Charlotte's Queen City Quarter in 2010. | Ammunation1, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Charlotte's Queen City Quarter in 2010. | Ammunation1, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Real estate company CRBE has announced it will be leading an overhaul for the EpiCentre property in uptown Charlotte, now named Queen City Quarter.
According to a WSOC-TV 9 article published Sept. 27, the company is also using the global urban design and placemaking agency Streetsense for rebranding.
CRBE expects to make significant renovations to the courtyard, parking garage, patios and roof by the end of 2022. Renovations to the public staircases and escalators, as well as the installation of new landscaping, lighting and benches, will be performed in 2023.
“I feel like in 2014, the EpiCentre was the place to go for young professionals, nightlife, kind of a touristy destination," Lauren Burns, who works two blocks away, told WSOC-TV.
The site, which has hosted events such as the Democratic National Convention and NBA All-Star Game celebrations, is also within walking distance of Charlotte's most-popular attractions. While the owners defaulted on an $85 million loan during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the tenant spots are still vacant.
Due to CRBE's focus on safety, a company spokesperson said that an "extensive" system of security cameras has been installed on the property.
“When we were engaged to think about the strategy for the former EpiCentre, it became clear to us that the property didn’t have a leasing problem, but rather a real estate problem,” Streetsense managing principal Jeff Pollak said, as reported by WSOC-TV. “It has great bones, a great location. It just needed a fresh approach, new ideas, and a new narrative.”
CRBE has said that Queen City Quarter is capable of housing traditional retail, restaurants and office tenants, in addition to creative offices, medical offices, plus other office and retail uses.
“This is great news and an important step forward for this foundational uptown Charlotte mixed-use project," Charlotte Center City Partners CEO Michael Smith, as reported by WSOC-TV. "Queen City Quarter enjoys unmatched assets in their transit orientation and co-tenancy with Charlotte’s hub for hospitality, entertainment, employment and urban living. We are excited to work with CBRE as they write this next exciting chapter.”
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