NoDa is quickly becoming one of the most desirable areas of Charlotte, thanks in large part to the new light rail line and all the new breweries and restaurants coming to the area.

According to today’s press release, Saussy Burbank is about to start selling homes in their latest NoDa development – Highland Park.

“NoDa is Charlotte’s best example of urban lifestyle in its truest form. We saw an opportunity to bring an important hallmark of modern urbanism there – the classic townhouse common to downtown districts in New York, Philadelphia, Washington or other great American cities,” commented Saussy Burbank’s president Bob Zweier.

The new ‘mill-style’ townhomes will start in the low $500,000s.

The prices are a little surprising, in my opinion, considering the homes across the street have been selling for considerably less (2838 N. Brevard sold on August 2nd, 2017 for $150,000, and 2824 N. Brevard sold on Oct 18th, 2011 for $61,500);

The entire Highland Park development will include 33 3-bedroom, 3 1/2-bathroom townhouses – each with its own two-car garage and porch.

According to Saussy Burbank’s website, “Interior design features include brick accent walls, cable rail stairs, site-finished hardwoods, Bosch appliances and quartz countertops.”

They will be hosting an open house event starting at Heist Brewery on Wednesday, September 27th from 5-7PM.

Ally Financial and Crescent Communities have just announced plans for a new office tower in Uptown Charlotte

According to the press release, the new tower at 601 S. Tryon St will be named Ally Charlotte Center. It will be home to the new headquarters of Ally, as well as several new shops and restaurants on the ground level.

“We are excited for construction to begin on Ally Charlotte Center, and to be securing long term real estate in this city that supports all of our local associates and can accommodate future growth plans,” said Jeffrey Brown, CEO of Ally. “This new commercial community is strategically located at the center of the city and will offer our team and business colleagues convenient access to transportation, plenty of amenities and dining choices, and modern work spaces that we hope will inspire collaboration and innovation for years to come.”

Ally Charlotte Center will be located at the South End entrance to the city in the burgeoning Stonewall Corridor. The Stonewall Corridor has recently experienced rapid growth, with a number of new residential and commercial development projects including Crescent’s own Stonewall Station mixed use development that will deliver Uptown Charlotte’s first Whole Foods Market in 2018. The location is ideally situated with convenient access to Interstate 277 as well as the Stonewall Station stop on the LYNX light rail system.

Plans for the 26-story, 742,000 square-foot office tower include initial occupancy of approximately 400,000 square feet for Ally and its teammates, a dedicated parking garage, a full-service hotel and a ground-level public plaza surrounded by shops and restaurants to provide a new and vibrant community space in the heart of Charlotte’s cultural and commerce district. Ally will begin to take occupancy of the new building when construction is completed in 2021, and plans to relocate Charlotte-based employees from other local offices to the new space.

Ally currently employes over 1,700 people in the Charlotte region.

“We are proud to be a part of the growth and development here in Charlotte, and look forward to growing our business presence here and continuing to support local charitable organizations and cultural activities that enhance the lives of local residents and make this city such a great place to live and work,” Brown continued.

Crescent Communities, based in Charlotte, will be the owner and developer of the new building. They’re also now building several other developments around the Charlotte region, including the Piedmont Town Center, Coliseum Centre and the upcoming River District in Charlotte.

“We’ve had an unwavering vision about the type of commercial community such a location merited and have been patiently searching for the ideal corporate tenant who’d appreciate a talent-centered and wellness-focused workplace and could not have found a more perfect partner in Ally. Conceived from the inside-out with each design decision made in support of creating an environment wholly supportive of a talented and diverse workforce, Ally Charlotte Center will also deliver a street-level experience particularly focused on placemaking at the pedestrian scale,” Crescent Communities Commercial and Mixed Use President Brian Leary said. “We believe an office tower is more than steel and glass and are honored to be delivering on this for such a community-oriented organization such as Ally.”

Ally’s move to secure new office space in Charlotte is part of the company’s larger strategy to secure long term real estate in its largest regions. The company made a similar move in April 2016 when it united 1,500 southeast Michigan-based employees to Ally Detroit Center in downtown Detroit.

Construction on the new Ally Charlotte Center is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2018.