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Reports, Publications, and Plans

Downtown Raleigh Alliance produces several reports on a regular basis that can help new retailers understand the market, learn about new developments, and find data useful for their business planning efforts.



Quarterly Market Report

Provides information on current and planned developments, food and beverage tax revenue, and other market trends.

Download Quarterly Market Report


2023 State of Downtown Report

Provides market trends, population data and projections, data on downtown development, and overviews of everything downtown from arts and restaurants to tourism, green space, the local food movement and much more. Please visit our brand new State of Downtown Raleigh 2023 website to view interactive information or download the report.
 

Report Website


Holiday Impact Report

A report measuring the impact of placemaking during the holiday season.

Download Holiday Impact Report


Economic Development Strategy

Downtown Raleigh Alliance and the City of Raleigh are developing an economic development strategy that aims to position Downtown Raleigh for the future, particularly as we emerge from the last three years.

This work will require a holistic approach that identifies the key opportunities to maximize Downtown Raleigh’s strengths, make connections between assets and neighborhoods, activate streets with a diverse mix of businesses and places designed for people, and to talk as a community about what will make downtown a place that is welcoming and provides opportunities for everyone. As Raleigh grows, the economic development strategy will ensure downtown has a prominent role to play in the calculus of where to live and to invest.

Major areas of focus and study for the strategy include:

  • Providing a retail strategy for downtown with a specialized focus on the Fayetteville Street corridor
  • Examination and strategic positioning of the downtown office market
  • Opportunities for supporting a thriving Minority- and Women-owned business community
  • Identification of catalytic projects to stimulate and grow Downtown Raleigh’s economy

VIEW STRATEGY WEBPAGE


DRA Public Realm Study

Report and recommendations on policy measures to be taken in advancement of improving Downtown Raleigh's public realm.

This study evaluated three key areas:

  1. The permanent expansion of outdoor dining through parklets, pedlets and expanded use of sidewalk space.
  2. Need for more permanent curbside pick-up zones for take-out food, to-go drinks, soft goods, and grocery pick-up.
  3. Strategy to re-energize downtown and attract people through use of our public realm and outdoor spaces with small-scale diverse activations.


Download Public Realm Study


Downtown Experience Plan

DRA partnered with the City of Raleigh to produce a 10-year plan (2015-2025) for downtown Raleigh, which calls for more retail, green space, density, transportation, walkability, and many other improvements to our growing downtown. Retail recommendations include recruiting local, authentic retailers and a grocery store, in addition to identifying specific retail corridors and other tools to help incentivize retail in downtown.

Downtown Experience Plan

 

Planning Raleigh 2030

The comprehensive plan is a major component of the planning process for the city as it guides the long-range, comprehensive decision making process involving primarily physical development and those city actions expected to influence development in the long-term. The comprehensive plan contains goals, objectives, policies and guidelines for growth and redevelopment for the city. Learn more about the process, policies, and actions being recommended for Downtown Raleigh.

In addition to the information on this website, please feel free to contact our economic development staff to discuss any questions or interest in investing in downtown, opening a business, or just learning more about one of the fastest growing downtowns in the country.

Contact:
Gabriel Schumacher
Research Manager
Downtown Raleigh Alliance
333 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1150
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 821-6981
gabrielschumacher@downtownraleigh.org