Centered around Dorothea Dix Park, this area is primed for growth and investment.
Anchors
2025: Already visible or just opened
- The Row at Rockway (Phase 1) delivered — 335 apartments with greenway-facing retail at S. Saunders/Rocky Branch, forming a new “park edge” residential node.
- Maeve (20-story) delivered — 297 units plus 10k SF retail on South and Dawson, two blocks from The Fairweather. Grand opening April 2025.
- RUS Bus (Raleigh Union Station Bus Facility- opened Aug 3, 2025 — downtown’s new transit hub on West Hargett/West St; bus routes shifted here and service began in August.
- Gipson Play Plaza at Dorothea Dix Park opened June 6–8, 2025 — the 18.4-acre gateway play space now anchoring Dix Park’s north side.
2027: Big civic moves finishing up
- Lake Wheeler Road Improvements (Dix Edge priority) — two-year build started mid-2025; protected paths, median, roundabouts from S. Saunders to Maywood. Expect substantial traffic calming and far better bike/ped access to Dix. Completion targeted mid-2027.
- Red Hat Amphitheater relocation one block south — construction tied to Convention Center expansion; latest city/Alliance planning puts opening in time for the 2027 concert season. Expect South St disruptions and better streetscapes along the way.
2028–2029: The larger downtown machine
- Raleigh Convention Center expansion — $355M expansion planned to open 2029; helps underpin visitor traffic and downtown event density.
In design, early implementation (timelines fluid, but momentum is real), or stalled.
- Union West (mixed-use around RUS Bus) — remaining portions TBD; expect stronger foot traffic and retail gravitating toward West St.
- South Saunders Street Improvements — multi-use path on the east side of S. Saunders to knit Lake Wheeler upgrades into the future Chavis–Dix Strollway. Design advancing; construction window not set yet.
- Chavis–Dix Strollway — city is scoping the route and design standards to connect Dix Park and John Chavis Memorial Park via a high-amenity “strollway,” with South St as a likely spine. This is a placemaking move that will make walking from The Fairweather to Dix actually pleasant.
- Wake BRT: Southern Corridor (Wilmington/S. Saunders to Garner) — 30% design complete; 60% design work underway with public engagement Fall 2025.
- Dix Park: Rocky Branch “The Creek & Grove” segment — city kicked off design in 2025 for the Boylan Ave to S. Saunders stretch to reconnect Downtown to the Play Plaza through new trails, boardwalks, and restored creek/floodplain. This is the long-term green glue between the Warehouse District and Dix.
“Watch status” items
- Rockway future phases (beyond The Row) — next phases add more park-edge retail and housing along S. Saunders/Rocky Branch. Delivery will track capital markets, but the framework and marketing are in place.
- Downtown South mega-district — still marketed as a multibillion mixed-use with a 3,500-cap venue, but multiple outlets say big Triangle projects are in limbo for financing/timing. Treat anything beyond site work as speculative until shovels are actually moving.
