A $100 million Life Time Living tower is edging closer to a groundbreaking at The Exchange Raleigh, promising hundreds of luxury rentals stacked on top of a full-service Life Time athletic country club. The amenity-first high-rise is slated to anchor Phase Two of DeWitt Carolinas’s 40-acre Midtown complex and would drop a resort-style fitness and leisure hub right into the neighborhood. If it opens as planned, the tower will represent another big swing on amenity-heavy living in Raleigh’s rapidly shifting skyline.
As reported by Triangle Business Journal, the project carries an estimated price tag of roughly $100 million and is described as nearing a construction start. The outlet notes that DeWitt Carolinas is the developer behind The Exchange campus and that the Life Time tower will rise inside the broader mixed-use development in Midtown Raleigh.
Project details
According to Dewitt Carolinas, plans call for an 80,000-square-foot, three-level Life Time club inside the tower, plus a 35,000-square-foot rooftop pool and beach club for members and residents. Life Time’s announcement adds that the concept will feature about 250 leased luxury residences, apartment homes ranging from roughly 650 to 1,550 square feet. The homes are set to come with a slate of curated resident amenities, including private dining, co-working lounges and covered parking.
Market context
The amenity-heavy approach is landing just as the Triangle works through a sizable wave of new apartments. Industry reporting based on Yardi Matrix data shows nearly 14,500 unit completions in 2024 and about 8,600 additional units in the first three quarters of 2025, a surge that has stretched lease-up timelines for freshly built properties. As REBusinessOnline quotes a local operator, “absorption has slowed compared to historical norms,” which makes standout amenities an increasingly important hook for renters sizing up where to sign a lease.
Timeline and what’s next
Life Time materials state that groundbreaking for The Exchange destination is planned for 2026, and DeWitt’s project page notes that the club-and-tower phase is expected to follow in the coming months, with completion targeted for early 2027. Developers have not yet released preleasing terms or rent details, so the timing and pace of marketing the units will be an early test of demand for branded, wellness-focused living in Midtown Raleigh.
What to watch next: official permit filings and a firm groundbreaking date, along with any move to open preleasing before shovels hit the ground. For Midtown neighbors, the arrival of a resort-scale club inside a rental tower will serve as a high-profile gauge of the market’s appetite for brand-driven luxury living.
