TCC Named Master Developer for Charlotte's Iron District Mixed-Use Project

Iron District, LLC, Selects Trammell Crow Company as Developer for First Phase of Company’s 55.5-Acre Property Near Uptown Charlotte

Single property owner and placemaking strategy team help bring thoughtful approach to Iron District’s mixed-use planning

Iron District, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company, has selected Trammell Crow Company as its developer for the first phase of the Iron District, the Company’s 55.5-acre mixed-use site in Charlotte’s Uptown and South End neighborhoods. In this role, TCC will assist in the master planning of the overall site and serve as lead developer for the northernmost 12 acres along Morehead Street. Initial plans for Phase 1 envision a 150-key hotel, 500 residential units, 100,000 square feet of retail space, 150,000 square feet of Class A office space, and more than 1,200 parking spaces.

“We are excited to share our vision to create something unique in the Iron District, leaving a lasting legacy for the Dowd family and Charlotte Pipe associates while contributing to a vibrant future for the city of Charlotte,” said Hooper Hardison, chief executive officer of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry. Charlotte Pipe and Foundry operated a cast iron foundry on the site from the early 1900s until 2023, when it relocated operations to a state-of-the-art facility in Oakboro.

“Trammell Crow Company is extremely good at what they do, connecting developments with the communities around them,” Hardison said. “We know TCC is the right developer to help us achieve our Iron District vision. We’re excited to get started.”

Charlotte Pipe worked with CBRE to conduct a nationwide search for a developer, selecting TCC because of a proven quality portfolio, an inventive approach, and diverse services that can help Iron District, LLC, realize the potential of the land.

“We are honored to have been chosen by Charlotte Pipe and Foundry and the Iron District, LLC, to create and implement their vision for the Iron District,” said Campbell Smith, market leader for Trammell Crow Company’s mid-Atlantic region. “It is rare to have the opportunity to develop a site of this scale and prominence within a dynamic city like Charlotte, and it is far more rare to do so with a company like Charlotte Pipe, who cares so deeply about leaving a positive impact on the community in which they have operated for over a century. Together, we have the opportunity to create a neighborhood that raises the bar for mixed-use communities in Charlotte and across the Southeast.”

The multiphase Iron District development offers exceptional visibility opportunities along its boundaries to high-traffic corridors I-277, I-77, and West Morehead Street, including easy connection and accessibility to nearby neighborhoods, the city’s central business district, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Zoned uptown mixed-use district, the site is flexible with a size and location that offers an opportunity to create a complete urban ecosystem with mixed-use development, pocket parks, and pedestrian and bike paths.

As part of the entitlement process, Iron District, LLC, committed to donate approximately 4 acres of land for the development of a light rail stop to serve the Iron District and its neighboring Bank of America Stadium, which hosts the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, professional men’s soccer club Charlotte FC, regular season and postseason NCAA football events, and various concerts.

The potential for the Iron District is already being realized with its first tenant, Blumenthal Arts. Blumenthal converted a former Charlotte Pipe warehouse into an immersive event space for its Blume Studios experiential programming arm and will host the NASA-inspired Space Explorers: The Infinite beginning September 20. Blume Studios also will produce a dinner theater series, Faulty Towers, in an adjacent adaptable space that formerly served as Charlotte Pipe’s technical training center for several years.

Iron District, LLC, and TCC have assembled three top-tier strategists and design consultants for master planning and placemaking, ensuring a thoughtful approach to their future efforts: LandDesign, S9 Architecture, and Of Place. “Their combination of local and national expertise in land use, placemaking, and urban design will increase the value of the Iron District to the community,” Hardison added.

LandDesign has been engaged since the initial parcels were acquired in coordinating early land use concepts, infrastructure design, and municipal submittals. Having already impacted many of Charlotte’s preferred new neighborhoods, their historical perspective and team depth is highly valued.

New York–based S9 Architecture is the architectural firm assisting with the master planning and numerous concept designs. Recognized for a design approach inspired by urban narratives, S9 looks at the project context and environment to realize client visions and goals.

Washington, D.C.–based Of Place will provide master plan strategy and public space design. Of Place brings a trove of experience in using a human-focused perspective to guide how public realm and retail spaces intersect.

“Uptown Charlotte and South End grew up around our cast iron operations over the past 100 years,” Hardison said. “We’re privileged to have the opportunity to work with Trammell Crow Company, our planning and development team, tenants like Blume Studios, the City of Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County to transform the Iron District into a place where people can live, work, and play for the next century.”

Chip Mark, founder and CEO of Mark Real Estate Advisors, provided Charlotte Pipe and Foundry and Iron District, LLC, with real estate advising services, and Edward “Ned” Curran has served as a consultant on the Iron District project, consulting on real estate matters, as well. Patrick Gildea and Compie Newman of CBRE led the developer selection process. TCC’s efforts were led by Woody Coley, Josh Dix, Brooke Bures, Charles Spry, Spencer Brott, and Campbell Smith.