This South End strip could boom after development pause
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Alexandria Sands/Axios
Construction is about to begin on a hotel tower at West Bland Street and South Tryon, kickstarting what could become another wave of development along the South End strip.
Why it matters: The popular neighborhood's building boom hit a pandemic-induced slowdown. But as development continues to pick back up, especially around The RailYard, clusters of surface parking lots will transform into hotels, office and multifamily.
What they're saying: "That's kind of the hole in the donut," says Grant Harell, head of the Charlotte office for developer Cousins, which owns The RailYard and Vantage. "This is almost the bridge and kind of the front door in South End."
- Cousins is working on its own major project, diagonal to the hotel site, where there's currently more surface parking and one-story buildings.
Here's where the biggest projects stand.
West Bland and South Tryon
📍 1320 S Tryon St., next to Nickyo's Rodeo
White Lodging — a hotel developer that operates the JW Marriott in Uptown — tells Axios it's preparing the site at West Bland and South Tryon for its next Charlotte hotel. Construction could begin soon.
- Beyond that, it hasn't confirmed the hotel brand or any other details. Site plans show at least one restaurant and underground parking.
Catch up quick: White Lodging bought the 0.63 acres for $8 million in 2023.
The intrigue: With just one hotel currently in South End, Charlotte has relatively few rooms in and around center city to be super competitive for events like, say, a Super Bowl.
East Bland and South Tryon
📍 200 E. Bland, currently home to Muraya, Slate Charlotte and surface parking lots
Cousins — which developed the Dimensional Funds building in South End — is planning a 24-story, mixed-use tower in front of the Bland Street light rail station, where the retail building that is home to All American Pub and The Rose Honky Tonk is.
- It will have 400,000 square feet of Class A office space and ground-level retail facing Tryon and on the rail trail. Cousins is also planning a multifamily phase.
- Harell says Cousins has had conversations over the past six to 12 months with potential office tenants but still needs a sizable lease commitment before starting construction.
- "We want to be ready [to break ground] when market conditions warrant new development," he says. "We're getting closer and closer to that point."
- Cousins also owns the parking lot across the street with the rainbow poles. Harell says it's planning a development complementary to the other construction for that site.
Catch up quick: Cousins acquired the combined 3.4 acres for $28.1 million in 2020.
The intrigue: Cousins recently sold a 2.4-acre site at West Tremont Avenue and Doggett Street, where it planned a two-tower development called "Tremont Alley," to apartment builder Flournoy Development Group, Charlotte Business Journal reported.
Winona and South Tryon
📍 1426 S Tryon St., currently the home of an ABC store
Raleigh-based Highwoods Properties has previously proposed a mixed-use project to replace the ABC Store at Winona and South Tryon. It's expected to have "significant residential and office space," according to Charlotte Center City Partners.
- However, it's the least certain project on the docket. Highwoods did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
Catch up quick: Highwoods paid roughly $27 million for the 1.4 acres in 2022.