Brookhill Village redevelopment will add short-term rentals, festival grounds to South End
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Possible ideas for the Brookhill site have included an outdoor theater, sports fields, an art gallery, a gym, markets, putt-putt golf and sand volleyball. Griffin Brothers will pave between 600 and 1,000 surface parking spaces as part of the redevelopment. Rendering: Griffin Brothers
After years of failed plans that induced anxiety among legacy residents, the historic Brookhill Village in South End will finally undergo a transformation that preserves the few remaining low-income homes, while adding short-term rentals and festival grounds to Charlotte's trendiest neighborhood.
Why it matters: Griffin Brothers Companies has already renovated 89 of the rare affordable housing units in Brookhill, located at the corner of South Tryon and Remount. Now it plans to build amenities to enliven the surrounding 25-plus-acre "blank canvas," which some have considered an "eyesore."
Flashback: Built for Black families in the 1950s, Brookhill was a duplex-and-triplex community that was underinvested in for years. Most of the 400-plus units deteriorated, were boarded up and ultimately demolished, "as luxury apartments began rising nearby," Charlotte Urban Institute wrote.
- A complicated 99-year ground lease has made it challenging to develop the site and secure public subsidies to rebuild affordable housing.
- Griffin Brothers took over the lease rights in March 2022 after another redevelopment plan fell through. It can build across the land. But contractually, it must return the property to the underlying owners, the Spangler family, at the end of the lease in 2049.
- For years, it seemed unlikely a project would come to fruition in Brookhill since any developer would have to turn the improvements back to the landowners, triggering a time clock to recoup investments.
Driving the news: Griffin Brothers finally has a plan and a rough timeline to put the vacant land at Brookhill to use. Construction on 73 townhome-style short-term rentals — the second phase of the development — should start within the next six months. Work will take about 18 months to complete across 4.5 acres.
- In a third 23-acre phase, Griffin Brothers intends to preserve about 7 acres as open space for music and food festivals, markets and other events. The Cornelius developer also wants to bring in outdoor food, drink and entertainment-type businesses.
- Real estate director John Lineberger tells Axios they've had conversations with potential tenants with various ideas, from mini-golf and pickleball to beach volleyball and sports fields. "It'll really be determined by what tenants come to the table," he adds.
The intrigue: South End's only hotel right now is the Holiday Inn (though a few other projects are underway). The new short-term rental townhomes at Brookhill will offer another option for people to stay during nearby Panthers games and concerts, as well as support visitors for events at the redeveloped site.
- Brookhill could start hosting events as soon as the next three to six months, though nothing is confirmed.
Catch up quick: In the first 9.2-acre phase of the redevelopment, Griffin Brothers gutted and renovated 89 salvageable low-income homes, with the county and city each contributing $3.5 million.
- In return, the units must remain affordable to households making less than 80% of the area median income ($71,800 annually for a couple) through 2049. Griffin Brothers plans to build at least 11 more units.
- The Harvest Center, an organization focused on homelessness in Charlotte, is managing the housing.
What's next: The Harvest Center is also building two resource centers at Brookhill, which will be finished by the end of 2026. Inside, the nonprofit will house its administrative offices and supportive services for residents.
