Wake Forest & Winston-Salem Pull Back Curtain on The Grounds
Deacon Boulevard redevelopment project gets new name and vision
About a year ago, Wake Forest, alongside the City of Winston-Salem, announced plans for an ambitious redevelopment project along Deacon Boulevard. Since then, both entities have been largely radio silent, with only piecemeal demolitions (notably of the student favorite bar, The Last Resort) and City Council resolutions serving as clues as to what the project entailed.
Today, the full scope of the now-titled project, “The Grounds,” has been unveiled.
Partnering with Winston-Salem-based firm Front Street Capital and Atlanta-based Carter USA, The Grounds will be a 100-acre mixed-use development in the Deacon Boulevard area. A press release issued this morning by Wake Forest President Susan Wente described the project as “a transformative mixed-use development and community hub with retail, residential, commercial and dining options in addition to community gathering and green spaces.”
The newly launched website for The Grounds explains that the site “will serve as a year-round gathering place with food and beverage options, entertainment, activities, walking trails and a new style of residential living in one community hub.”
The project will also serve as a “complementary initiative” to the Reynolda Campus space improvements also announced today, with some administrative offices becoming some of the first tenants in an office building that is being built as part of the first phase of The Grounds.
Wente’s release also detailed that The Grounds will feature a new “Deacon Walk,” a pedestrian corridor that will serve as a gateway to Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. There will also be loft-style apartments included in the development.
Though the project’s official name is absent of any university branding, official renderings include restaurants and commercial spaces with Wake-Forest-themed names such as the “Old Gold Tavern.”
Students expressed excitement about the project, hoping that it would create more to do off-campus and perhaps act as an commercial and restaurant anchor for the school – akin to Franklin street in Chapel Hill or Hillsborough street in Raleigh.
“I think this is actually a really good idea for expanding off campus because I’ve talked to people who are applying to Wake [Forest], and they’re concerned about how we don’t really have a college town, or we don’t have much going on in Winston-Salem, so I think this could be appealing,” sophomore Nishu Shah said.
Another student, junior Ana Baez, still had questions about the plans and how it affected the community.
“I was confused about whether the housing was for students or for students of Winston-Salem,” Baez said.
Indeed, it remains to be seen how Winston locals and residents of the nearby Boston Thurmond community will react to the redevelopment.
Infrastructure improvements
Part of the project includes massive infrastructure improvements to roads, event traffic and sidewalks in the new development. A green space will also be created out of the eroded portion of Silas Creek Parkway.
These improvements will be funded by a massive $35 million grant from the state of North Carolina secured as a part of the 2023 appropriations act.
Documents obtained by the Old Gold & Black as a part of a public records request show how the city and the university lobbied the state for those funds.
In a letter to Representative Donny Lamberth from Mayor Allen Joines, Joines advocated directly for the project.
“Specifically, the City of Winston-Salem is seeking $15 million from the State of North Carolina Infrastructure funds to support the Midtown project […]. This investment will play a critical role in securing significant private investment and high-quality asset development that will accelerate the project and create a vibrant sense of place for Midtown,” Joines wrote.
The letter was cosigned by Wake Forest President Susan Wente and Athletic Director John Currie.
Portions of Deacon Boulevard and Baity Street have been closed off in order to realign Deacon Boulevard (Courtesy of Wake Forest University.
What’s next?
Last week, the Winston-Salem City Council approved the closure of portions of Deacon Boulevard and Baity Street in order to realign Deacon Boulevard. The tunnel that goes under Deacon Boulevard will also be closed.
As depicted in presentations to City Council obtained by the Old Gold & Black, the realignment is a central part of the project.
The public will be given a chance to comment on these closures on Oct. 7.
The road closures signal significant movement in the project. The website for The Grounds also says groundbreaking for the site is currently slated for December 2024.
By: James Watson, City & State Editor - The Old Gold & Black