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The City is hosting an event on First Friday, November 1, 2024, to celebrate the reimagining of Commerce Place. Improvements to the space include outdoor seating areas, enhanced street access, outdoor string lighting and two vibrant asphalt art murals by local artist Mary Carter Taub. Join us for music, snacks, games, local business pop-ups, and a raffle for a chance to win prizes. Visit our Commerce Place(making) event webpage for more details!

What is Commerce Place?

Commerce Place is a single, mid-block alley in the Warehouse District, between W. Martin and Davie streets. For decades, the street has mostly been used for loading and unregulated vehicle parking. The City is now reimagining the space as a place for people, making it more welcoming to pedestrians and creating a new potential home for community events downtown.

This streetscape project is being completed in two phases and will serve as both a pilot and a precedent for shared streets in Raleigh. Shared streets still allow for vehicle traffic but prioritize space for pedestrians and bicycles, creating a safer, more enjoyable environment. These kinds of streets add value to neighborhoods and are widely successful around the world.

Project Details

Type:: City Properties and Facilities
Date Range:: October 10, 2023 -
Project Lead:: Ken Bowers

Commerce Place is one of Raleigh’s first projects to utilize tactical urbanism, a phased approach to implementation that activates streets sooner with temporary improvements that can be tested before larger, more permanent investments are made. This first phase will help activate the Warehouse District with more programming and events, shape the perception of what our underused spaces can be, and set up the street for long-term success. It provides a test version of the street that we can learn from before investing in more sizeable improvements.

After First Friday, a new vision will be considered for the street that will be incorporated into a Streetscape Plan for Commerce Place. Phase 2 will be implemented as a public-private effort in parallel with a new residential development led by Turnbridge, whose front door will open onto Commerce Place. The redesign will serve as a pedestrian-oriented model that hopes to inspire similar changes in other areas across Raleigh. Stay tuned for updates on this new plan, which will include public engagement events and review by the Design Review Commission and City Council.

This project is a collaboration between many City departments and private partners, including Raleigh Transportation, Raleigh Arts, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, the Raleigh Design Review Commission, and private partners Turnbridge Equities and Empire Properties.

2023 First Friday Event

The City hosted a one-day event during First Friday on November 3, 2023. People were invited to attend to share their feedback on design preferences and ideas for the future streetscape. The purpose for the event was to engage with the community and generate interest in the project. Check out our video recapping the event below! The survey results can be viewed in this engagement summary.