Driving through Glen Lennox these days, it is easy to see signs that phase two of the redevelopment is under way. Phase one is complete with the Link Apartments Linden completely leased, the new clubhouse open on the corner of Brandon Road and Fordham Boulevard (15-501), and The Gwendolyn office building leasing up.
The second phase construction has closed a portion of Maxwell Road, with construction fencing surrounding an approximately 2-acre parcel that will include more multi-family units of studio, one- and two-bedrooms called Link Apartments Calyx, a seven-story building named for the famous Calyx textile fabric of British designer Lucienne Day. In keeping with historical emphasis of Charlotte developer Grubb Properties, the Gwendolyn commercial and retail building in phase one is named for Gwendolyn Harrison, the first African American female graduate student at UNC.
According to Grubb Properties development director Kristen Casper, approximately 40 of the original Glen Lennox apartments had to come down, with residents given a one-year notice. In some cases, Grubb Properties assisted with relocation of those renters.
Phase two encompasses approximately 18 acres in total, from Lanark and Berkeley Roads in the north, south to Highway 54, and from the 15-501 interchange abutting the Brookdale Senior Living facility on the west side to the border of the Oakwood neighborhood on the east.
“As you come down Fordham Boulevard or 15-501, just south of the Gwendolyn, that future land area will look fairly similar, meaning potentially office buildings and Link communities with shared parking connecting south to where Link Calyx is under construction today,” said Joe Dye, commercial executive vice president for Grubb Properties.
“Lanark Road and Berkeley Road, which connect into the Oakwood neighborhood, form the Northern boundary of the mixed-use district. If you were looking at Google Maps or Google Earth today, all the way to 54, that land area represents about 18 acres. So there’ll be two apartment buildings and then immediately south of that will be an office-over-retail building, all adjacent to what will be the community green, an open space that’s contemplated in the development agreement. The lower left block is the existing Glen Lennox Shopping Center, which will eventually be renovated.”
Dye explains that the three blocks on the right side and bottom center block (see graphic) are future components of the 18-acre mixed use district.
“There’s a lot of infrastructure that goes along with that,” Dye said. “It’s important to think about some of the road infrastructure that needs to be completed together with these first few buildings that are part of the 18 acres, as well as the community green, which is a very important committed element of our development agreement. Obviously, we want it for the residents and for the future businesses that go in the office building, but it’s intended to be a community green for the entire community, so we would like it to be done sooner than later.”
Whitney St. Charles, commercial senior associate with Grubb Properties says, “We are excited to start this next phase that will drive long-term value and foster community connections with the Glen Lennox neighborhood.” Grubb is also working with the Copenhagenize design firm and place-making consultant Of Place that, according to St. Charles, “will create a community-centric and pedestrian-focused experience.”
Allison Williams, a partner with Of Place said, “We are committed to re-imagining the activation of places to ensure that our neighborhood is ultimately successful for all members of the community.”
Dye explained, “There will be bike infrastructure, meaning bike lanes, and a very pedestrian friendly environment with sidewalks on both sides of the roads. We will be building a greenway connection from Hamilton Road to Burning Tree Drive. That will serve as the missing link connecting our future greenway on the eastern property line to the Meadowmont greenway.” .
“If you go out there today, you can see a crane that’s on the Link Calyx site. That’s that property under construction right now. And then immediately south of it is the office building that will be adjacent to the community green.”
Curious people and passers-by look behind the construction fence to land that is completely barren. The Grubb arborists and tree experts must balance the infrastructure that will be going in with the life cycle of existing trees. In more cases than not, trees are cut down and new ones planted to more than replicate the landscaping of the original and existing Glen Lennox.
“We’re trying to be thoughtful and communicate as much as possible,” Dye said. “These things evolve over time. So the challenge here is communicating effectively and not showing an image one day that’s not what you showed six months ago.”
In the construction of phase one, several specimen trees on Brandon Road were of good health worth preserving and are still there. Dye said there are many trees along the road’s edge that remain and have already matched or exceeded the open-space requirement in that phase of the development plan.
“And we’re not done there,” Dye said. “We’re certainly not stopping there. It’s a balance of what trees are healthy and what trees can survive.
“When planting is planned or replaced, we’re being thoughtful about what those plant species are. Are they native? Are they drought tolerant? How do we line the streets? In the current phase, where we have to adhere to storm water requirements we considered which trees in that land area will survive or won’t, the health of the trees and where they are in their life cycle. Balancing these considerations for that particular block, there, frankly, wasn’t a lot to save.
“And then likewise, the community green has a lot of storm water requirements. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of significant trees in that area. So, the focus is on what do we come back with that follows that same thought process, what trees will survive the long term that are appropriate for that environment, together with native species and cultivars to create a nice welcoming community green space.”
“Glen Lennox Stories” is a series on Chapelboro sponsored by Grubb Properties
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