Crews To Implode Old Hotel To Make Way For Soleil High-Rise

RALEIGH, N.C. — Developers will implode part of an old dilapidated hotel that now sits on the site of what is expected to be Raleigh's tallest high-rise.

Demolition crews, who have been working since December to deconstruct the old Sheraton Hotel on Glenwood Avenue near Crabtree Valley Mall, will implode a 12-story part of the building tentatively scheduled for May 7.

The building is being removed to make way for a 42-story mixed-use development that will be called The Soleil Center. Expected to bring about 150 jobs to the area and an annual tax revenue of about $4 million, the 480-foot building will include condominiums, a luxury hotel and a spa.

About 92 percent of the debris from the implosion will be recycled, making the cleanup process a little bit longer than typical.

Local developers have been advertising the condominium sales for weeks and some advertisements have appeared in magazines such as Vanity Fair. The 44 units range from $800,000 to $3 million.

Developer Dicky Walia said there is a list already of 80 people, most with ties to the Triangle, wanting to buy the condominiums.

The Raleigh City Council approved plans for the $100 million project last November, but not without opposition from Raleigh leaders and residents who believe the high-rise does not belongs outside the downtown area.

Construction is expected to take about 2½ years.