The following is a transcript of a "BizWorthy" radio interview that was broadcast on 10/24/24 on WFAE:
Wave of development continues to move away from uptown
By Marshall Terry
And now a closer look at how Charlotte's urban core is expanding outward. The Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter this week reports on how new apartments, restaurants and retail have become common in areas that were single-family subdivisions and suburban strip mall shopping centers a few years ago. The Ledger's Tony Mecia joins WFAE's Marshall Terry for more on that, and other business stories, in our segment, BizWorthy.
Marshall Terry: So the latest area of this kind of development is happening is the former Asian Corner Mall on North Tryon. What's going there? And, who's building it?
Tony Mecia: Marshall, this week development company called Beauxwright announced it's building 186 townhomes on a portion of the Asian Corner Mall site on 11 acres. It's a development that they're calling Sugar Yards. And, so, this is just the latest direction some of the development is heading. You've got a number of new restaurants opening there. There's The Independent Picture House, there's a new cocktail bar and music lounge.
Terry: And we're also seeing these denser urban developments on Wilkinson Boulevard, farther down South Boulevard, down Central Avenue. What's driving it? Just no more space uptown?
Mecia: Well, there's just not a lot of developable space closer into town, so developers are looking a little bit farther out. The urban core of Charlotte has a lot of nice neighborhoods. You're seeing a lot of people moving, certainly into South End, NoDa. You're seeing a lot of apartment complexes, and so this is just sort of a different direction that the growth is taking.