Several new businesses are opening on Hillsborough Street this week as part of its ongoing renovation, including the opening of CVS Pharmacy, Aloft Raleigh, Liquid State and the re-opening of I Love NY Pizza.
Many private developments either opened this week or began construction, according to Jeff Murison, executive director of the Hillsborough Street Community Service Corporation and member of Live It Up!. Murison said he hopes these will bring new opportunities and exciting times to the street.
“I think for students, and for faculty and staff, and alumni and residents around the Hillsborough area all these new businesses are going to give them a much wider selection of things to do; not just diversity, but higher quality, more urban and a metropolitan high energy factor,” Murison said.
The CVS Pharmacy below Stanhope opened Monday morning and is now hiring, according to Blake Jennings, development manager for Kane Realty Corporation and overseer for the Stanhope Building. Street parking and designated parking in the Stanhope deck will be offered for those customers.
Parking has always been a concern for students when it comes to the opening of new businesses. Some students have reported taking advantage of the free parking while the construction is still going on.
Along with the pharmacy, the space under Stanhope will also include an IHOP and a new pizza joint, Pieology, sometime in the first quarter of 2016. The building plans to have all tenants signed by next year, according to Jennings.
The Aloft Raleigh hotel opened Monday evening, and with a balcony that overlooks the Bell Tower, Aloft Raleigh will be a great place for alumni, students and parents, said Edie Deck, director of sales and marketing for Aloft Raleigh.
Another feature of the hotel is its bar, W XYZ, which shows great potential as a future event space and hangout, Deck said.
“We really want it to be a community bar where people can come hang out,” Deck said. “For all things Hillsborough Street, this is really the place to be.”
Below Aloft Raleigh, there will be two restaurant spaces: Gonza Tacos y Tequila and Jubala Coffee. Gonza opened Wednesday.
Just one block over from the new hotel is Liquid State, a coffee, wine and beer joint. Owner and NC State alumnus Sy Sourisak was born in Southeast Asia and infuses some of those elements in his drinks, offering even more variety to this growing street. Liquid State will be a great place for students to study and relax, Sourisak said.
Many NC State students were upset after they returned from summer break and found that I Love NY Pizza was closed for renovations. However, the restaurant has reopened and is offering free pizza as part of its grand opening Thursday. Students and staff can swing by the pizza place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday and enjoy a slice in its newly renovated space, according to I Love NY Pizza’s manager, Sal Sadhil.
With the emphasis on new businesses and restaurants for the street, residential spaces have also been key to this renovation. About 2,500 residential units have been added to the street in the past two years, including Stanhope and apartments by New City Design Group, according to architect Ted Van Dyk.
These residential areas are referred to by their street numbers: 1301 and 2811 are the current apartment buildings from the New City Design Group that opened this semester, built by Van Dyk. Each of these apartments contains 30-39 units, but there is more to come, Van Dyk said.
105 and 2304 are two current projects by the architect in the Hillsborough area for the New City Design Group and are set for completion sometime in 2016, according to Van Dyk.
“What is interesting about these apartments is that a lot of people would rather live in these smaller set apartments buildings than the mass residential student complexes like Stanhope,” Van Dyk said. “However, these apartments allow more people to live here and are making Hillsborough a better place.”
