Downtown Wake Forest’s charm lives in its historic storefronts, familiar streets and places where neighbors gather. In conversations about its future, residents and business owners pointed to historic South White Street as the heart of that experience, a place whose character they want to carry forward as Wake Forest grows. Town planners wanted to help people visualize how new development could fit into that familiar setting.
The Town’s previous downtown plan, known as the Renaissance Plan, was adopted in 2017. By 2023, continued development, progress on the S Line passenger rail project and updates to other community plans prompted a fresh look at downtown’s future. The resulting 2024 Downtown Plan guides development, transportation and parking while strengthening connections between downtown’s streets, shops and gathering places. Learn more about the Downtown Plan.
To support the Downtown Plan and give the community a clearer view of potential development, the Town worked with planning consultant Houseal Lavigne to create a digital twin, an interactive, three dimensional computer model of downtown Wake Forest. Similar to navigating a video game, users can use a controller to walk along familiar streets or fly above recognizable buildings, signs, street banners, lights and trees. They can compare existing conditions with possible future development and adjust building heights to see how changes could affect downtown views in ways traditional maps cannot easily convey. Learn more in Esri’s feature on Wake Forest’s digital twin.
For economic development, the model offers another tool for evaluating proposed investment. The Town plans to add development proposals to examine their size, height and effect on surrounding views. This could be particularly useful when considering requests to exceed the height allowed under the Town’s development rules. Developers and property owners could also better understand how their projects would relate to existing buildings and appear from other downtown streets.
According to Wake Forest Planning Director Jennifer Currin, AICP, CZO, the Downtown Plan recognizes that additional parking will be needed to accommodate the S Line and future development. The model helps to envision where parking structures could be added and how surrounding buildings could screen them from view, creating a more welcoming setting for people walking downtown.
The digital twin illustrates possibilities rather than approved construction plans. Some scenarios show the potential for properties to be fully developed over time, a level of growth Town staff anticipate could take up to 20 years to materialize. Every project would still require applicable approvals.
“The digital twin is a valuable tool for visualizing how proposed investment could shape downtown Wake Forest. It gives the Town, developers and property owners a clearer understanding of how projects could fit, supporting informed decisions that strengthen our local economy while respecting downtown’s historic character,” said Jason Cannon, President of the Wake Forest Business & Industry Partnership.
