This story was written for WRAL TechWire Innovator partner CBRE | Raleigh.

Raleigh is one the of top five fastest growing cities in the United States and the fastest growing municipality in North Carolina. Whether you are a native to the city or a recent addition, anyone can attest to the explosive growth.

With this kind of growth comes an influx of development, which downtown Raleigh has seen a lot of recently.

“It may seem like a lot of commercial development is ‘popping up’ all at once, but many of these buildings and plans have been in the works for years and are finally coming to fruition concurrently,” said Brad Corsmeier, an executive vice president of Advisory and Transactions Services at CBRE | Raleigh, a commercial real estate services company. “The downtown landscape at-large is headed for some major additions in the coming future.”

Last year was one of the Triangle’s busiest in terms of development. Morgan Street Food Hall, Raleigh Union Station and The Dillon all notably opened in 2018.

If you frequent downtown Raleigh, you’re no stranger to the routine construction that is evidence of the city’s evolution. And while traffic detours may be a slight inconvenience, you’ll have to gear up for more as there are currently dozens of plans in the development pipeline.

Here’s the lowdown on five proposed commercial towers that are in the works.

1. 301 Hillsborough

This proposed structure is a 20-story office and residential building located on 301 Hillsborough Street, owned by the Fallon Company.

“The Fallon Company intends to redevelop the site into a large-scale mixed-use project that will include a combination of office, hospitality, multi-family and retail uses,” stated the company’s website. “The first phase of the project will consist of an approximately 300,000-square-foot Class A office building with complementary retail at street level. This phase is expected to break ground in the fall of 2019.”

2. The Nexus

California developer the Acquisition Group bought the downtown Raleigh former headquarters of The News & Observer for $22 million in 2017. In partnership with East West Partners, the company plans to redevelop the 1.5 million-square-foot site, deemed the Nexus, into a multi-use building that will feature office and residential space, retail and more.

Development plans include a 325,000-square-foot, 20-story office tower that will face Salisbury Street with ground floor retail. The first phase of development is slated for a 2021 completion.

3. Smoky Hollow

Located at 413 Harrington Street, this mixed-use space will feature 450 residential units and 225,000 square feet of office space, with ground floor retail.

Under the care of developer Kane Realty Corporation, the nine-story building is in Phase II of its development, bringing more residential and office space to the Glenwood South neighborhood of downtown Raleigh.

4. The Edge

Formerly known as The Edison Office site, Edge is located at 313 Wilmington Street and will be at least 19 stories of office space. H

ighwoods Properties, Raleigh’s largest commercial developer and owner of office spaces, finalized the acquisition in 2016. Edge will sit directly across from the city’s tallest building — the 33-story PNC Tower.

Plans and a timeline for development have yet to be announced.

5. Two Glenwood

Two Glenwood, also referred to as Tower Two at Bloc[83] is located at 607 W. Morgan Street. The 275,000-square-foot, 10-story building, will be used for Class A office and retail.

Located at the intersection of two of downtown Raleigh’s most prominent streets — Glenwood Avenue and Hillsborough Street — the building’s locale will make it a premier spot for work and play. Development under Heritage Properties, Inc. begins this summer and will follow the finalization of its sister structure, One Glenwood, which is slated for a 2019 opening later this winter.

“The overarching theme of developments like these is transformation,” said Jason High, an executive vice president at CBRE | Raleigh. “Tenants are going to be witnessing the construction of developments that will bring things that we’ve never seen here — amenities and a product type that is far and above anything else that we’ve had in downtown Raleigh in the past. It’s an exciting time for our city.”

This story was written for WRAL TechWire Innovator partner CBRE | Raleigh.