A new series of massive developments in this Carolina city suggests the answer to what?s next is everything at once Welcome back to Property Lines, a column by Curbed senior reporter Patrick Sisson that spotlights real estate trends and hot housing markets across the country. Comments, tips, and suggestions on where Property Lines should head next are welcome at [email protected].
The Sun Belt has been exploding with new arrivals for decades. But even amid the current urban renaissance, few places have as sunny an outlook right now as Charlotte, North Carolina, especially if you?re a developer. Coming off a particularly large growth spurt, the city has so many multi-million dollars developments in the works?more than 12,300 units were under construction at the start of the year, with about 13,500 more planned?that locals have complained about a forest of look-alike apartment buildings. People are flocking to the Queen City. Charlotte?s post-recession growth rate is second only to Austin, and the city is the top destination for millennials, according to a recent report from Apartment List. The metro area population swelled from 1.6 to 2.2 million between 2000 and 2014, and it?s projected to hit the 3 million mark by 2030. Charlotte has grown from a solid second-tier metro to one of the rising cities of the Southeast.
?During the Great Recession, the sprawling developments in the exurbs ground to a halt,? says Brian Leary, president of Crescent Communities, a local fi...