Ballantyne Reimagined
Submitted by Diana Quarry, Womble Bond Dickinson
On November 12, 2019, CREW Members and guests had the pleasure of hearing about a critical piece of the revitalization of the Ballantyne area of Charlotte from the Northwood Office team – John Barton, President of Northwood Office, Kim Kendall, VP of Leasing, and Jana Dolder, Director of Property Management. Northwood purchased over 500 acres in Ballantyne from Smokey Bissell in 2017, and shared its vision for the area’s continued development over the next few years.
The core of the redevelopment, packaged as Phase I of the vision, will focus on building a destination for work, living, fitness, retail and recreation. Mr. Barton highlighted some of the features of Phase I, which will include an outdoor amphitheater, Stream Park (said to be the “Central Park” of the area), a walkable retail strip, and a series of curated restaurants. Ample green space is an important part of Phase I, and Northwood anticipates making the most of this space by hosting farmer’s markets and outdoor yoga events. Phase I will also include approximately 1,000 multifamily units for rent, 300,000 square feet within the entire mixed use community and 200 hotel rooms. Northwood is targeting that Phase I be open within 5 or 6 years from Q1 2020. Phase II of the redevelopment will follow completion of Phase I, and will contain another 1,000 multi-family units plus 300 townhomes, in addition to 400,000 square feet of office space.
Ms. Kendall elaborated on the specifics of a Class A office building which will be built across from Phase I and will be loaded with amenities. In addition to a 10th floor balcony and a rooftop terrace, the building will feature a 2,500 square foot fitness facility, a restaurant and retail on the main level, and the entire 11th floor dedicated as an amenity space for tenants of the building, including a 50-person conference room, kitchen and event space. She also described an adjacent residential project which will house 212 units and will feature a rooftop lounge, dog run and resident “speakeasy”. Both buildings that Ms. Kendall described are slated to open in 2021.
Finally, Ms. Dolder spoke to Northwood’s commitment to community engagement, which is a core value for the developer. They show this commitment through planning monthly programming and events including free yoga, social hours, an annual wellness fair and Earth Day events. They also host and sponsor numerous volunteer projects and charitable drives to give back to people in their community.