Several new developments have been announced for the Raleigh-Durham area over the next few years. This is to accommodate the growth of this region, as Raleigh is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, and Raleigh’s suburbs, like Morrisville and Cary, are growing twice as fast.
Most of this growth is due to the Research Triangle Park (RTP), which is the largest research park in the entire United States, spanning over 7,000 acres, and is home to over 300 companies and over 65,000 workers. Some of the companies that have sites here include IBM, Lenovo, Wolfspeed, Red Hat, Cisco and SAS. RTP is the main reason that people are moving to Raleigh because the park opens up a lot of job opportunities and has also led the population of Raleigh to skyrocket over the past ten years, as people from all over the world are relocating to this region of North Carolina for job opportunities. Some of the other key factors that lead to the growth of Raleigh include the price of living, as Raleigh is a lot cheaper than other cities in the country, even though Downtown Raleigh is still a bit expensive. Another reason that people are moving here is the fact that the Raleigh area has some of the best universities in the country. Some of the universities that are located here include Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, and plenty more. Now with this in mind, let’s get into some of the developments that are coming to the Raleigh area.
The Hub RTP: This development will bring a downtown district to RTP. This will include multiple apartment complexes, restaurants, office towers, a hotel, sixteen acres of green space, greenway trails and more. Construction is already underway for this development, and some stores have already opened, but construction for this is set to be fully completed by 2026. It is located off of I-40 and NC-54 in Durham. This development is also super convenient, as people can live within five minutes of their workplace.
Downtown South in Raleigh: Downtown South is a proposed 140-acre mixed-use entertainment district that will bring an even more urban feel to Raleigh. This development will include office buildings, 50,000 square feet of warehouse space, a 70,000 square foot live entertainment venue, multiple apartment complexes, a saltwater pool, multiple retail options, local restaurants, greenways and parks, a hotel and so much more. Construction for the first phase is set to be finished by 2028. Downtown South will be situated between South Saunders Street and Wilmington Street, right off of Interstates 440 and 40.
Disney’s Asteria Community: Disney itself announced that they are going to build a 1,550-acre community just north of Pittsboro, which is west of Raleigh. This development will be a normal neighborhood featuring homes, parks, trails and retail areas. There will also be amenities like a large pool and community gardens, but will not have the theme park attractions that Disneyland has. Construction is already underway, and residents will be able to move into Asteria in 2028. It will be located within the already built Chatham Park neighborhood, just north of downtown Pittsboro.
Hurricanes Arena Mixed-Use District: The Carolina Hurricanes, a local NHL team, announced that they are going to build a $1 billion mixed-use development that surrounds the Lenovo Center, which not only hosts the Carolina Hurricanes but also hosts the NC State Wolfpack Men’s Basketball team. Additionally, Carter-Finley Stadium is located right next door to the arena and currently hosts the NC State Wolfpack Football team. This development will have retail shops, restaurants, an entertainment office, a 4,300-seat music venue, a hotel and over five hundred apartments. It is set to be a very convenient place to live for die-hard Raleigh sports fans. Construction for this project will start soon, in December of this year, and is set to open to the public in the fall of 2027
The Exchange Raleigh: This will be yet another mixed-use development, coming to Raleigh. The Exchange will feature things including a greenspace, offices, condos, apartments, two hotels and more as this development brings a brand new look to the North Hills area. The first phase of this project began construction in 2022, and people started moving in just last year, but the entire project is set to be finished by 2027. The address for the development is 1000 Social Street, Raleigh, NC.
Backlash and concerns: Many people who live in the Triangle are concerned about some of these future developments, as people think that the ‘green city’ of Raleigh is turning into a concrete jungle. Others think that too many trees are being cut down for these developments, and are sad to see that the developments that are already built don’t even incorporate any trees into them. Raleigh homeowner Cynthia Smith had something to say about trees being cut down near a Raleigh greenway: “I’m just very upset about it because… we need to protect what nature we have left”. Another Raleigh homeowner, Kallie Walker, had this to say about the developments in the North Hills area: “Mixed-use destinations like North Hills actually ease traffic congestion because they capture more people in one place.”
As the Triangle’s population grows, so too will its infrastructure. Around the Raleigh area, there are so many developments that are planned and are already being built. This is because the population is almost doubling every year, and we need these developments because they allow more people to move into the area.
