Rolesville Main Street Project

Creating a safer, more successful, and more attractive Main Street for residents, business owners, and visitors alike.

Main Street Vision Plan

Since its founding, Rolesville’s Main Street (formerly US Hwy 401) predominantly served as a pass-through for all automobile traffic traveling to and from the Triangle area, and as such is dotted with fast food restaurants and automobile-related service shops. The completion of the 401 Bypass changed all this and has provided Rolesville an opportunity to reclaim its downtown area.

In 2018, Town leaders and community members collaborated on the development of a Vision Plan to guide future growth along the entire 4.5 mile stretch of US Hwy 401 Business.  This Plan was a joint effort by the Town of Rolesville and the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO).

The Main Street Vision Plan laid out the following goals:

  1. Create an equitable Main Street for everyone and every mode
  2. Promote diverse housing stock for multiple age groups and income levels
  3. Celebrate the town with clear gateways & areas for expanded business attraction
  4. Re-establish a town center
  5. Retain genuine small-town feel
Rendering of Rolesville’s Main Street Vision Plan

With these goals in mind, the Town hired an engineering firm and worked with the NC Dept. of Transportation to design roadway improvements to help transform US Hwy 401 Business into a “safer, more successful, and more attractive Main Street” as described in the Vision Plan.  The Town then applied for and was awarded over $12 million in federal grant funds to begin the project. 

With design work complete, Right-of-Way acquired and grant money approved, the project kicked off in January 2023.  The Town strongly believes this project will benefit the entire community by creating a sense of place along Main Street, calming traffic, and making the road safer for bikers and pedestrians.

The Main Street Vision Plan was put together in 2018 and the final designs of town projects may have changed from conception to the design approved for construction.

A Complete Streets Project

This project falls in line with best practices in urban design, and the NC Department of Transportation’s “Complete Streets” Policy.  This policy directs the Department to consider and incorporate several modes of transportation when building new projects or making improvements to existing infrastructure.

The benefits of this approach include:

  • Making it easier for travelers to get where they need to go
  • Encouraging the use of alternative forms of transportation
  • Building more sustainable communities
  • Increasing connectivity between neighborhoods, street, and transit systems
  • Improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists
A complete street makes it easy for everyone, regardless of how they travel, to use and cross the street.

Attracting New Development

The Town believes that making these improvements will not only improve safety for all modes of transportation, but will also attract future development, and raise the value of all existing properties on Main Street. 

The project has already attracted interest from two developers proposing substantial commercial investments in Rolesville:

  • Cobblestone Village is a new $55 million mixed-use, town center development at the intersection of Young and Main Street, including 50,000 sq. ft. of retail space.
  • Wallbrook, a $120 million development at the southern end of Main Street is being built by Charlotte-based developer, Crosland Southeast, known for innovative, attractive shopping and dining offerings.  Wallbrook will include 140 new Townhomes and 250,000 sq. ft. of new commercial space.