BY HEATHER DARNELL
Fuquay-Varina, the town with two names, also has two bustling downtown areas. It’s part of what the town tagline calls “a dash more.” As one of the fastest-growing small towns in North Carolina, Fuquay-Varina is striving to build and maintain a vibrant community with double the downtowns and double the small-town charm. As the town grows, it has also had to become twice as prepared to handle the growing demand for downtown amenities.
History of Fuquay-Varina and its Downtowns
In the early 1900s, Fuquay Springs and Varina were two towns with train depots about a half mile apart from one another, connected by a timber rail line. People traveled to visit the mineral spring at Fuquay Springs, which was reputed to have healing properties. In 1963, Fuquay Springs and Varina joined together to create one municipality called Fuquay-Varina. The train depot in Fuquay Springs closed in 1935, but Varina’s historic train depot still stands on Broad Street.
Present-day Fuquay-Varina maintains both its original towns’ downtown districts. Each has its own unique character. Downtown Fuquay is home to the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center, Mineral Spring Park and Town Hall. Downtown Varina has a more walkable retail presence and is anchored by the historic Varina Station.
Fast-Growing Fuquay-Varina
Fuquay-Varina has seen its population nearly double in the past decade. Mayor Blake Massengill has witnessed how this growth has affected the community. “I have lived in Fuquay-Varina all my life,” he says. “When I was two years old, there were only about 4,000 people who lived here, and now there are almost 50,000.”
With that growth comes a demand for downtown services and amenities, including shops, restaurants, bars, and places to live and work. Local developers are striving to keep up with demand, and the town’s inspections department continually beats its own records for the most building permits issued monthly.
“We’re very lucky to have two downtowns,” Massengill says. “A lot of towns are trying to build downtowns, but Fuquay-Varina has always had a downtown, and we have the existing infrastructure to build on.”
Downtown Generational Plan
Fuquay-Varina is currently working on building onto its existing downtowns. The town has established a Downtown Generational Plan (DGP) that will serve as a blueprint to help plan for growth for the next 50 years. “Our town board, mayors and commissioners have made investing in downtown a priority,” says Jim Seymour, Fuquay-Varina’s Assistant Town Manager. While creating the plan, town leaders were inspired by the Greenville, South Carolina Downtown Reborn study done in 1968, which helped Greenville become the downtown destination it is today.
The DGP for Fuquay-Varina was presented to the Town Board August 20 and invites citizen feedback online through September 23. The plan makes downtown area recommendations, including vertical live/work/play sites, commercial areas and zones for festivals and events, and plans for parking, lighting and sidewalks.
The DGP also seeks to improve connectivity between downtown Fuquay and downtown Varina.
“Physically linking the two downtown areas is something that businesses want to see sooner rather than later,” Seymour says. Several ideas have been considered, including a tunnel or pedestrian bridge linking the two districts, but they may not be feasible due to cost. The town is also looking at ways to continue to make the downtown areas friendly to pedestrians and bikers as well as cars.
Massengill knows how important the feel of the downtown area is to Fuquay-Varina residents.“We have worked hard on downtown streetscapes. We don’t want to have abandoned buildings downtown, and we want people to feel safe. We’re proud to have been named the number one safest town in North Carolina,” says Massengill, citing a 2023 MoneyGeek ranking.
Downtown Development in the Last Five Years
Some aspects of Fuquay-Varina’s downtown development are already in progress. In the last five years, the town has completed several projects that have contributed to bringing visitors into its downtown area. In 2019 the community welcomed the addition of the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center, a 294-seat theater with an art gallery, studios and classrooms to serve the community with local performances and classes. “The arts center has been a huge driver for downtown business, and it’s a huge investment in downtown,” says Massengill.
In 2021 the town opened its first mixed-use development in downtown Fuquay. Named The Q, the building is four stories tall and has 36,000 square feet of retail and office space and residential units. On the street level, visitors can enjoy an exercise studio, a boutique, a Mexican restaurant and an indoor golf facility. “We want to have a variety of businesses downtown,” says Massengill. “Downtown, mixed-use projects will be catalysts for local business.”
Upcoming Downtown Projects
More mixed-use projects are on the way. As part of Fuquay-Varina’s economic development strategy, the town plans to develop an additional 2.52-acre mixed-use project on Academy and Main streets in downtown Fuquay. Demolition has already occurred at the site, and a developer is being selected.
In downtown Varina, Aviator Brewing Company is in the process of constructing a 5.22-acre, 60,000-square-foot project that will house a brewery, distillery, retail store, restaurant and bar, drive-through coffee shop and a multi-use pavilion. Aviator already has three restaurants in downtown Varina, and the company will continue to serve the community at this new campus.
Parking in Downtown Areas
Naturally, as more people flock to downtown areas, concerns about parking arise. Fuquay-Varina has been proactive in adding parking spaces to its downtown districts as demand has increased.
As part of the town’s Downtown Parking Plan, Fuquay-Varina is continuing to implement recommendations from a 2016 parking study. A 25-space lot was recently added to downtown Fuquay on Vance Street, and a 123-space parking lot was added to downtown Varina on Fayetteville and Charlotte streets. The town expects these expansions to provide for current and future parking needs. The DGP will address other plans for parking.
While any town will see challenges with growth, Fuquay-Varina is already working to provide the amenities and resources people want to see. With planning and preparation in place, Fuquay-Varina’s double downtowns will have double the chances to grow and maintain vibrant downtown areas for years to come.
Check out stories from around the Western Wake at 5westmag.com.
