Developer builds for a less car-dependent Charlotte
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A developer is about to open its next "car-optional" community in the NoDa area, taking a bet on the type of city that Charlotte could be. But also, what many still think it isn't ready for.
Why it matters: In an auto-centric city with an oversupply of cookie-cutter apartments, Space Craft's project is an urban option for Charlotteans willing to change their habits in exchange for walkability and distinctive design.
By the numbers: The Charlotte firm's under-construction project along North Davidson and East 25th Street, Oxbow, is 389 market-rate units across six stories, plus 11,314 square feet of retail. It's located steps away from the Blue Line.
- Units range from 410-square-foot studios to 1,501-square-foot four-bedrooms, and six for-rent townhouses.
- About 15 to 20 units will be short-term rentals.
- All those homes add up to around 600 residents.
Yes, but: Oxbow will have just 136 parking spaces — not even a third of the potential capacity.
- It's yet to be determined how they'll assign spots.
Friction point: Space Craft's other "car-optional" community nearby, Joinery, has sparked concern among neighbors and business owners, even prompting debate about parking minimums during the city's UDO rewrite.
- Outside Joinery, rows and rows of cars line North Brevard and take up on-street spaces that business customers may otherwise use.
- Adding to the issue are construction workers, nearby apartments, and light rail passengers using the street parking as a free "park and ride" option.
What they're saying: Mohit Shewaramani, COO of Space Craft, says they're doing a better job of selling "car-optional" living and making residents aware of what they're "signing up for."
- Joinery has boosted its transit offerings, with Teslas, e-bikes and e-scooters for rent, so residents are less dependent on car ownership.
- "We don't expect everyone in Charlotte to want to live in Joinery," Shewaramani adds. "We are excited about a lifestyle where they get a lot of options instead of just a parking spot."
Follow the money: Space Craft saves money by not building as much parking, which can add about $25,000 to $50,000 for each garage space. (Oxbow also, notably, has no pool.) Those savings are channeled into aesthetics and amenities, like an extension of the Cross Charlotte Trail.
- "We think that great places will earn their money back, and then some," Shewaramani adds. "It just takes time for the retail to open and become part of the neighborhood and become established."
Case in point: Wood panels along Oxbow's windows are angled to bring maximum light into the units.
- Sarah Baxendale, Space Craft development director, says they had to work around codes to add depth to the building design.
The big picture: Between Joinery and Oxbow, Space Craft has played an outsized role in transforming the "Mill District" into a walkable area.
- Before the light rail extension opened, this area of Optimist Park was largely single-family houses, many of which were Habitat homes.
- Space Craft is also building Cordo, a 287-unit building opening in 2027, and filling out a retail pedestrian-only "Joinery Alley."
- In a typical apartment, the "fastest path" to leave the building is the parking garage. "Here, we wanted to create this idea that you're part of the neighborhood, and bring the neighborhood in," Shewaramani says.
What's next: Once built, it'll feel like there's a connection between Space Craft's three apartment communities, their ground-floor retail and Cordelia Park.
- Space Craft is creating a 30-foot walkway along Oxbow and a breezeway through the building, with outdoor seating and plantings. "We wanted to create a spot where the community could come through," Baxendale said.
Take a look around.
