River District in west Charlotte has groundbreaking celebration

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Hundreds are expected to gather Wednesday for a groundbreaking celebration for the River District in west Charlotte.

Developer Crescent Communities is really calling the site along the Catawba River a city within a city.

They’ve been working on the project as a whole for the past seven years and construction has been underway for the last year. The developer and city, county and state leaders will celebrate with a groundbreaking Wednesday at 4 p.m.

By the end of this year, the taller buildings on the site will start to take shape.

The first phase will include more than 600 housing units. That’s 100 homes and 500-plus multi-family units. A percentage of those will be affordable housing.

Brendan Pierce, the president of commercial for Crescent Communities, says the site will have a life of its own.

“It is going to be a very, very large development - over 5,000 homes, millions of square feet of commercial space. We’re going to have a three-acre working farm, the only city public access to the Catawba River and miles and miles of bike trails, walking trails,” Pierce said. “It’s really going to be a special place.”

Developers said the first phase of residents will be able to move in by the beginning of 2025.

Copyright 2023 WBTV. All rights reserved.