A district-by-district reveal of projects coming out of the ground.
Raleigh’s skyline is not only changing—but expanding. A number of highly anticipated developments are either coming out of the ground or inching close to completion, positioned to reshape the City of Oaks as we know it. Adding to the city’s allure with myriad new-to-the-market offerings, these projects cover all pockets of Raleigh, including emerging districts like Park District, named for its proximity to Dorothea Dix Park; West End, to the west of Downtown; and Blue Ridge Corridor, redefining West Raleigh. Here, we break down the developments that have begun construction in each area of the city, with updates on noteworthy features and projected deliveries. Change is coming, Raleigh.
WEST END DISTRICT
Image by Steelblue
319 W. Lenoir St.
Building on the expansion efforts for the Raleigh Convention Center, which also includes the shifting of Red Hat Amphitheater, is a new currently unnamed residential/retail project at 319 W. Lenoir St. Topping out in December, the mixed-use tower just a block away from the Convention Center will change the DTR skyline and add yet another exciting component to the already-changing area.
The project by developer Capital Square and JDAVIS Architects will provide 30,000 square feet of amenity space for residents of its studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom units who “will enjoy the vibrant social lifestyle provided by the nearby galleries, art studios, restaurants and the city’s largest park,” says Capital Square Co-CEO Whit Huffman.
Perhaps standing out the most of those luxe amenities is the resort-style pool deck with cabanas, an indoor/outdoor lounge and entertainment spaces; and a sky lounge with a private dining room and outdoor patio serving impeccable views of Downtown. Meanwhile, the public will be able to enjoy a pocket park and ground-floor retail.
“We couldn’t be more excited to develop this luxury mixed-use apartment property that will transform the surrounding neighborhood,” adds Huffman—ultimately “bringing vitality and elegance to Downtown Raleigh.” capitalsq.com
Phased opening: Spring 2025
Specs: ~10.5K sq. ft. retail, 297 residential units
Noteworthy features:
Spacious double-height resident lobby
~3,500-sq.-ft. fitness club with spa locker rooms
Coworking lounge with study cubicles and conference facilities
Kane Realty Corporation helped establish West End as an emerging district with the announcement of its mixed-use development Platform in 2021—now, they’re cashing in on their investment in the up-and-coming neighborhood, with residents beginning to move in this month.
Platform isn’t just designed with residents in mind—but the surrounding community as well. “The intentional part of the design was to really think differently about retail,” says Kane Director of Design Josie Reeves—which was made to complement the neighborhood with inviting and active retail spaces well-suited for hyperlocal food and beverage purveyors, upstart concepts, creative offices, service providers, and makers.
The building’s distinctive layout features a shared interior courtyard for residents and retail/flex office partners. Retail tenants will also have access to a large front patio, side patios and a shared outdoor space in the back. An additional docklike structure off the shops at Dupont Circle will also boast a raised area for seating.
“It should feel really active and like an invitation to the neighborhood to enjoy the semipublic spaces we created,” adds Reeves. Think of it as similar to Smoky Hollow, where both residents and visitors can move freely throughout the open hollow’s retail tenants. Platform will also feature a fully integrated parking deck.
Further banking on the area, Kane is set to break ground on Phase 2 of the project, Oldham & Worth, by the end of the year. The five-story residential building with ground-floor retail offers a mix of studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom units—in addition to an indoor/outdoor fitness center, coworking spaces and a conference room.
Both projects join a bevy of thriving existing local businesses in the area, from Boulted Bread to Sam Jones BBQ to Vault Craft Beer. “There’s a long history of makers and artists who have called the West End home for a long time,” says Reeves. And now, a new era ushers in. platformraleigh.com
Phased opening: Residential move-ins beginning Oct. 1; full completion 2024
Specs: ~29,500 sq. ft. retail, 694 residential units
Noteworthy features: • Shared central courtyard, expansive pool deck with grilling stations and fire pits, wellness center with group fitness area, creative workroom space, resident clubroom with cafe bar-style dining area • Fitness lawn with resort-style sundeck at Oldham & Worth
PARK DISTRICT
The Weld
Helping define the new district is The Weld, SLI Capital and Mack Real Estate’s most recently announced property. Named for its proximity to Dorothea Dix Park, the emerging district connects the past and the future—with the $700 million mixed-use project serving as the front door… and a direct connection from the park to Downtown.
The first phase of the groundbreaking development will consist of two 20-story apartment buildings across 3.5 acres at the intersection of Lake Wheeler Road and Hammell Drive, set to be completed by summer 2025. Thanks to the sleek, glass-fronted spaces, residents will have impeccable park views, not to mention central greenspace and ground-level restaurant and retail space for gathering.
“The Weld is a truly pivotal site for Dix Park and will be transformative for the city,” says SLI Capital CEO and managing partner Bryan Kane. “In addition, we are collaborating with the Dix Park Conservancy to identify other meaningful ways to support the park’s development.”
The project team’s goal is ultimately to create a vibrant new neighborhood in a burgeoning green urban environment, according to Mack Real Estate Group CEO Richard Mack. Historically industrial in nature, the district has already begun a transformation to a mix of local businesses, with The Weld only adding to its appeal as the next “it” DTR destination for Raleigh residents and visitors—further building on the excitement of Dix Park’s transformation into a true attraction for the city. slicap.com
Phased opening: First move-ins June 2025
Current status: Pre-leasing beginning this fall
Specs: 9,632 sq. ft. food- and beverage-focused retail space, 675 residential units
Rockway Raleigh
Formerly dubbed Park City South, Kane Realty Corp.’s new vision for Rockway Raleigh will add to the city’s emerging Park District by connecting our booming Downtown to an outdoor social destination along the greenway. The best of both worlds, the project is set to merge the convenience of urban living with the calm and connectedness of nature via its innovative design encouraging walkability and featuring myriad outdoor activations.
Naturally, outdoor dining will have a large presence in the trail-oriented development’s food- and beverage-centered retail space—in addition to creative- and service-based businesses mixed in. The alfresco opportunities will be positioned along South Saunders Street and directly on the Rocky Branch Greenway trail.
In terms of the “live” aspect, the first phase of apartments, dubbed Rockway Residences, will feature six residential levels over ground-floor retail. The second phase will deliver The Heath, an apartment building with sprawling street-level retail space. And as with any Kane development, the amenities are stacked—from a rooftop lounge, pool and fitness center to bicycle storage to a tranquil internal courtyard. Plans for a second additional residential building in Phase 2 are currently underway.
With this true urban infill project, Kane hopes to seamlessly blend peak live, work and play spaces in a natural environment neighboring one of the most exciting park projects in the country. kanerealtycorp.com
Phased opening: Mid-2024 Specs: Phase I: 18K sq. ft. retail/flex office space, 335 residential units Phase II: 7K sq. ft. retail, 350 residential units
Noteworthy features: • Enhanced sidewalks and landscape design to promote neighborhood walkability • Raised patios allowing outdoor dining on the Rocky Branch Creek Greenway
Standing out from the majority of high-rise projects slated for Downtown, Mira Raleigh is one of few competitive midrise developments advancing in the market, offering more economical rental rates.
“We continue to be very pleased with the progress in developing Mira Raleigh and in seeing our vision for this new community taking shape,” says Spandrel Development Principal and co-founder Emanuel Neuman. “Despite being several months away from launching our pre-leasing campaign, we’re already generating tremendous interest from prospective tenants.”
While not as tall as other new and planned developments in DTR, its seven-stories don’t fall flat on a desirable mix of studio and one- and two-bedroom living spaces and resort-style amenities. Not to mention unmatched skyline views, up to 12-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive terraces.
Mira Raleigh is just one of the planned projects for the otherwise underdeveloped area near Fayetteville Street, the Warehouse District and fellow emerging district West End. But the apartment complex could be the linchpin for future projects. miraraleigh.com
Phased opening: Beginning Q1 2024 Current status: Pre-leasing beginning January 2024 Specs: 2,600 sq. ft. shared office space, 288 residential units
Noteworthy features: • Hospitality-inspired lobby/lounge + sky lounge with skyline views • Commercial-grade coworking facility • Club room with chef’s kitchen and bar area
WAREHOUSE DISTRICT
Tempo by Hilton Raleigh Downtown
It’s Tempo time. Elevating Raleigh’s luxe lodgings, Tempo by Hilton Raleigh Downtown is the brand’s first foray in North Carolina—and only the second U.S. outpost. Primely positioned at South McDowell and West Davie streets, Hilton’s newest and most innovative lifestyle brand’s upcoming locale “places our guests in the heart of the action with walkability to numerous offices, restaurants, shops and more,” says Seraj Patel, VP of Greensboro-based CN Hotels, which owns the property.
Appealing to myriad travelers, the sweet sojourn serves a duo of choice digs to relax and recharge via the dual-brand concept across hotel rooms equipped with all you need to power up, prep for your day, power down and recharge—think oversize bath suite featuring Apotheke amenities and mirrors with built-in Bluetooth speakers. Or for the suite life, extended-stayers can partake in livable amenities like full in-room kitchens.
A shared grand lobby grounds the 13-story building featuring flexible event space and state-of-the-art fitness center. And an intentional lean into healthy living, the high-end hotel will also offer wellness-focused guest rooms, allowing patrons to get their fitness fix while on the go.
The hotel’s palatable food and beverage offerings will include ground-floor signature lobby cafe Fuel Bar and 14th-floor Urban Oak, serving up a sophisticated experience with sweeping views, gourmet tapas, distinctively crafted beverages, modern decor and live music.
“As excited as we are to provide a hospitable and unique hotel experience to guests traveling to Raleigh, we are just as excited to introduce Urban Oak, the tallest rooftop lounge and bar experience, to guests and locals alike,” says Patel. “We’re passionate about embracing and infusing the culture of Raleigh in all aspects of the property. Raleigh has a thriving downtown art scene we are excited to support and highlight by bringing in local artists to curate various pieces that will be displayed throughout the hotel.”
Slated completion: Q1 2024 Current status: Broke ground fall 2021 Specs: 126 rooms, 134 suites with full kitchens
Noteworthy features:
Peloton-equipped wellness-focused guestrooms with Theragun Elite and Therabody Wave Rollers
Signature Fuel cafe and bar
Urban Oak: Triangle’s tallest rooftop bar and restaurant
IRON DISTRICT
Raleigh Iron Works
While Raleigh Iron Works has already welcomed both residents and visitors, its 19 acres of mixed-use development is just getting started. Beyond the draw of such buzzy tenants as Eastcut Sandwich Bar, Andia’s Ice Cream and FX Fitness, Raleigh Magazine recently revealed RIW’s latest F&B occupant, Little Rey, a Tex-Mex-inspired concept by celeb chef Ford Fry, bowing in 2024.
Beyond top-notch tenants and on-site apartment building Forge (slated to be fully complete by October), RIW recently launched a public arts program dubbed The Collision Project, which connects creatives to art opportunities at the joint Jamestown and Grubb Ventures property in an effort to add vibrancy to the industrial-esque development. Initial art installations include three murals from multidisciplinary artist Gabriel Eng-Goetz; graffiti artist Morgan “MCK” Cook; and, most recently, highly regarded painter and muralist Taylor White—the former mural spanning seven stories and serving as a beacon to the development.
Rounding out the development’s creative offerings are “whitebox” spaces, aka empty units available to makers, creators and doers “with the intention to make art and creative works more accessible to the public,” says Grubb Ventures Creative and Marketing Coordinator Macey Bryant. The spaces will also play host to pop-ups, with the first featuring Girl Tribe Co. the first weekend in October.
“We want Raleigh Iron Works to be a backdrop and platform for creativity,” says Jamestown President Michael Phillips. Clearly, the developers are forging the way for all types of creatives—from artists to chefs to fitness junkies and all those in between—to get in on the action. raleighironworks.com
Announced tenants: • Little Rey • Brodeto • Jaguar Bolera • Ponysaurus Brewing Co. • Beatniks • YoBa Studio
Current status: Currently leasing office and residential
Specs: 19 acres: 170K sq. ft. office space, ~71K sq. ft. retail, 219 residential units
As Raleigh’s premiere sportstainment hub, Salvage Yard, an adaptive reuse project comprising three reimagined warehouses and totaling 100,000 square feet, is on track to be a major destination for sports lovers and active Raleighites. Over the summer, anchor tenant Triangle Rock Club released a flythrough rendering of its 40,000-square-foot location at Grubb Ventures’ mixed-use development, offering a more in-depth glimpse of the highly anticipated space.
Slated to bow in 2024, TRC Salvage Yard will boast a world-class climbing and fitness experience complete with 100+ climbing lanes, a dedicated yoga studio, a bouldering area with top-out boulders, and ample fitness space—not to mention an expansive 8,000-square-foot-tall wall area featuring a 47-foot clearance.
And leaning into the sportstainment trend sure to be a smash hit comes the latest announcement of Raleigh Iron Works’ first F&B tenant Jaguar Bolera expanding its footprint to include four indoor pickleball courts and one outdoor court at Salvage Yard as well—joining NOCO Beverage, a spacious joint brewery, taproom and coffee bar.
With no shortage of ways to sate every appetite, from bites and bevs to recreation and relaxation—all mere steps from Grubb’s sister development Raleigh Iron Works and Dock 1053—Salvage Yard serves up the next vibrant social destination. Emphasizing active play—as opposed to, say, retail and shopping—makes it a natural addition to the offerings already available in Raleigh’s growing Iron District. grubbventures.com
Phased opening: Starting Q1 2024 Current status: 82.5% leased Specs: 100,000 sq. ft. retail, restaurant and entertainment space
Noteworthy features: • Five pickleball courts • Open-air entries and exposed trusses
Announced tenants: • Jaguar Bolera • NOCO Beverage by Bond Brothers • TRC Salvage Yard
MIDTOWN DISTRICT
North Hills Main District Expansion
The Main District expansion project isn’t just expanding offerings in Midtown, it’s changing the way individuals maneuver the portion of North Hills. The updated infrastructure will give way to new and extended roads, plus additional parking, traffic patterns and general wayfinding that will rewrite navigating North Hills as we know it—and make getting around the Main District more manageable.
A Main Street extension to Lassiter Mill Road will partially open to the public as early as this fall, while a new Center at North Hills Street is underway—connecting Lassiter Street to the Main Street extension—and will open early spring 2024. And already-open Circle Drive will allow access to an expanded subterranean parking deck complete with 1,000 added spaces and new elevators and escalators (there will also be an on-grade ramp going up and down to access the deck). All roads are expected to be fully open and functional by spring 2024.
A new North Hills Concierge Office located off the lobby of 4114 Creative Offices will further assist visitors by offering directions, gift cards/umbrellas and districtwide valet parking.
An additional office tower, One North Hills, will integrate original large-scale art by local artist Corey Mason and finishes featuring reclaimed wood from trees at North Hills—not to mention two outdoor terraces and a noteworthy angled-glass design that hangs over I-440 and “makes you feel like you’re flying in the sky,” says Kane Realty Corp. Director of Design Josie Reeves. “[The office towers] have already really changed the skyline and added some height and a real urban experience to the Main District,” she adds.
And finally delivering the “live” aspect of the Main District is the first residential building in the expansion, Highland North Hills. The 12-story high-rise will tout one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments; ground-floor retail; an eighth-floor amenity deck with fire pits and primo views; a second-floor pool deck overlooking a new active public plaza; and more.
Perhaps the cherry on top of the whole development, though, is the highly anticipated three-level RH Gallery—the first in the Raleigh market—complete with a rooftop deck/restaurant that’s “sure to be a hit with beautiful sunset views looking over the west side tree line,” Reeves emphasizes.
Kane’s attempts to elevate and refresh the Main District will provide refreshing live, work and play opportunities—not to mention the refined roads and traffic patterns that are bound to take the area to the next level. kanerealtycorp.com
Phased opening: Fall 2023
Current status: 97% leased
Specs: ~347K sq. ft. office space, 100K sq. ft. retail, 287 residential units
Noteworthy features: • 6K-sq.-ft. outdoor terrace at One North Hills • Large central green space with outdoor work environment
Kane Realty Corp.’s North Hills Innovation District is just that—innovative. And the latest announced building for the district is no different. Dubbed Tributary as a nod to its position adjacent to Big Branch Creek, the six-story mixed-use apartment building with ground-floor retail will offer a handful of unique live-work units for businesses and creative professionals who reside above. Residents will also have access to a new greenway extension—plus amenities such as two courtyards, a digital content recording room and an elevated wellness center overlooking the district.
The latest residential building to break ground is St. Albans Loft, which will round out NHID’s five residential offerings (including already-open Vine and Channel House, Tributary, and another yet-to-be-named residential high-rise in the planning stages). Beyond retail spaces, the luxe lodging will tout extensive resident club and entertaining spaces, a Zen courtyard, a resort-style pool courtyard overlooking Big Branch Creek, a club-quality fitness center, remote-work spaces and a private rooftop lounge.
NHID’s unique offerings differentiate this development from the rest of Kane’s portfolio. The freestanding 6,000-square-foot F&B building is designed for a single local purveyor, serving up a spacious open beer garden and ample seating. As for who will tap the space, Kane is “talking to a tenant very seriously” that will be announced soon, according to Kane Director of Design Josie Reeves.
Meanwhile, creatives will delight in Makers Alley, located below Channel House and designed with local retailers, artisans and makers in mind. To date, Dose Yoga is the only announced tenant. Rounding out the one-of-a-kind development, the retail jewel box Pumphouse will house a single tenant adjacent to Tower 5, NHID’s 17-story-high office tower.
“We’ve had luck all around North Hills having a handful of buildings smaller in scale to complement the larger urban buildings we have,” says Reeves. Dog parks, public art, plug-and-play opportunities for outdoor music, and other ways to gather will further complement the urban oasis.
And like its Midtown Main District neighbor, a new road network connecting directly to Wake Forest Road, Hardimont Road and North Hills will link each of the buildings and spaces at NHID, including a network of pedestrian bridges and landings within the district.
When visualizing the development as a whole, Reeves says, “We’ve made a conservative effort to ask ourselves: ‘What is innovative? How do we pull together this collection of big thinkers and people who are creating new ways for us to eat and have drinks and gather and create content?’ … We’re having a lot of fun thinking through an interesting and diverse collection of makers, artisans, chefs and thought leaders, and bringing them together in this collaborative environment.” kanerealtycorp.com
Phased Opening: Next Phase II projects delivering 2024 Specs: 33 acres: 700K sq. ft. office space, 60K sq. ft. retail, 1,500 residential units
Noteworthy features:
Microretail spaces [350–900 sq. ft] for small local purveyors
100-foot-high “Three-Pointer at the Buzzer by the Creek” mural by Jeremiah Britton and Joe Geis of Also Dept. at Channel House
New Capital Area Greenway system connections
The Exchange Raleigh
The Exchange Raleigh is poised to elevate not just Midtown, but all of Raleigh when its highly anticipated 1000 Social begins to deliver in the second quarter of 2024—making up one half of the project’s state-of-the-art WELL-certified twin office towers.
Already 50% pre-leased, the mixed-use development’s first deliverable will be anchored by two dining concepts that will only serve to bolster the City of Oaks’ food and beverage offerings: a marquis restaurant and coffee shop/cafe space.
The restaurant is designed to accommodate a large open bar and abundant outdoor seating overlooking the 4-acre park, according to Dewitt Carolinas Communications Director Jenni Soccorso. The developers are in talks with several chefs and operators to bring a high-end, chef-driven eatery to the space. (Stay tuned for updates.)
Meanwhile, the cafe will serve as an all-day amenity for office tenants, residents and the larger community that will be accessible from the lobby of 1000 Social and open onto a spacious patio, playing into the development’s emphasis on outdoor spaces.
Like with most developments cropping up in the City of Oaks recently, restaurants, coffee shops, bars and the like are a significant anchor (notably, we saw it play out at Fenton)—and those who live, work and play at the highly anticipated development by Dewitt Carolinas can be rest assured the dining and drinking scene will deliver.
While we wait, one thing is certain: The Exchange is a game-changer for Raleigh, poised to attract not just Raleighites, but people from all over the state—and country. And it’s only the beginning for what the future of our city could look like. theexchangeraleigh.com
Phased opening: Starting Q2 2024 Current status: 1000 Social 50% pre-leased Specs: 990K sq. ft. office space, ~1,275 residential units, 125K sq. ft. retail + dining, 300 hotel rooms
Noteworthy features: • 4-acre park with water feature • 20K sq. ft. amenity deck for Birchwood, one of the residential units • Plan for trails to connect to Greenway
CRABTREE CORRIDOR
Glenlake
Inspiration meets innovation at the intersection where Creedmoor becomes Edwards Mill Road. Ideally located, West Raleigh’s newest office tower, GlenLake Three, alongside brand-new food and beverage-focused Retail Row, are primely positioned as the final pièces de résistance to the longstanding GlenLake development.
Designed with people’s well-being in mind, the additions promise to bolster the seven-building office community’s vast walkable outdoor spaces and plazas, serving as an antidote to the typical hustle-and-bustle office park vibe. “It’s like a work retreat,” says Highwoods Properties senior VP Skip Hill of the campus’ mod Zen approach. “It’s just a nice place to be able to enjoy working and get away from the helter-skelter of the world and focus on what you need to do.”
Serving up 205,000 square feet of Class A office space, the seven-story streetfront glass and steel-edifice tower leans into the serene, alfresco feel of the campus via 360-degrees of wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling windows, flex work space, fitness and food selects, and more.
Fueling the hustle while intentionally playing into the parklike setting, Retail Row—situated adjacent to the new tower—will dish as many as five “festive” concepts, says Hill, including abundant outdoor seating. Expect at least one of the concepts to be a cafe with a local coffee partner—and for two of the restaurant spaces, Highwoods is in talks with both a regional group and a local group looking to expand.
“We’ve now incorporated retail into the property that we feel is important for the live-work-play aspect of the park,” says Hill. Extending the play portion beyond Retail Row, plans are in motion to activate the triangular grassy area mid-development with another restaurant-brewery—with site plans and ideas on the table with a duo of diverse prospects, one local and one “local elsewhere but new to Raleigh,” says Hill.
The half-dozen or so concepts serve to activate the Crabtree corridor at large while also further establishing West Raleigh as the next “it” destination—and GlenLake as the gateway to the burgeoning PNC entertainment district emerging just down Edwards Mill Road. highwoods.com
Opening: This fall Current status: 25% pre-leased Specs: 205K Class A office space, 13K-sq.-ft. Retail Row
Noteworthy features: • Indoor/outdoor workplace, event/flex work space, shaded outdoor function space, fitness center • Four-story free parking deck • Outdoor Wi-Fi
Announced tenants: • McKim & Creed HQ • TEKsystems
BLUE RIDGE CORRIDOR
DHHS Phase 1
The future of Raleigh’s next destination district is well underway. Comprising the triangular area from Blue Ridge to Western to Edwards Mill, the Blue Ridge Corridor is an urban hotbed of development with 32 projects completed since 2016, a half-dozen major projects currently under construction and over a dozen in the planning stages.
Already housing an embarrassment of riches that attract people from across the state and beyond (think stadium, fairgrounds, museum), the district is primed to level up its live-work-play persona via a $2.7 billion development pipeline billed as “the next North Hills.”
For starters, the massive NC Department of Health & Human Services is relocating its HQ from Dix Park to Blue Ridge Road, slated for a 2025 completion. The transformational building is part of a three-phase project serving up enormous impact to the area, with Highwoods Properties at the helm of Phase II and III in a public/private partnership with the city—the former slated for DHHS overflow and additional office space, with talks now underway on how the latter will shape up (think mixed-use office, residential and highly amenable retail—but, really, the sky’s the limit, one source close the project tells us.)
These projects come together to craft a complete community across as many as four branded districts—including the PNC sports and entertainment district—where “within a 15-minute bubble, you can work, shop, live, exercise, have fun—with everything you need at your fingertips,” says Jeff Murison, executive director of the Blue Ridge Corridor Alliance (BRCA).
“This is a very robust, healthy pipeline of development projects that add to the energy of the corridor,” adds Murison. “There’s a lot of opportunity for this to be a high-achieving area.”
BRC Noteworthy features: • $1 billion+ in transit investments, plus Triangle Bikeway connecting NCMA to Chapel Hill • Ramada by Wyndham will be demolished and replaced with 370-unit apartment complex Aura Blue Ridge by Dallas-based Trinsic Residential Group
PNC Sports & Entertainment District
Adding to the buzzy Blue Ridge Corridor is of course the score of upgrades coming to PNC, a game-changer for fans, spectators and locals alike. In August, Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon was given the go-ahead to build a sports and entertainment district around the arena, including a sportsbook, activated outdoor areas, lounge areas, loge boxes and more—not to mention additional office and residential as part of the mixed-use development. In essence, the kind of attractions that will bring you to the arena even if you don’t have tickets, or there’s no event at all.
“Our development is going to create great synergy,” says the Centennial Authority Executive Director Jeff Merritt—“a great ‘Welcome to Raleigh’ moment,” nodding to the thoroughfare that is Wade Avenue. “The sportsbook will happen fast—maybe a year,” he adds, noting summer 2025 and ’26 will be big for the district. pncarena.com
There’s a new dog in the hause. Shifting from its previous doggie scoop shop concept Salty Paws franchise, meet the revamped vision + moniker: Hause of Dogs.
First discovering the franchise four years ago, local mother-daughter duo Amanda Moody and Ashton Edens, respectively, planned to launch their Salty Paws franchise in Smoky Hollow late this summer thanks to its solid business model—and thus delivering the first doggie ice cream bar and bakery (um, barkery) to bow in NC. But there’s been a recent revamp.
With a central focus on operating the biz to help dogs in need, the duo decided to walk away from the franchise in favor of more creative freedom and in the name of centering their enterprise on saving our local furry friends.
Despite the conceptual shift, Hause of Dogs remains set to open in its originally planned Smoky Hollow locale by visionary developer Kane Realty Corporation in mid-August. “Kane was really excited about the change,” shares Moody. “They thought it was a positive change for our platform and what we are hoping to do.”
Hause of Dogs maintains its plans to host its array of animal-centered activities—from partnering with New Anthem Beer, West Street Dog and DOSE Yoga to keeping their paws open to new ideas from the community. And for our dog lovers/yogis in the hause, find Doga on the schedule, aka yoga with shelter dogs roaming between the mats (did all the dog people just let out a collective squeal?!).
“It’s just giving us more creative freedom,” says Moody. “We can have better events, better parties and can now partner with other places we couldn’t work with before. There’s one shop we are hoping to work with that does customized bark boxes.” Translation: Your dog’s face on a cookie. Who’s ready to let the dogs out? @hauseofdogsraleigh
We asked our Women Shaping the Future of Raleigh what podcast they’re streaming.
Radical Candor Want to “kick ass at work without being a jerk?” Who doesn’t. Enter this podcast on how to be effective without losing your humanity—from quiet firing to helicopter bosses (Hey, Bill from Office Space!)—and move from “command-and-control culture” to collaboration. #Boss! radicalcandor.com Pick: IA Managing Director + Principal Teressa Merck
Pretty Big Deal Being a pretty big deal is, well, a pretty big deal. Just ask Ron Burgundy. Stream this now-finito but ever-popular pod on owning who you are, hosted by supermodel, style icon and barrier-breaking body activist Ashley Graham as she chats up her brilliant, inspiring and blunt friends about how they became a pretty big deal. @prettybigdealpod Pick: Sprout Pharmaceuticals + The Pink Ceiling CEO Cindy Eckert
Be There in Five “You’ve got mail!” Kate Kennedy takes a deep dive into a wide range of topics—from contemplating current trends (celebs, influencers and entertainment) to the funny found in reexamining the ’90s/aughts zeitgeist (think AIM, etc.)—in this must-listen long-form millennial pop culture podcast serving up thoughtful dialogue on mainstream culture and nostalgia. bethereinfive.com Pick: Kane Realty Corp. Senior Development Manager Kallie Walker
The Armchair Expert Being a human is messy. And Dax Shepard is here for it. Join the “armchair expert” for this wildly popular, insightful and often hilarious pod where he psychoanalyzes his famous subjects’ backstories—from Jason Bateman to Columbia U’s Jeffrey Sachs—to celebrate the setbacks that make us better… and human. armchairexpertpod.com Pick: McAdams CAO Mary Heath
More from Women Shaping Raleigh:
Anything Brené Brown does | JLL Office Lead/Managing Director Kimarie Ankenbrand Fresh Air| Legal Aid of North Carolina CEO Ashley Campbell Fresh Air | Raleigh City Councilor, District D, Jane Harrison Podcast Raleigh | HH Architecture CEO and Principal Kristen M. Hess Podcast Raleigh: “Go listen right now if you haven’t” | A Place at the Table Executive founder & Director Maggie Kane The Daily | Maurer Architecture Partner & architect Meredith Kirkpatrick, AIA Dare to Lead With Brené Brown| Garman Homes founder & CEO Alaina Money-Garman Brains On!“I have a 6-year-old, and we love listening to Brains On! at the bus stop. I can’t believe how much there is to know about axolotls.” | Raleigh City Councilor, District B, Megan Patton The Wisdom & The Work| DHIC Inc. President & CEO Yolanda Winstead How I Built This | 321 Coffee Co-Founder Lindsay Wrege
Want some more? Find other Unplugged articles here and here.
By The Editors Photography by Jennifer Robertson Women Shaping Raleigh in partnership with HMD Construction & Development
From left: Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson, The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Adrienne Cole, City Manager Marchell Adams-David, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, City Council At-Large Stormie Forte
It may surprise you that we live in a city—and in a moment—where the highest profile positions are held by women. True placemakers, trailblazers and changemakers, these women shape and lead our community while setting the tone and pace for all its denizens—including the women we celebrate on these pages. To honor that remarkable truth and triumph, meet our Women Shaping the Future of Raleigh—an elite cast of local ladies who are literally helping shape the future of our city. Think: architects, city planners, commercial Realtors, recruiters, developers and so on.
Inspired by the brilliance and determination of the women before them—from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to an orphan grandmother-turned-successful government spy—they were taught women could rise to be whatever they dreamed with hard work and grit.
Likewise inspired by the local business owners with whom they collaborate on the daily and united by their commitment “to creating a lasting and meaningful impact on [our] community through design, philanthropy and engagement,” as award winner and CEO and principal of HH Architecture Kristen M. Hess elucidates, these bold women also are determined to put power in the hands of women, building community and setting the stage for future female leaders. “My greatest hope is that Raleigh will have enough opportunity, culture, creativity and affordability that my daughter will one day choose to build a life here too,” says award winner and District B City Council Member Megan Patton. “Our city’s future is personal to me.”
That future is personal to all of these illustrious, optimistic and passionate women leaders. “Building our city’s future can feel overwhelming at times,” says award winner and Kane Realty Corporation Senior Development Manager Kallie Walker, “but if we, those who live here and are invested in the long-term vitality of our city, aren’t the ones planning for the future, then who will?”
From left: Christina Jones, Jane Harrison, Megan Patton, Mary Black
“I hope to make this a place my children won’t want to leave when they grow up”—so says Council Member Christina Jones, who won a heated race to unseat incumbent David Knight in District E. One of four freshman female council members poised to serve as changemakers for our fast-growing and rapidly rising city, Jones is joined by Mary Black, Megan Patton and Jane Harrison to comprise the youngest and most diverse council this city has ever seen. Intentional, analytical, determined and kind are just some of the standout attributes driving these fierce females in their dedication to public service as “tireless advocates for our neighbors—this generation and the next,” says Harrison. “It has always been important to me that those who say they represent us make sure to spend time learning about what matters to us,” adds Jones. “I want to be the kind of leader I wish I had—one who listens to understand instead of to just respond.”
Jane Harrison District D | Raleigh City Council Your MO: Be who you are. Love what and who is around you. Do what you can. Greatest hope for Raleigh: Sustainable and inclusive development Fun fact: I am an environmental economist with a PhD in Natural Resource Management; I also serve on the faculty of the College of Natural Resources and work for a NOAA program NC Sea Grant at NC State University. Worst advice: Stay neutral. Fave Raleigh bar: Neptune’s
Megan Patton District B | Raleigh City Council Your MO: Do the maximum and the least harm for the most people. Best advice: ‘We have to remember what’s important in life: friends, waffles and work. Or waffles, friends, work. But work comes third.’ —Leslie Knope Fave Raleigh bar: Heyday Brewing—I love their Finger Guns IPA. Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: Pace yourself—the world needs us working diligently to create the world we want to live in, and to do that, we have to avoid burnout.
Mary Black District A | Raleigh City Council Fun fact: As an environmental advocate, I worked to create alternative futures for the climate crisis through transformative solutions. Greatest hope for Raleigh: In 18 years, I’ve seen this city change in ways that are exciting—yet also unsustainable and unaffordable. Through trust, healing, resiliency, intersectionality, collective vision and engagement, we can ensure every resident can thrive.
Christina Jones District E | Raleigh City Council Your MO: Show up. Stand up. Speak up. Worst advice: This is how it’s always been done. Fave Raleigh restaurant/retail: Crabtree Valley Mall has my daughters’ favorite places to shop and eat! Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: Don’t be afraid of your voice. Give it space and don’t worry about being wrong.
Mary Heath Chief Administrative Officer | McAdams For seven years, Heath has been helping transform the fabric of Raleigh with her team through the designs of prominent projects like Dix Park Gipson Play Plaza, North Hills, Bloc[83] and Downtown South, among many others. Not only are these beautifully designed spaces and avant-garde developments, but they foster an environment that allows people to be “authentic, creative and curious,” she says. The self-described succinct, fair and enthusiastic CAO also focuses on promoting diversity and equitability within the industry—and speaks up as a woman in the field who’s bringing unique perspectives to the table. “I hope Raleigh continues to further develop its brand through its people and sense of vibrancy,” she adds. “And I hope we stay curious to continue setting the stage for an even more diverse and thoughtful city.”
Best advice: Transparency in communication is key to building trust. Who you want to meet—dead or alive: Lucille Ball Love most about Raleigh: It feels alive with the perfect amount of energy, good food and good vibes. Fave Raleigh restaurant: Sitti
Kallie Walker Senior Development Manager | Kane Realty Corporation In her eight-year career at Kane Realty, Walker has overseen more than $1 billion in development projects across the city—from The Dillon in Downtown to the Peace Raleigh Apartments and Publix grocery store at Smoky Hollow to the North Hills Main District Expansion Project. In essence, Walker has literally helped shape the skyline of Raleigh tremendously. “These projects create the places where Raleigh residents will live, work, eat, shop and spend their free time,” says Walker, “and it is truly an honor to have even a small part in shaping our community.” And not only is she shaping the city itself, but also the city’s potential future leaders as a guardian ad litem for Wake County.
Your MO: If not us, who? If not here, where? Greatest hope for Raleigh: That it continues to grow smart & sustainably Best advice: Look at everything through a funnel—start with the big picture and funnel down to the details. Love most about Raleigh: It’s the perfect mixture of dense yet attainable, energetic yet unassuming.
Alaina Money-Garman Founder & CEO | Garman Homes Literally making Raleigh a place we love to call home is this leading homebuilding lady who’s putting a new spin on the term “homemaker.” Not only does Money-Garman build up her company’s presence, but she gives back to the community through Habitat for Humanity; the 2015 Miracle Home for Duke Children’s Hospital; Operation Coming Home, an org that helps gift homes to the widows and families of fallen soldiers; and the Farm at Penny Lane, a program that helps people with mental illness find affordable abodes. And, as a mom to five teenagers (whew!) and a wife to her “partner in business and life” Jim Garman, she’s a superhero in her own home too. And she’s poised to keep building Raleigh up—for all.
Your MO: ‘Once in a Lifetime’ by Talking Heads—the lyrics remind me to stay intentional with my thoughts and actions. Fave Raleigh spot:North HillsWhat you love most about Raleigh: I love it isn’t trying to be like any other city—it honors the old while also making space for the new.
Kristen M. Hess CEO and Principal | HH Architecture After nearly two decades at the helm of HH Architecture, this Indiana-born and NC-bred NCSU College of Design alum has quite literally shaped our built environment. “Committed to creating a lasting and meaningful impact on my community through design, philanthropy and engagement,” Hess has significantly sculpted our city—from her work on the Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center to serving organizations and initiatives like Blue Ridge Corridor Alliance and the Wake County Schools Bond campaign. As a Marshall Memorial and Zhi-Xing Eisenhower Fellow, Hess has also introduced global business leaders to what makes Raleigh unique. And as a Gold Award Girl Scout and board member of the Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines, she remains passionate about paying it forward to future generations of women by “helping grow girls of courage, confidence and character.”
Best advice: Take a seat at the table, even when it feels like you don’t belong there. Biggest inspiration: My mentor, master architect Wayne Schmidt… when I was 3, he said I’d be an architect one day—and here I am! Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: You don’t need to know all the answers!
Janet Cowell President & CEO | Dix Park Conservancy If you had to sum up Cowell in one word it would be “transformational.” The former NC treasurer, NC state senator and Raleigh city councilor—who has already made great strides for our city and state in those roles—is now leading one of the most transformational projects in Raleigh’s history, Dix Park. Not only will this project preserve the city’s past, but it will propel us into a future with myriad opportunities for residents and visitors alike. But Cowell humbly maintains it’s not a one-person job. “Creating the park demands a partnership-driven approach that taps the talent and creativity of our community,” she says. And Dix Park will certainly reflect that.
Greatest hope for Raleigh: Be known as a welcoming and caring city of shared prosperity Best advice: Always keep a chilled bottle of Champagne in the fridge. Who you want to meet—dead or alive: Dorothea Dix Hobbies: Lift weights at Olympus Athletic Club
Yolanda Winstead President & CEO | DHIC Inc. Fueled by a hope that Raleigh can become “a truly inclusive community where everyone can thrive regardless of socioeconomic status,” Winstead works to pour into and build up our city and its people by supplying both high-quality homes and uplifting opps. And with over 25 years of experience in the biz, she’s well-versed in an array of savvy skills—think affordable housing development, financing and related services. Her great advice to pass on to fellow females? “Don’t be afraid to take on a challenge,” she says, “because even if you fail, you’ll learn something about yourself in the process.”
Who you want to meet—dead or alive: Coretta Scott King Hobbies: Watching NCAA women’s basketball, strolling the Southern leg of the Neuse River Greenway Trail and reading Fave Raleigh restaurant: NC Seafood Restaurant at the State Farmers Market Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: Always, always be unapologetically yourself.
Cindy Eckert CEO | Sprout Pharmaceuticals + The Pink Ceiling A “badass in a pink power suit,” Eckert spends her days leading the way for local women—from mentoring entrepreneurship undergrads at NC State to placing bets in favor of a female founder seeking venture funding. To boot, she’s made a name for herself on the national stage (hey, “Female Viagra”) and uses her clout to cultivate a thriving ecosystem right here in Raleigh for upcoming female entrepreneurs while “obliterating obstacles” that might get in their way via her baby, The Pink Ceiling—aka, the “Pinkubator”—that invests in and mentors women in business. May the bright pink spotlight forever shine on this womens’ health icon!
You in three words: Bold, passionate and pink Your MO: Putting power in the hands of women Who you want to meet—dead or alive: Warren Buffett Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: Waiting for it to be perfect is only slowing you down. Go!
Photo by Sharon Suh
Meredith Kirkpatrick Partner & Architect | Maurer Architecture “Honor the past, celebrate the present, embrace the future”—an MO that this Raleigh native and NCSU alum lives out each day as she breathes new life into some of our city’s oldest buildings—at once maintaining their identity while reimagining them for our evolving needs. “It’s an exercise in understanding Raleigh’s past, present and future,” says the placemaker extraordinaire and partner at one of DTR’s most prominent architecture firms behind some of the city’s coolest and most significant spaces—from Trophy Brewing, Young Hearts Distilling and Raleigh Wine Shop to Dix Park. “I get a real kick out of imagining, for example, how my work on the 100-year-old buildings at Dix Park will evolve over the next 100 years,” she says.
Greatest hope for Raleigh: That the growth doesn’t outpace the charm of the city and the kindness of the people. Supporting diversity and bolstering local businesses is key. Who inspires you: I am inspired every day by the local business owners I work with. Raleigh wouldn’t be anything without their commitment to the community, to their crafts and to placemaking. Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: Relax.
Teressa Merck Managing Director & Principal | IA Interior Architects When your grandmother rises from orphanage roots to CIA secret agent, you learn a thing or two about blazing trails. “She taught me I could do anything I put my mind to,” says Merck—“lead with confidence and seize the day!” So, employing that same hard work and grit, she has. Beyond building out via projects for clients like Trinity Partners and Wake Tech Community College, the passionate placemaker builds up the next generation by developing young leaders via myriad organizations such as the ACE Mentor Program of America—and peers via serving on the board of Triangle Commercial Real Estate for Women (TCREW) and CoreNet Global, among others. “Everything we build is a sandcastle on the grand scheme of eternity,” she says. “But the relationships we form and the time and energy we pour into others is our legacy.”
Who you want to meet—dead or alive: Mother Teresa, who changed the world through her charity Nugget of wisdom: You can do anything you put your mind to as long as you create your own definition of what ‘success’ means. Fave Raleigh bar:The Lounge at Longleaf Hotel—it is the most charming place to have a cocktail in town!
Ashley Campbell Chief Executive Officer | Legal Aid of North Carolina Campbell began her career at Legal Aid of North Carolina as a staff attorney in 2003—and has been an influential volunteer and legal services advocate ever since. Case in point: This year, she and her team are establishing the Legal Aid of North Carolina Innovation Lab, a dedicated hub for using technology and design to increase access to justice for as many people as possible. The double Tar Heel (’99 and ’03) is also committed to community service work—whether or not it fulfills her professional goals—and has served on many nonprofit boards that “were not directly linked to my private practice legal work, but gave me huge personal satisfaction,” she says.
Biggest influence: Charlotte legal legend Ted Fillette Your MO: Be open. Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: You look ridiculous in those black combat boots. Fave Raleigh retail spot: Quail Ridge Books
Dr. Paulette R. Dillard President & CEO | Shaw University For Shaw U’s leading lady, Raleigh has a “special ‘vibe’ that invites engagement and makes you want to be a part of the city,” she says—a vibe she is very much a part of shaping. Beyond leading NC’s first HBCU—which contributes $88 million in economic benefit to the city—and being actively engaged in the Dix Park Conservancy, Downtown Raleigh Alliance, City Club Raleigh, Cooperating Raleigh Colleges and Carolina Small Business Development Fund, the self-described “tough and tender” NC native is also engaging in the process of creating The ShawU District. Read: propelling the campus as a DTR destination that will “serve as a model for envisioning the future of higher education, celebrating Black culture, promoting entrepreneurship, providing employment, and creating a vibrant mixed-use urban living community that will transform the lives of everyone who comes here,” she says.
Your MO: It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me, and I’m feeling good (lyrics from the Nina Simone hit plays in my head). Fave Raleigh restaurant: ORO Restaurant & Lounge (great food, friendly atmosphere, super bartender) Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: Trust yourself—your voice matters.
Lindsay Wrege Co-Founder | 321 Coffee Hobbies: Walks, playing casual sports with friends and eating—ideally wherever Kevin Ruiz is the chef! Fave Raleigh retail spot: Edge of Urge Who you want to meet—dead or alive: Hilary Duff—I’m obsessed with Lizzie McGuire!
Photo by Mallory Bryan
Gabi Angelini Co-Founder | Gabi’s: Powered by Special Abilities Greatest hope for Raleigh: Get self-driving cars for people with special abilities and build Gabi’s Village (with a swimming pool and gaming area) where all our employees could live Best advice: Ask God for what you want and He will answer you with a miracle. Who you want to meet—dead or alive: Michael Jordan
These two 20-somethings are powered by java and joy—plus providing a whole latte love and employment ops to the special-needs community in Raleigh. Not to mention seeing and loving everyone for who they are, naturally. Serving coffee and kindness since their late teens, these do-gooder gals are channeling big dreams and big hearts toward the betterment of our city through each of their community-oriented coffee shops—both to national notice (Think: the Today show, The Kelly Clarkson Show…). And you can be sure to see both of these talented and inclusive ladies brewing up more business and good vibes for our city for years to come. “I want to see Raleigh as a hub for social business,” says Wrege. “This is already starting… and I hope it continues and becomes the norm.”
Maggie Kane Executive Director & Founder | A Place at the Table Self-described as “passionate and a lover of people”—and so humble that she tried to pass on this award!—Kane has lovingly combined a profitable business endeavor with an uplifting venture that empowers the homeless community… and offers a pretty delish meal to boot. Inspired over eight years ago to found APATT, this Raleigh-born and -raised hype queen is constantly lifting up our city to be a united, caring and diverse community one plate at a time. “I am just the lucky one to do this work,” she says. “We have the best women on staff, best volunteers and best diners that make APATT a beautiful place to work every single day.”
Your MO: An African proverb: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ Who you want to meet—dead or alive: Quinta Brunson or Michelle Obama… anyone have a connection? Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: Celebrate everything; spend time with your humans; hire people better than you; and jump out of that airplane!
Kimarie Ankenbrand Office Lead/Managing Director | JLL Ankenbrand’s mantra is “continuous improvement” (“Growth requires to always be thinking if there is a different or better approach to doing things,” she says)—and it shows. The Dallas-born powerhouse uprooted her family to move to the City of Oaks four years ago to take over leadership of JLL’s first NC office in Raleigh, and continues to constantly bring new ideas and perspectives from other cities to the area in hopes of increasing sustainable innovation and transformation within the community. One of the 2018 Real Estate Forum Women to Watch, Ankenbrand is also focused on building Raleigh out with transformative project Hub RTP, which will consist of office, retail, hotel and multifamily apartments.
Hobbies: Attending live sporting events with my husband and two boys (Go Canes, Wolfpack and Tar Heels!) You in three words: Loves a challenge Thing you’d tell your 20-year-old self now: Be curious and have a sense of urgency, but be patient while you learn along the way. Fave Raleigh restaurant: Crawford and Son
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Nope, not the holidays. Our annual Dropped Acorns Awards—aka kinda like the Oscars for best “did they seriously do that” moments. From flubs and faux pas to lapses in judgment and questionable decisions to just straight screwups, this year’s losers—er, winners—do not disappoint.
Repeat Offender
It seems as though North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson forgot that “girls rule and boys drool.” You may remember Robinson from last year’s Dropped Acorns—despite calling “transgenderism” and homosexuality “filth” while speaking at a church, he’s maintained his position in office. And guess what—Robinson’s at it again (!), this time making a controversial comment about women’s subservient role to men. Pardon us while we check our calendars—nope, not 1922. But, taking us back 100 years, the lieutenant governor (who’s also expected to run for governor in 2024—bring out the “pussyhats”) stated on an extended tour of NC churches: “We are called to be led by men” as part of a critique of the social justice movement. Perhaps someone should play the LG some Queen Bey “Who run the world? Girls!” lyrics. This came on the heels of his bang-up revelation during a sermon at a church the day after a May mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, where Robinson shared he owns AR-15 rifles (the style of gun used in the shooting) “in case the government gets too big for its britches. Because I’m going to fill the backside of those britches with some lead. I’m going to say it to you plain: Your boy ain’t going down without swinging.” Swinging or shooting? Either way, down boy.
Joey Carty
Child’s Play
What do you get when you spend two years of research and six months of design conception on a new logo? A design that could’ve easily been drawn by a child (womp womp). So is the NCMA’s new Clemson-hued (Clemson! Blasphemy!) “visual identity,” revealed in August and inspired by the museum park’s iconic rings of “Gyre” by artist Thomas Sayre. Some called it “bold,” while others mocked it by coming up with satirical slogans like “North Carolina Museum of Hot Wheels,” “North Carolina Museum of Arby’s Curly Fries” (the similarity is uncanny, really) and “North Carolina Museum of My 1-Year-Old’s Doodles.” One disgruntled citizen even went so far as to say, “This new logo is embarrassing. It does for creativity (and NC!) what Trump does for democracy!” Ouch. Mind you, there was nothing wrong with the NCMA’s previous logo, which was made up of a custom alphabet specifically created for the museum by renowned independent design firm Pentagram. Odds are, the former designers are probs feeling a bit salty—which makes sense, considering the new logo also resembles a pretzel.
ABC11
Get Trucked
Pro tip: Save the Mario Kart moves for game nights with the boys. Style points for the very creative car crash that occurred at the intersection of Garner Road and McMakin Street this summer, where a truck ran a stop sign, jumped a curb, flipped over and landed atop a parked car in the driveway of a residential building (#Parkour!)… and, no, they weren’t filming the next Fast & Furious movie. If you’re not flipping out already, there was a man inside the building when the crash happened (don’t worry, he was OK—just a bit emotionally wrecked). To boot, ABC11 reported that the truck went airborne. So, turns out, flying cars aren’t just a thing of the future (keep up, Elon Musk). Either way, sounds like the driver needs a crash course. BRB, we’re calling our high school driver’s ed teacher in for backup because this guy needs a brake from being allowed behind the wheel.
TRUCK CRUSHER
Downtown Raleigh’s Peace Street Bridge has made quite the name for itself, having trapped hundreds of wheeled victims in all its 12-foot, 4-inch glory over the last 60+ years. Seriously, do people even read? There’s a “low clearance” sign. … Or do they think it’s just a suggestion? Perhaps heeding the suggestion in the nick of time—in what can only be described as a new kind of W for the Peace Street Bridge—a semitruck driver made an about-face just before almost wrecking himself at the infamous bridge—causing quite the traffic jam as a line of cars on each side waited for the driver to make what the Twitterverse called a “600-point turn,” almost rear-ending a skateboarder and backing into a wall in the process. So, still “undefeated, undeterred—a bane to those that can’t read numbers”—as the @PeaceStBridge Twitter bio reads. “Last meal” as of press time “6/14/22.” Ah, reading is fundamental.
Drive-Thru Patio
Seen here applying for his cameo in the movie Crash, a young speed demon wiped out the outdoor seating area of Olde Raleigh Village Rudino’s Sports Corner when he wrecked the car he was driving into it. While first reported to be a 70YO man who accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes, onlookers confirmed the driver was a youth with an apparent need for speed who “sounded like some guy trying to show off…” after hearing “loud exhaust noises… and then crash.” Luckily, his mid-August demolition Derby audition occurred on a Monday—a day of the week the restaurant does not operate, so the only injury was to the popular patio area, left looking more like the aftermath of a frat party (read: broken wood panels and outdoor tables and chairs flipped and strewn about). That and the driver’s bruised ego—which hopefully will get him to slow his roll…
Screenshots of Zainab Baloch Post before they were later removed.
#BurnedOut
We already knew politics could get heated, but ex-Raleigh City Council candidate Zainab Baloch really, ahem, fanned the flames of political dysfunction after ending her campaign when she literally lit up (read: set on fire) one of incumbent Councilman Jonathan Melton’s campaign signs in a show of “radical resistance” against Mayor Baldwin, Melton and others in office. She then posted a few pics of her weekend plans on Instagram, and, naturally, everyone in Raleigh reacted (holy smokes, right?!). The post was deleted by the following Monday. But if you think Baloch felt remorse for her fiery endeavor, think again. When The News & Observer asked why she took down the post, Baloch replied, “so I wouldn’t get arrested.” … Fair enough, since it’s a Class 3 misdemeanor to “steal, deface, vandalize or unlawfully remove a political sign that is lawfully placed.” While Baloch might not be a good match for Raleigh, at least she was keeping #HotGirlSummer going.
WRAL
BORED OF EDUCATION
Maybe someone should have schooled them on the correct spelling of “friendship.” A clear sign of our government at work, Apex Friendship Elementary School became everyone’s favorite subject this summer before school was in session when photos of its misspelled sign went viral. (Hey, editor job security!) The error drew plenty of fire-y backlash and even landed on The State You’re In Facebook page with the caption “Apxe Firendship School cat’n eb buitl fsat enuogh, litreally.” Ah, a teachable moment. Hopefully, school started with a spelling lesson—followed by one in quality control (seriously, do you know how many eyes saw this sign before it was set in place?). … Though you can hardly blame them when our president is saying things like: “Let me start off with two words… ‘Made in America.’” Let us respond with two words: WTF. (Obv, on purpose–don’t @ us). And, ya know, given the exorbitant signage costs and industry delays, good thing it wasn’t set in stone… er—oops.
Not So Fly
If you needed more proof our country’s politicians struggle with troubleshooting, Rep. Madison Cawthorn was caught for the second time attempting to wheel his way through an airport carrying a loaded gun (because if at first you don’t succeed…?), causing Homeland Security to pull out a few big guns of its own in a letter calling the TSA to “act decisively to ensure repeat offenders like Rep. Cawthorn face the full extent of TSA’s enforcement actions.” Translation: No TSA PreCheck for you, congressman. Perhaps this incident can help the rest of us make a case when our toothpaste is getting confiscated at the security checkpoint—because, for some of us, packing for a trip means stuffing extra snacks in our carry-on rather than a firearm. But on the bright side, with most politicians keeping their heads in the clouds, at least we know one gun-touting congressman who’s staying #grounded.
Hook, Line & Stinker
Keeping it “reel” (stinky)—and becoming quite the newsy, ahem, clickbait—22,000 pounds of live catfish were strewn all over I-95 in mid-October when a semitruck crashed and turned on its side, casting quite a smelly situation and snarling traffic for hours. Adding fuel to the massive mess—literally—gas was also spilled in the wreck, prolonging the cleanup and making the whole sitch that much more, well, fishy. Luckily, the driver was uninjured. Those fish out of water, though… they never stood a chance. So, um, carpe diem?!
Bo Hines
Going Bananas
TW: Banana Republic slander. After the FBI search on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, critics—er, Republicans—stated the search made our country look like a “banana republic,” essentially a slang term to describe “poor countries that are politically unstable.” And while it’s a pretty unappealing phrase to begin with, apparently not all of us understand its connotations. And by “all of us” we mean those running for office. 2022 NC-13 Republican candidate (and Banana Republic shopper?) Bo Hines put his foot down on what he thought was slander on the clothing retailer in an August interview, stating “I think that’s an insult to Banana Republics across the country.” … Um, that is simply not ripe. And for this former NC State wide receiver, we’re surprised he didn’t catch his banana blunder—but, hey, at least we know he’s in support of snagging a reasonably priced sweater.
Lose Yourself
Clearly one way to “lose yourself in the music, the moment”—literally—is to approach Raleigh City Council with an iPhone rapping those famed lyrics from Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” And then reciting them after council requested to silence the music. Yes, that happened. In September, North Hills resident Shane Collins invoked the Detroit rapper in the throes of the fight for affordable housing during the ongoing (stalled) rezoning hearings for Kane Realty’s request to build up to 40 stories in the hood. “He can’t be here,” said Collins of Eminem as he turned off the rap, “so I’m not going to bring him here.” Oh, but he still did. Collins continued by stating the solution to affordable housing is affordable housing, naturally, and, like Yoda channeling Eminem, dropped the rapper’s lyrics from the 2002 8 Mile soundtrack theme song: “Look… you only get one shot. Do not miss your chance… this opportunity comes once in a lifetime.” Mic drop. If only all our problems could be solved by 20-year-old Eminem hits. 🎤 Just wondering if Collins went home to mom’s spaghetti with palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy. #SnapBackToReality
