Two Black developers are helping to change Charlotte’s West End, one building at a time
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Developers Breaking Barriers
Commercial real estate firms are led mostly by white men. We talk to some of the people in Charlotte who are changing that dynamic.
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Barriers still exist for Black developers in Charlotte. Meet the people changing that
Two Black developers are helping to change Charlotte’s West End, one building at a time
How four real estate companies in Charlotte work to recruit more diverse candidates
Growth in uptown and South End sees ‘mic drop’ numbers as skyline keeps changing
The storefront building on Rozzelles Ferry Road was torn up from the floor up.
That’s how Dianna Ward describes the property she redeveloped in Charlotte’s historic West End. The property sits across the street from Johnson C. Smith University.
The roof was rotted. The floors were buckling. The plumbing and HVAC weren’t up to code. Still, the building had a solid brick structure. That she kept.
What had been a mostly drab, low-slung property two years ago is today a revitalized commercial building. New businesses, including some owned by minorities, have moved in including a pizza and ice cream shop.
Ward and one other Black developer, Chris Dennis, have been doing similar work on the west side of Charlotte for the past few years. Both have redeveloped older properties, and worked with others to bring in new businesses.
Ward and Dennis are among only a few Black developers in Charlotte. Nationally, the commercial real estate industry follows a similar trend of lack of diversity. Many developers of color face barriers like access to capital.
Ward sees herself and Dennis as examples of people who can help turn around parts of town that have been neglected or overlooked.
The redevelopment of the 7,000-square- foot building shows that others in the community can lead projects like this, too, Ward said.
“It doesn’t take a big developer to come in and make (the community) a place to be proud of,” Ward said.
Ward is now working on her second project. This time, the building is in much better shape. She has plans to bring in a new commercial business.
If more developers who look like Ward are in the industry, they can change more blighted corners into revitalized places for people to gather.
“We don’t need to sit around and wait for somebody to put in a 30-story tower in the historic West End,” Ward said.
Seeking more diversity in development
Drive a few miles up the road, and you’ll land at Beatties Ford Road and Lasalle Street.
Chris Dennis’ E-Fix Development Corp. is leading revitalization efforts at a couple properties. One of those is the former McDonald’s Cafeteria building, what is considered one of the most important spaces for the African American community in Charlotte before it closed in 2003.
Today, the building is home to a JP Morgan Chase branch. Two Black-owned businesses also have moved in: a coffee shop called Archive CLT and a bridal shop.
Across the street, Dennis helped redevelop another property with a TD Bank and a juice bar, which will be minority owned.
Dennis aims to attract a type of development that can serve the community’s needs. Besides the banks, coffee shops and bridal shop, he plans to bring more legal services to the area like help with estate planning.
He would like to be a mentor and help more diverse people get into development. More diversity, Dennis said, means more upward mobility in a growing city like Charlotte.
This story was originally published March 16, 2023 at 6:30 AM.
