North Hills Innovation District.

Project brief

North Hills Innovation District is a 33-acre mixed-use district in the North Hills, or Midtown, area of Raleigh, North Carolina, centered near St. Albans Drive and Hardimont Road at the edge of Interstate 440. Big Branch Creek runs through its middle. Kane Realty announced the $1 billion district in January 2021, pairing technology and entrepreneurship uses with public open space. The plan calls for Class A office space, more than 1,500 apartments, about 60,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and four acres of outdoor space. Kane Realty is the developer. The design team lists SK+I Architecture, CRTKL, Clearscapes and Hickok Cole as architects, with landscape architecture by Stewart and Hawkins Partners.

The district is being built in phases around the creek, with trails planned to link to the Capital Area Greenway system, restored creek beds and wetlands, and two pedestrian bridges connecting restaurants and shops. Tower 5, a 17-story office building beside I-440 with more than 340,000 square feet, opened in 2025. St. Albans Lofts, with 396 apartments in two buildings, broke ground in August 2023. Construction on Tributary, a six-story, 332-apartment building by Hickok Cole with 6,000 square feet of retail, began in January 2026, with delivery expected in spring 2028. Kane has also acquired 28 more acres toward I-440 and Wake Forest Road for a planned expansion.

In 2022, BOGZA produced an animation and renderings for the district. The views show an office tower rising above the creek, with a boardwalk and wetland gardens set among tall pines.