On March 1, 2018, ULI Charlotte convened members to discuss the South End story.  Moving from a thriving manufacturing community, through the decline of textiles, to its rebirth as one of the hottest submarkets in Charlotte.  The panel shared their insights about what’s driving development, how to drive change the right way, and what the future will look like.  Below are some basic take-aways:

• The scale is changing, design is being driven by the need for complementary types of buildings, taller, density, ground floor activation all surrounding walkability – take a look at the South End Vision Plan.
• Fast facts and reports about current and planned South End development are available here: https://historicsouthend.com/business/why-south-end/
• Parking will remain a major issue in new mixed-use development as institutional owners continue to require control of dedicated parking.
• The community is considering the value of good design and active dialog.
• To drive change, there has to be a societal shift to urban place, designing for people is the number one priority while creating “place” through projects (i.e. art components) – take a look at the ULI resources for Creative Placemaking.
• What does the future hold? Autonomous cars? Convertible parking decks? Converting South Blvd. into Main Street?
• Lots of the things that we all ‘want’ for South End are most likely in process, which not everyone realizes. But it’s also not a simple process, so instead of just wishing for things, get involved and share opinions, and offer to help row the boat.

It’s definitely an exciting time for Charlotte and South End and we can’t wait to see what growth looks like over the next decade and beyond!

A special thanks to the panel, including David Furman, Centro Cityworks; Welch Lyles, Asana Partners; Monica Holmes, City of Charlotte; Mark Holoman, Cousins Properties; Megan Gude, Charlotte Center City Partners (moderator).

Notes provided by Jenn Stuart, Holder Construction.