Hillsborough-Western Redevelopment

The City of Raleigh, North Carolina's Housing and Community Development Department is requesting qualifications for redevelopment of a 3.5-acre city-owned property cluster at 0 Western Boulevard, 5508 Western Boulevard, 5507 Hillsborough Street, and 5511 Hillsborough Street, with qualifications due August 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST and a pre-submittal conference on June 25, 2026 at 3:00 PM via Microsoft Teams.

The City will select up to five qualified firms through this RFQ, with selection announcement tentatively on September 4, 2026. Selected firms will be invited to respond to a subsequent RFP in October 2026, with final developer selection expected in December 2026. The site will be made available via long-term ground lease of at least 50 years and up to 99 years, with the City retaining ownership.

The scope targets a transit-oriented, multifamily affordable or mixed-income rental housing development along the planned Western Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit corridor. All proposals must include a minimum of 20 percent of units affordable to households earning 60 percent of Area Median Income or less, with an affordability period of no less than 50 years. The City anticipates feasible development of 89–124 units across three to five stories with surface parking. Affordable and market-rate units must be indistinguishable in design. Environmental compliance includes a 50-foot stream buffer requirement around riparian areas under Neuse River regulations. Sustainability measures and green building certifications are encouraged.

The City is providing gap financing of up to $1.5 million to support affordable housing units. Developers are encouraged to leverage Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Wake County gap financing, and Project Based Vouchers through the Raleigh Housing Authority under negotiated terms.

Evaluation criteria are Team and Firm Background (25%), Project Experience (35%), Project Understanding and Approach (30%), and Financial Capacity (10%). Qualified applicants must demonstrate experience delivering comparable affordable housing projects, successful collaboration with municipalities and public entities, and financial stability. Both for-profit and non-profit developers are eligible.