Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is opening a second Biergarten and restaurant in Ballantyne. That’ll make OMB Ballantyne’s first brewery.
The oldest craft brewery in Charlotte, OMB will anchor to the new dining and retail district called “The Bowl at Ballantyne.” It’ll be just east of the Ballantyne Hotel, closer to Ballantyne Commons Parkway.
Why it matters: The new location will be the largest brewery in south Charlotte, according to Ballantyne owners Northwood Investors LLC.
- Northwood, which bought 535 acres in Ballantyne in 2017 for $1.2 billion, is in the midst of a massive overhaul of the area’s golf course as part of a project called “Ballantyne Reimagined.”
- Signing a brewery on as the revamped area’s first major tenant is one step Northwood is taking toward turning Ballantyne cool.
“The Bowl is going to be the main street of Ballantyne, where you’ll have families in the park, events in the amphitheater, you’ll have people coming out every night of the week,” Jonathan Stewart, VP of leasing at Northwood Retail, told Axios.
Rendering courtesy of Northwood Investors
The Brewery: The new OMB Biergarten and restaurant will have 14,000 square feet of indoor space, a 7,000-square-foot patio dining area and a balcony and event space on the second floor.
- Like its OG location, the Ballantyne OMB will be a family-friendly spot. It’ll have, for instance, a playground at one end of the biergarten.
- “We are thrilled that the south side of Charlotte will be able to enjoy our world-class beer and unique restaurant and biergarten atmosphere without having to drive across town,” OMB founder John Marrino said in a statement.
Rendering courtesy of Northwood Investors
The Bowl: Owned and operated by Northwood, The Bowl at Ballantyne will be a “walkable, mixed-use neighborhood focused on culture, food, community and sustainability.”
- It’ll be heavily focused on food and beverage tenants, both local and national, sit-down and fast-casual, per Stewart.
- All told, The Bowl will have just under 100,000 square feet of retail space.
- The new development is set to open in 2023. That’s when restaurants within The Bowl, plus OMB, will start opening, too.
Rendering courtesy of Northwood Investors
Zoom out: Also as part of the Ballantyne Reimagined, Northwood is adding a 6-acre stream park behind the hotel that’s slated to open in September. They’re also adding pathways and boardwalks to connect existing greenways onsite.
- The amphitheater at the redevelopment, which’ll have capacity for 3,500 patrons, will open in summer 2023.
