A rendering of the Huntersville Town Center | North State Development
Nov. 11. By TL Bernthal. North State Development officially broke ground yesterday on the Huntersville Town Center, its $60 million investment in a mixed-use project to bring businesses and homes to the downtown.
The project, which spans 10 acres from Gilead Road to Greenway Drive adjacent to Discovery Place Kids, is touted as the next milestone in the growth of Huntersville and the catalyst to spark a true downtown revitalization.
Background
David Dupree
In the driver’s seat is Cornelius-based North State Development, a private real estate development and investment firm that acquires, develops and manages property on behalf of investment partners. The managing partners are David Dupree of Cornelius and Denver residents Shane Seagle, professional engineer, and Shane Buckner, a chartered financial analyst.
“We believe this project will revitalize the downtown and be a catalyst to attract a restaurant and businesses,” Seagle said. That assessment was echoed by Huntersville Mayor Melinda Bales and Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce head Bill Russell during the groundbreaking ceremony onsite Thursday.
Work to clear the land for some homes has already begun. When complete, the project will be the largest investment in downtown Huntersville. The lender is Pinnacle Bank.
Rooftops
Along with about 10,000 square feet of retail space facing Gilead Road, the Huntersville Town Center will have 134 apartments near the front of the project, with 41 townhomes behind them, and 11 single-family homes closest to Greenway Drive, Justin Kirby, the development manager, said.
It’s too early to determine the price of the apartments, townhomes and single-family homes, Seagle said. The project will take several years to complete.
Downtown revitalization
The need to energize downtown has been recognized and talked about for decades.
In the 1940s through the 1960s, the downtown was a thriving hub of commerce, with a general store, banks and a drug store. The first subdivision was built in the 1950s.
The creation of Lake Norman in 1963 shifted new development.
In 1975, the stretch of I-77 was completed between Charlotte north to Elkin. Housing developments to the north and west sprang up. The Huntersville Business Park brought a commercial focus to the west side of the interstate. The west side grew and prospered, while the downtown languished.
Exit 25 opened in 1994 and construction included Birkdale Village and retail shopping along Sam Furr Road.
Activity in downtown included building a new town hall, a new police station and Discovery Place Kids. Still downtown Huntersville was not a destination for shopping or dining.
New era
But now, a restaurant and rooftops are part of the downtown plan. Longtime business owner John Foster of Foster’s Frame & Art Gallery said he’s looking forward to having some company in the downtown.
“The Huntersville Town Center will be transformative,” Russell predicts.
From left, Shane Buckner, Shane Seagle and David Dupree are the managing partners of North State Development in Cornelius. Photo TL Bernthal
development is good. It enables us to prosper. However, unless the roads grow at the same pace of development in order to accommodate the growth, it’ll ruin the berry quality of life you want to improve. So please, if you are going to develop, make sure you have a plan to prevent traffic congestion. it’s in your hands. Hope you do the right thing for the residents . t
Posted by elena perez | November 13, 2022, 10:46 amFinally some real improvement to Downtown and not just talk. Hopefully some great restaurants and a verity of businesss will come along to serve the population. Peoples concerns about traffic are legitimate and I agree that we need to make sure the road improvements come along with the extra people (I know that a couple new roads and Gilead improvements are in discussions). Maybe the Town of Huntersville can approve vermillion anchor mill with a grocery store!. Aside from Vermillion anchor mill village we should not approve any more apartments and only allow up to 8 plex units within the tier 1 downtown and up to 4 plex in the tier 2 area.
Posted by Josiah | November 14, 2022, 10:00 am