The long-discussed vision for a permanent farmers market in Raleigh moved a step closer to reality this week, as city and county officials joined community leaders to break ground on a new market and food-truck park at the Raleigh Municipal Complex.
The project, which will sit alongside the police precinct, library, lake, trails, and skate park already on the site, is being framed as both a neighborhood win and a model for citywide redevelopment.
Mayor Paul Young said the new market continues the transformation of the former Raleigh Springs Mall property into a civic anchor for the community, a change that has already helped attract new investment along the Austin Peay corridor.
“What was once a mall that had fallen into decline has returned to being a community hub,” Young said. “Since the city invested in this site, we’ve seen new businesses open and more people gathering here. This market is part of what’s next — more opportunity, more growth, more access.”
For years, Raleigh’s farmers market operated through volunteer efforts without a permanent structure. Deputy Housing and Community Development Division Director Felicia Harris said the new building will finally give the market stability and visibility.
“Residents can now access essential services without leaving their neighborhood,” Harris said. “Volunteers have held this together for years. This gives them the home they deserve.”
City Councilwoman Rhonda Logan, who represents the district and has pushed for the project across multiple administrations, said the market’s construction represents the fulfillment of a long community-led effort to reclaim and reimagine the site.
“This is more than stalls and picnic tables. It’s a promise that Raleigh is worthy of investment,” Logan said. “We earned this win. And this is just one phase of the broader vision for this space, a space that brings people together the way Raleigh Springs Mall once did.”
City planners say the market and food-truck park will complement the existing outdoor amphitheater and allow for festivals, cultural programming and small-business activity. Logan said she expects everything from concerts to themed food events.
“It’s an opportunity for creativity and community,” she said. “Whatever the neighborhood wants to do, this gives us the place to do it.”
The project has drawn support from a mix of leaders who helped develop the early concepts, including faith-based organizations, nonprofit partners and neighborhood groups. Raleigh CDC executive director Ronald Meredith traced the vision back to longtime community champion Apostle Sammy Holloway.
“We’re small in number but powerful,” Meredith said. “This will surprise people once it’s complete.”
Shelby County Commissioner Charlie Caswell pointed to county funding for surrounding street improvements as an example of the multi-level commitment to Raleigh’s redevelopment.
“These partnerships are how we keep Raleigh moving forward,” he said.
The design team, led by DT Design Studio, incorporated input from farmers and vendors to ensure the space supports market operations as well as food-truck business. Project coordinator Demetrius Halliburton, a Raleigh native, said the work is personal.
“I grew up here. I invest here. I care about this community,” he said. “It’s important to be part of something that brings Raleigh together again.”
Officials expect construction to take three to six months. Young said the market aligns with Memphis 3.0, the city’s long-range plan that prioritizes investments in community “anchors” — key gathering points in every neighborhood.
“This site is an anchor for Raleigh,” he said. “And we’re looking for opportunities like this in every community across the city.”
Logan said the market’s opening will mark not just a new amenity, but a reaffirmation of Raleigh’s identity and voice in the city’s future.
“Raleigh refuses to be overlooked or underestimated,” she said. “We’re building, growing, and winning together.”
