Category / New Construction

by Leo Suarez

Yes In God’s Backyard Could Start a Movement in Downtown Raleigh

I wanted to highlight this September 2026 article about the potential development of housing by land owned by one of downtown’s historic churches. Edenton Street United Methodist Church owns land that is zoned for development up to 20 stories tall, and it is partnering with nearby St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church on what comes next. Today, Edenton Street United Methodist uses it for surface parking, and they are in talks about doing something else with that land. The Dawson Lot Project is the name of the effort behind this. This is just an introduction to what’s been posted, but I do think it’s something worth watching.

Continue reading →
by Leo Suarez

Hotel Indigo Is Now Open

Photo of the Hotel Indigo on Hillsborough Street, October 2026.

The “hair curler” lives on. The round hotel on Hillsborough Street, a long time Holiday Inn, is now up and running as a Hotel Indigo. What originally started as a demolition and complete rebuild project has turned into a renovation. I know people have opinions on this one but I’m a fan of the building and am so glad to see this restored and renovated. It’s a more unique offering in the growing list of hotels that we have in downtown.

Continue reading →
by Leo Suarez

Pic of the Week

West Cabarrus Street is looking a little fresher these days as the construction at Oldham and Worth is complete and welcoming new neighbors. It’s crazy to think back that this area used to be such a low-rise industrial area and now there are more than 500 homes with retail. Plans for more have certainly been proposed so West Cabarrus may get a break until another ground breaking takes place.

Continue reading →
by Leo Suarez

Pic of the Week

Photo of the corner of Lenoir and McDowell Streets and the construction of the Red Hat Amphitheater, September 2026

The intersection of Lenoir and McDowell Streets are typically quiet. I mean, you don’t see many pedestrians here and just car traffic rolling through on a typical day. However, on the night that Red Hat Amphitheater has a show, the atmosphere is quite different. The photo above shows the view across the intersection as the new Red Hat is still under construction. On show nights, I propose a pedestrian scramble at this intersection, allowing pedestrians to go to whichever corner they want and all the cars have to stop during that light interval.

Continue reading →