West Charlotte River District unveils first retail complex. Here’s a look at it
More retail options are coming to West Charlotte’s River District.
A 28,200-square-foot, two-story mixed-use building will house the district’s first retailers, from restaurants and shops to medical facilities and other neighborhood goods, according to a Thursday news release from Crescent Communities, the district’s master developer.
New Regional Planning, a Houston-based development firm, will construct the site on the corner of Crescent River Road and River District Drive. It’s across from NOVEL River District, the district’s first apartment complex and, the unmissable, Big Pete, the 65-foot tall wooden troll from artist Thomas Dambo.
New Regional purchased the site from Crescent in December for $1.5 million. The firm plans to break ground on the site this year.
The development marks the continued growth of the $6 billion, 1,400-acre mixed-use redevelopment district from vacant land to a new neighborhood.
With more residents and visitors heading to the district, the retail complex gives people a place to go and retailers an opportunity to become neighborhood staples, Rainer Ficken, the senior managing director with Crescent, said in the release.
About the Charlotte River District
In December, the district announced that its first commercial tenant would be Dash In, a Maryland-based retail and gas station chain.
The 5,600-square-foot site, along with a 400-square-foot covered outdoor dining area, will be a convenience store with made-to-order food such as burgers and all-day breakfast. And there will be gas pumps and a car wash.
The gas option sits on West Boulevard near Interstate 485.
In November, Crescent held a formal opening for the development’s first neighborhood, Westrow.
Residents began moving into the neighborhood in August, where single-family and town homes are being built by David Weekley Homes, DRB Homes, Saussy Burbank, and Toll Brothers.
There’s also NOVEL River District, the 318-unit, seven-building multifamily development, which is in its pre-leasing phase.
Crescent also recently broke ground on the development’s new areas, Basswood and Forge Village. Basswood will be a residential neighborhood and Forge Village will host a 2-acre urban farm, a farmer’s market, an event lawn and additional retail.
And, the district’s most visited tenant arrived in November. That would Big Pete with the Big Feet, the 65-foot-tall wooden troll that’s part of Dambo’s “Trail of a Thousand Trolls” project.
This story was originally published February 12, 2026 at 10:05 AM.
