High-rise apartments at former greenhouse site near South End to finish next fall

By Elise Franco – Staff Writer, Charlotte Business Journal

Nov 21, 2023

The Campbell is a 12-story multifamily apartment building under construction in the South End area.

A high-rise apartment building under construction at the former Campbell’s Greenhouses & Nursery site in Charlotte has hit the halfway mark.

The Campbell, a 12-story, 117-unit building, is being developed by Charlotte-based Abacus Capital in partnership with JE Dunn Capital Partners and L&B Realty Advisors. Construction began in January, and the project topped out this week.

The Campbell was named in recognition of the nursery, which operated at 209 McDonald Ave., on the edge of Dilworth and South End, for 38 years. It closed last November.

Wes McAdams, Abacus managing partner, said construction is several days ahead of schedule. The project is expected to deliver in October 2024 with pre-leasing to begin in August.

“We are proud of our team’s execution on the construction phase of this project, topping out ahead of schedule and under budget,” he said. “This will be an incredibly special building once delivered next year.”

The Campbell will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Each will be approximately 1,200 square feet and provide views of uptown, South End, Kings Mountain, or south Charlotte. Units will start on the fifth floor above four floors of parking.

The project will also include two 1,050-square-foot ground-floor retail spaces. Abacus plans to target a morning coffee/evening cocktail or wine establishment for the space facing McDonald Avenue. A health and beauty store, service-based business, or neighborhood retail will be targeted for the project’s space fronting Cleveland Avenue.

Brick Bryant, partner at Abacus, said they are intentionally positioning the project to be attractive to a more mature renter.

“With the best retail and restaurants in South End at Atherton Market and Design District out its front door, and historic Dilworth’s tree-lined streets out its back door, future tenants should be able to enjoy all the benefits of elevated living,” he said.

Legacy Real Estate Advisors’ Adam Williams is handling retail leasing.

Abacus, JE Dunn, and L&B closed last December on the $5 million sale of the property at 2025 Cleveland Ave. JE Dunn Construction Co. is the general contractor. Colony Commercial is the construction manager. The project architect is Axiom Architecture, and the civil engineer is the McAdams Co.