Renderings of reimagined sports and entertainment district in Raleigh: ‘Better than Dubai’

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — When Iyad Kuran first saw the renderings for the Raleigh Sports and Entertainment District submitted with a recent rezoning request to the City of Raleigh, one thing came to mind.

“If it’s that picture, and it’s gonna be by that stadium, what I’m looking at as a businessman, it’s going to be better than Dubai,” said Kuran, owner of Sharazad Coffee & Tea Hookah on Hillsborough Street.

He was referring to Carter-Finley Stadium and reacting to the proposed mixed-use development around the Lenovo Center.

“If this is going to come, I can stay for …all my life. My kids can be here, too,” he said of the project.

Monday evening, the developers, Pacific Elm Properties, submitted a rezoning request with the City of Raleigh.

The request features additional plans on how the project will come to life, one of which will be new parking decks for NC State football games and events at the neighboring Lenovo Center, formerly known as PNC Arena, which houses the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State men’s basketball.

“This is the process they have to go through to make all the good things happen,” said Philip Isley, chairman of the Centennial Authority which owns the site. “When it’s all built out in 20 years, it will probably look very similar to what people will see at Triangle Town Center and at North Hills, Fenton — live, work, play environment that has all the cool entertainment options that have people living on the site.”

Kuran, who once called North Hills home and has lived in Raleigh since 1993, said he believes the project will be larger.

“You imagine this project and what it looks to me, it looks better than North Hills,” said Kuran, “It’s going to be more crowded. More business coming to this area.”

Included in the rezoning is a minimalistic response to addressing current traffic and congestion issues with events at the site.

“Whoever can invest in that project, he’s going to have a lot of money,” said Kuran.

The entire rezoning approval process can take upward of six to nine months to complete.