Beatties Ford Road to see more development, including a rare sit-down restaurant

Drive a two-mile stretch of Beatties Ford Road in northwest Charlotte and you might have a tough time finding a sit-down restaurant.

There are some fast-food options and places to dine in or sit outside while enjoying a bite to eat. But the options are limited.

That could soon change. A group of residents, some with experience in real estate, purchased a vacant lot in 2016 with plans to build a three-story commercial building. A timeline on construction is not yet clear.

The project has recently run into challenges with adequate parking, a common issue along the corridor lined with small land lots. The residents are working through solutions, however.

Once completed, the multi-million dollar project would be one of only a few ground-up developments in this part of Charlotte since the 1990s.

It also would meet a need for residents of Beatties Ford Road, home to a number of historic Black neighborhoods, said William Hughes. He helped start CGE Venture Group, the firm that purchased the vacant lot for $60,000.

Not only could it provide a local spot to grab dinner, the building would hold office space for workers, he said.

“A lot of people that are young professionals, they leave our community to go somewhere else to work,” Hughes said. “We want to allow for that same individual to stay in their neighborhood and work and have a sit-down restaurant to eat at.”

Plus, when people look to buy a home in a neighborhood, they look for amenities like places to work and things to do after hours.

“If we’re trying to attract people that have pride in ownership, that care about their communities, we want to be as competitive as the next area (in Charlotte),” Hughes said.

What the new development will look like

CGE’s less-than-an-acre lot is at the corner of Beatties Ford Road and Booker Avenue. It’s just a block from the shuttered Excelsior Club, which a California firm purchased in 2019 to redevelop.

It’s also not far from French Street, the last stop of the CityLYNX Gold Line.

The city of Charlotte approved nearly $4.3 million toward planning and design of an extension of the existing streetcar line. One part of the extension would run north up Beatties Ford Road another couple miles. A timeline and full funding for that extension are not yet clear.

CGE’s project would have the restaurant and retail on the first floor with office space on the next two floors, Hughes said. The building would have a terrace to give tenants a view of the uptown skyline.

Beatties Ford parking challenges

The project has some parking challenges, according to Hughes.

Different types of developments, whether it’s a hotel, restaurant or office, require a certain number of parking spots under the city’s ordinances. The small lot sizes along Beatties Ford Road make it difficult to build a viable project while not giving up so much real estate to parking.

Other developers along Beatties Ford Road have expressed how parking has become a challenge. Kenwood Investments purchased the Excelsior Club in 2019 and has been working with the city over the past year to find a solution to parking. For years, the club had a parking arrangement at a city water facility across the street; that option is no longer possible.

A group of residents also has been exploring parking solutions for businesses and property owners along Beatties Ford, Hughes said.

Additional help could come in the city’s newly-adopted 2040 Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Ordinance, plus accompanying planning documents.

As of June 1, the UDO will set new zoning districts across the city. A few sections along Beatties Ford Road, including at CGE’s site, will move to a district with more flexible parking requirements. That could mean the developer wouldn’t need to build as much parking as it would under current rules, Hughes said.

Other nearby development

There’s been little ground-up development along Beatties Ford Road in the past few decades. One of the few examples is the 300-unit student housing building called Mosaic Village for Johnson C. Smith University. The building opened in 2012.

There appears to be more momentum for development with a number of projects either recently completed or being planned.

One project is at the corner of Beatties Ford Road and Lasalle Street, where developer Chris Dennis revitalized two buildings into a space for small businesses. One building is now home to a Chase bank branch plus Black-owned businesses.

Another project includes a vacant lot further north.

Developer Anthony Lindsey is taking the lot through a rezoning with plans to build a three-story commercial building. Like Hughes’ project, it also would include office space. Lindsey wants to bring professional services back to the corridor like doctors or financial assistance.