Completion of a $100M mixed-use project is latest evolution of downtown Concord growth
Two. That’s how many people Concord Mayor Bill Dusch said lived along the city’s downtown strip on Union Street about seven years ago.
While The Charlotte Observer cannot confirm or deny the hyperbole, two things can be proven in regards to the downtown main street: infrastructure construction is complete and many more people are calling Union Street home.
The latter was celebrated last week at the opening of the Novi Lofts, the last of three new mixed-use, mid-rise buildings in downtown Concord. The project was a $100 million investment in Concord’s downtown.
The Novi developments brought over 300 apartments to the strip as part of the city’s downtown revitalization. The goal was to make more room for residents and increase pedestrian traffic, while still maintaining Concord’s small- town feel.
“We have a lot of historic buildings still here… but others are gone. If we could look back 30 years ago, we would not have taken them down but we did,” Dusch said. “Now we say, how do we preserve what we have and bring it up to date? This is an example right here. When you walk down Union Street, you don’t see a brand new building. You see something that blends right in with our downtown.
“These 300-plus units…give us the housing we need. It also gives new opportunities for a lot of people to start their businesses.”
Concord growth, construction and partnerships
As Dusch noted, Concord has seen significant population growth in the past 15 years.
From 2010 to 2020, Concord grew by 33.1%, starting with a population of about 79,000 people and ending that decade at close to 105,000 people, according to census data. As of last year, that number is getting closer to 112,000.
Concord has also seen big economic development, including pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly’s $2 billion investment with its new manufacturing facility, which opened last year at the former Philip Morris plant site.
And there’s more to come.
Hendrick Motorsports is planning to build a 204,000-square-foot, two-story manufacturing building, investing $65 to $70 million in the project. Cadillac F1, a new Formula 1 team, plans to set up shop in the city, investing between $75 million to $85 million on a new engine building facility and creating up to 350 jobs.
As the overall city continues to change, downtown is following suit.
Since 2020, downtown Concord has been a busy construction site. From the new Cabarrus County Courthouse, which opened in 2023, to the downtown’s streetscape project, a two-year infrastructure change to widen Union Street’s sidewalks.
While that finished at the end of last year, the barrage of barricades and road-closure signs caused businesses to struggle with some moving or ultimately closing.
A wishlist for downtown Concord
Then there was the construction of the Novi projects.
The Novi developments stemmed from a partnership between Cabarrus County, the city of Concord and Florida-based developer Lansing Melbourne Group.
In 2020, Lansing was working with the city of Kannapolis on its downtown revitalization. Both Lansing and Concord began looking at how they could work together on Union Street.
“(Concord) had a wishlist of what downtown would look like and a lot of that was retail. But in order to have successful retail, a dense residential populace really helps spur that on,” said Amy Myers, Lansing’s director of operations. “Bringing density does help activate all of the businesses that were here and having retail space on the first floor of our buildings also helps…
“It all brings people downtown and things pop.”
In 2020, the county approved an economic development incentive agreement between Concord and Lansing to provide funding on the Novi development. Lansing purchased three city- and county-owned properties for $994,000, as previously reported by The Independent Tribune.
The following year, Lansing broke ground on Novi Flats, Novi Rise and Novi Lofts.
Apartments and a rooftop commercial space
The Novi development has 304 apartments, along with over 15,000 square feet of commercial space.
Novi Flats opened in June 2023, with 48 apartments and about 2,300 square feet of commercial space, which is partially occupied by High Grounds Coffeehouse.
Novi Rise, which opened in July, is the largest of the buildings with 167 units. The ground floor retail space is about 3,500 square feet, which will be leased by Salon Lofts.
And there’s Novi Lofts. On Thursday, Concord leaders gathered to celebrate the opening of the final building. The Lofts have 89 units and over 5,000 square feet of retail, including the city’s first rooftop commercial space.
The rooftop space isn’t leased as of yet but Myers and Dusch are hoping for a restaurant. On the ground floor, BK Pilates has leased one of the spaces and founder Meredith Opsahl said the space will open on March 8.
Besides celebrating the Novi Lofts opening on Thursday, city leaders were also celebrating downtown growth.
With the laborious construction complete on the residential projects and Union Street’s infrastructure, the next step is to enjoy the fruit
“Construction is hard but it is so worth it,” Myers said. “Look at what we have to show for it…I can’t wait for spring because the trees will bloom and you’ll see everyone downtown talking, eating ice cream, listening to music down at the park. It’s going to be phenomenal.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
