There are a handful of major developments set to break ground in the coming year that will change what Charlotte looks like. We’ve rounded up the biggest ones here.
But first, a caveat about roundups like this: Construction timelines frequently change. That’s even truer during a pandemic, when developers face shortages of materials, shipping delays and difficulty finding workers for the job.
A few of the projects on this list, therefore, may have been ones you saw on a version of this story we ran previously. We’ll do our best to keep you updated on timing as we learn more.
Another note: There are a handful of major projects still to come that we don’t have timelines for yet. For instance, last year Cousins Properties acquired the 3.4-acre property on the rail trail in South End that includes Slate (for $28.1 million). It’ll be some sort of dynamic mixed-use project called South End Station.
- Cousins is still doing internal planning for the project, says Mark Holoman, who leads the firm’s Charlotte office portfolio. “We’re taking a look at the market to make sure we’re really thoughtful,” Holoman tells Axios. “It’s a really important piece of land. It’s near the RailYard and next to the rail trail.”
There are other projects with timelines that have shifted. One is 10 Tryon, the 15-story mixed-use development on North Tryon that’ll include a Publix. Developers hope this project will spur further development along North Tryon.
- The Seventh and Tryon development, which includes construction of a new main library and the redevelopment of the Spirit Square area, will take longer than originally planned, the county recently told the Observer.
Here are the biggest developments anticipated to break ground in 2022:
Medical school campus and innovation district
Description: Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist are planning a medical school campus and innovation district on more than 26 acres in midtown. Among other features, it’ll have: four towers, street-level retail space for restaurants and other businesses, up to 1,000 apartments, a hotel, parking garages and public outdoor space.
- The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have approved a combined $75 million to help fund infrastructure for the project.
Timeline: Groundbreaking will take place sometime in early 2022.
Why it matters: Charlotte has long been the largest U.S. city without a four-year medical school. Local officials say this project will help position Charlotte as a destination for research and innovation. Plus, it’ll create thousands of new jobs over time.
- Yes, but: Some neighbors have said they’re concerned about ripple effects of the project — like displacement. Some have said they’d like to see more residences onsite set aside as affordable housing.
Rendering of the new Atrium/Wake Forest medical school (courtesy of Ayers Saint Gross)
Centre South
Description: Boston developer The Fallon Company is planning a $400 million, mixed-use development called Centre South on a 16.7-acre site on the edge of Dilworth, where Strawn Cottages stood years ago. It will include affordable housing, retail, a hotel, and office space.
Timeline: Groundbreaking is expected to begin in 2022, the developer confirmed.
Why it matters: Various plans have been in the works for years about what to do with the old Strawn Cottages site. Centre South is a partnership with Inlivian, so a key element of the development is affordable housing. The property will have 145 residential units for households making 60% and 80% of the area median income.
Rendering of the Centre South development in Dilworth (courtesy of Shimahara Visual)
110 East
Description: Florida developer Stiles and California real estate firm Shorenstein are behind the 23-story office tower at the East/West Station. It’ll be in the area that’s currently a parking lot behind The Manchester. The 370,000-square-foot building will include 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Timeline: The plan is to break ground on the development next year. It’ll be ready for occupancy in 2024, according to Adrienne Zalkind, VP of marketing at Stiles.
Why it matters: This tower will add to the growing skyline in South End, a neighborhood that’s become home to major office tenants like Lowe’s (which also has a 23-story tower nearby), Dimensional Fund Advisors (which is in the new Dimensional Place building) and LendingTree (which recently moved its new HQ into the new Vantage South End property).
110 East at the East/West Station in South End (courtesy of Stiles/Spine 3D)
30-story apartment tower on the Price’s site
Description: This fall Charlotte-based Catalyst Capital Partners said it is partnering with developer Stiles on a 30-story “ultra-luxury” apartment tower on the Camden Road site that’s formerly home to the iconic chicken joint Price’s. The building will have 300,000 rentable square feet with 291 apartment units, 9,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space and about 10,000 square feet of office space that Catalyst will eventually occupy.
Timeline: Construction will begin sometime in the third quarter of 2022, the developers have said.
Why it matters: Big apartment buildings go up all the time around Charlotte. But this one will replace a local institution that operated there for nearly 60 years. This tower is the latest sign of South End’s evolution from a manufacturing area to a grungy hub for local small businesses to a dense walkable neighborhood filled with sleek, tall towers.
110 East at the East/West Station in South End (courtesy of Stiles/Spine 3D)
Midnight Diner development
Description: Chicago developer Riverside Investment & Development is planning three towers (totaling more than 1.2 million rentable square feet) at the edge of Uptown and South End — where Midnight Diner and Uptown Cabaret currently are. It’ll have at least one residential tower with 350–650 apartments. It will also have about 800,000 square feet of office space. Additionally, Riverside is considering bringing a hotel to the site, according to Anthony Scacco, the firm’s chief operating officer.
Timeline: Construction will begin by the end of 2022. The first building is expected to open sometime in 2024.
Why it matters: Riverside’s development is situated in a crucial spot connecting Charlotte’s central business district (Uptown) with an area that’s rapidly becoming one of the hottest office submarkets in the nation (South End).
Rendering by Goettsch Partners, courtesy of Riverside Investment & Development.
Eastland
Description: Developer Crosland Southeast is transforming the former 80-acre Eastland mall site into a mixed-use hub that’ll house restaurants and retail, residences, a park, a Charlotte FC and Tepper Sports & Entertainment youth soccer academy, parking and new infrastructure like roads and sidewalks.
- The city and county have committed a combined $11 million toward the project.
Timeline: The goal is to break ground in February 2022 with the first phase complete around the end of 2023, Crosland Southeast managing partner Tim Sittema tells Axios.
Why it matters: Decades ago, Eastland was the coolest mall in Charlotte, complete with a food court and ice-skating rink. Since its closure in 2010, the city has been trying to figure out what to do with the expansive site. Local leaders and developers say they anticipate this project will drive further investment in east Charlotte.
Rendering of the redeveloped Eastland mall site (courtesy of the City of Charlotte)
