Here’s a peek at how Charlotte’s airport is planning to become a major industrial hub

Charlotte’s airport already serves nearly 46 million passengers a year, but the next phase of its growth could be as much about warehouses and industrial buildings as new terminals.

A rezoning plan filed last month shows Charlotte Douglas International Airport is planning to develop up to 2.4 million square feet of industrial space, on a site at the southeast corner of Interstate 485 and Interstate 85.

The 108-acre site is currently vacant, located north of the airport’s western runway. The city of Charlotte purchased it in several chunks over the past 15 years.

A site plan shows a large industrial building surrounded by parking lot. The airport’s economic development plan recommends using areas near the ends of the runways – which are impacted severely by jet noise – for industrial, warehouse and distribution space.

A spokesperson for Charlotte Douglas said the airport doesn’t have tenants or a timeline for the development. The economic development plan is expected to reshape big tracts of city-owned land over the coming decades.

Charlotte City Council will consider and vote on the rezoning plan in the coming months.

This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 7:28 AM with the headline "Here’s a peek at how Charlotte’s airport is planning to become a major industrial hub."