Plans for entertainment district at Lenovo Center would dramatically change west Raleigh
City officials want to hear Tuesday what the public thinks about plans to dramatically reshape west Raleigh.
The Carolina Hurricanes and its development partners want to rezone 81 acres to create a “Raleigh Sports and Entertainment District” surrounding the Lenovo Center, formerly the PNC Arena.
The $1 billion development would add a hotel, apartments, 4,000-seat concert venue, restaurants and retail space near the stadium. Some buildings could be up to 40 stories tall, up from 12 stories allowed by the current zoning.
If approved, construction could begin later this year.
“I think the goal we have out here is just to bring more people out to the arena,” Brian Fork, chief executive officer of Hurricanes Holding LLC, told The News & Observer in a previous interview.
“We’ve got about 160 events a year within the arena, plus football at the [Carter-Finley] stadium, so you’ve got about 200 days of the year where there’s not much going on out here,” he explained. “This is such a centrally located place in Raleigh, in the Triangle, and can be such an asset for the community.“
This development plan is part of an agreement between the arena and the Hurricanes to extend the team’s lease through 2044. That extension gave team owner Tom Dundon the right to develop the state-owned land around the stadium.
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The proposal divides the property into four subdistricts:
District A, the arena and nearby parking, would not change in the near future but would allow up to 40-story buildings “for future development should the Arena ever be redeveloped or relocated in a significant manner,” according to the plan.
District B, the entertainment district wrapped around the arena near Stephen Stroud Way, could have up to 800 residential units and 890,000 square feet of non-residential space. The plans call this the “heart” of the sports and entertainment activities and would be an “important connection” between the Lenovo Center and nearby Carter-Finley Stadium, which is not part of this rezoning. This section would be the only district zoned for up to 15 stories.
District C, the mixed-used district, is closest to Edwards Mill Road and would have a smattering of retail, residential and restaurants with “heights ranging up to 40 stories to accommodate a healthy mix of uses.”
District D, the live/work district closest to the intersection of Wade Avenue and Edwards Mill Road, would have the highest concentration of offices and residential units. The area, close to the interstate, would “provide ideal visibility for a regional office campus.” This section would also allow buildings up to 40 stories tall.
Public hearing Tuesday
The Raleigh City Council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at the Raleigh Municipal Building, 222 W. Hargett St.
The deadline to sign-up to speak is 3 p.m. Friday. People can sign-up online at raleighnc.gov/public-hearings-city-council. The council gives supporters and opponents of a rezoning the same amount of time to speak, usually eight minutes per side.
The council will vote on whether to approve the new plans, though it may or may not vote on Tuesday night.
Safer pedestrian access sought
Cardinal Gibbons High School, a private Catholic high school, sits across Edwards Mill Road from the Lenovo Center. Board President Tim Throndson spoke against the rezoning during a Raleigh Planning Commission meeting earlier this year.
“We support the existing development and its potential,” he said. “However, as stewards of the 1,600 young lives that we’ve got at Cardinal Gibbons we have urgent concerns about the safety issues around the development we believe must be addressed.”
This area is already unsafe, he said, and significant improvement is needed for pedestrians. New restaurants and entertainment will entice students to walk there during lunch and after school, he said, and they need a safe way to do it.
Jamie Schwedler, an attorney for the developers, said they’ve worked with the high school to try to address the concerns, and they want the same thing: “a safe and productive new vision for this area.”
