Earlier this year, I took a family trip to Paris, and it’s easily one of my favorite cities that I’ve visited in my adult life. The sights, the food, the walking — all of it was fantastic. But with every trip I take, I typically find one small detail to hyper-analyze. It was one of those things that, once you notice it, you can’t unsee it.
I’m talking about the corners of buildings. Not the inside ones. The outside ones. The ones that meet at intersections. But in Paris — especially in the older parts of the city — they don’t just meet. They gracefully arrive at the corner with a flat or sometimes even curved face that greets the street like it’s welcoming you inside.
Oldham & Worth is starting to rise out of the ground. This is probably downtown Raleigh’s signature 2026 residential project as it will deliver around 250 houses next to an already built-out are in The Platform. Did you know the people behind this are trying to dub the area as West End Raleigh?
South Street, between McDowell and Dawson, is now closed. I think this is a pretty big deal as it marks the start of a second wave of the “Convention Center District”. That’s not a thing I’m embracing but something that I think we’re becoming more and more; a convention center downtown. That’s probably a topic for another day.
There’s a lot to watch over on the state government campus these days. We’ve posted before about the ongoing Education Campus that’s taking place across from the Nature Research Center but now we’ll be watching a long-time office building come down. The Bath Building, on the corner of Wilmington and Lane Streets, is being slowly chipped away. It’s probably cheaper to demolish and remove all that liability rather than renovate at this point but I’m not an accountant.
Lichtin Plaza, or the space in front of the performing arts center, will soon get a remake. Aimed at making the space more accessible, the plaza will make way for a drop-off lane and you can see what that might look like in the rendering below. This seems to make sense as South Street is jammed before large events at the performing arts center and an improved drop-off process helps groups access the area more easily.
Last week’s City Council meeting (watch on YouTube here) featured an important update on downtown Raleigh, covering public safety and ongoing improvements to our public spaces. The primary focus was on Fayetteville Street and security enhancements at GoRaleigh Station. There were some great takeaways, and overall, things seem to be moving in a positive direction.
What’s Been Done or Coming Soon
Downtown Businesses Holding Strong – Contrary to some concerns, (and TV news) more businesses are opening than closing. Get out there and support them.
Fayetteville Street Tree Lighting – Expect some fresh ambiance in May/June when new lighting is installed on the trees along Fayetteville Street.
City Plaza Enhancements – New shade structures, planter boxes, and “lookout” tables, all aimed at making the area more inviting, are coming this Summer.
GoRaleigh Station Security Upgrades – The city has hired its first-ever safety director to oversee security at the transit hub.
Crime Trends – Violent crime in downtown is down 3%, while property crime has seen a significant 29% decrease.
More Active Patrols – Expect to see increased foot and e-bike patrols to improve visibility and safety. Also, Raleigh’s ACORNS unit is fully staffed.
On the Glenwood South front, Raleigh Police Department (RPD) is satisfied with its current strategy, and we’ve shifted from focusing on violent crime to managing noise issues. That, in itself, is a positive sign.
Looking further ahead, the Fayetteville Street Streetscape Plan is expected to be officially adopted by Winter 2026. What does that mean? I take it to mean that the plan is agreed upon and when looking into my crystal ball, I hope the following takes place:
Winter 2026: Plan adoption and cost estimation
Spring 2026: Budgeting process begins
Summer/Fall 2026: Procurement and request process
Beyond that: Implementation—hopefully aligning with the opening of major downtown developments like the Omni Hotel, Convention Center Expansion, and Red Hat renovations.
The state government seems to be done digging it’s large hole along Jones Street and now has a crane set up to start putting things in it. We’ll actually see a second crane here as the base for it is already in place.
This week, we have a not so great photo of the new sign on the Union Station Transit Facility. I thought this would be significant as we are months away from the station opening. The area looks very unfinished and future development is still to come to the area.
