employed graduates from top area universities (including Duke and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill), the city’s population had quadrupled by the 1990s.
Yet it lacked the vibrant urban experience many residents wanted and needed until local developer, John Kane found North Hills.
LOCATION - ACTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Insulet acquired the abandoned former headquarters of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in Acton, MA. The property sits on hilly topography in the center of the triangular area between Route 2A and Route 27, near the Littleton off ramp from I-495.
THE PLAN
Kane brought in the principals of Ci to master plan, in effect, a city within a city, with active streets for pedestrians and vehicles. Two intersecting streets would be home to an integrated mix of uses: a mix of local, regional and national retailers and restaurants topped by office space, residences, an elegant park and hotels. The result would be a 24/7 urban neighborhood. Office workers shop and eat during the day, residents gather during the evenings, and visitors enjoy the space and amenities year-round.
The site’s topography provided an immense opportunity to accommodate big boxes within an urban environment. Varying levels allowed parking to be tucked into the hillside below the buildings. The main district slopes 25 feet down from Six Forks Road, allowing the planners to locate a two-level parking garage and full-size Target that otherwise would interrupt the urban flow below the cinema, retail and an open-air plaza.
High-rise buildings and larger format retailers were situated at one edge of the project to permit attractive sightlines for the residences. The tree-lined Main Street
connects Six Ford Road and the Renaissance hotel, while Lassiter at North Hills Avenue draws traffic from Lassiter Mill to the plaza, located in front of the cinema.
ACTIVE PEDESTRIAN STREETS AND OPEN SPACES FOR PLANNED AND UNPLANNED GATHERINGS
THE LOCATION
North Hills fills two quadrants at the interchange between Interstate 440 and Six Forks Road, three miles north of downtown Raleigh.
The area had a retail district in the 535,000-square-foot North Hills Mall. Built in 1967, it was the first two-story mall built between Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Though it was located in a growing and increasingly affluent trade area (with higher incomes than are found in Atlanta’s Buckhead or Charlotte’s SouthPark), the mall declined as it faced newer competition and neglect from distant owners.
In 1999, Kane proposed one solution: converting the mall into an urban mixed-use project that would combine retail, offices, dining, entertainment, hotels and residences into a pedestrian-oriented district. But successfully quadrupling the density on the site’s 94 acres would require extensive master planning and reconfiguration to accommodate varied terrain.
HIGHER DEMOGRAPHICS THAN ATLANTA’S BUCKHEAD AND CHARLOTTE’S SOUTHPARK
NEXT PROJECT
VISION TO CREATE THE CITY’S BEST ADDRESS FOR RETAIL, OFFICES, DINING, HOTELS AND LIVING
THE LOOK
The retail has been carefully zoned for ease of use and to maintain an urban atmosphere. Anchor stores are visible, but do not overwhelm the urban design. Small shops wrap around JC Penney. Target is hidden below and behind the main pedestrian shopping area, and a fitness club is located on the second level. The Lassiter District remains convenience oriented, with surface parking between the shops and arterial roads. The Alexan mid-rise apartment building rises above ground-floor shops, with resident parking on the interior.
But what makes North Hills a genuine community are the small gathering spaces that dot the district, including a small park in the middle of the Main District. Wide sidewalks and narrow streets create the feeling of a city that has been there for decades instead of a new mixed-use complex. Private internal streets can be closed for events, to create sidewalk cafes, or even pop-up retail opportunities for merchants. A carefully coordinated color palette creates interest without clashing.
ENGAGING TO VISITORS, EMPLOYEES AND
RESIDENTS TO EXPERIENCE THE ENTIRE DISTRICT
THE RESULT
The new North Hills neighborhood opened in 2004, the same year that two enclosed malls also opened in the area. But thanks to its superior location, its integration of uses and its design, North Hills is one of the premier neighborhoods in the city, continuing to draw retail, residents and visitors, who pay premium rents to the developers.
The project today consists of:
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770,000 SF of retail, restaurants & entertainment
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350 residential units
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200-key Renaissance hotel
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300,000 square feet of office space
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2,500 structured parking spaces
Home to events and an attraction for the entire city, it is simply known to all in Raleigh as Midtown.
ONE OF THE MOST DESIRABLE URBAN LOCATIONS IN THE REGION DEMANDING SOME OF THE HIGHEST RENTS
THE EXPANSION
Once again, Ci’s principals have been tasked with master planning the pad’s reinvention.
The firm is currently in the design development phase for the overall project expansion that will expand the parking podium across the entire site to Lassiter Mill Road, making the project even more accessible. In addition, the urban core will add ground level retail with residences and office uses above, comprising:
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120,000 square feet of retail and restaurants
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490 residential units in two 12-story buildings
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300,000 square feet of office space
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3,000 below grade structured parking spaces
A GREAT URBAN EXPERIENCE IS ALWAYS EVOLVING
