Novant closes on $15 million Steele Creek land deal which is part of a larger project
One of Charlotte’s largest health systems closed on a deal last week to purchase more than 60 acres in Steele Creek for $15 million as plans move forward to build a new medical center there.
The $178.5 million Novant Health Steele Creek Medical Center will span 186,000 square feet. It will have 32 beds and two operating rooms, a Novant Health spokesperson told The Charlotte Observer. With plans to open in 2025, the center will be located just off Steele Creek Road — between Brown-Grier Road and Interstate 485.
But the center won’t stand alone.
Novant Health’s expansion in Steele Creek is part of a larger rezoning petition from Charlotte-based developer Childress Klein. Plans call for a major mixed-use project on a largely undeveloped site.
A timeline on that bigger project is not clear, along with cost and any renderings on what it could look like.
Developer’s plans have community support
In March, Charlotte City Council approved a petition to rezone 185 acres for the Childress Klein project.
Approved site plans show the developer wants to include up to 1.2 million square feet of office and medical uses, along with 275 apartments, 200 senior living units and 50 single family homes.
There’s also the potential for commercial and retail space. That’s why the rezoning petition had the support of the Steele Creek Residents Association, councilwoman Victoria Watlington said before the final vote.
“That will give an opportunity for some more retail space here,” Watlington, who represents the area, said during the March meeting.
The plans also call for improving the road network around the property. That will include extending both Dixie River Road and Shopton Road West through the site, according to discussion at the March City Council zoning meeting.
Novant plans approved
Winston-Salem based Novant Health was granted approval to build the medical center last April.
Hospitals are required to demonstrate a need to the state before building such facilities. That includes areas that are experiencing population growth, like seen in neighborhoods and towns outside of Charlotte.
This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 11:40 AM.
