A newly released 10-point action plan sets to bring vibrancy back to Fayetteville Street.
Things are finally looking up for Fayetteville Street. While the once-vibrant sector had arguably lost some of its luster, Downtown Raleigh Alliance and the City of Raleigh recently released the first set of recommendations from their ongoing Downtown Raleigh Economic Development Strategy in an effort to revitalize North Carolina’s Main Street.
The “Activating Fayetteville Street” report developed by the Interface Studio-led consultant team features 10 recommendations for making the corridor more attractive, competitive and connected based on local need and other city attractions. Taken together, these “10 big ideas” could mark the biggest shift to the district in 15 years.
“Fayetteville Street and our central business district are part of the face of our Downtown, city and state,” says DRA President and CEO Bill King. “So elevating this area is critical to how Raleigh is experienced and perceived.”
Setting a new course for the heart of Downtown, the goal of the recommendations is to breathe new life into the area from the NC State Capitol to Martin Marietta—from highlighting Black-owned businesses and adding more housing on and around Fayetteville Street to connecting main attractions via a family-friendly route and more.
“The intention is to implement as much as possible, but realistically I expect some will still have to evolve or adjust as things change,” says King. That said, look for the streetscape design update to begin immediately, as well as changes to City Plaza, parking fees and many of the placemaking/public art aspects. “We have steps outlined for the first 100 days and first year to drive progress,” he maintains—progress that will only proliferate as Interface continues to seek ways to maximize Downtown’s strengths. Here, the takeaways we think will have the biggest impact on our city.
Courtesy of Google Maps
Courtesy of Monroe Street Midway
Defining the Districts
“Art pulls a community together,” as would a designated Arts and Entertainment District in the lower area, which would also serve to attract local and national establishments and entertainment ops while further fostering Fayetteville Street’s identity. The abandoned parking lot at the northwest corner of South and Wilmington streets serves as a primo spot for “play, small business opportunities and entertainment options,” according to the report.
Courtesy of Interface Studio
Courtesy of Interface Studio
Bright Streetscapes
Famously supersized, Fayetteville Street’s sidewalks have never lived up to their full potential. Swapping current antiquated planters, benches and newspaper corrals for designated zones for outdoor dining would serve as a smart solution, which would free up space for walking, furniture and activity (think outdoor vending, workspaces, lawn games and temporary stages). Meanwhile, added greenery and lighting on significant buildings, trees and sidewalks would bolster literal vibrancy, wayfinding and safety.
Photo by Patti McConville, Alamy Stock
Utter Relief
The lack of public-access relief stations in DTR has long posed a problem. Taking a cue from Portland, relief could be on the way in the form of new self-cleaning public bathrooms + increasing hours and maintenance for free bathrooms in public buildings. Answering the call for another shortage would include improved parking signage, increased time allowances on parking apps and first-two-hours-free parking in City-owned garages.
Rendering by Interface Studio
Photo by Kebony
Courtesy of DRA
Leveraging Public Spaces
“On the playground is where I spend most of my days…” That’s the hope—by activating the oft-underutilized street into a full-blown 16- to 18-hour veritable playground via inviting well-lit passageways bustling with outdoor dining, vendor stalls, recreation, public art and more. This also goes for positioning City Plaza as “Downtown’s front porch” and establishing a visitor center.
Courtesy of Interface Studio
Photo by blazeCLT
Downtown Connector
Bold connections generate growth. Thus, a Chavis-Dix Strollway could be implemented to connect DTR to Dix Park and the Rocky Branch Trail, with a South Park Heritage Walk bridging the gap from DTR to Chavis Park and other East Raleigh destinations.
Human Touch Group Pavillion by Partyk Lewinski
Lucky Plaza by Choo Yut Shing
Marketing Main Street
Raleigh’s “Main Street” needs to assert its identity. Period. Engaging public space design and street activity via mobile retail carts, food trucks and permanent stalls in dead zones would increase foot traffic—as would the creation of a Downtown gift card program.
Exclusive first look: Stakeholders share their vision for development potential.
“I feel more optimistic about the street than I have in a while,” says Bill King—whose vantage point as Downtown Raleigh Alliance president and CEO is clearly in-the-know. “And I really do think you’re going to see Fayetteville Street start to look a bit different over the course of 2023 compared to 2022 and earlier.”
And major players like Fayetteville Street stakeholder Thomas “Skip” Hill are working tirelessly toward that goal. “We want to invest and make this the coolest street—certainly in North Carolina, but in the Southeast and beyond,” says the Highwoods Properties senior VP. “We’re all in soup to nuts, and we want to play a role in coordination with the City of Raleigh.”
Now, propelling that vision, a slew of concepts and activations are on deck—from signed leases to master plans. Here, 10 major updates coming to Raleigh’s Main Street.
Ink Is Dry
Chido Taco This colorful mercado-style taqueria ever so subtly announced its second location on Fayetteville Street by placing two ceramic Chido Taco mugs in the window of the former Living Kitchen space. The new 3,000-square-foot restaurant, slated to open toward the end of Q1, will feature the same menu as the original Chido Taco in McNeil Pointe—and, yes, you’ll be able to take drinks to-go.
HUBB Kitchens Partnership Giving minority and female food & beverage entrepreneurs a leg up is this new training program from HUBB Kitchens, Raleigh Founded and DRA. Expected to start up this summer in a restaurant space at Duke Energy Center before moving to the former Pizza La Stella location Downtown, the concept will train future business owners on cooking skills and the business of running a restaurant, as well as provide mentorship and financing help. It’s also a win-win for those who work/live Downtown, as it’ll add a new lunch option (!). “Being able to provide that, but also make it have an equity impact, is really important to us,” says King.
Mustang House After DTR’s Plaza Cafe owners announced its closure, two Triangle-transplant business partners out of California snatched up the space to open Nepalese concept Mustang House. Look for the spot to open any day now in a lightly refreshed space.
Mobile TV Screen Clearly, Raleighites dig live sports viewing—see the throngs of people who descended on Moore Square to watch the live FIFA World Cup Final via giant mobile TV screen. Now, the city has acquired that massive mobile screen and is evaluating the logistics of live City Plaza screenings of the NCAA tournament, ACC tournament, hockey games and the like.
Economic Development RFP The City of Raleigh is funding an RFP asking national firms to submit proposals for attractions and activations that would promote economic development Downtown (think: retail strategies, position of the DT office market, and supporting minority- and women-owned businesses)—to, in essence, “make Downtown, and Raleigh, great again,” says Hill.
In the Works
Sir Walter Coffee Owner Kevin Frazier confirmed Sir Walter Coffee is very close to signing a lease for the former B.GOOD space at Charter Square—one of four towers Highwoods owns on Fayetteville Street. In the “hip Panera,” as Frazier calls it, expect a slightly bigger breakfast and lunch menu of fresh salads, sandwiches & soups—plus a separate bar and potential for a light dinner menu. If signed, Frazier hopes to open this year.
Alexander Square Parking Deck In addition to the rollup garage doors and other upgrades Highwoods is making as part of the redevelopment of the deck’s ground-floor space we intro’d last summer, the company is also planning to upfit with outdoor dining and food concepts (think sushi, sandwiches, ice cream).
Wells Fargo Building Concept Hill says the lease is very close to being signed for the former Cafe Carolina space—closed since 2017—on a great full-service restaurant from a local hospitality group known for its collection of concepts.
Light Activations Visionary Hill’s, well, vision is to “have lights on every tree all the way down Fayetteville Street,” he says. “In fact, we’d love to have it so that the lighting is tied to a sound system and the lights go dancing on and off based on the music.”
Empire Properties Concept The now-defunct CVS space at 200 Fayetteville St. looks to be a big talker in the near future as Greg Hatem and co. revamp the space with a new concept. Stay tuned.
