What’s with that huge, overgrown property out by Quail Hollow?

Except for the surrounding chain-link fence, there’s little sign of commercial life on the site along Gleneagles. A large water-filled hole onsite is the result of excavation years ago for an underground parking deck, as CBJ has reported.

It’s been a few years since we looked at this, so we decided to revisit it to see if there’s been any movement on the 19-acre site.

What’s happening: Not a whole lot, as far as we can tell. The latest plan for the property, which would’ve included a variety of luxury retailers, has died. The property, owned by Dee-Dee Harris and Harris Land Co. since the early 1990s, remains in limbo.

• In fact, proposals have emerged and then fizzled for years for this prime piece of property. Plans have included everything from a Saks Fifth Avenue to a Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Why it matters: It seems strange, at a time when property values are skyrocketing around Charlotte, that such a large piece of land would go undeveloped — and seemingly, ignored — for so long, especially when it’s a stone’s throw from some of the most expensive homes in town, and the most exclusive golf club in the region.

Flashback: The site was first rezoned for commercial use in 1989. It wasn’t until 2004, however, that Harris asked the city to help fund a $200 million redevelopment of the property, which would’ve included a five-star hotel and a Saks Fifth Avenue.

• As the Observer reported at the time, Dee-Dee Harris sent a “rambling plea” to city and state officials, asking for help to fund the project. She warned that plans would fall through absent city support — and that’s precisely what happened.

In 2007, Harris had been working with The Ritz-Carlton for a hotel and high-end condos on the site, as CBJ reported, but the financial crisis killed those plans.

Harris went back to the city in 2014 for a rezoning to accommodate hundreds of apartments or condos, restaurants and other retail.

In 2018, Hill Partners confirmed it was working on a major overhaul of the site, CBJ reported at the time. Quail Hollow Village, as the developer called it, would have 117,000 square feet of retail, including a luxury cinema, national restaurants, a hotel, fitness studios and a food hall.

“Hill Partners had elected not to move forward with that development due to some other opportunities,” Paulette Caputo, Hill’s VP of marketing, told Axios in an email.

While the Quail Hollow Village site is “a great piece of real estate,” Caputo said, Hill shifted its focus to enhancing existing projects in its portfolio (like the Specialty Shops SouthPark), plus embarking on new business (such as acquiring Sharon Square).

Cameron Harris, Dee-Dee’s husband, referred all inquiries to his wife and their son, Gary. Neither Dee-Dee nor Gary responded to multiple requests for comment.