Proposed SouthPark development would replace Phillips Place movie theater

CHARLOTTE — The luxury Phillips Place SouthPark development features several boutiques and high-end stores and restaurants, such as Restoration Hardware. At the end of the block is a movie theater that will soon show its last film.

[PAST COVERAGE: Developer talks plans for overhauling SouthPark’s Phillips Place]

“I am really sorry to see the theater go away,” Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt said at the council’s Monday night meeting. “We are seeing all of the movie theaters go away.”

“No one is more sad than me to see theaters go away,” Councilman Tariq Bokhari said.

Lincoln Harris wants to replace the theater with a 10-story, 250-foot tower, which includes retail at the bottom.

It will be the tallest building in SouthPark if approved. Some neighbors asked city council members to get the developer to reduce the building’s height.

“We would ask the petitioner to consider capping the height at 190 feet,” neighbor Rob Aulebach said.

The attorney for the developer said they want the height to make the tower more desirable for future tenants and more attractive in design.

The building’s height was met with mild concern by some city leaders.

“It does feel pretty big compared to what is in the area,” Eiselt said.

The Charlotte City Council, the neighborhood and the developer now have at least a month to see if they can come to an agreement.

Bokhari said he loves how it looks but wants a win for everyone.

“We can’t just muscle our way through this thing at the expense of those who have invested in their properties and neighborhoods,” he said.

Building construction would take 18 to 24 months, but that can’t happen without a positive vote by the Charlotte City Council.

It’s unclear when the movie theater will shut down. Charlotte City Council will vote as soon as April.

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