New apartment construction underway soon in University area. Bigger changes are ahead.

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Construction will start this month on more than 300 apartment units in University City as part of a large redevelopment to be the area’s “future town center.”

The 311 apartments, called Novel University Place, are being developed by Crescent Communities and will be spread out across four buildings, each with three to five floors.

They will be a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. Crescent will also build three separate carriage buildings, similar to a townhouse, with tuck-under garages, according to a company news release.

The first units should be completed by 2023. The company did not disclose the cost of the project.

The apartments will be part of Waters Edge, a larger development project around a small, 15-acre man-made lake near the intersection of J.W. Clay and W.T. Harris boulevards.

So far, a small cluster of box store buildings, including a Michaels and Ross Dress for Less, have been demolished to make room for the project. The stores were relocated to vacant buildings across the street.

EB Arrow, a Dallas-based developer, is leading the Waters Edge project.

In 2019, Charlotte City Council unanimously approved a rezoning request for the project, which will sit on about 20 acres. It will also include an office, retail, lakefront park and a refurbished 1-mile pedestrian trail that runs along the lake.

Additional plans for the area

The development is less than half a mile from the J.W. Clay Boulevard light rail station.

The project falls in with what has been a flurry of development along the $1.2 billion light rail extension from uptown to UNC Charlotte, the Observer previously reported.

There have been discussions to relocate the nearby University City Regional Library to the project site.

Darlene Heater, executive director of University City Partners, which advocates for economic development in the area, told The Observer Thursday that negotiations remain ongoing. It’s been a “difficult and slow process” to get the pieces in place, Heater said.

Heater’s group has advocated for the library relocation.

It’s the second busiest branch in the system and could be served by higher visibility and better accessibility if located on the project site, Heater said. The library currently leases space near Atrium Health off W.T. Harris Boulevard.

If relocated to the project site, EB Arrow has plans to double the square footage of the library, Heater said. Heater said the makeover to the lake’s waterfront will also open new space for events like live concerts.

Work is also progressing on a new pedestrian-friendly bridge over Interstate 85, which will help better connect University City with the area’s research park.

The I-85 North bridge will be a two-lane road with a two-lane bike path. Current work includes land acquisition and finishing final design, according to the city’s website.

There are also plans for a new streetscape at J.W. Clay Boulevard, which forms a ring around the lake. The project proposes to add sidewalks and bike lanes by widening the street.

Utility relocation was expected to start this summer and bids will go out late this year, according to the city’s website.

“I can’t even find words to express how transformational these three things are for the area,” Heater said.

Among the tasks on the to-do list: name the 15-acre lake, which is actually a stormwater facility that was formed by damming a stream underneath it, Heater said.

For now, those in University City just call the spot “the boardwalk.”