RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (August 20, 2024) – Horseshoe at Hub RTP, the flagship mixed-use development at the heart of Research Triangle Park’s vibrant, new downtown district, today announced its first retail tenant. Cheeni, a celebrated local restaurant known for its contemporary take on regional Indian cuisine, signed a lease for a 3,000+ square foot space at the ground level of the five-story building facing the courtyard within the transformative Horseshoe project. Cheeni Owner and Chef Preeti Waas, a two-time James Beard Award Best Chef Southeast semifinalist, selected Horseshoe to establish her second, full-service restaurant location.
The Horseshoe project, led by Charlotte-based developer White Point and the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, is comprised of a trio of buildings that include 121,900 square feet of Class A office and 35,600 square feet of experiential retail. It serves as the central gathering place for Hub RTP, the 100-acre downtown destination for North America’s largest research park.
“We are thrilled for this renowned restaurant to be our first Horseshoe food & beverage tenant,” says Erik Johnson, co-founder and partner of White Point. “Cheeni will be an amazing amenity for the office tenants, the residents, the visitors of Hub RTP, and the greater Triangle area. This is the first of many exciting retail announcements we’ll be making over the next few months.”
Cheeni will begin construction within Horseshoe this fall and open in 2025. Waas describes Cheeni as a mix of Indian and American culture with a mission to better the world through good, homemade food. Cheeni’s Durham location offers an exploration of regional Indian cuisine through the lens of Chef Preeti’s personal food memories. Guests can expect homestyle, heartfelt cooking made with the highest-quality ingredients in an approachable fine-dining atmosphere.
“I am inspired by the community that White Point and the Foundation are curating at Horseshoe and Hub RTP. Horseshoe is a very exciting opportunity for myself and our team, and I look forward to being a part of the vibrant destination that it will soon be,” says Waas.
Choate Construction is currently closing out construction and expects to deliver Horseshoe’s 157,500 square feet of office and retail space in the coming weeks. The project broke ground in October 2022.
Conveniently located at the center of RTP between Highway 54 and I-40 directly off the Davis Drive exit, Horseshoe is easily accessible from anywhere in the Triangle. In addition to food & beverage options, Horseshoe offers recreational space with a courtyard, event lawn and splash pad, plus pedestrian and bicycle connectivity to the more than 20 miles of existing RTP trail system. The Hub RTP development will also include up to 1,200 residential units, a 279-room Marriott Renaissance hotel and lab space, all designed to bring people together to work, stay, shop, drink and dine for the first time within RTP.
“Horseshoe is shaping up to be a transformative community and the central gathering place for all of RTP,” says Carolyn Coia, Vice President of the Research Triangle Foundation. “This impeccable location will not only bring in top-tier companies, but it will help them attract and retain a talented and energized workforce.”
CBRE is leasing the food & beverage and retail components of the development while JLL is leasing the office space. Charlie Coyne (charlie.coyne@cbre.com) and Tiffany Barrier (tiffany.barrier@cbre.com) represented Horseshoe, while Liv Jorgenson and Bruce Alexander of Maverick Partners represented Cheeni. For office leasing, contact Hillman Duncan (hillman.duncan@jll.com) and Patti Autry (patti.autry@jll.com).
To learn more about Horseshoe at Hub RTP, visit horseshoeatthehub.com.
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About Hub RTP: Hub RTP is Research Triangle Park’s vibrant downtown. At full build out, the $1.5 billion mixed-use development will be a central, walkable urban district including up to one million square feet of office and life sciences lab space, 38,000 square feet of experiential retail, 1,200 multifamily residential units, 279 hotel rooms, and more. Nature is central to the Hub RTP layout, with 16 acres of green, open space, including a stream restoration project, that connects more than 20 miles of trails in RTP. Located in the heart of the Triangle Region, Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill, the 100-acre project includes the existing Frontier RTP startup community and Boxyard RTP shipping container food hall and venue. Hub RTP’s rare collection of public spaces combines the community and feel of a vibrant downtown with the energy of a forward-thinking science and tech park. To learn more about Hub RTP and current leasing opportunities, visit https://hub.rtp.org.
About White Point: White Point is a real estate investment firm that specializes in the acquisition and development of mixed-use, office, retail, and multifamily properties across the Southeastern U.S. The Charlotte, NC-based firm utilizes local market knowledge, an extensive network and an entrepreneurial approach to pinpoint unique investment opportunities and in-house expertise to execute across multiple asset classes. Since its inception in 2014, White Point has invested in over $1.1 billion of real estate assets, receiving numerous design and historic preservation awards. For more information, visit whitepointpartners.com and follow @whitepointpartners on Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina: Since 1959, the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina has served Research Triangle Park (RTP) in its mission to facilitate collaboration among our region’s industries, universities, and workforce, and create economic impact for the residents of North Carolina by attracting the world’s most innovative companies and top-tier talent to the state. Comprised of 7,000 acres, RTP’s boundaries are centrally located among Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. RTP is home to 55,000 employees and more than 375 companies and national labs, including Apple, BASF, Biogen, Cisco Systems, EPA, Fidelity Investments, IBM, LabCorp, Lenovo, Lilly, NetApp, NIEHS, RTI International, UBS and United Therapeutics. For more information, visit https://rtp.org.
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Research Triangle Park