South End will spread with
project
Citispace complex will bring the boom to edge of Wilmore
by Doug Smith, The Charlotte Observer
A trendy office/showroom project planned for South Tryon Street will stretch the boundaries of South End, one of Charlotte's most successful redevelopments of a warehouse and mill district.
Citiline Development & Ventures plans a three-building cluster of brick-metal-and-glass offices and showrooms called Citispace In South End at South Tryon and Tremont Avenue.
The project will include renovation of a 1940s warehouse complex, plus two new buildings on 2.7 acres, about two blocks south of MECA Properties' multicolored Camden Square Village commercial condominiums on the opposite side of Tryon at West Worthington Avenue.
Citiline's Tim Crawford said South End's emergence as a design center and home furnishings hub over the past 15 years convinced him the timing was right.
Redevelopment in the area began along South Boulevard between uptown and Tremont Avenue, but in recent years has spread south past Ideal Way on South Boulevard and west beyond Camden Road.
Now, in a move long anticipated by surrounding property owners, development is taking a significant leap across Tryon to the southern edge of Wilmore.
Neighborhood leaders have encouraged revitalization and sought closer links to South End's business hub and trolley stops.
Boulevard Centro recently announced plans for Wilmore Walk, a 46-unit townhome project, on West Worthington near Tryon, roughly two blocks north of the Citispace In South End site.
Crawford hired Charlotte's Liquid Design to create a highly visible development that would mesh with the colorful Camden Square buildings as well as the area's older brick structures.
He believes Citispace In South End can become a southern gateway to Wilmore and possibly spur more commercial activity along Tryon between West Boulevard and Remount Road.
The development, valued at $5.8 million, will include more than 40,000 square feet of offices and showrooms.
Real estate analyst Frank Warren of Warren Associates said he found a distinct market for the project while conducting a study of the area for Citiline.
"Some people in the design/showroom community might be looking to purchase space, but they are not interested in buying an entire building," he said.
Citispace In South End's niche: owning a showroom in one of Charlotte's most popular redevelopment districts.
"This targets a portion of the market that may have been priced out of the other locations and who are willing to invest in a more peripheral location," Warren said.
Blocks of space ranging from 970 square feet to 6,000 square feet will be offered for sale from $125 to $150 a square foot and for lease at $13 a square foot.
Warren said his study indicated the location would appeal to construction and construction-related businesses such as suppliers, wholesalers and manufacturers' representatives.
A big challenge in South End redevelopment, he said, is creating enough parking among old warehouses and mill buildings.
Citispace In South End addressed that by including a mix of uses. Showroom space is considered less parking-intensive, for example, than office space.
Also, Warren said, Citiline negotiated an agreement to share parking spaces with next-door neighbor Tremont Music Hall.
Crawford said occupants and customers will have access to 105 parking spaces. He plans two new buildings behind the existing 16,000-square-foot brick complex, which will be remodeled for showrooms and offices featuring exposed interior walls and 17-foot ceilings.
The old building also has a second-floor unit with skyline views.
One new building -- 7,100 square feet -- will be all offices. Its second floor includes an eye-catching curved glass-and-steel unit that will be the project's architectural focal point.
The other new building -- 17,000 square feet -- will be all showrooms with metal-and-glass overhead doors that roll up like garage doors for loading and unloading bulky merchandise.
Ceilings will be tall enough to accommodate mezzanine or loft space, which tenants can use for offices, conference rooms or storage areas.
The buildings will be arranged around a courtyard and parking area. The entrance will be off Tremont Avenue instead of more heavily traveled Tryon.
Crawford said sales will open Monday. Andrew Webb and Tina Long of Transwestern Commercial Services are handling sales. Titan Construction Group is the general contractor. For more information, visit www.citispaceinsouthend.com.
Crawford said he would like to start work in about three months and finish by March. Citiline plans to move its headquarters into the project, he said.
Sandblasting is underway on the old building, whose industrial tenants have started moving out.
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