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DEVELOPMENT

Doug Smith writes on business and development for The Charlotte Observer.You can reach him at (704) 358-5174 or email him at dougsmith@charlotteobserver.com.



RECENT COLUMNS
  • Hotel-condo plan goes forward without condos

    163-suite Hotel Sierra to squeeze in by Time Warner Cable Arena

    A sliver of land beside Time Warner Cable arena that didn't work for a large condo-hotel development is getting a 16-story hotel without the condos.

  • Developers in a fight we rarely get to see

    Some critics say battle may mean the end is near for the high-rise boom.

    Charlotte is one of those cities where ladies and gentlemen of the business world iron out differences in a quiet, low-key manner.

  • Bailes Ridge anticipates  multipurpose demand 

    Developers think office/warehouse space will do well in burgeoning Lancaster County

    The developers of Bailes Ridge Corporate Park are adding multi-purpose industrial buildings to the 235-acre development in Lancaster County, S.C.

  • A concrete idea for Kannapolis

    The 75-acre Concrescere Corporate Park will house the Wayne Brothers headquarters as well as a shopping center.

    When businesses outgrow their offices, they usually go in search of another building.

  • New uptown office tower signs 1st tenant

    The developers of a 15-story office tower planned on South Church Street in uptown Charlotte have signed their first major tenant.

  • In Kannapolis, home could be $1.5 million

    The old Kannapolis Country Club and a course designed by Davis Love III are part of David Murdock's Irish Creek project.

    There's no doubt the $1.5 billion North Carolina Research Campus that Castle & Cooke is building in Kannapolis will be a Next Big Thing for the city and the region.

  • Uptown condo tower begins sales this week

    The developer hopes buzz about the tower will pay off

    The Catalyst condo tower – which last week reached its ultimate height of 27 stories – seems to have sprung up almost overnight on South Church Street.

  • EpiCentre also will be quite a job center

  • The remake of Perimeter Woods

    Like other existing business and retail centers, Northlake Mall's older neighbor decided to get dressed up and grow.

    When the big gorilla plops down in your neighborhood, it's time to re-evaluate.

  • More upscale homes to rise on Park South

    Ardsley Court condo project has dual lure of SouthPark and convenient commute.

    Over the past five years, half a dozen residential infill projects have sprung up on Park South Drive, a roughly mile-long street connecting Fairview Road with Park Road in south Charlotte

  • Microsoft buys offices off Arrowood

    Microsoft has purchased two buildings it has leased for more than seven years in ArrowPoint Office Park off Arrowood Road in southwest Charlotte.

  • Wachovia doesn't plan to slow condo tower

    The company will open a sales center in the fall. Waiting gives the bank flexibility, experts say.

    Wachovia Corp.'s $880 million, 48-story office tower is still climbing skyward in uptown Charlotte.

  • Fat City facade will live again in NoDa

    Neighbors invited to help decide on graffiti for wall of new lofts

    A NoDa landmark disappeared a year ago when high winds blew down the graffiti-splashed facade of Fat City Deli.

  • Crate & Barrel plans to expand, go green

    DOUG SMITH: Crate & Barrel plans to double its space in Lincoln County Industrial Park with a 400,000-square-foot “green” distribution center.

  • Taller spaces on westside

    Industrial park to bring 40-foot warehouses to west Charlotte

    DEVELOPMENT An industrial park under construction in west Charlotte will bring to the city one of the distribution industry's hottest trends: 40-foot warehouse ceilings.

  • Zip line is a thrilling adventure

    The hard part of Carolina Adventure World's attraction? Stepping off the edge

    From the moment I hit the gate at Carolina Adventure World, people were asking: "Have you done the zip line?"

  • Wesley Chapel center set to break ground

    Charlotte's JDH Capital LLC is the latest commercial developer to follow strong residential growth into Union County.

  • Belk to expand in Monroe

    $6 million addition to store planned as part of renovation of mall

    Belk plans to participate in the expansion and renovation of Monroe Mall with a $6 million addition to its department store.

  • Tour gives 1st look inside The Trust

    For more than a year, passers-by have wondered what's happening inside that seven-story office building being converted to $1-million-plus condos on South Tryon Street near The Square in uptown Charlotte.

  • Houston firm to buy
    BE&K Building Group

    Company's headquarters will stay in Charlotte; buyer KBR wants to boost work in U.S.

    Charlotte's BE&K Building Group will get a new owner and greater financial resources to expand its construction business as part of an acquisition announced Wednesday.

  • Is Park Abbey an overlooked gem?

    Developer revamping building has record of seeing what others miss

    A Triangle area company that seems to have a nose for real estate deals is back in the Charlotte market with another acquisition.

  • Wait a sec -- wasn't Trump deal tabled?

    If Donald Trump's plans for a high-rise development in uptown Charlotte are on hold, what's that ad for the project doing in the Wachovia Championship program?

  • Blakeney's surprising speed

    About six years ago, Blakeney looked like an outpost with a cluster of single-family houses and townhomes on Charlotte's distant southern fringe.

  • Wal-Mart construction set to start

    Supercenter project going in next to IKEA currently being built

    At one of Charlotte's longest simmering shopping center sites, construction of the first building -- a Wal-Mart Supercenter -- is expected to start next month.

  • a place in the sun

    Developers say planned 83-acre campus on McKee Road will be a self-sufficient `town'

    A new continuing-care retirement community taking shape in Matthews is certain to be the southeast Mecklenburg town's Next Big Thing in residential development.

  • Trying to fit in at downtown Davidson

    Rare infill project aims to blend into historic town on half-acre lot

    Davidson probably is the last place in Mecklenburg County you'd expect to see downtown infill development.

  • Condo signs 1st retail tenants

    Thai restaurant, market set to move into Novare Group tower in Fourth Ward

    One of uptown's newest condo towers has signed the first two tenants -- a restaurant and a small convenience market -- for its street-level retail space.

  • Incentives help fuel Wachovia project

    Federal program tries to spur development in low-income areas

    The Charlotte School of Law is becoming almost as visible against the uptown skyline on Wilkinson Boulevard as the venerable JFG coffee billboard.

  • Office tower plan
    draws new investor

    Strong market attracts California firm to 440 S. Church St. project

    The developers of a planned 15-story uptown office building are getting a $18.7 million boost from a California real estate investment manager and adviser.

Charlotte Merriment to Leave You Thankful
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