Home Care In Reedy Creek, NC

This is a modal window.

No compatible source was found for this media.

City, state planners working together to develop Blue Ridge Corridor

As architects draw up plans for a redesign of Raleigh’s PNC Arena, developers, businesses and state government agencies are beginning to reimagine the wider west Raleigh area.

In October, a potential blueprint for developing the property around the hockey and basketball arena will be presented. The prospect of that plan is fueling hopes to shape the so-called Blue Ridge Corridor into the area’s newest growth hotspot.

WRAL News Brief

Watch More

“Transform what has been a disorganized collection of underutilized government buildings into a new urban center and hospitality center,” said Kristen Hess, the CEO of HH Architecture and vice chair of the Blue Ridge Corridor Alliance, a nonprofit group that formed in 2014 to help steer the development of the area.

The Blue Ridge Corridor is a three-mile area centered around the length of Blue Ridge Road from Western Boulevard to Edwards Mill Road. PNC Arena, Carter-Finley Stadium, the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, the North Carolina Museum of Art, N.C. State University’s veterinary school and UNC Rex Hospital sit within the area. The Blue Ridge Corridor Alliance envisions four distinct districts: health and wellness, arts and research, entertainment and education, and a residential-focused area south of Hillsborough Street.

More than $1 billion in private and public real estate investment has occurred in the area along with nearly $3 billion in city, county and state transportation system investments, Hess said.

It’s a desirable area, one with ample recreational activities, a vibrant cycling community and open space, located in the middle of growing parts of the region. Plans for development have existed for more than a decade.

But much of the land is owned by the state government or state entities, complicating development. The area’s transformation would require significant cooperation from the state, which has restrictions on what it can do with its land.

Already, much of the current activity in the area is government-driven.

The state Department of Health and Human Services is moving its campus to Reedy Creek Road. The first phase of the construction, which includes a 10-story building, is scheduled to be completed in 2024 or 2025. State lawmakers allocated $50 million in the 2021-22 fiscal year and another $60.5 million in the current fiscal year in the budget signed by Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday. Bids for the second and third phases of the project are due later this month.

The Department of Agriculture opened its $94 million, 225,000-square-foot agricultural sciences center at the corner of Reedy Creek and Edwards Mill roads in September. The state-of-the-art building will hold offices and laboratories for four divisions, including food and drug protection, structural pest control and pesticides and veterinary.

The Department of Environmental Quality earlier this year requested bids for renovations to three buildings on its campus at the corner of Reedy Creek and Edwards Mills road. Its water quality building, air quality building and chemistry laboratory will be renovated to “create more effective and efficient use of space,” according to a notice to bidders.

Meanwhile, communications software company Bandwidth is building a five-story building on 40 acres at the corner of Reedy Creek and Edwards Mill roads, a former park and ride location for the fair. As part of the project, the company is building two parking lots to be used for the fair. The $100 million project was facilitated, in part, by a 12-year economic development grant from the state.

The state Museum of Art is set to complete a renovation project by October.

PNC Arena is watching closely, eyeing its own big changes. The 23-year-old arena is due for an interior upgrade, as habits for event-going audiences have changed dramatically since the late 1990s. The upgrades could cost north of the $225-million figure that surfaced in 2020 before the pandemic thwarted plans. The Centennial Authority Board, which owns the arena, could discuss options and costs for interior upgrades in August.

The land around the arena, some of it used for surface parking now, could serve a higher use.

“We’re sitting on a lot of property,” said Carolina Hurricanes’ GM Don Waddell. “When the building was built, if you go back, there was talk about the development of the property, and it never got followed through. We’re sitting on 80 acres, I believe, just on the PNC side. Make it a destination place. Make it a place people want to go to. We don’t have anything like that right now, and I think it would be a huge benefit.”

Waddell said he envisioned several hotels, office buildings, retail centers, mixed housing and parking structures around the arena, which houses the NHL’s Hurricanes and N.C. State’s men’s basketball team. The arena hosts concerts and other events, including its first major esports competition last week. No final decision has been made on what to do around the arena. The board will hear a presentation in October.

“This is becoming yet another part of Raleigh where raw dirt is very valuable,” said Philip Isley, chairman of the Centennial Authority Board, which owns PNC Arena. Isley, an attorney, previously spent eight years on the Raleigh City Council. “It’s also very important to how we grow with all of the other interests coming into the city.”

READ MORE

From food to rides to exhibits and more, here’s where we’ll drop everything you need to know to attend -- and make the most of -- the 2023 North Carolina State Fair.

Expand All

Parking for the NC State Fair can be a hassle, but there are some tips to help ease the pain.

First, you can save some money and park for free in a few designated parking lots. The trade-off is your car won’t be right outside the entrance gate, so it’ll take a bit of time on foot (or by shuttle bus) to get to the fairgrounds, but if you plan ahead, it’ll save you some money.

It’s also worth nothing that there is heavy road construction all around the fairgrounds on Hillsborough Street and Blue Ridge Road, so anything you can do to avoid driving in that, you should consider.

Here’s everything to know about free parking and shuttles at this year’s fair.

Yes. There are a number of parking lots that let you park for free, and some have a shuttle that will take you to the fairgrounds, so you won’t have to walk.

Here are the free parking lots:

Note: There may be exceptions if events are scheduled at Carter-Finley (no NC State home football games are on the schedule) or PNC Arena (there are concerts scheduled for Oct. 13, 14 & 18).

There are also free off-site parking lots with a free shuttle service to the fairgrounds:

(Details: ncstatefair.org/2023/Visitor/GetToFair.htm)

Yes. The fair will offer several park-and-ride shuttle options from off-site parking lots to entry gates at the fair.

Shuttles will be offered to and from these lots, which will also have accessible shuttles available.

Dogwood Lot

Cardinal Lot

Both lot hours are from 9 a.m. until one hour after gates close each day. (Hours slightly differ on Thursday Oct. 12.)

Shuttles will not be offered at Carter-Finley Stadium or PNC Arena. Remember, there may be exceptions to daily free parking at these lots if there are events scheduled at these two sporting arenas.

(Details: ncstatefair.org/2023/Visitor/GetToFair.htm)

Yes. There are some privately operated options near the fairgrounds that charge for parking. During the fair, residents near the fairgrounds often convert parts of their private property into small parking lots. These lots provide additional parking options, but you will have to pay.

No. GoRaleigh will not offer State Fair Park & Ride sites this year due to the driver shortage, said spokesperson Andrea Epstein.

Fairgoers may remember that GoRaleigh has offered shuttle service to the fair in previous years using its buses. They ran along Hillsborough Street from downtown, and from Cary, Garner and north Raleigh, The N&O previously reported.

The routes were special to the fair, operating separately from the transportation service’s fixed routes.

This story was originally published October 10, 2023, 8:20 AM.

Workers have begun demolishing a former book and mail warehouse in West Raleigh to make way for a new headquarters for the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The 11-story tower and 900-space parking deck will rise on the corner of Blue Ridge and Reedy Creek roads, across from the N.C. Museum of Art. The state hopes to move 2,500 DHHS employees from the Dorothea Dix campus into the new building by the summer of 2025.

The General Assembly set aside $253.7 million for the project.

The agency has been working to find a new home since 2015 when the City of Raleigh bought the 308-acre Dix campus for $52 million to turn into a park. The deal allowed DHHS to remain in several buildings on the campus for up to 25 years while it made other arrangements.

In 2019, lawmakers included a provision in the state budget that would have moved the agency north to Granville County, an idea that proved unpopular with employees, among others. That version of the budget failed, and DHHS continued seeking a site in the Raleigh area.

The new DHHS office tower is the first step in the state’s plans to redevelop 34 acres along Blue Ridge Road, between Reedy Creek Road and District Drive. The plans show a second tower and parking deck next to the first that would house 2,650 DHHS workers who are now in various leased and state-owned offices in the Raleigh area.

The second tower and parking deck will be built by a private developer and leased back to the state, according to William Johnson, assistant director of capital project management for the State Construction Office. The state plans to craft the lease so that it will own the tower and deck after 30 years, Johnson said.

The state’s plans also call for partnering with one or more private developers to build a mixed-use center of housing, retail and offices on the corner of Blue Ridge Road and District Drive. That development would displace a state vehicle repair garage and the Troop C headquarters of the State Highway Patrol.

The state Department of Administration sought proposals from developers for the mixed-use project this summer but has not announced any agreements. The timing of that development and the second DHHS tower are unclear, Johnson said.

Last fall, the city agreed to rezone the 34 acres to allow buildings up to 12 stories tall. This summer, the state mail-sorting center moved out of the single-story textbook warehouse to Chapanoke Road on the south side of Raleigh.

This story was originally published August 30, 2022, 2:06 PM.

The North Carolina State Fair runs Oct. 12-22, 2023. Read on for our guide to NC State Fair parking.

Watch More

2023 NC State Fair Guide | Download and print a map | List: 54 new foods this year | New rides | Visit WRAL at the fair | Homegrown Music Fest schedule Our favorite fair foods

Free parking is available on State Fair, Carter-Finley Football Stadium and PNC Arena properties. Fairgoers are encouraged to take Wade Avenue to the Edwards Mill Extension to park in these lots. Pay attention to officers directing traffic.

There may be exceptions if events are scheduled at Carter-Finley or PNC Arena. PNC Arena Parking will be reserved/paid parking on the following dates:

Recreational vehicles are not allowed to remain in the parking spaces managed by the NC State Fair between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m.

There also are private lots around the fairgrounds, where you can pay to park. Just look for the signs.

During the fair, neighboring residents frequently convert parts of their property to small parking lots. This is not controlled by the N.C. State Fair.

Free shuttles will run continuously and drop you off at the fairgrounds.

Dogwood Lot: The NC State Fair offers free off-site parking at the corner of Edwards Mill and Reedy Creek (4501 Reedy Creek Road) with free shuttles dropping you off just across from Gate 9 on Trinity Road. Shuttles will run continuously. Drop off and pick up will be across Trinity Road at Gate 9 on the Carter-Finley Stadium side of the road. There will be a covered waiting area, portable restroom facilities and drink machines.

Dogwood lot hours: Thursday, Oct. 12, 11 a.m. until one hour after gates close; and Friday, Oct. 13 - Sunday, Oct. 22: 9 a.m. until one hour after gates close.

Cardinal Lot: The NC State Fair offers also offers free off-site parking off N.C. Highway 54/Chapel Hill Road (5766 Chapel Hill Road) just past I-40 Exit 290 with free shuttles to Gate 7 off Youth Center Drive. Pick up will occur at the same location. Shuttles will run continuously. Amenities on site will include a covered waiting area, portable restroom facilities and drink machines.

Cardinal lot hours: Thursday, Oct. 12, 11 a.m. until one hour after gates close; and Friday, Oct. 13 - Sunday, Oct. 22: 9 a.m. until one hour after gates close.

If you're using a ride-hailing app like Uber or Lyft, use Gate 1 on Hillsborough Street as your destination.

An Amtrak train will drop fairgoers off in front of the fairgrounds each day, beginning Oct. 13. The train stop is located just outside Gate 2, near Dorton Arena.

Passengers can board at any of these stations: Charlotte, Kannapolis, Salisbury, High Point, Greensboro, Burlington, Durham and Cary.

Getting to and from the State Fair:

At the fair, passengers must be at the Amtrak hospitality tent no later than 20 minutes before scheduled departure time for pre-boarding and check in. Passengers are also responsible for knowing train status in the event of delays.

Use station code NSF when booking tickets online. Passengers should also have hand stamped for re-entry before you leave the State Fair in case of delays.

A grocery store and additional retail could be in the works next year at Reedy Fork Ranch as a new residential phase begins that will eventually add 435 homes to the 1,700-acre masterplanned community in northeast Greensboro.

D.R. Horton recently paid $4.76 million for 56 lots from GHD Reedy Fork LLC, an entity affiliated with GreenHawk Corp., the Raleigh-based developer of Reedy Fork Ranch.

Jeff White, chief operating officer at GreenHawk, said those lots will kick off a new section of Reedy Fork called Middleton, with another 101 single-family, detached lots under development now that will be built out on a 60-40% split between D.R. Horton and True Homes, both of which are established builders in Reedy Fork. White expects D.R. Horton to start on homes in Middleton next February or March, and he said homes would likely be priced in the $300,000 to $450,000 range on lots of less than a quarter acre.

The remaining 278 lots in Middleton are currently in the design phase, he said, adding that he expects the community to be built out over three and half to four years.

“It is a new section of Reedy Fork. We have between 1,500 and 1,600 under roof in that neighborhood, and this is in addition to that," White said. "When all is said and done, we’ll end up with between 3,500 and 4,000 homes.”

According to the city of Greensboro, the addresses for 435-acre development are 4550, 4570 and 4590 Reedy Fork Parkway, spanning tracts 10-12 of the Reedy Fork Ranch masterplanned community.

White estimated that there’s probably 400 acres left to develop at Reedy Fork, which he said would likely take place over the next decade. GreenHawk acquired in 2012 under an auction of land that had once been masterplanned by Reedy Fork East LLC, a development group including Greensboro’s Starmount Co. and Hubbard Realty.

Development started there in 2000, but the partners decided to auction the 750 remaining acres in 2012 after the economic downturn stalled actively there. Some 630 homes had been built in the broader 1,700-acre development when it was auctioned, so the number of homes built there has since has more than doubled.

Looking ahead, GreenHawk is planning to develop commercial land at the Summit Avenue and U.S. 29 interchange, aiming for a grocery store and some smaller retail supporting the area, such as a coffee shop and convenience store. There is a site of roughly 20 to 25 acres suitable for a grocery store, along with another lot that might have a small retail strip building, plus an outparcel for a standalone building, such as a convenience store.

N.C. Department of Transportation is currently reconfiguring that interchange. GreenHawk wants its commercial development to dovetail with that upgrade, which is slated for completion in early 2024.

“Now that we have the rooftops of 1,500 homes and the thing of the improvements to the interchange, we feel it’s appropriate to solicit that type of use,” White said.

GreenHawk is working through CBRE Triad to market the acreage for retail development. The nearest grocery store to the area currently is a Food Lion several miles south on Hicone Road. About 10 miles west of Reedy Fork, T. Cooper James and Associates is planning a grocery-anchored development called Shaw Farms Shopping Center at the intersection of N.C. 150 and Spencer-Dixon Road, near Summerfield.

White said it’s too early to speculate on the nature of the grocer GreenHawk would expect to land at Reedy Fork.

“We’re open to all, but we’re so early in the search, I’d hate to comment on that.”

Sales activity has remained strong at Reedy Fork, White said, an encouraging sign given ongoing uncertainty about the economy.

“We’re still bullish on the market. We feel Reedy Fork has a lot to offer,” he said, referencing 20 miles of walking trails, the introduction of linear parks and the city’s popular Bryan Park recreational facilities across U.S. 29.

“We feel Reedy Fork is positioned very well. We’re facing all the challenges with supply chains, with interest rates to deal with, but we feel strongly … We’re going to stay the course at Reedy Fork, keep producing lots and homes.”

GreenHawk is also developing McConnell Crossing, a neighborhood on 173 acres that is slated to have a total of 624 residences in McLeansville, just east of Greensboro. White said that project is under Technical Review Committee review with the city and that he expects to break ground in late spring. Plans call for two or three different townhome configurations, two different single-family detached products and some single-family attached housing.

The developer also recently revealed that it will break ground in the spring on the $100 million Parc Northwest project, a 54-acre development of single-family, townhomes and 200 apartments at University Drive and Shallowford Church Road, near Elon University.

“We feel very strongly in how we’re positioned and we’re investing in our product. We’re keeping our foot in the door and doing good things in Greensboro,” White said.