Everything New & Coming Soon!
Raleigh isn't just North Carolina's capital - it's in the middle of one of the biggest development booms in its history. I'm talking about over $4 billion in projects reshaping the entire city right now, and there's something new coming for everyone.
From transit hubs to the tallest residential tower in the state, keep reading to learn everything you need to know about what's coming to Raleigh in 2025 and beyond.
TRANSIT & INFRASTRUCTURE
All right, let's start with a great project opening this year that will change how we move around the city. The RUSBus Station is opening in 2025. This new transit hub sits right next to Union Station and is a part of the Union West joint development. This area includes apartments, retail, and parking integrated with the GoTriangle and GoRaleigh networks. Along with new bus stations, Raleigh is also getting about 20 miles of dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors in order to speed up service. The New Bern Avenue line is advancing to the construction bid phase in mid-2025, laying the groundwork for future service enhancements. Meanwhile, subsequent corridors on Western, Southern, and Northern alignments will also proceed through design and construction phases in 2025–26, creating major connectivity improvements for downtown and surrounding areas.
PARKS & PUBLIC SPACES
Dix Park is an incredible, recent development that opened in 2025. This 18-acre public plaza is complete with an impressive playground, gardens, amphitheater, waterfall, and picnic grounds. It’s the perfect spot for kids and families; truly a destination in the heart of the city that rivals anything you’ll find in major metropolitan areas.
IMMEDIATE RESIDENTIAL DELIVERIES
Two towers are about to change our skyline forever. I’m talking about the Weld Towers. These two 20-story residential towers are steps away from Dix Park along Lake Wheeler Road in Raleigh. These towers have ground-floor retail, sky lounges, a pool, a fitness center, and a coworking space. If you think this is high, wait until you see what's coming to Glenwood South. One project is going to be the tallest residential building in the entire state.
OFFICE & MIXED-USE
North Hills has been adding serious office space in recent years. And they plan to grow even more. This year they opened a 17-story, 342,000 square foot Class A office tower with major tenants signed such as HomeTurf and Parexel. The building has a sky lobby, a beautiful green roof, and outdoor terraces with 4 acres of outdoor space. There’s ground-floor dining, yoga, and shopping. Expansions will continue to take place through next year.
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT
Currently the dining scene in Raleigh is booming. We're seeing growth across multiple neighborhoods, not just downtown, with incredible, world-class options for all tastes. Here are a few restaurants I recommend checking out.
Peregrine - The first fine-dining restaurant at The Exchange.
Wedgewood Cheese Bar - The state's first stand-alone cheese bar. Located in Carrboro.
The Crunkleton - Has a variety of antique spirits and specialty cocktails. Located in Smoky Hollow.
Mala Pata - Latin American cuisine. Located at Gateway Plaza.
Saint-Pierre - Wine shop & bar, opening summer 2025 across the Triangle.
Botiwalla - COMING SPRING 2026! Indian street food from a James Beard-winning chef at Raleigh Iron Works. The concept is an homage to Irani Cafes, popular in many cities in India.
HOSPITALITY & MIXED-USE
Downtown is getting some serious hospitality upgrades, like the Salisbury Square & Convention Village Towers. This mixed-use development is in an amazing location, right across from the Performing Arts Center. It’s walking distance to the Convention Center and many restaurants. Completion of these towers is expected by 2026 with over 330 mixed units and a 150-room hotel.
CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE
City Hall is getting a complete makeover with a brand new building. And it's coming along fast! Construction reached the tenth floor as of August 2025 with final completion of the 17-story building expected March 2027. The new building is located near the former police headquarters and will help consolidate Raleigh’s government functions. This new City Hall will be complete with public art installations, an active open ground floor, and a wellness space for staff.
HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE
This is the healthcare project that's going to put North Carolina on the map. North Carolina is getting its first standalone pediatric hospital. This 230-acre campus in Apex has been jointly developed by UNC Health and Duke Health, and will create around 8,000 jobs. The plans are to have 500 beds with an outpatient care center, along with research and education facilities. Groundbreaking is expected in 2027 with the hospital’s opening targeted for 2033. This kind of healthcare advance is crucial, and it's amazing that it's also bringing jobs with it.
MAJOR RESIDENTIAL TOWER
Get ready for Raleigh's tallest residential building ever - The Highline Glenwood. This 37-story tower with more than 300 apartments is expected to be complete in 2028. One of the cool things about this project is that it will preserve the historic Pine State Creamery site. It’s also steps away from Glenwood South’s dining and nightlife district, and right next to future commuter rail lines. Amenities include a 360-degree-view sky lounge, 9th-floor terrace with pool and paddle court, fire pits, golf simulator, wellness suite, and ground-floor retail.
THE MEGA-PROJECT
Alright, heading downtown, we get to see this unreal project that's going to change everything about this area. I’m talking about Downtown South. Located right south of downtown Raleigh, the first phase of this project has been underway since 2023. The master plan includes up to 23 high-rises with residential, office, retail, and hotel.Think beautiful landscaping, a bridge loop, and cutting-edge design. There’s also a 20,000-seat soccer stadium and indoor VR/entertainment center. The design preserves greenways and connectivity to downtown via the pedestrian bridge loop I mentioned.
And you know what? This is just the beginning of what’s happening to our city. Let me put all of this in perspective for you.
CONCLUSION
Ok, so, what are we looking at, exactly?
Over $4 billion in active development across 11 major projects.
New transit hubs and mega-developments that will define Raleigh for decades.
And these are just the highlights, because Raleigh does have other awesome developments going on.
So, if you currently live here or are planning to move here and some of these developments have you thinking about your next move or how this might affect you, feel free to reach out to me!
Alley Buscemi : Alley.buscemi@compass.com
