Lincoln Harris files plans for new office tower at Phillips Place

Lincoln Harris is teeing up more big plans for its remake of Phillips Place in SouthPark.

The Charlotte-based real estate developer says it has filed a rezoning petition to allow for construction of a 10-story office tower and adjoining parking structure at the current site of the Regal Phillips Place movie theater.

"Initial plans call for a beautifully designed building that will match the elegance of the newly renovated Phillips Place and blend seamlessly with the surrounding environment," says a statement from Lincoln Harris. "We have been in communications with Regal Cinemas throughout this process, as they still have term left on their lease, and we will continue to communicate with them while city planners evaluate our proposed development."

The rezoning petition was not available in public city filings as of early Monday. Follow-up questions about a copy of the site plan and rezoning petition were not immediately answered.

A spokesperson for Regal Cinemas submitted a statement late Monday when asked about its plans for the SouthPark movie theater:

The Regal Phillips Place theatre recently reopened its doors on Friday, May 14, and we are excited to once again serve our Charlotte moviegoers with the best place to watch a movie! We currently have no plan for closing our doors as we have a lease through the end of 2025.  

Phillips Place, a 164,000-square-foot mixed-use center, has been amid a $50 million-plus overhaul by Lincoln Harris. The development has seen a significant tenant shakeup, headlined by the expansion of Restoration Hardware into RH Charlotte, the Gallery at Phillips Place, which opened a three-story, 50,000-square-foot venue last summer. Phillips Place opened in 1997.

Newly signed tenants at Phillips Place include Southern Pecan Gulf Coast Kitchen, John Michael Kitchens and 800° Woodfired Kitchen. Windsor Jewelers and antique and home-furnishings store Granville also recently expanded at the center.

The 10-screen Regal movie theater at Phillips Place occupies about 30,000 square feet and 4.9 acres at the center, at 6911 Phillips Place Court.

In October, Lincoln Harris CEO Johnny Harris said he wasn't sure about the movie theater's plans long term at Phillips Place. It was closed for a period of time through the Covid-19 pandemic.

A rezoning for Phillips Place was approved in October 2017 that allowed for additional commercial uses at the site.

Lincoln Harris' most recent SouthPark office project is the two-building Capitol Towers development, which includes 479,000 square feet of office and retail space on Congress Street. Lincoln Harris sold that development to Atlanta-based Preferred Apartment Communities in late 2018 for more than $200 million.