Raleigh issues 10-point plan to revive Fayetteville Street downtown. See what’s included
Raleigh leaders have released a detailed plan to enliven Fayetteville Street and the center of downtown — a 10-point strategy that could include wider sidewalks, overhead lighting, public restrooms and more free parking.
The plan represents the first chapter in a Philadelphia consultant’s report aimed at turning the four-block stretch from the Capitol to Memorial Auditorium into a more bustling heart of Raleigh.
Much of the suggested change involves rebranding what already exists downtown and marking it more prominently for visitors:
▪ The south end of downtown, stretching from Red Hat Amphitheater to Lincoln Theater, should be known as the arts and entertainment district, while the north, from the City Museum to Moore Square, becomes the shopping and dining district.
▪ Noted attractions such as the N.C. Museum of History and Marbles Kids Museum should be connected by a well-marked trail, with “Acorn Adventures” as a suggested name.
▪ Fayetteville Street should be marketed at “North Carolina’s Main Street.”
▪ City Plaza should be considered Raleigh’s front porch, adding smaller, more frequent events.
Lawn games and swinging benches
But the plan calls for rethinking Fayetteville Street’s layout in a way not seen since it reopened to traffic in 2006, including clearing away outdoor vending and benches to give restaurants more sidewalk space.
In that wider, more walkable sidewalk zone, a variety of additions could help draw people, from lawn games to swinging benches to small stages. Extra trees and overhead lighting, some of it suspended, could make the city safer, as could outdoor, self-cleaning toilets.
Mobile food and retail carts could become more prominent, and retail vendors could have permanent stalls between established brick-and-mortar spaces.
Free parking
The report calls for more housing downtown, suggesting that more buildings downtown could be repurposed as residences.
Parking access also gets prominent mention, including an idea to make the first two hours free in city garages.
More attention could be paid to Raleigh’s historic Black Business District on Hargett Street, which could be highlighted by more public art.
“This economic development plan is a great leap forward in reviving our main street and our downtown core through innovative ideas in placemaking, design, tenanting and policy interventions,” Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said in a news release.
“I am incredibly excited about the strategy set forth and anxious for our Council and staff to get moving on enacting these recommendations. This is the heart of our City and, just as we did in 2006, we need to set forth a new vision.”
Feedback on the plan will continue this spring.
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 12:03 PM.