Raleigh OKs Lenovo Center area rezoning fueling west Raleigh’s transformation
Plans for a $1 billion sports and entertainment district around the Lenovo Center cleared a significant hurdle Tuesday afternoon.
The Raleigh City Council unanimously agreed to rezone 81 acres to allow up to 40-story buildings, the city’s tallest, dramatically changing west Raleigh.
“There are huge economic benefits, but I also want to continue to push that the infrastructure keeps up with it,” said Council member Jane Harrison.
The approval came despite continued opposition from Cardinal Gibbons High School, a private Catholic school across from the Lenovo Center. Two students and Head of School Jeff Bell spoke against the rezoning Tuesday.
The “Raleigh Sports and Entertainment District.” will have up to 1,450 housing units with another 2,750 allowed depending on future market demands, a hotel, 1.8 million square feet of non-residential space and a 4,000-seat concert venue.
Construction could begin this year, and it could take 10 to 15 years to build the whole project.
In 2023, Tom Dundon, the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, received the right to develop the state-owned land around the center as part of the deal to keep the hockey team in Raleigh through 2044. The city and Wake County agreed to spend $300 million in tourism money to improve the arena.
The new additions to the plan include:
Requiring three public meetings, including after a site plan is approved and twice during construction.
Reserving areas for bike racks, bikeshare or scooter shares. Those aren’t guaranteed, the developers’ attorney Jamie Schwedler said, because this is state-owned property and they will have to work with the state on it.
“We need to make sure that when we’re trying to incorporate these other modes of transportation ... we’re doing it in a way that doesn’t interfere with our emergency [responders],” she said. “That doesn’t interfere with how events flow and getting people in and out safely or quickly.”
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What will the area around Lenovo Center look like?
The proposal divides the property into four subdistricts:
▪ District A, 20 acres containing the arena and nearby parking would not change in the near future but could see up to 40-story buildings if the arena is relocated.
▪ District B, the entertainment district around the arena near Stephen Stroud Way, could have up to 800 residential units and 890,000 square feet of non-residential space. Plans call this the “heart” of the district and allow up to 15 stories.
▪ District C, the mixed-used district includes 15 acres, is closest to Edwards Mill Road and would have a mix of retail, residential and restaurants up to 40 stories.
▪ District D, the live and work district closest to the intersection of Wade Avenue and Edwards Mill Road, would have the highest concentration of offices and residential units. The 10-acre area allows buildings up to 40 stories tall.
Lenovo Center rezoning opposition
The students and Head of School repeated they aren’t against the project but want more safety features along Edwards Mill Road near the school.
There is no “safe pedestrian crossing, no overpass, underpass or signalized crosswalk” at Edwards Mill Road and Stephen Stroud Way, Bell said.
“We’re not asking for safety features just because it would be nice,” said Sophia Kelly, a sophomore. “We’re asking because without them, somebody is going to get seriously hurt. There are more than 1,600 students at Gibbons and a lot of us are new drivers or walking to and from campus every day.”
The N.C. Department of Transportation has said the Stephen Stroud Way intersection is too close to the Edwards Mill and Trinity roads intersection to add a signal, said council member Corey Branch.
“I lived in this area for 15 years, so I have walked it, I have biked it, and I know it was built as very car dependent out in the county,” said Mayor Janet Cowell. “Everybody drove out there, and it has had safety issues for decades. I think this [rezoning] has been thoughtful in trying to address those, and we will continue to work on those.”
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 4:33 PM.
