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Greater Raleigh's $3 Billion Plus Renaissance

Here are the major new developments that are continuing to transform the Raleigh area into the "can't miss" cultural and entertainment center of the Southeast:

Wake Med Soccer Park Stadium Expansion
(Opening September 2012)

The Town of Cary will be expanding the stadium at the WakeMed Soccer Park. This expansion will include:

• A three-story building will be constructed on the east side of the WakeMed Soccer Park Stadium that includes locker rooms, a multi-purpose room, restrooms and concessions.

• An additional 3,000 seats will be added to the stadium; 1,500 in the north end zone and 1,500 on the east side. The total stadium seating will be approximately 10,000 seats.

• New team facilities will be located on the east side of the stadium. At this location, the locker rooms would be placed underneath the stands at approximately midfield to the stadium soccer field.

• The locker rooms will include home, visitor and referee locker rooms as well as laundry area and storage.

• A multi-purpose room will be constructed above the locker rooms at a new second level platform. The multi-purpose room will have a capacity for 100 or would be able to be subdivided into four potential suites overlooking the stadium field.

• On the east side of the stadium, above the multi-purpose room will be restrooms and concessions with access to 1,500 new seats.

• An additional 1,500 new seats will be added in the north end of the stadium.

The Town of Cary is fronting the cost for construction with Wake County Hotel Occupancy Tax funding to reimburse fifty percent of the cost. These renovations will allow the staff to secure new events and contine to retain existing events and tournaments.

Terminal 1 at RDU International Airport
(Construction begins early 2012)

The primary purpose of the $60 million project is to modernize the main section of Terminal 1, which today is the large blue building that has been in operation since the early 1980s. Major components of the renovation include:

•Consolidating the multiple ticket lobbies, bag claims and passenger security screening checkpoints
•Consolidating the operations of Southwest, JetBlue and Airtran into the main section of Terminal 1
•Improving the passenger experience by simplifying the airline check-in and security screening process
•Rehabilitation of the pavement on the north half of one of the long runway's two parallel taxiways and additional airfield lighting improvements
•Expansion of the Authority's administration building also will be moving toward a construction start in early 2012

Other changes to be made include: constructing new restrooms, developing a pre-security concessions area, reconfiguring the security screening checkpoint and constructing a meeter and greeter area.

Nature Research Center at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
(Opening April 20, 2012)

A $54 million project slated to open in early 2012 and increase visitation to the museum by at least 200,000 annually

The Nature Research Center's multimedia Daily Planet will provide science programming statewide to every North Carolina public school and university and will connect to research and educational institutions nationally and internationally.

Over 70 partners are involved in exhibit development and educational programs for the Nature Research Center (NRC)

Daily Planet Plaza and the Science Café and Terrace will enhance Jones Street as a ceremonial corridor and provide a lively connection to Glenwood South.

The museum will seek LEED Gold certification for the NRC. It will use LED building and exhibit lighting throughout the NRC and will partner with the City of Raleigh on an electric car plug-in station in front of the center.

A cistern system, green roof and native plantings along Jones Street will limit water run-off on the NRC site.

Gregg Museum of Art and Design
(Opening October 2013)

Transforming the current N.C. State University chancellor’s residence into the Gregg Museum of Art and Design, this $ 7.5 million project will result in a freestanding, LEED Silver-certified facility that includes the renovated 7,000-square-foot chancellor’s house and a new 16,700-square-foot wing. The Gregg Museum project is part of a total of $500 million in building projects under construction or slated to begin in the next year at N.C. State. The project is being guided by The Freelon Group, which has designed numerous university buildings and museums around the country.