Nonpaved, unstructured space in the center of the block bounded by Craven, Pollock, Middle, and South Front Streets.

Vacant lot on Middle Street formerly occupied by a department store that burned down in the 1970's.

Construction of Bear Plaza on a mid-block vacant lot that was once home to a department store was the first in a series of pedestrian park/ways to connect mid-block parking lots to shopping streets.

Development of the interior, unpaved space now known as the Federal Alley parking lot, like Bear Plaza, was funded with Municipal Service Tax District (MSD) monies. The MSD was created when property owners agreed to pay additional property taxes each year to the City to fund downtown public improvement projects.

Over the past two decades, MSD monies funded many development projects that enhanced the downtown environment.