Fallon Co to Start Affordable Development in Charlotte

A transformative project is closer to fruition on Charlotte’s South End, where development activity has started to cool, although it remains one of the city’s hottest areas.

The Fallon Company, in partnership with Inlivian, is about to start the first phase of development for Centre South, in the Dilworth neighborhood, the Charlotte Business Journal reported.

Dilworth, a few miles south of downtown, emerged as Charlotte’s first streetcar suburb in the 1890s. The neighborhood features several historic sites and has a vibrant nightlife scene, filled with bars and restaurants. It is one of the fastest-growing submarkets in the United States.

The first phase of Centre South calls for 329 apartments, 66 of which will be earmarked for residents earning between 65 and 80 percent of the area median income. Construction of the building, at 1203 South Caldwell Street, is scheduled to start later this year.

As of 2021, Centre South was slated for 330,000 square feet of office, 60,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, 745 residential units and potentially a 180-room hotel.

Inlivian, formerly known as the Charlotte Housing Authority, appointed Boston-based Fallon as the master developer in 2016. Over the last 13 years, the site has undergone multiple rezonings, culminating in approval from the Charlotte City Council in January 2023, allowing for increased apartment units in the initial phase.

The project aims to address the dearth of affordable housing options in the rapidly expanding South End submarket, said Fulton Meachem, president and CEO of Inlivian. He highlighted the potential for economic mobility and community stability through mixed-income neighborhoods.

Notably, the site once housed 124 affordable units, which have been demolished, with the exception of Strawn Tower, an affordable senior-housing complex that will remain post-redevelopment.

—Quinn Donoghue