"We want this property to become a fabric of the community here, which is why we're curating active-entertainment locations to kind of become additive to the community as well." Vincenzo Verdino of CityPlat said that to WRAL in November 2025, walking a reporter through a building that had been carved into what the station called "shoe boxes."
Ten months later, two of those shoe boxes are open. The lineup tells you what the building is turning into. No department store has signed on, and no grocery or big-box replacement either. The six tenants named so far are a mini-golf course, a gym, a basketball training facility, a bowling and billiards hall, a nail salon, and a café. Every one of them is a place you go to spend an hour or an evening. The mix is deliberate, and it is likely the version of 4500 Western Blvd that West Raleigh will live with for several years.
How a Kmart Sat Empty This Long
The building sits at the Western Boulevard and I-440 interchange, about two miles west of NC State's campus. The Kmart closed in 2018 after the Sears bankruptcy. Wilmington-based Jack A. Sneeden Corp. had owned the property since the late 1960s, and over the years the site went "in and out" of contract without a sale closing. WRAL described it as standing vacant for nearly a decade.
In early 2025, CityPlat bought the 118,000-square-foot building and its 12.08 acres for $14 million, according to Wake County records reported by The News & Observer. Verdino called it "one of the last contiguous, large parcels to redevelop on the western side of the Beltline." At the time, the only tenant was Grand Slam USA, which was expected to move out within a few months.
The near-term plan was modest compared with what came later. CityPlat set aside about $7 million to repurpose the existing structure. That money covered the façade, landscaping, utilities, and parking, plus subdividing the interior into suites of 10,000 to 40,000 square feet. Suites that size are too small for a national big-box chain and large enough for a gym or a bowling hall. The tenants who signed match that.
What You Can Walk Into Today
Mythic Mini-golf opened on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, as the building's first occupant. It's indoors, with three fantasy-themed courses built around a story about Arry, a winged unicorn, and Gia, a magic orb. Brightwood is an elven forest, Steamforge is a set of goblin mines, and Valorhold is a mythic castle. The venue also has arcade games, food, and drinks. Its booking page lists rounds at $12 for ages 12 and under and $19 for ages 13 and up, with 18-hole rounds at $16 and $25. The N&O listed these hours:
- Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.
Mythic's own site gives the address the way locals are likely to say it: "At the OLD KMART, now the CITYPLAT CENTER." The business told the N&O it planned a grand-opening celebration for Thursday, Aug. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. We couldn't confirm that the event took place.
Gold's Gym West Raleigh is the other confirmed opening, and the largest tenant announced so far. WRAL reported it at more than 30,000 square feet. The gym's own page says it is now open with $1.5 million in new strength and cardio equipment and 24-hour access. The page also lists:
- A recovery area with a sauna, red light therapy, frost lockers, and compression sleeves
- A boxing and MMA area, a HYROX training area, and large turf
- Free weights with dumbbells from 5 to 200 pounds
- A posing room, a podcast room, a Wi-Fi lounge, and a pro shop
Posted membership rates are billed every two weeks. Month-to-month is $31.48, a one-year plan is $28.48, and a two-year plan is $26.48. Round-the-clock access costs $3 more per billing period on standard plans. The gym says it serves West Raleigh, Cary, and the NC State area. Memberships work at every Gold's Gym Carolinas location, and a free pass is available after signing up online.
The Four Suites Still Waiting
Here is where the rest of the announced lineup stood in early October 2026, based on the most recent public information:
- Final Score is an indoor basketball training facility of roughly 20,000 square feet. We found no announced opening date. The N&O's July report listed it among the tenants expected by the end of 2026.
- 810 Billiards & Bowling is on the same year-end target. The chain describes its format as bowling, arcade games, food and drinks, and parties. We couldn't find details specific to the Raleigh location, such as lane count or menu.
- Nail Lab's West Raleigh page advertises manicures, spa pedicures, Gel X, acrylics, dipping powder, and custom designs. As of this writing, the page still says "Opening September 2026," so check before you book.
- Vavela Café still lists its 4500 Western Blvd location as "Coming Soon." The café centers on Turkish coffee and Mediterranean pastries, and its menu includes kunafa, brunch plates, and paninis.
If the remaining four open on schedule, the building will have food and coffee to go with the activities. A family could play a round at Mythic and then bowl at 810 without moving the car, and someone could stop at Vavela after a morning workout. Today, Mythic and Gold's are the whole list.
Why Year-End Dates Deserve a Little Patience
The target dates for this building have moved several times:
- January 2025: CityPlat said it expected tenants to move in "by the end of 2025."
- November 2025: Verdino told WRAL he expected the first business to open in the second quarter of 2026, with everything running by late 2026.
- February 2026: "By the end of the year, the entire center will be open," Verdino told the N&O.
- July 2026: The first tenant opened. Mythic arrived in late July, a few weeks after the second-quarter target.
That slip is modest. Converting a single big-box store into separate suites means new utilities and separate build-outs for each tenant, and CityPlat's $7 million retrofit was aimed at exactly that work. Even so, the building has been about a quarter-year behind each target so far. That's a reasonable allowance to keep in mind for "by year-end" openings that were still unconfirmed in October.
The Bigger Plan Is Further Out Than the Renderings Suggest
The N&O first reported the larger idea in January 2025. CityPlat wants to invest $500 million in a "live, work, play" mixed-use complex modeled on Kane Realty's Main District expansion at North Hills, with access to a planned bus rapid transit line. The City Council later rezoned the 12.08-acre site on a 5 to 3 vote. According to the N&O, CityPlat can now build up to 20 stories of mixed-use development, including apartments. Before the rezoning, the site allowed five stories.
In February 2026, Verdino gave the N&O a timeline. "I don't know if we'll go up to 20 stories. We're testing the market," he said. "Rents and construction costs will dictate what it will be." He expects to break ground in "three to five years."
Counted from that interview, groundbreaking would come sometime between 2029 and 2031, and only if rents and construction costs cooperate. The rezoning, the renderings, and the $500 million figure describe what might come later. The mini-golf courses, the 24-hour gym, and the bowling lanes now being fitted out are the version of this site that people who live nearby will use for the rest of this decade. CityPlat called them "active-entertainment" tenants, chosen for a building that will stay a converted Kmart for a while.
Projects like the CityPlat Center change how a stretch of Western Boulevard gets used long before the bigger plans arrive. If you own a home near the Beltline's west side and want to know how a change like this figures into what your home is worth, John Merriman can walk you through it with more than 30 years of Raleigh experience. Let's connect. Request a complimentary market valuation.
