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Cary has two new hospital campuses on the way, a boutique hotel at Fenton, a downtown transit hub and a new home for Carolina Ballet. The first big opening is Duke Health Cary's new hospital building, set for spring 2027, and UNC Health broke ground on its West Cary campus on October 6, 2026.
Cary is mostly built out. Fewer than 14% of the town's developable land is left, according to the Town's 2026 State of Cary address. That means much of what's new is happening on a few key sites and in downtown. Here is what's coming, where each project stands today and when it's expected to open. Each date below is credited to its source, and dates can change as projects move forward.
Quick look: what's coming to Cary
- Duke Health Cary hospital building (Green Level, west Cary). Under construction. Expected opening: spring 2027.
- UNC Health Cary Durham Campus (West Cary / South Durham). Under construction (broke ground Oct 6, 2026). Expected opening: medical offices summer 2028; hospital early 2032.
- The Pagemore Hotel at Fenton (465 Fenton Gateway Drive). Under construction. Expected opening: fall 2027.
- Marigold Cary homes (921 SE Maynard Road, near Fenton). Under construction. Expected opening: spring 2027.
- Carolina Ballet at Starline South Hills (1300 Buck Jones Road). Planned. Expected opening: 2028.
- Downtown Cary Multi-Modal Center (Downtown, near Harrison Avenue). Site demolition; design next. Expected opening: not set.
- Alston Commons (NC 55, across from Alston Town Center). Rezoning approved Sept 2026. Expected opening: not set.
Duke Health Cary: new hospital building at Green Level
Location: Duke Health Cary campus, Green Level area of west Cary
Status: Under construction. Expected to open spring 2027.
Duke Health is adding a five-story hospital building to its Cary campus. Its structure was finished in November 2025 (Robins & Morton). Duke says this next phase opens in spring 2027 (the Town's update says mid-2027) and adds emergency services, inpatient beds, surgery, imaging, specialty care and infusion. It also brings more than 230 new jobs (Duke Health).
That's not the end of it. Duke has also planned a larger hospital building on the campus. The Town's 2026 State of Cary says it will have 100 beds (Town of Cary), and a North Carolina Certificate of Need filing lists completion in July 2029 (NC DHHS Certificate of Need). Duke says later plans for the campus include a full-service hospital, a NICU and birthing center, and a cancer center (Duke Health). The campus covers about 85 acres.
UNC Health Cary Durham Campus
Location: West Cary, on the Cary and Durham line
Status: Under construction. Groundbreaking was October 6, 2026.
UNC Health started building a 48-acre medical campus in West Cary this month. First up is a six-story medical office building and a 900-space parking deck, set to open in summer 2028. It will offer cancer care, heart and vascular care, orthopaedics, OB-GYN, dermatology and more, plus imaging, lab and pharmacy (UNC Health).
A community hospital comes next. UNC Health describes it as 152 beds, and the state's August 2026 approval covers 144 acute care beds. UNC Health plans to break ground on it in 2028 and open it in early 2032. The campus is expected to employ about 1,000 people over time. The state's Certificate of Need agency has approved the projects.
The Pagemore Hotel at Fenton
Location: 465 Fenton Gateway Drive, Cary
Status: Under construction. Expected to open fall 2027.
Fenton, Cary's shopping and dining district, is finishing its first phase with a seven-story, 186-room hotel. The Pagemore reached its topping-out milestone in June 2026. Plans include Barouk, an Eastern Mediterranean restaurant, plus a lobby bar, a coffee spot and event space for up to 200 guests (North Carolina Construction News). It will be part of Marriott's Tribute Portfolio (Mainsail Lodging).
Marigold Cary near Fenton
Location: 921 SE Maynard Road
Status: Under construction. Expected to be done in spring 2027.
Marigold Cary is a mixed-income community on town-owned land near Fenton. Plans call for 126 homes, half affordable and half market-rate. The project also adds a greenway connection, a new public road linking Ryan Road and SE Maynard Road, and a small park (Town of Cary).
Carolina Ballet's new home at Starline South Hills
Location: 1300 Buck Jones Road, near the Cary and Raleigh line
Status: Planned. Opening planned for 2028.
The old car dealership at South Hills is set to become an arts hub. Carolina Ballet and Loden Development plan to turn the 70,000-square-foot building into Starline South Hills. The ballet will own about half of it, with five studios, glass walls so visitors can watch rehearsals, and its first black box theater for about 300 people. The other half is planned for restaurants, cafes and gathering spaces (Carolina Ballet).
The Cary Town Council has also been asked to consider a special tax district for the South Hills area to help pay for things like parking and infrastructure. Those talks were expected to continue through 2026 (Town of Cary).
Downtown Cary Multi-Modal Center
Location: Downtown Cary, between Harrison Avenue, North West Street and the rail lines
Status: Site demolition underway. Design expected to start by spring 2027.
Cary is planning one central transit hub downtown. It's designed to serve local and regional buses, future Bus Rapid Transit, future commuter rail and Amtrak trains. Old buildings on the site are being cleared, with demolition scheduled to finish in fall 2026. The Town expects design work to start by spring 2027 and says there will be more chances for public input (Town of Cary). No opening date has been set.
Alston Commons on NC 55
Location: NC 55, across from Alston Town Center in west Cary
Status: Rezoning approved. Not yet under construction.
In September 2026, the Cary Town Council unanimously approved a rezoning for a mixed-use project on NC 55. Plans could include hundreds of homes, office space, a car wash and other shops and services. Buildings are capped at seven stories, more than half the parking will be in decks, and at least 5% of the homes will be affordable. The project now goes through the Town's technical design review before any building can start (ABC11). The Town's rezoning record, 22-REZ-20 Alston Commons, allows up to 625 homes (Town of Cary).
New in downtown Cary this year
Some of downtown's newest additions are already open:
- Lloyd's Full Service. This restaurant opened August 26, 2026, at 107 E. Chatham St., inside a restored 1951 service station at the corner of Chatham and Academy streets. It has a big covered patio and a vintage delivery truck that serves drinks and snacks (Axios Raleigh; FSR).
- Two public parking decks. The Cedar Street deck (288 public spaces) and the Academy Street deck (222 public spaces) add more than 500 public spaces in the heart of downtown, within two blocks of Lloyd's (Town of Cary; FSR).
- New homes and shops downtown. Meridian East, at Hunter and East Chatham streets, has 220 apartments and street-level shops, with The Refreshery among its first tenants. Meridian Cary, at Academy and Chatham streets, is adding 195 apartments in its first building (Town of Cary, March 2026).
What this means if you live in Cary or plan to
New jobs, care and places to eat tend to follow the same few corridors. In Cary right now, that's Green Level and NC 55 in the west, Fenton and South Hills in the east, and Chatham Street downtown. If you're buying, it helps to know which projects are approved and which are only proposed. If you're selling, it helps to know what buyers in your area are asking about.
Caul Group closed 92 homes in Cary in the last 12 months (Caul Group transaction records, Oct 2026). We have been in Raleigh real estate since 2001, and we keep an eye on what's planned in every town we serve.
Want to dig deeper? Start with our Cary area guide, see neighborhood guides for Preston and Lochmere, or meet our Cary real estate agents.
Frequently asked questions
When does the new Duke hospital in Cary open?
Duke Health says the next phase of its Cary campus, with emergency services, inpatient beds, surgery and imaging, opens in spring 2027. A larger 100-bed hospital building is planned, and a state Certificate of Need filing lists completion in July 2029.
What is UNC Health building in Cary?
UNC Health broke ground on October 6, 2026, on a 48-acre campus in West Cary. A medical office building and parking deck are set to open in summer 2028, and a new community hospital is expected to open in early 2032.
When will the Pagemore Hotel at Fenton open?
The 186-room Pagemore Hotel at Fenton is under construction and expected to open in fall 2027. It will include Barouk, an Eastern Mediterranean restaurant.
What is happening with the old Cary Towne Center mall?
As of the Town's March 2026 State of Cary address, there was no update on the former mall site, which Epic Games owns. The owner must maintain the property but is not required to redevelop it.
Is Cary getting a train station?
The Town is planning a new Downtown Cary Multi-Modal Center built to serve buses, future Bus Rapid Transit, future commuter rail and Amtrak. Design is expected to begin by spring 2027, and no opening date has been set.
How can I find out what's being built near a Cary home?
Check the Town of Cary's development project updates and public hearing cases on carync.gov, and look up the property on Wake County's iMAPS. A local agent can also help you read what's approved and what's only proposed near a home you're considering.
Thinking about buying or selling in Cary?
Our team of about 50 agents helps buyers and sellers across Cary and the Triangle.
- Contact us or call (919) 263-7653
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