Proffitt Dixon Partners proposes mixed-use project near downtown Cornelius

A Charlotte developer is planning a project to contribute to a growing area of Cornelius, and it is beginning to progress through the approval process.

Proffitt Dixon Partners is proposing a project there called Caroline, a mixed-use development including senior housing, apartments and commercial space. The project would be developed on a 16.3-acre site on South Street near downtown Cornelius. The site neighbors the Greenway Gartens site, a major project proposed by Olde Mecklenburg Brewery founder John Marrino. It is also next to the Antiquity development, which includes hundreds of residential units.

A public hearing was held by the Cornelius Board of Commissioners last week for the rezoning of the site. Site plans available in town records show the project would be significant.

The plans show the project could include up to 250 units of age-restricted residential units, in addition to up to 110 more apartments in other buildings. There are also multiple buildings designated for commercial space. Project leaders said at the hearing last week that much of it could be used for office uses, with retail and restaurants also potential uses. Plans show the Caroline project could include up to 95,000 square feet of commercial space.

Last week's hearing was the first for the project. Another hearing will be held in the future to complete the approval process, but that date is unclear. An attempt to reach Proffitt Dixon for more information about the project and approval process was unsuccessful before deadline.

Should it move forward, the Caroline development would add to a rapidly growing area in and around downtown Cornelius.

In addition to Greenway Gartens and Caroline, the town is developing a new downtown arts district. That will be anchored by the $25 million Cain Center for the Arts, which is expected to break ground next month. South Carolina-based Shaw Resources Inc. is also proposing a major mixed-use project in Cornelius.

The project is not the only mixed-use development that Proffitt Dixon is planning in the region. Late last year, the firm filed plans with the city of Charlotte to develop a major project in Optimist Park. Those plans call for the development of 330 apartments and 70,000 square feet of commercial space.

Proffitt Dixon is currently one of the most active developers in Charlotte. The firm came in at No. 4 on the Charlotte Business Journal's most recent list ranking the area's largest commercial real estate developers by 2020 activity. Proffitt Dixon developed 534,051 square feet of space in 2020, according to CBJ data.