More than a dozen subcontractors are on site lately, fashioning Lochmere Pavilion, an upscale complex of retail, office, and restaurant facilities in an area referred to as the South Gateway to Cary, NC, one of the state’s major upscale communities.
The setting has a village-like look with four buildings connected by a series of open-air courtyards, located at the entrance of Lochmere Lakeside, a fashionable 1,000-acre (405 ha) P.U.D. complete with walking and bike trails and one of the major golf courses adjacent to Raleigh in Wake County.
Atashi Associates, of Cary, a company encompassing both landscape and building design, is undertaking the project. Owner Azad Atashi said the Pavilion has been designed to blend with the residential surroundings despite having approximately 18 varied businesses. They are joined by a crisscross of courtyards, gardens, fountains and open views of the adjacent bike and jogging trails and golf course.
Atashi has been active in the Wake County area of North Carolina for a number of years and examples of his designs can be seen in a major retirement community in Chapel Hill and the renovations of Crabtree Valley Mall, one of Raleigh’s top shopping centers.
His interest in the Lochmere property started about two years ago. He said he always had a dream to do something unique and different. “This site had been vacant and it offered an ideal setting for a mixed-use project,” Atashi explained. “It was an area with a lot of activity, at the edge of a golf course, and at the threshold of a residential development in a location that represented what we called the ’South Gateway to Cary.’ ”
It had been felt the site would be used for a restaurant, or undergo rezoning, Atashi said, but he felt rezoning could take up to two years.
Atashi said he approached the owners and some residents of Lochmere about a mixed-use project for the site, unveiling a lot plan as well as a detailed model of what he envisioned as condition for rezoning. “If you rezone it, I’ll build you this project,” I told them. “They loved it.” It soon gained town approval.
As part of the agreement, the original 50-ft. (15.2 m) buffer zone was lessened to 30 ft. (9 m) and an existing cemetery on the property is to be maintained.
The Pavilion is located on 3.8 acres (1.5 ha) and will include some 18 to 20 businesses that will be within a complex of four buildings, covering some 33,000 sq. ft. including a restaurant of about 5,250 sq. ft., a number of retail shops, and offices on the lower level. Courtyards and covered walkways run another 10,000 sq. ft.
On-site project manager with the responsibility of day-to-day operations is Project Management and Development Inc., based in Cary. Project Manager Ben Lichty said an opening for the first occupants is targeted for July 1.
Constructed with a frame of steel and concrete and faced with red brick, the buildings will have both flat and pitched roofing with gables to provide a residential appearance. Interior walls will be of stucco and four wood columns will carry entry archways. Centerpiece of the courtyards and crosswalks that connect the four buildings is a massive glass sky watch. A sculptured marble stone fountain is used as a focal point for the seating areas.
One of the interesting aspects of the construction was the property itself. The site has a 25-percent grade level change from one side to the other. This permitted building two one-story buildings on one side — the higher level — matching them in height by two two-level buildings on the other side — the lower level. The single-story section is built slab on grade. The two-story section also is slab on grade for the lower level and slab on deck for the upper level. Open interior courtyards — one 25 by 200 ft. (7.6 by 61 m) and the other 25 by 180 ft. (7.6 by 55 m) — each with walking and seating areas crisscross, separating the two sets of buildings.
Tentative first-floor occupants of the set of four buildings will include a restaurant, wine and florist shop, bookstore and gifts, children’s specialty items, retail stores, an art gallery, hair and beauty salon, women’s clothing shop, men’s clothing shop, coffee shop and deli, and offices. Store sizes range from 1,250 to 2,00 sq. ft.
Four offices ranging from 2,700 to 3,200 sq. ft. comprise the lower level of the other two buildings and will be accessed by a glass-enclosed metal stairway at the end of an open interior courtyard. The downstairs lobby will have a roof garden insulated by a rubber undercovering with eight drains. Atashi explained that the area with the roof garden would be flooded before the floor pavers are installed to insure the roof garden and crosswalks over the lower level are sealed. He said there have been several days of rain and that the flooring has not shown any leakage, but the flooding precaution will be mandatory. Tables located in the roof garden area also will sit on rubber pedestals.
To maintain the integrity of construction, Atashi designed a 16-ft. (4.9 m) high retaining wall of poured-in-place concrete, fashioning it between the two sets of buildings. It is not connected to the buildings and is backfilled with dirt specifically to hold the foundation dirt in place, to maintain the grade and avoid any shifting that might take place with the buildings. A coated fabric was used at every 6 in. (15 cm) of depth in the backfill to insure stability.
Other contractors on the project include: Advanced Contractors Inc., of Apex, grading, utility and paving; Al Prince and Associates, of Cary, survey; Byrd Drywall, of Durham, drywall; Coleman Steel, of Raleigh, steel work; Darrah Plumbing, of Apex; Demur Inc., of Rolesville, brick work; Hamlin Roofing Company, of Garner; Harris Brothers Electric & Controls Inc., of Durham; JSTR Construction Corp., of New Hill, retaining walls; Qore, of Apex, soil testing; Scoggins and Company Inc., of Durham, HVAC; Southeastern Concrete, of Willow Springs; Stroud, Pence & Associates LTD, of Raleigh, structure; Jacob Glass, of Durham; JP Ross & Co., of Charlotte, skylights; and Jim Hinson Pool, of Garner, fountains.
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