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.

To the east of Oldham and Worth is the former location of our Amtrak Train Station. Owned by The North Carolina Railroad, the site could become a small office building. Right now the lot sits empty as surface parking.

Then there’s the West Street Extension, a project that’s been on the shelf for a long time. This project aims to connect West Street near Union Station to West Street next to Oldham and Worth, photo right above. I broke that down about 13 years ago but the details still stand. With so much emphasis on connecting downtown to Dix Park and future rail improvements that may close the crossings at Cabarrus and Hargett Streets, a tunnel here could be an interesting project in the future.

We’ve also seen plans for an even taller building at the opposite corner from Oldham and Worth, directly behind the photo above. Plans for almost 300 apartments have been drawn up for this corner but recently, little has happened or been announced. If that was ever built, the east-facing views would certainly be very nice, once you get over the power station next door.

Lots of potential in this area but for now, it’s worth a stroll. And pick up a coffee, book, or croissant while you’re in the area. Also check out Oldham and Worth if you’re looking to move.

Comments

Comments are disabled here. That's because we're all hanging out on the DTRaleigh Community, an online forum for passionate fans of the Oak City.