South Raleigh Is Becoming A Hot Spot For Development

South Raleigh is where development activity is concentrating in the metro area, with big projects in the works.

At the end of last year, there was $1.1B in new construction completed or underway south of Davie Street since 2023, The News & Observer reported, plus another $2.1B in future development planned.

“It’s been a booming area for the city of Raleigh, right on the outskirts of the downtown corridor,” said Raleigh Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Stormie Forte during Bisnow’s Triangle State of the Market on April 14.

Two large-scale projects bring gravitational pull to the southern metro area, said Michael Birch, a partner at Longleaf Law Partners, during the event held at the Marriott Raleigh City Center.

“You have the projects that have opened up right outside of Dix Park and the Downtown South project, and development continues to move south,” Birch said.

Following years of delays, construction on the massive Downtown South project could begin before the end of 2026, ABC11 reported. The 140-acre master-planned district being pursued by Raleigh-based Kane Realty Corp. will include office, retail, residential and a new soccer stadium that could seat upward of 15,000 people. 

The Downtown South project will be built up in three phases, the Triangle Business Journal reported.

Forte said she hopes to attract the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League away from their current stadium to the planned stadium in Downtown South. 

“The soccer stadium, which the North Carolina Courage might move to, would be a phenomenal economic development for the city,” Forte said. 

Steve Malik, owner of the Courage, and Kane Realty are working to secure funding for the stadium, aiming to collaborate with the city and Wake County to facilitate its construction. 

There has also been a flurry of activity at Dix Park, an urban park spanning more than 300 acres, as it undergoes major updates, including the demolition of the former hospital campus on the grounds. 

Recent projects at the park, including the 2025 completion of the 18.5-acre Gipson Play Plaza Project, have helped the area become a day-trip destination for local and visiting families, Forte said.

The city has already demolished 25 small buildings in the vicinity, and some additional properties have been renovated. Raleigh acquired the parkland in 2015 and has been slowly working to fully transform it.

While Forte was bullish on many different forms of development in Raleigh, she was more circumspect about data centers. Statewide, opposition to data centers has been growing, with several communities passing moratoriums on the asset class, Axios reported.

“First, I don’t know where you’d find the space for it,” Forte said. “Second, there are so many resources required — water, electricity — not to mention the noise factor always raised by residents. It would be a tough sale to get any of us on the city council to actually approve it within the city limits of Raleigh.”