By Kenny Timper
The new decade will bring with it a great deal of change, and it looks like William Peace University’s neighborhoods is not exempt from those changes. Smoky Hollow, an urban development project that will provide new shopping, housing, and offices, is under construction in Peace’s backyard.
Coming soon to downtown Raleigh, Kane Realty described Smoky Hollow as a development that will bring rebirth to a neighborhood that shares the same name. Their website describes it as a “multiphase revitalization envisioned as a distinctive urban area.”
Smoky Hollow’s first confirmed store will be downtown Raleigh’s first Publix. The Florida based grocery chain has slowly been creeping upward into North Carolina and other surrounding states, and it will offer downtown Raleigh its first true mega-grocery store.
“This is great news,” remarks Peace sophomore Michelle Porizkova, “there aren’t a lot of options outside of fast food in downtown Raleigh; having a chain grocer like Publix nearby will open up a lot of options as far as eats go.”
Legend has it that the name for the original Smoky Hollow came about because the neighborhood was in a dip and whenever residents would have bonfires, it would create a smokey haze that enveloped the small community.
The first phase will be opening in Spring 2020 and will introduce Peace Raleigh Apartments, a 12-story building that offer 417 homes. It will also become home to over five thousand square feet of total retail space, which should make for some enticing new places to shop in the future.
Another notable addition coming to downtown Raleigh through Smoky Hollow is 421 N. Harrington St: “a 9-story office building atop active ground-level retail that will feature an office experience focused on lifestyle-oriented workplaces such as large conference space, collaborative work areas, outdoor terraces and a bicycle center.”
Smoky Hollow will not only bring housing and shopping to downtown Raleigh, but it will do a lot to further Raleigh’s already-thriving world of business and commerce. It will be interesting to see how this fosters and cultivates growth in the triangle area.
“I like the old downtown when all the buildings were small,” says Marti Maguire, a professor at Peace and a long-time Raleigh resident, “but I’m willing to accept change.”
Smoky Hollow will bring about a lot of change to downtown Raleigh’s ever-growing and bustling culture, and it will be interesting to see what kind of businesses big and small will plant roots in the Triangle as a result of the development.
More information about Smokey Hollow and other realty projects in the area can be found by visiting the Kane Realty website.