City-backed projects fueling growth on Downtown Raleigh’s southern edge
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- New Red Hat Amphitheater construction starts; current venue closes after 2026 season.
- Convention center expansion will repurpose amphitheater site to increase event capacity.
- Before expansion begins, Raleigh Convention Center will be repaired after fire.
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Expect construction on the southern end of downtown to ramp up significantly in the coming year — and in the years to come.
There’s been $1.1 billion in new construction completed or underway south of Davie Street since 2023, and Downtown Raleigh Alliance estimates another $2.1 billion in future development is planned there, including several city projects.
“It’s going to be a little bit inconvenient, because there’s a lot happening all at once,” said Kerry Painter, director and general manager of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex. “It’s rare this much construction happens in such a condensed space. But coming out of it, it’s just going to be exceptional.”
Red Hat Amphitheater, the beloved music venue as we know it, will come to an end after the 2026 concert season, as Raleigh begins construction of a new amphitheater across Lenoir Street. The retaining wall is up, utility work has begun and, by spring, residents should start seeing the steel outline of the new Red Hat Amphitheater.
The city’s plan for the current amphitheater land was always for a Raleigh Convention Center expansion.
“Instead of the land just sitting there, they put an amphitheater on it,” Painter said. “But it became, as you can tell, a super-loved, favorite boutique amp. And I think what makes it really special is that it’s right in a downtown.”
Concerts will continue at the current music venue for the 2026 season, and construction across the street shouldn’t interfere with concerts, Painter said.
Once the amphitheater has moved, construction can begin on the Raleigh Convention Center.
Raleigh Convention Center repairs after fire
But while that expansion work won’t begin in 2026, the city is still working to repair the convention center after a mechanical failure caused a significant fire on Dec. 1. Events weren’t held at the convention center in December, but staff is trying to reopen the center for upcoming events in January. (The popular Animate! Raleigh convention already has been postponed from January to March.)
A crane will go up in late December or early January to remove the cooling towers from the roof that were totaled by the fire. The city closed the skating rink, located at Red Hat, a week early to bring in a mobile kitchen.
“As a guest of the convention center, you’re not going to notice,” Painter said. “You’re still going to have your food, but your food is going to come in a very different path.”
Once Red Hat moves, construction will begin on the convention center expansion to add about 300,000 square feet of space and two new walking bridges that will connect to the current building.
“This state-of-the-art convention center expansion is a transformative investment in the future of downtown Raleigh,” said Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of Visit Raleigh, in a news release. “It will bring thousands of new visitors, driving more restaurant reservations, hotel stays, and traffic to local businesses. This facility strengthens Raleigh’s position as a vibrant, nationally competitive destination for meetings, events, and tourism.”
Renovations of the Lichtin Plaza outside the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts should be finished early in 2026. Construction to add two new ADA ramps, a dedicated drop-off lane and additional greenspace and “flex” space should end in February with a ribbon-cutting in spring, once the city has added greenery.
The surface parking lots in front of the performing arts center have already closed, with fencing around the future Omni hotel set to pop up in January.
Plans are for a 27-story, 550-room hotel featuring a sports bar, steakhouse, coffee shop, two ballrooms, a wellness center and pool deck. Construction is expected to end in 2028. This will be the Triangle’s first Omni hotel.
“Obviously, a huge public dollar [investment] going into multiple projects all in a concentrated area that is a key [driver] of economic development and tax base for the entire county,” said Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell.
This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "City-backed projects fueling growth on Downtown Raleigh’s southern edge."
