Iron District: Permits Filed For First Mixed-Use Phase On Former Charlotte Pipe Site
Uptown’s 55.5-acre factory grounds move from renderings to site work with apartments, retail, a hotel, office space, and a light-rail commitment.
What’s New
Land-development filings indicate the Iron District is entering an active build phase on the former Charlotte Pipe & Foundry campus spanning uptown and South End. Developer Trammell Crow filed plans on October 1 for Parcel E; Charlotte Pipe & Foundry filed a demolition and grading plan on October 8 for the portion below I-277. Coverage and documents: the Charlotte Observer, the Charlotte Business Journal, and city records for Parcel E and the I-277 segment.
- Parcel E (≈4.2 acres — West Morehead, South Clarkson, South Cedar): A six-story 278-unit building; 22,400+ sq ft of retail; a 130,900-sq-ft structured garage with 420+ spaces; central courtyard.
- Below I-277: Demolition of existing structures and hardscape; rough grading and seeding.
Trammell Crow did not provide a construction timeline in the Observer’s report. The filings suggest Phase I is advancing from concept to site activity.
What Is The Iron District?
For more than 120 years the uptown plant produced cast iron and plastic pipe. In 2019 the company announced a relocation and later moved to Oakboro (Stanly County), clearing the site for a multi-phase redevelopment on 55.5 acres. See the Charlotte Observer for background and images (renderings credited to S9Architecture).
Earlier speculation about a new Panthers stadium on the campus did not proceed, per prior Observer coverage cited in that report.
Phase I: Program At A Glance
- 500 residential units
- 150-room hotel
- 100,000 sq ft retail
- 150,000 sq ft Class A office
- 1,200+ parking spaces
- ≈12 acres on the north side along Morehead Street
- Developer selected last September: Trammell Crow
Transit And The Uptown Context
The district has committed ≈4 acres for a future light-rail station to serve the site and nearby Bank of America Stadium. Later phases contemplate pocket parks plus pedestrian and bike paths. The Observer places Iron District within an estimated $1.7B uptown reinvestment moment that also features The Pearl and a North Tryon Tech Hub. Nearby, Tepper Sports & Entertainment has proposed a 4,400-seat indoor music venue near the stadium; see the Observer items linked above.
What We Don’t Know
- Construction start date: not provided by the developer in the Observer’s story.
- Total project cost: not specified in filings or coverage.
- Sequencing/tenancy: subject to future permits and market conditions, including rail planning.
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About the author
Jack Beckett drinks his coffee black because milk adds time and time adds typos. If you catch him counting parking ratios on a napkin, that’s lunch and research. Say hi on Twix at @queencityexp.
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