Downtown Raleigh's Heritage Park set for redevelopment

Heritage Park at 416 Dorothea Drive shows its age with rotted roofing, plywood in place of windows and serious underground issues.

"We have a fairly good idea of what we have there," said Ashley Lommers-Johnson, CEO of the Raleigh Housing Authority. "Sewer lines are failing.Water lines are failing internally and externally."

In a series of meetings with residents, RHA leaders offered a more hopeful view of the future.

Plan options include multi-family apartments, townhouses, community spaces with parks, childcare, gardens and retail shops.

It means a temporary displacement of residents from their homes.

"We will be entering into contracts with other housing providers around the city, nonprofits and profits," Lommers-Johnson said.

Heritage Park resident Diane Jeffreys felt good about the plan.

"I’m excited," she said. "I came today because we really need this to happen. I just want to see something different for the community."

Jeffreys and other residents have wish lists, including a safe environment and a connected community.

The old "one-way-in-one-way-out" access point in the park will give way to multiple route options.

The current 122 units will be hauled away and replaced with higher-density housing. Lommers-Johnson said, "It could be between 600 and 900 units."

More housing will replace the Dawson Street and MLK Boulevard interchange.

Jeffreys and others are still uneasy about leaving, as if it’s all too good to be true.

"I just hope everybody can be able to come back and no one’s left out that they can’t comeback," Jeffreys said.

Jeffreys added, "What they’re telling us sounds like everybody will be able to come back, so that’s a plus."

Once the current homes are removed, Lommers-Johnson estimates the earliest they can begin construction is the start of 2026.