Reimagining Ballantyne: Major revamp in store for south Charlotte center

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new master plan and vision for the future of Ballantyne Corporate Park in south Charlotte calls for thousands of apartments in high-rise towers, bespoke retail outlets, an amphitheater and food trucks, farmers markets and parks on land that is today a golf course.

It’s a remarkably different look and feel for Ballantyne, a 535-acre master-planned office park that Northwood Investors acquired two years ago from The Bissell Cos., for more than $1 billion, overwhelmingly the largest real estate transaction ever in Charlotte.

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Ballantyne has historically been a major destination for office users — the site of many corporate relocations for Charlotte — and today contains 4.1 million square feet of leasable office space, developed over the course of the park’s 25-year history.

“We want to make our office customers like Ballantyne even more. We want to attract new ones. We want the residents to have more dining options and for them to bring their kids here rather than get in a car and drive 20 minutes to do that. It literally is as simple as that,” said John Barton, who was appointed CEO of Northwood Office about a year ago.

Northwood worked with Massachusetts planning firm Sasaki, as well as the locally based LandDesign, to plan out Ballantyne’s future.

Read more and check out renderings here.

Cox Media Group