Downtown Raleigh needs a new round of significant investment to recover from pandemic, group says

Downtown Raleigh needs a significant reinvestment by the city and state if its urban core is to fully recover from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report argues.

Why it matters: Downtown has seen an uneven recovery since the pandemic, with some districts, like Glenwood South, thriving and others, notably the office-dependent Fayetteville Street area, still lagging.

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Driving the news: A new report by the consulting firm Interface Studio and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance says a new era of investments into infrastructure and amenities is critical to ensuring downtown Raleigh is vibrant and can compete with other destinations, both locally and nationally.

• It builds off a report that was published earlier this year on revitalizing Fayetteville Street .

A rendering of an aerial bridge to Dix Park. Photo: Downtown Raleigh Alliance

Zoom in: The latest report outlines what it calls "big ideas" for downtown that would make it more attractive for visitors and residents and encourage more shopping and dining.

Ideas mentioned in the report, include:

• Redesigning Nash Square into a space that attracts more daily use and adding more family-oriented amenities to Moore Square. It also calls for the city to work with the state on restoring Caswell Square into open, public space.
• Implementing the Chavis-Dix Strollway and improving pedestrian and bike infrastructure to better connect downtown to Dix Park. This idea includes exploring a potential bridge over Western Boulevard or an aerial tram .
• Consider adding more lab space in downtown to attract biotech jobs and connect with innovation underway on N.C. State's Centennial Campus.
• Redesigning Dawson and McDowell streets to encourage more walking and biking, and adding more streetscaping and public art to Peace Street, Fayetteville Street and Glenwood Avenue.
• Demolishing the state-owned Archdale Building — a plan that is already being considered — and redesigning Halifax Mall as a connection between the northern part of downtown to the government district.

A rendering of a potential renovation to Dawson Street. Photo: Downtown Raleigh Alliance

Big ideas that were considered more long-term in nature, included:

• Building a downtown sports venue for a professional sports team. Work would need to be done on "identifying potential sites" and "outreach with different leagues."
• Relocating the state's Central Prison west of downtown, freeing up space for a new stadium or innovation campus.
• Building a new, modern library downtown that can be another community gathering spot.

Reality check: Many of these ideas require multiple groups to work together, from local government to state agencies, for many years, adding a degree of difficulty.

The big picture: City leaders believe big ideas and investments are needed to ensure the future of downtown Raleigh is vibrant. But that will take large amounts of money and long-term buy-in from various local and state agencies.

What they're saying: Bill King, CEO of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, said some of the more ambitious ideas will take a while to secure funding or coordination with multiple agencies.

• "The ambitious ideas we've got to get going because they take a long time," he said, noting a new connection to Dix Park as an example. "Because to get that into a bond someday, or however we finance it, we need to really get going now."

Go deeper: Read the full report here

The report calls for making Peace Street a northern gateway into the city. Photo: Downtown Raleigh Alliance

Editor's note: We've updated this story with a new quote from Bill King.

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