North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Lowe’s has announced that Spring Street Plaza in Raleigh is one of 100 community projects to be completed this year as part of Lowe’s Hometowns, the company’s largest community impact program. Launched in 2022, Lowe’s Hometowns is a five-year, $100 million commitment from Lowe’s to rebuild and revitalize community spaces nationwide.
Spring Street Plaza, a proposal put forth by the City of Charlotte Urban Design Center and the tree canopy preservation program is in the historic and majority Black neighborhood of Greenville. The site, within the North Tryon/North Graham Corridors of Opportunity, is between residences and adjacent to Greenville Park and Walter G. Byers Elementary School.
The vision for the site includes public art, a fruit orchard or native tree grove, and accommodations for all ages and abilities.
With the community once demolished in favor of local interstates and with minimal shade and tree coverage, this project presents an opportunity to invest in gathering spaces and reconnect residents.
The plaza will be a part of the urban arboretum trail.
The Urban Design Center and Tree Canopy Preservation Program began conducting public engagement in Greenville in 2019, hosting pop-up information sessions and recording stories from long-time residents. Participants said they want natural, quiet places with plenty of seating for gathering, listening to music, and enjoying nature. The idea of Spring Street Plaza blossomed from there.
This is the second year the City of Charlotte was awarded a Lowe’s Hometowns grant. Last year, funds helped design and construct The Ritz at Washington Heights, a plaza and park at the site of the city’s last segregated movie theater.
This year’s Lowe’s Hometowns projects were selected from 94 communities across 41 states and Washington, D.C., and will address needs specific to each community such as housing, community centers, outdoor spaces, and facilities for first responders and veterans.
Each project will receive a grant from Lowe’s to make physical improvements that help local organizations continue to make a meaningful impact in their communities. At the core of this commitment are Lowe’s red vest associates, who share a passion for giving back to their communities and provide support to every Lowe’s Hometowns project.
Now in the second year of the initiative, Lowe’s Hometowns invites nonprofits and community members to share stories of projects in need. Lowe’s is partnering with the City of Charlotte, local Lowe’s associates, construction pros and impact partner Points of Light to complete this project.
Visit Lowes.com/hometowns and follow #LowesHometowns on social media for more details on this year’s projects.