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Category: Crane Count

Every issue of The Crane Count: what Charlotte City Council approved and what is breaking ground.

  • Crane Count #4: Data Center Pause to 2027 and a 55+ Community in Mint Hill

    Crane Count #4: Data Center Pause to 2027 and a 55+ Community in Mint Hill

    ISSUE #4 · WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2026 · 2-MINUTE READ

    Please note: The news here comes from public sources listed at the end. Amir’s Takes are my opinion, not legal, tax, financial or investment advice. Projections and plans can change. Always check the details for a specific property before you decide.

    Here’s what City Council decided Monday and what’s moving toward construction around Charlotte.

    From City Council

    Data center pause extended to October 2027

    On Monday, Oct 26, City Council voted unanimously to extend Charlotte’s pause on new data center projects. The 150-day pause that began in June was set to end Nov 5; it now runs until no later than Oct 18, 2027. While it’s in place, the city won’t accept or approve applications for new data centers inside city limits, and projects approved before the pause started aren’t affected. Council members said the extra time is for writing data center rules, and that state law limits their tools because the city can’t make existing zoning more restrictive. Council can end the pause early once new rules are ready. Charlotte has about 40 of North Carolina’s 90-plus data centers.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    Last week we flagged this vote; now it’s decided. With no new data centers approved inside Charlotte for up to a year, buyer interest in industrial land near power lines may shift to nearby towns and counties. If you own land like that, the rules Charlotte and the state write this year will matter more than this vote.
    Keep in mind: The pause can end early or be changed, and new state laws could change what Charlotte is allowed to do. The final rules aren’t written yet.

    What’s getting built

    Mint Hill: land sold for a 55+ community next to Novant’s hospital

    Developer The Michaels Organization bought 4.5 acres next to Novant Health’s Mint Hill hospital for about $3 million, Bisnow reported Oct 21. The zoning allows a residential community for people 55 and older. The seller, Flagship Healthcare Properties, kept the other 1.5 acres for an 11,000 sq ft medical office building, with construction planned for the second half of 2027. A unit count hasn’t been announced.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    Homes built for active adults next to a hospital and doctors’ offices are a smart fit for buyers who want care close by. For homeowners in Mint Hill and nearby, a new medical office and more people living close by add to the area’s everyday appeal.
    Keep in mind: This project is at the land-purchase stage. Plans, size and timing can change before anything is built.

    Coming up: Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 3, with Charlotte’s $425 million bond package on the ballot. Friday’s Growth Report breaks down what it would build. Then City Council meets Monday, Nov 9, when a vote on the new airport lease with the airlines is expected, and holds its next zoning meeting on Monday, Nov 16 to decide rezoning requests.

    Get The Crane Count every Wednesday. A 2-minute update on what Charlotte is approving and building, free by email.

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    Have a question about buying, selling or investing in Charlotte? Contact Amir or call (704) 641-1008.

    Sources: WFAE (Oct 27, 2026); WBTV (Oct 27, 2026); Bisnow (Oct 21 and Oct 26, 2026), citing the Charlotte Business Journal; City of Charlotte Council meeting calendar (charlottenc.gov, accessed Oct 27, 2026); WSOC-TV (Oct 23, 2026).

    Disclosures: Behdani Realty Company LLC is a licensed real estate brokerage in North Carolina and South Carolina. This report is general information only. It is not legal, tax, financial or investment advice, and it is not an offer to buy or sell any property. Facts come from the public sources listed above and can change. Projections and forecasts are estimates, not guarantees. Please talk with a qualified attorney, CPA or lender before making decisions. Equal Housing Opportunity.

  • Crane Count #3: Data Center Vote, the Airport Lease and the Manor Theatre

    Crane Count #3: Data Center Vote, the Airport Lease and the Manor Theatre

    ISSUE #3 · WEDNESDAY EDITION · SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2026 · 2-MINUTE READ

    Please note: The news here comes from public sources listed at the end. Amir’s Takes are my opinion, not legal, tax, financial or investment advice. Projections and plans can change. Always check the details for a specific property before you decide.

    Here’s what City Council is deciding and what’s moving toward construction around Charlotte.

    From City Council

    Data center pause: Council votes this Monday

    Charlotte’s 150-day pause on new data centers ends Nov 5. On Monday, Oct 26, Council is set to vote on extending it to next October so city staff can study the impact and possible rules. At the Oct 12 hearing, residents asked for the extension and union workers asked Council to lift it.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    Data centers bring tax revenue but few jobs and heavy power use. A longer pause means no new ones get approved while the rules are written. If you own land near power lines or industrial areas, watch what those rules say.

    Airport lease: back on track for a Nov 9 vote

    On Oct 19, Council chose not to override Mayor Harrington’s veto of its vote to delay the decision, so the new 10½-year lease with the airlines moves ahead. A Council vote is expected Nov 9. If a deal is reached, it comes with about $2.1 billion in airport upgrades, including new gates. Airport workers are pushing for wage standards in the deal, with a community town hall on Tuesday, Oct 27.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    The airport is one of Charlotte’s biggest job engines. A signed lease means years of construction work and more flights, which keeps demand strong in the west side and Steele Creek.

    Eastover: Manor Theatre redevelopment files for construction

    On Oct 19, a construction plan permit was filed for the former Manor Theatre site at 609 Providence Road. The rezoning approved in May allows about 120 to 130 homes and roughly 35,000 sq ft of shops.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    This is the step that comes right before shovels. Once it opens, it adds walkable shops for Eastover and Myers Park.

    Coming up: Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 3, with Charlotte’s $425 million bond package on the ballot ($280M transportation, $125M housing, $20M neighborhoods). We’ll break it down in Friday’s Growth Report.

    Get The Crane Count every Wednesday. A 2-minute update on what Charlotte is approving and building, free by email.

    Sign up free

    Have a question about buying, selling or investing in Charlotte? Contact Amir or call (704) 641-1008.

    Sources: WSOC-TV (Oct 21 and Oct 23, 2026); Bisnow (Oct 13, 2026); WCCB (Oct 22, 2026); WFAE (Oct 12 and Oct 19, 2026); K104.7 (May 26, 2026); WBTV (Oct 12, 2026).

    Disclosures: Behdani Realty Company LLC is a licensed real estate brokerage in North Carolina and South Carolina. This report is general information only. It is not legal, tax, financial or investment advice, and it is not an offer to buy or sell any property. Facts come from the public sources listed above and can change. Projections and forecasts are estimates, not guarantees. Please talk with a qualified attorney, CPA or lender before making decisions. Equal Housing Opportunity.

  • Crane Count #2: Airport Lease Veto, Data Center Pause and a Record Bond Vote

    Crane Count #2: Airport Lease Veto, Data Center Pause and a Record Bond Vote

    Issue #2 · Tuesday, October 13, 2026

    Please note: The news here comes from public sources listed at the end. Amir’s Takes are my opinion, not legal, tax, financial or investment advice. Projections and plans can change. Always check the details for a specific property before you decide.

    From City Council

    Airport expansion: the mayor vetoes a delay

    Council voted 6-5 to push the final vote on a new 10-year lease with American Airlines and the other carriers at Charlotte Douglas to late November. On Monday (Oct 12), Mayor Rob Harrington vetoed that delay, his first veto, so the lease is expected back on the agenda in about two weeks. The airlines agreed to a $2.1 billion building program, including a bigger atrium, an expanded Concourse C and an underground tunnel to the new C gates.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    The airport is one of the biggest job engines in the region. A long lease and $2.1 billion of construction mean steady work for years and keep Charlotte a major hub, and that supports home demand around the airport, west Charlotte and Steele Creek.

    Data center pause: hearing held, vote by end of October

    Council held a public hearing Monday night on extending the city’s pause on data center projects, which expires Nov. 5. A final vote on the extension is expected by the end of October.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    Data centers bring construction money but few long-term jobs, and they use a lot of land and power. However this vote goes, it shapes what can be built on large industrial sites around the city.

    On the Nov. 3 ballot: a record $425 million in city bonds

    Voters will decide on three city bonds: $280 million for streets, sidewalks, bike paths, drainage and traffic signals; $125 million for housing for people with low or moderate incomes (specific projects not yet named); and $20 million for neighborhood improvements. City officials say the bonds are already built into the current budget and tax rate, so they don’t expect a tax increase.

    Keep in mind: Ballot measures can pass or fail, and the city hasn’t named the specific housing projects yet. This is not a recommendation on how to vote.

    Coming up: Council’s next zoning meeting is Monday, Oct 19. The airport lease is expected back in about two weeks, and the data center vote by the end of October.

    Friday follow-up

    Wegmans opens tomorrow

    Last Friday we mentioned it: Wegmans opens its first Charlotte-area store tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct 14) at 9 a.m. at 11550 North Community House Road in Ballantyne, with about 450 jobs.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    Expect busy roads around Ballantyne this week. Over time, a store like this is one more thing buyers name when they say why they want to live nearby.

    Sources: WFAE (10/12/26), WSOC-TV (10/12/26), WBTV (10/12/26), Wegmans and goballantyne.com.

    Disclosures: Behdani Realty Company LLC is a licensed real estate brokerage in North Carolina and South Carolina. This report is general information only. It is not legal, tax, financial or investment advice, and it is not an offer to buy or sell any property. Facts come from the public sources listed above and can change. Projections and forecasts are estimates, not guarantees. Please talk with a qualified attorney, CPA or lender before making decisions. Equal Housing Opportunity.

  • Crane Count #1: Uptown Tower Landmark, Plaza Midwood Rezoning

    Crane Count #1: Uptown Tower Landmark, Plaza Midwood Rezoning

    Issue #1 · Wednesday, October 7, 2026

    Please note: The news here comes from public sources listed at the end. Amir’s Takes are my opinion, not legal, tax, financial or investment advice. Projections and plans can change. Always check the details for a specific property before you decide.

    From City Council

    Uptown’s empty bank tower gets landmark status

    On Sept 28, Council voted 10-1 to make 301 South Tryon (the old Jefferson-First Union Tower) a local historic landmark. The new owners plan to turn the empty office complex into about 275 apartments, a 200-room hotel, offices and shops.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    The landmark status unlocks historic tax credits, which is what makes a conversion like this pencil out. More people living Uptown means more shops and restaurants staying open after 5 p.m., and that helps home values in Uptown, Fourth Ward and Dilworth.

    Plaza Midwood mill site rezoned for homes and shops

    On Sept 21, Council approved rezoning about 21 acres of Barnhardt Manufacturing’s campus on Hawthorne Lane from industrial to a neighborhood center zoning that allows apartments, shops and other businesses. The 125-year-old company keeps operating for now and calls this the start of long-term planning.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    This is one of the last big pieces of land near Plaza Midwood. Nothing changes overnight, but if you own nearby, a planned mix of homes and shops next door usually adds value over time.

    Also approved Sept 21

    DreamKey Partners (formerly the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership): about 6 acres off Beatties Ford Road, rezoned for more homes. ACRO Development: about 23 acres north of Morehead Road, rezoned for light industrial use.

    Four new communities asked to join the city

    Also on the Sept 28 agenda were four requests to bring planned projects into city limits: Kings Grant near the Cabarrus line (335 acres, up to 488 apartments and 2.75 million sq ft of warehouses), Yardly West Towne off West Blvd (335 rental homes), Taylor Grove at Mallard Creek (190 attached homes) and Freedom Manor, 37 Habitat for Humanity homes at Reedy Creek.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    Kings Grant is the one to watch: jobs and apartments together near I-85 and Concord. Where warehouses go, workers follow, and they rent and buy close by.

    Coming up: Council’s next zoning meeting is Monday, Oct 19. A rezoning for River Point, a mixed-use project on about 13 acres off Dixie River Road, has a public hearing set for Oct 26.

    Friday follow-up

    Ballantyne: Wegmans opens next Wednesday

    Last Friday we covered Daimler Truck’s new headquarters in Ballantyne. Just down the road, Wegmans opens its first Charlotte-area store on Wednesday, Oct 14 at 9 a.m. at 11550 North Community House Road: 110,000 sq ft and about 450 jobs.

    AMIR’S TAKE
    Big-name grocers do their homework before they pick a spot. When a store like Wegmans opens, homes within a short drive tend to get extra attention from buyers.

    Sources: Charlotte City Council agendas (Sept 21 and Sept 28, 2026) and City of Charlotte rezoning pages, K104.7 (10/1/26), WFAE, Ballantyne (goballantyne.com).

    Disclosures: Behdani Realty Company LLC is a licensed real estate brokerage in North Carolina and South Carolina. This report is general information only. It is not legal, tax, financial or investment advice, and it is not an offer to buy or sell any property. Facts come from the public sources listed above and can change. Projections and forecasts are estimates, not guarantees. Please talk with a qualified attorney, CPA or lender before making decisions. Equal Housing Opportunity.