A 16-story tower going up in South End will feature a brewery and nearby Rail Trail
Travis Garland hopes that when the tower his company is developing in South End opens next year, it will help Charlotte’s Rail Trail become a little more like the BeltLine in Atlanta.
Garland is executive vice president and national head of office at Atlanta-based Portman Holdings, which is in the midst of building a 16-story office and retail complex at 2151 Hawkins St., next to Sycamore Brewing. Sycamore will move into the ground floor of the building called The Line.
The Line is expected to open in the fall, according to a Friday release from the firms involved.
It will also include 15,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, nine floors of offices, a parking garage and several rooftop terraces.
But the retail space will face the Rail Trail, Garland said, similar to the shops and restaurants all along the BeltLine, a former railway corridor turned multi-use path. He expects more development will start to utilize the Rail Trail, a public walkway along a portion of the LYNX Blue Line route, as South End continues to grow.
“I actually think what we’re seeing on the Rail Trail is still somewhat in its infancy,” he said. “...We have the ability to address the Rail Trail as a front door.”
A corporate entity affiliated with Portman purchased the site for $12.7 million in 2018, county real estate records show, as well as the property that houses Sycamore next door for $9 million last year.
Garland said the firm does not yet have plans for the current Sycamore site, but that the brewery will remain there until the new project opens.
A food hall was originally planned for the retail space. But Garland said the firm shifted away from that due to the coronavirus. Still, he said the focus will be on attracting food and beverage concepts.
Attracting major employers
Portman also developed the tower at 615 South College St. that houses Regions Bank. Garland said the company started to notice the momentum in South End as it was developing and leasing the uptown building.
Though COVID-19 has slowed down demand for office space, he said there’s interest in the development from out-of-town companies looking to relocate or consolidate in Charlotte.
He said South End is also attracting firms from the suburbs of Charlotte. Portman is one of several developers building office towers in South End, marking a transition for an area that largely developed as a residential and entertainment district with the construction of the light rail.
LendingTree, a Charlotte-based online loan marketplace, is moving its headquarters to a new tower next year at South Tryon Street at Carson Boulevard. And home improvement retailer Lowe’s is building a 23-story technology hub that will house 2,000 employees across from the Design Center.
“South End is by far the most exciting market in Charlotte because of its broad interest from groups all over the city,” Garland said.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 2:06 PM with the headline "A 16-story tower going up in South End will feature a brewery and nearby Rail Trail."
