Camp North End will be a stunning community hangout come summer

But it will be a hub of activity sooner than you think. Camp North End will be holding private events and Friday night public gatherings as soon as this summer.

Time out, what is Camp North End?

This refers to the 75 acres just north of Uptown that developer ATCO purchased last year.

The “Camp” comes from its original name: Charlotte Army Missile Plant. The site was originally created by Henry Ford to make Model T’s, then went under military control around World War I to manufacture bomb casings. It later became a distribution center for Rite Aid.

Under ATCO’s vision, Camp North End will have everything from retail to office to — one day — apartments.

[Agenda story: Camp North End is becoming a reality — and just signed its first anchor tenant]

The space outside the “Boiler House” will be the heart of the action.

That’s the cool old building with all the windows just under the water tower (see above photo). Unfortunately, it’s not conducive to offices. But Camp North End will be preserving the interior.

There’s a possibility they’ll seal off this one little area of it and make it a cafe.

They’re calling the community space outside it the “Boiler Yard.”

They’re building a set of swings and a fire pit here.

There will also be an event space and patio on one side.

The outside is a little blah right now, but the inside is already awesome.

Here’s a rendering of what it will look like.

Courtesy of Camp North End

These shipping containers will be turned into food vendors.

In the interim, they’ll pull food trucks in here. Look for this to start opening to the public in June.

You might also start working here this summer.

There are nine smallish office pods that should be ready to roll by this summer. They range in size from 500 to 4,000 square feet. Several already have commitments, but there are more up for grabs. Camp North End has pressed pause on leasing to make sure they have a good mix of tenants.

In the next few years, Camp North End will be leasing out larger industrial spaces.

Want a sneak peak before summer? Check these events.

Creative Mornings will hold its monthly event in the Ford building at Camp North End this Friday. This is where the original Model T’s were made. You can get on the waitlist here.

There will also be a vintage motorcycle show here in May, then Vintage Charlotte will host its summer market there in early June.