August 2024 Cities Civil and Municipal Public Sector

Rolesville, North Carolina – Wake County

August 28, 2024

Rolesville, North Carolina

Welcoming Growth While Preserving Small-Town Charm

Economically strong and forward-looking, this town is poised for good things

Established in 1837, Rolesville is the second oldest town in Wake County and is recognized as one of the fastest-growing communities in North Carolina. As it experiences a surge in population and development, Rolesville is strategically balancing this rapid growth while maintaining its cherished small-town ambiance.

Mayor Ronnie Currin shares, “Our region is very economically strong. Wake County is now the largest county in North Carolina. Just being a part of that sets the framework of being able to have a good economic landscape here in town.” Rolesville is currently engaged in long-term planning, with an emphasis on comprehensive land use strategies, and capital improvement projects, to ensure future growth is well-managed.

He notes that the town’s isolated location north of the Neuse River, means there are limitations on development, which align with efforts to retain the characteristics of the quaint community. “We’re trying to keep the small-town charm that a lot of people like. So, in doing that, we’re trying to keep our streets small, we’re not planning for major highways and those types of things. We’re planning for maybe three-lane roads and smaller roads, a lot of walkability, a lot of biking,” he depicts.

Reclaiming Main Street

One of the key elements of Rolesville’s growth strategy is the revitalization of its downtown area, which was located on US Highway 401 going through the town. In 2016 a bypass was built, redirecting the highway around Rolesville, and providing a chance for the community to reclaim Main Street.

“We’re lucky in that sense that we get to create almost from a clean slate, a downtown area,” conveys Economic Development Director, Mical McFarland. “In the past, you would have seen many fast food restaurants, auto parts places, and gas stations, because it was a highway. Now we’re trying to attract those smaller businesses, boutiques, shops, sit-down restaurants, and things like that.”

An investment of over $23 million is being put towards revitalizing Rolesville’s downtown area. Fred Smith Company has been hired to implement a streetscape improvement project, which will include new ornamental streetlights, public benches, trees, and enhanced walkability features. “Kind of some hardscape and softscape,” McFarland details.

“Throughout Main Street, we will have new crosswalks and new medians. Within some of those, there’ll be planters and some natural features, native plants and rocks, and things like that. We are not only improving the roadway to make it safer, but also the aesthetics of Main Street, to create that downtown feel, and that sense of place here in Rolesville.”

Intentional Development

McFarland highlights two significant mixed-use development projects, Wallbrook and Cobblestone Village, noting “These are ongoing and under construction, and they serve as bookends to our Main Street.” Wallbrook, developed by Crosland Southeast from Charlotte, will feature a Publix grocery store, 140 townhomes, and over 265,000 square feet of commercial space which is expected to attract restaurants, shops, and service establishments.

The northern end of Main Street is home to Cobblestone Village, a project by KDM Development out of New York, offering 55,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, along with 188 apartment units, creating a lifestyle-centric, walkable development. “Cobblestone village is on land that was once owned by the town that we sold to that developer,” he reports.

“We worked with them for a few years to pursue that vision of Main Street as a walkable, mixed-use development.”

Zoning Updates and Balanced Growth

Planning Director, Meredith Gruber, discusses Rolesville’s strategic zoning efforts which are intended to support all types of growth in the town. Offering the example of the former Pine Glo building, previously an industrial site that is transforming to host indoor and outdoor recreation, she states, “The owner/developer came in and asked to change it to a General Commercial Conditional Zoning District. Of course, the town was very supportive of changing that zoning because having that commercial zoning on Main Street fits our vision.”

The site is now poised to become Glo on Main, a mixed-use development featuring family-friendly sports facilities, dining options, and event space. Rolesville is also seeing an increase in medical services to the community. “We had one or two before, and now we have several along Main Street, and our residents are excited about that,” she says, adding, “I think we are also looking for a bigger, more substantial medical user.”

“We are just about to kick off updating our comprehensive plan, and that future land use component will be critical for Rolesville,” Gruber acknowledges. “Our current future land use map isn’t functioning well enough for us because it was last done in 2017. We’re looking at a specific residential density to keep that small-town charm. However, we also need rooftops to bring in more commercial and nonresidential development.”

The current land development ordinance includes zoning districts that mandate a balance of commercial and non-residential development alongside residential projects, promoting balanced lifestyle opportunities.

Residential Offerings

Mayor Currin highlights the town’s housing dynamics, where the tax base ratio is 92% residential and only 8% commercial. “We don’t have to focus on neighborhoods, we don’t have to focus on attracting residential. It kind of comes naturally in Wake County,” he maintains. “We get all types, from single family, apartments, and also townhouses, we have a blend of all and that’s not a big issue.” He adds that the area of focus is on providing affordable housing options.

Along with this, Rolesville is working to attract workforce and veteran housing, and options for seniors. “Our population of senior citizens has grown, so we’re working at 55 and over communities and trying to facilitate those. And we’re trying to be attractive to veterans who have special housing needs,” says the mayor.

Rolesville currently has several neighborhoods in various stages of planning and development which Currin estimates will add another 2000 or more single-family homes to the community. He points out that according to recent data, these approved housing developments have the potential to increase the town’s population from about 11,000 to at least 22,000.

An Educated Workforce

With proximity to the research triangle area, and renowned institutions like UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University, and NC State, the town is well-positioned. “Rolesville has a highly talented workforce and an educated population, we’re ranked high statewide,” boasts McFarland. “The percentage of our population that has a college degree is 67%.”

Along with the robust university system, Rolesville partners with Wake Tech Community College to ensure a trained and skilled workforce. “We’re also part of the Wake County school system, and they are award-winning every year,” he expands.

Infrastructure Support

Given its proximity to Raleigh, Rolesville partners with the larger city for essential services like water and sewer. In terms of other utilities, McFarland says that electricity in the area is supplied by Duke Energy and Wake Electric, while Dominion provides gas services. Additionally, Wake County assists with stormwater management for the town.

For broadband connectivity, Rolesville is well-served by major providers such as Spectrum and CenturyLink. More recently, Ting Internet has been installing high-speed fiber in the area, offering one-gigabyte upload and download speeds. “We do have good broadband connectivity here, for the work-at-home customer and people that have home-based businesses,” touts McFarland.

Recreation and Future Plans

Over the last few years, the town has been diligently revamping its Parks and Recreation Department, focusing on leadership and resource allocation. With up to 2,000 participants last year, Mayor Currin shares that Rolesville boasts one of the best youth sports programs in Wake County and is working to add amenities to accommodate this success. He elaborates, “We have a 116-acre site that we’re proposing to do. In this year’s recently-approved budget, we have $12 million to start phase one of that site, which will put some facilities in there for Parks and Recreation.”

In other initiatives, Rolesville has long integrated greenways into its planning, ensuring neighborhoods are interconnected, and providing residents access to opportunities for walking, biking, and running.

As for future infrastructure, the town is addressing its expanding staff needs with plans to build a new fire station, police station, and town hall within the next four years. “Our staff is growing all the time, we are doubling every 10 years if not more, and we don’t have facilities for that,” he explains. “As we grow, we recognize that we can’t stay the way we are. We have to add staff people, and we have to add facilities for them. And in doing that, we want to make sure that we’re adding facilities that are very nice and a good environment for our employees.”

With this friendly and proactive approach, the town of Rolesville is poised for continued growth and prosperity, ensuring a vibrant future for its residents and community.