Axios Charlotte

Picture of the Charlotte skyline with CLT written across it.

September 26, 2021

Hello, Sunday. It's Katie.

☀️ Weather: 80° and sunny. Glorious.

🎈 Happy birthday to Axios Charlotte members Ed Foley, Jenny Greenspon, Katie Howard, Lisa Kowitt and Sue Ogden.

Today's newsletter is 544 words, a 3-minute read.

1 big thing: A controversial apartment plan

home for rent sign in front of a house

Photo: David Jennings/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images

A proposal to build 380 apartments and townhomes off Billy Graham Parkway and Tyvola Road might not seem like the most contentious plan out there. After all, apartments are going up all over Charlotte.

Driving the news: Last week, the City Council deferred a rezoning vote on the project by Childress Klein and Dominion Realty Partners, as Ely Portillo of UNC Charlotte's Urban Institute reported.

  • City planning staff recommended against approving the project; the advisory Zoning Committee unanimously favored the idea.

Why it matters: The dispute underscores how the city's need for more housing squares with its big-picture vision for growth.

  • The property sits between a wastewater treatment plant and freight railroad tracks. It's not close to public transit or essential services like grocery stores, Portillo writes.
  • One of the key goals in Charlotte's ambitious 2040 plan is to create "10-minute neighborhoods," or dense urban areas where residents could reach anything they'd need in 10 minutes or less without jumping in a car.

Yes, but: The city's housing inventory is tight, and the situation only gets more challenging as more people move here. Charlotte and the surrounding metro area unquestionably need more housing.

  • The Charlotte region has about 24 days of housing supply — meaning if no more were added, we'd be out within 24 days — as Axios' Brianna Crane reported earlier this week.

Proponents of the project say it'll encourage the growth of retail and other services nearby.

Portillo notes the situation is a bit of a "chicken-and-egg rut":

  • "Should you focus on building housing near existing retail and services, or add more housing to underserved areas in hopes of attracting those retailers and services in the future?"

Read Portillo's full story

2. ⚡️ Biz lightning round

NBA legend and Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan. Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images

  • Michael Jordan is increasing his investment in the Swiss sports betting firm Sportradar Group AG and will serve on the company's board as an adviser for the U.S. market, product development and marketing activities. (Reuters)
  • Sonic Automotive, headquartered in Cotswold, acquired Texas-based RFJ Auto Partners for $700 million in a deal Sonic calls "one of the largest transactions in automotive retail history." The acquisition will give $3.2 billion in annualized revenue to Sonic. (Observer 🔒)
  • The Fallon Company, the Boston-based developer behind the $400 million Centre South project planned for the former Strawn Cottages site in Dilworth, said in a statement it hired commercial real estate executive Brett Harris to lead the firm's development strategy in Charlotte.

💼 Fresh openings from our Job Board

If you're on the hunt for a new job, here are 25 to get you started.  

  • Senior Media Manager at Team Whistle. Apply.
  • Customer Liaison at California Closets. Apply.
  • Accounting Assistant at Shelton Vineyards. Apply.
  • Office Administrator at Gaston Community Foundation. Apply.
  • Customer Service Rep at State Farm Insurance - Aprille Shaffer Office. Apply.
  • Controller at Silver Falcon Capital. Apply.
  • Account Executive at Retail Sports Marketing, Inc. Apply.
  • Digital Designer at Movement Mortgage. Apply.
  • Digital Marketing Coordinator at Discovery Place. Apply.
  • Executive Director/CEO at The Learning Collaborative. Apply.
  • Inside Sales Representative at Marketplace Events LLC. Apply.
  • Models (Male & Female) at Taylor Richards & Conger. Apply.
  • Facility Operations Coordinator at Little Diversified Architectural Consulting Inc.. Apply.
  • Membership and Events Coordinator at Queens University of Charlotte. Apply.
  • Executive Recruiter at Stay Gold Solutions. Apply.
  • Marketing Analyst – Digital at Resolution Agency. Apply.
  • Business Development Sales Representative, Managed Transportation at Transportation Insight. Apply.
  • Development Manager at TreesCharlotte. Apply.
  • Marketing Director at Mountain Khakis. Apply.
  • Development Manager (Fundraising) at JDRF. Apply.
  • Virtual Tutoring Program Coordinator at Augustine Literacy Project- Charlotte. Apply.
  • Front Desk Receptionist at Salon 8. Apply.
  • Operations Associate at ProctorFree. Apply.
  • Digital Marketing Specialist at Feetures. Apply.
  • Telecommunicator at Town of Matthews. Apply.

Want more opportunities? Check out all openings on our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job

3. "Lower Tuck" grows

rendering of 926 Tuckaseegee in the Lower Tuck development

Rendering courtesy of Third & Urban

Developer Third & Urban has purchased two additional buildings for "Lower Tuck" — a redeveloping area along the Tuckaseegee Road corridor — adding an extra 130,000 square feet to the west side, mixed-use project.

  • The firm and its partners closed on 1100 Tuckaseegee and 1026 Jay Street.

Zoom out: Third & Urban recently wrapped up phase one of Lower Tuck, an adaptive reuse project that will include creative office and retail space.

  • Tenants there so far include Not Just Coffee and Hygge Coworking.

Third & Urban is "doubling down" on the neighborhood, the developer's managing partner Pierce Lancaster said in a statement. Tenant announcements will be coming soon.

  • "We've got some really cool stuff in the works, which we think will grow Lower Tuck into a destination and community gathering place," Lancaster said.

Related story: 5 major developments changing west Charlotte

The company behind this brewery's improved indoor air

Photo: Taproom at Brewers at 4001 Yancey. Photo: Ted Williams/Axios

Charlotte-based GPS is changing the indoor air quality game for local businesses.

  • "The data and support behind the ionization systems were really good, and, honestly, it was a relatively cost-effective option," says Derek Detenber, Chief Marketing Officer of Artisanal Brewing Ventures (the team behind Brewers at 4001 Yancey).

Get the full scoop on GPS' work in Charlotte and beyond.

🌞 Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!