Projects & Construction:
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So many big and exciting projects, along with great updates, in this week's post! We also say goodbye to two projects which are now completed.
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Kaleideum Science Museum:
Credit: Carla McClellan
Colorful film applied to the windows:
Credit: Carolina Premier Window Films
Credit: cptew
Realty Building Apartments:
The historic 1922 Realty Building, at 216 West Fourth Street, will soon become apartments. The developer has a construction set and is starting permitting. I previously reported this building would become apartments at the old WSTB and here at SSP. Yes, it took this long for the project to move forward. This building will become 11 apartments. The Lee Brothers, of Bleu and Bernardin’s fame, could be involved in this project? I do need to note: The renovation is for the upper floors and has no impact on the restaurant space.
Truliant Tower:
West Facade Signage Completed:
Credit: Johnell Hunter Sr.
Credit: Dale Briggs
West Facade Signage Lit:
Credit: Dale Briggs
Support Structure Completed on East Facade:
Credit: nikkodesigns
Progress as of October 14, 2023:
Credit: A.L. Collins
WFBH Eye Institute:
I have been informed the Eye Institute won't use the entire building. The Eye Institute will lease 65% of the space in the former Inmar Building at 635 Vine Street. The remaining space will be available for lease.
200 West Second Hotel & Apartments:
If a structure is added to the roof, as seen in this Lambert rendering, this building would gain height. What is shown below would be considered spire height. This is a nice and simple modernization, with hotel rooms on the lower six floors, 13 floors of residences, and topped with a 20th floor amenity level. The 21st floor is mechanical/equipment and would remain mechanical/equipment.
Early conceptual phase rendering of residential conversion with possible hotel:
Credit: Lambert A+I
Liberty Park:
Progress on the park's concrete paths:
Credit: Carla McClellan
Pilgrim Court Mixed-use:
So, what will happen with the remaining 30 year old Pilgrim Court II office building? It will likely become self-storage units, which is one of the more interesting reuse proposals I've seen for out-dated Class B office space. The lots around the site, which never developed around 30+ years ago, will become new "ground-up construction" residential. Possibly 121 units. That was a bad location for office space, even back then.
Forsyth County Courthouse: Built! 
This project is finally completed. Employees of the court system are still moving-in.
Credit: WXII-TV 12
Credit: Forsyth County
Credit: WSToday
Credit: A.L. Collins
Credit: The Go-To Winston-Salem
Credit: The Go-To Winston-Salem
Credit: Forsyth County
Credit: Forsyth County
Credit: Forsyth County
Credit: cptew
Credit: A.L. Collins
Credit: cptew
Credit: cptew
Credit: cptew
Credit: Forsyth County
Credit: Forsyth County
Downtown Amphitheatre:
Finally, downtown Winston-Salem is preparing to study locations and the financial impact of a 5,000 seat or greater amphitheatre. It would have at least 5,000 seats and could be larger. It may also seat more people on a grass arc around the seating bowl. This is one of the projects I've wanted to see downtown for nearly two decades.
Metropolitan Mixed-use:
Credit: Flooring Services, LLC
Mill 800 Apartments:
This adaptive-reuse project is now in permitting. It will have 40 apartments on two floors with parking under the apartment floors.
Skateboard/BMX Park:
A feasibility study will be conducted for a national competition level Skateboard and BMX park in downtown Winston-Salem. It will be designed to host major national-level competitions. Also to be studied are plans for a playground and a running/walking track, as a separate project. I can't help but think one of these big projects could land at the corner of Main and Fifth streets?
Credit: John Coyne / TDC
Belews Creek Nuclear Power Plant:
Both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly overrode the Governor's veto of energy legislation from over the summer. This will allow Duke Energy to move forward with this project, which would become the first nuclear power plant in North Carolina since 1987.
Interstate 74:
This I-40/I-74 interchange should be completed in Fall 2026:
Credit: KVLYK-ZMqwE
Credit: hxQ5Y7KEr2Q
Interstate 274:
Right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation should start by 2028 and construction on just one of the six segments will start in 2030. Interestingly, a court ruling led to the State buying most of the right-of-way already. This project is so under-funded and it will take years and years and years before this nears completion.
1782 George Stockburger House Restoration:
Credit: Stockburger Farmhouse
Credit: Stockburger Farmhouse
Credit: Stockburger Farmhouse
Credit: Stockburger Farmhouse
Credit: Stockburger Farmhouse
New Jobs:
Winston-Salem's job growth is above the southeastern and national average, at 3.3%. The city is currently in talks with two companies interested in moving their headquarters to Winston-Salem, as-well-as two aviation companies interested in Winston-Salem and six life science companies interested in moving here / creating jobs here. Companies currently interested in moving to / creating jobs in Winston-Salem would invest $7 billion and create 11,000 new jobs, if they all selected Winston-Salem.
Salem Bottling Works:
Constructing the balcony:
Credit: salembottleworks
"Restaurants need lots of underground plumbing!!!!!"
Credit: salembottleworks
Credit: salembottleworks
Credit: salembottleworks
Credit: salembottleworks
Lyndon Steel Expansion:
Lyndon Steel will construct a new 17,000 square-foot building on their Winston-Salem campus for processing structural steel. At this time, no incentives are involved. I haven't heard how many jobs will be created from this expansion?
Artreaux Apartments: Built!
I haven't heard if this project is officially completed or not, but it looks completed to me. So, I will show it as completed and delete its main page entry. For those who want to know: Downtown Winston-Salem's apartment vacancy rate is 8.7%.
Credit: theartreaux
Credit: The Artreaux
This appears to be the co-working space:
Credit: The Artreaux
Credit: The Artreaux
Credit: The Artreaux
Outdoor amenity area:
Credit: The Artreaux
Credit: The Artreaux
Alternative Transportation:
Downtown Streetscape:
Actual road work on First and Second streets is now completed. Work on Main and Liberty is starting, with workers relocating utilities around Brookstown and procuring traffic signal equipment. We could see repaving start in Spring 2024 on Main and Liberty streets, with a switch to two-way traffic happening shortly after the repaving is completed. That will make both streets more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. If you're asking about the streetlights/light standards along the roads and the bridges over Salem Parkway, there is a long lead time procuring the light standards. Work on this will likely start in early 2024. I'm guessing this is also delaying the dandelions?
AeroX Innovation Hub:
The Forsyth County Sherriff's Department and Winston-Salem-based Hovecon will create a first-of-its-kind (in the United States) AED (Automated External Defibrillator) delivery drone service in Winston-Salem. It will deliver an AED to the scene of a cardiac arrest in a third of the time it would take EMS to arrive at the scene. This four year test will be paid for using a $3.5 million grant from the American Heart Association. Sweden is already doing this and had significant success with it.
Transit, Bike, & Pedestrian Improvements:
The Community Walk Audit for Reynoldstown and Slater Park neighborhoods has moved to October 28, 2023 due to the weather.
Indiana Avenue is among the streets in the next round to be studied for pedestrian improvements. 33 pedestrian projects were recently completed in Winston-Salem in the City's effort to make Winston-Salem a more walkable city.
Salem Parkway Bike & Pedestrian Path:
Work could restart on the eastern end this fall. It is in the final stage of NCDOT authorization and could have approval in the next 30 days. After gaining this approval, the City will let the project (receive bids). The western end is very complicated, due to the bridges, utility impacts, and other infrastructure issues. It's (western end) currently in the design phase and is expected to take several months to design.
Rails-to-Trails Bicycle Commuter Highway Expansion:
This project will enter the design phase in January 2024. It's a difficult project due to "pinch points" where the project has less room to work with and the future rail transit line will narrow to single track before expanding back to double track.
Off-Subject:
Most Neighborly Cities in America:
Neighbor.com has released its list of the 25 Most Neighborly Cities in America. Winston-Salem and Raleigh both made the list and are the only cities in the Carolinas on the list.
Random Photographs:
Credit: Carla McClellan
Credit: Carla McClellan
I've seen this sticker on many downtown buildings and this is a close-up of the sticker:
Credit: Carla McClellan
Credit: Carla McClellan
Credit: Carla McClellan
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