Developers want to create a new neighborhood in Raleigh called the West End

Kane Realty, one of Raleigh's most influential developers , is investing heavily to turn a once industrial corner of downtown into its next residential and retail destination.

The intrigue: It's dubbing the area — bordered by Boylan Heights to the west, the Warehouse District and the railroad to the north, and Western Boulevard to the south — the West End.

Why it matters: The area is attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in investments due to being sandwiched between downtown and Dix Park , while also having both vacant lots and old warehouses ripe for flipping.

• It's already gained traction with restaurants and retail: Sam Jones BBQ, Boulted Bread, The Vault craft beer bar and Feature Flora all have locations there.

State of play: The southern section of downtown accounts for a significant portion of downtown Raleigh's expected population growth, as new apartment projects open up.

• But it also faces heavy competition from new apartments in areas like Glenwood South, Raleigh Iron Works and North Hills, which all have more established amenities.

Driving the news: Much of Kane Realty's work in the area is on the site of the construction company Clancy & Theys' former headquarters on Cabarrus Street, which Kane bought in 2018.

• The Platform apartments, a 442-unit building with 26,000 square feet of retail space, opened in the area last fall. The building announced its first retail tenant, Homebody Yoga , last month.
• Up next for the property: a 252-unit apartment building called Oldham & Worth that Kane has started construction on.

Zoom out: On the border of the neighborhood, Kane is also building the Rockway project — formerly called Park City South — that will add more than 300 apartments located at the entrance of Dix Park and on the Rocky Branch Greenway.

• Other developers have added dozens of new condos and townhomes to the West End, and nearby projects like Capital Square and The Weld ,will add hundreds more apartments, too.

Flashback: Raleigh Magazine appears to be the first organization to call the area the West End — naming it that in a 2021 article .

• But Kane also started a website for the neighborhood and is working with a marketing firm to promote it as the West End — though it is not yet listed as an official district by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.

Between the lines: Stacey Buescher, managing director of operations at Kane Realty, said developing the area of the West End is important for making downtown feel more connected to Dix Park.

• If the area feels welcoming, with apartments and things to do, it will invite more people to walk from downtown to the park, she said.
• The city is also working on designs to connect West Street, which is split by the railroad that runs through downtown. The design calls for running the street under the tracks, which would create another thoroughfare linking the Warehouse District and the West End. Buescher believes that will help the area feel less isolated as well.