OK… last year I ranted about 440—or, as I call it, the Beltline. You gave me some good answers, but I’ve still got a good rant left in me!
I’m glad we have three lanes open in each direction now, and I’m happy the graffiti has finally been cleaned up. But what is the deal with all of the lights in the median that don’t light up? And the trash—why is it still everywhere, lining the shoulders and clogging the drainage areas? And while we’re at it, what’s with the massive mounds of dirt just… sitting there?
And for God’s sake, the freaking traffic barrels all over Western Boulevard at the interchange? I thought the diamond was supposed to be easier and safer for all of us—but clearly people are struggling. Daily!
And don’t even get me started on the Hillsborough/Wade exit. How many of us have missed that Wade slideover more than once?
I just really want some answers dammit! Cut on the lights! Clean up the gutters and shoulders—and, oh, my God… Western Boulevard! Remember the Barrel Monster from back in the day? Can we just get this finished already?! Please!
—Beltline Bitcher
This rant has been lightly edited for style and space and is not endorsed by Raleigh Magazine.
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CityPlat plans to transform the former Kmart department store into a live, work, play concept.
The eyesore that has long plagued West Raleigh is finally getting new life—and, as such, all the recent surrounding urban development can finally start to come together. After sitting empty since 2018, the locally loathed former Kmart building on Western Boulevard that grates on eyes as far as from the Beltline has been scooped up by CityPlat, with plans for a live, work, play concept—think similar to Kane Realty’s mixed-use North Hills Main District.
Photo courtesy of WRAL
“This is a legacy project for us,” says CityPlat investment leader G Patel of the last major site left on the Beltline. “This is a very large undertaking for our firm. We’ve had our eyes on this site for many years, and it finally aligned to where we can take this project on and feel comfortable with it.”
The prominent location of the site will lend itself to the project becoming a family-forward flagship destination, with the firm “being cognizant about how to make the impact and the changes the site needs.” Building out the 12.08-acre property in phases, CityPlat plans to upgrade the property from the ground up—exterior, landscaping, utilities, parking—to repurpose the existing 117,000-square-foot structure.
Rendering by Redline Design Group, courtesy of CityPlat
Rendering by Redline Design Group, courtesy of CityPlat
And—as Beltline regulars may have noticed—construction is already well underway. After officially breaking ground in January, the dated Kmart building was completely gutted. Now, CityPlat is whiteboxing spaces for future tenants. Taking notice of where Raleighites want to be and what they want to be doing, the firm aims their focus on fitness facilities, sports and recreation concepts (hey, pickleball courts!), and entertainment spaces to activate a fam-friendly lifestyle.
Upping the accessibility factor, the development will flow seamlessly with public transit via easy access to a future bus rapid transit line—a major perk once living spaces round out the mixed-use ecosystem. “That is years down the road,” notes Patel. “It’s definitely a BRT overlay, so having density there would be ideal for the site.”
Garnering residents and visitors to the complex will eventually link local districts and even suburbs. “It’s a great connector—you have the university right there, you have Lenovo’s resurgence and the Blue Ridge Corridor, and then the connectivity between Cary and Raleigh,” emphasizes Patel, who has been heading local entrepreneurship endeavors since 2006. “It’s just such a great hub to activate that.” And West Raleigh is poised for a new destination.
