Listen Live
1053rnb app
105.3 RnB Featured Video
CLOSE

Uptown Charlotte has experienced an explosion of growth in the area from the Square down to the Gantt Center, but North Tryon has struggled in recent years. The recent closing of the upscale soul food restaurant underscores the struggles in this area. On Thursday city leaders announced a concerted effort to revitalize the corridor, which was once a desolate area.

Charlotte Center City Partners and Foundation For The Carolinas are spearheading a project to address the area’s urban design and infrastructure needs by examining underutilized land and structures.

“North Tryon Street offers the next frontier for exciting redevelopment in Center City Charlotte,” said Michael Smith, President & CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners. “We have high expectations for what is possible through the partners that we have assembled for this planning process.”

The North Tryon corridor includes: 10,000 residents in the First Ward and Fourth Ward neighborhoods, approximately 30,000 employees, five cultural institutions and six houses of worship. The vision also includes a focus on cultural institutions including the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library, McGlohon Theater, Discovery Place and the long-vacant Carolina Theatre, which is set for renovation in 2015-2016. Property owners, tenants and other stakeholders along the corridor will be have input to the steering committee.

“Foundation For The Carolinas is excited to be leading the restoration of the Carolina Theatre,” said Laura Smith, Senior Vice President for Institutional Development at Foundation For The Carolinas. “We see this project as a catalyst for the re-envisioning of the NorthTryon area,”

Once a consultant is selected, work is slated to begin in March 2014. Other partners and funders include: Arts & Science Council, Bank of America, City of Charlotte, Discovery Place, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County and NC Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.