Where Urban Meets Garden: Adapting a Traditional Office Park into an 18-Hour Mixed-Use Destination with Multifamily, Hotel, and Retail

When Ballantyne first emerged out of farmland, more than 30 years ago, the original developers of this master-planned project already had a concrete vision in mind for its future: evolution. The development team intrinsically understood that, as Ballantyne—an affluent community nestled in south Charlotte, North Carolina—would expand beyond its farmland roots, the project would need to adapt to meet the needs of a more diverse and changing demographic.

Spanning 20 acres (8.1 ha) of the 535-acre (216.5 ha) development, Phase I of The Bowl at Ballantyne directly reflects the metamorphic intent for the property. This mixed-use community, developed by Northwood Investors, brings new retail, live entertainment, dining, hotel, and multifamily to the site, engaging the natural environment while delivering higher use and mindful density. Upon completion of Phase I, The Bowl will feature up to 1,000 multifamily units, 300,000 square feet (27,871 sq m) of retail, and 200 hotel rooms, as well as 4.5 million square feet (418,063 sq m) of office.

With Charlotte’s rapid growth transforming the city into one of the most populous areas in the Southeast and the evolving nature of office space, Ballantyne’s reimagination will ensure that The Bowl at Ballantye remains a purpose-built community for years to come.

Evaluating the possibilities

When Northwood Investors purchased Ballantyne in 2017, the site featured dozens of traditional office buildings that daily housed 17,000 employees. Intermingled with the office park was an existing 130-acre (53 ha) golf course that served as a public amenity for the community. The office park was beginning to show its age, however, and the golf course no longer served as the main draw it once did.

As traditional corporate office parks increasingly compete with their highly amenitized modern peers, they require a fresh approach that integrates them into a dynamic experience. With The Bowl at Ballantyne, the objective was to “de-office” the office, allowing the workplace setting to spill over into a lively mixed-use atmosphere. Now, The Bowl provides a walkable, mixed-use gathering spot before, during, and after work. Ballantyne has always been an automobile-centric district. The Bowl has become the new heart and soul of Ballantyne.

Northwood Office

To better understand the possibilities of the underused site, the development team tapped LandDesign, Sasaki, and Cooper Carry to devise and execute a redevelopment strategy that would position Ballantyne as a vibrant, mixed-use destination for the next generation of Charlotteans.

Northwood wanted a strategic reconfiguration of the property—one that would enhance naturally occurring features, such as the site’s access to mature trees and open green space, which encapsulated the redeveloped mature landscaping of the existing golf course and the restoration of an existing stream bed. The goal of the resulting master plan, dubbed “Ballantyne Reimagined,” was to transform Ballantyne into an 18-hour destination, where the eight-hour workday extends well into the evening by introducing a complementary mix of retail, dining, and entertainment that dovetails with the office to create a community-oriented environment.

After an intensive three-year rezoning effort, in which Northwood’s vision for Ballantyne was approved by the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, a reimagined Ballantyne began to take shape.

Northwood Office

Establishing a design ethos

Guided by an overarching theme, “Where Urban Meets Garden”—inspired by the existing network of golf cart paths and trails, mature trees, and expansive green space—the design team, led by LandDesign and Cooper Carry, created a cohesive Main Street/Epicurean “al fresco” dining experience at The Bowl at Ballantyne.

The design strategy sought to seamlessly blend the built environment and the surrounding landscape, adding in numerous opportunities for office workers and visitors to encounter nature. The property features a direct connection to the county’s 20-mile (32. km) regional trail and greenway system, with LandDesign creating a link to the Lower McAlpine Greenway.

In keeping with the mission to take advantage of existing site features, the team modified the driving range into Stream Park, which provides multiple open spaces for relaxation and play situated within the unique landscape of the former golf course. The park is named for the body of water that runs through the property. That stream has become a restorative visual detail and a defining characteristic of the mixed-use setting. To reinforce the connection between Stream Park and the rest of the property, a new pedestrian bridge was built to enable easy access from the park to dining and retail areas.

In an effort to emphasize a pedestrian-oriented, walkable environment, the site was configured into a walkable woonerf, or street for living, inspired by the Dutch tradition of using natural barriers to encourage cars to drive slower and share the road with guests who are walking or bicycling. An environmental graphic design program by Cooper Carry enables effortless wayfinding by way of bright, colorful signage. Additionally, six new roads were developed to improve connectivity to the site.

Following the benchmark that cities such as Amsterdam have set, the design team selected various helpful obstacles to curb vehicular interference of pedestrian activity, such as trees and planters. According to Northwood, more than 100,000 plantings, many of which are native to North Carolina, dot the property. A central urban green anchors the property and gives people a place where they can gather with friends and family in a peaceful, nature-forward setting.

Now, office workers, dining patrons, and other guests can seize opportunities to enjoy Charlotte’s favorable weather in the various outdoor environments designed and enhanced by the team.

Northwood Office

A mixed-use framework

To reposition the Ballantyne property as a community destination, Northwood applied a mixed-use approach to development, ushering in exciting retail, food and beverage (F&B) establishments, and a branded amphitheater to encourage foot traffic from guests beyond the office workplace. Most importantly, the team wanted to ensure The Bowl at Ballantyne served as the backdrop to post-work happy hours, chef-driven dining, group workout classes, and casual gatherings with friends, family, and colleagues.

Scale-wise, the property was intentionally designed to feel like the bustling urban “third place” Ballantyne deserved. Densified with a collection of retail spaces designed by Cooper Carry, in addition to entertainment and residential, The Bowl is interspersed with calming elements of nature that let guests feel as though they are walking through a garden while traversing the property.

The retail and F&B experience features a strong mix of local and national brands housed in inviting storefronts that activate the sidewalk by way of al fresco outdoor seating, deep canopy overhangs, pocket parks, and pop-up markets that encourage guests to linger for a while. Water features, street furniture, and thoughtful public art installations add a convivial feel and enhance the human experience.

A forthcoming Wegmans grocery store will further complement the retailers, restaurants, and lifestyle concepts now open at The Bowl. They include Drybar, North Italia, Honeysuckle Gelato, Flower Child, and Solidcore. The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is a highlight of the F&B offerings, featuring a one-acre (0.4 ha) biergarten that serves locally brewed beers and American fare. Cooper Carry provided the original shells for the tenants, which were modified to suit tenants’ individual needs.

An urban green space functions as an outdoor living room and is anchored by two retail jewel boxes clad in glass walls, offering passersby unobstructed views onto the green. Design details that guests can spot throughout the property include terracotta façades, custom precast concrete, wooden Ipe park benches, granite curbs, exposed aggregate sidewalks, verve gardens, and paver driving surfaces. At the northern end of the property sits a 5,000-capacity amphitheater, dubbed “The Amp,” which plays host to concerts, festivals, fitness classes, and other events.

This careful juxtaposition of office, retail, and recreational is transformative for a once traditional office park, where the amenities are now on par with what today’s officegoers expect. The design approach also effectively cements the property as a dynamic community destination, filled with opportunities to explore and connect with others.

Beyond the office

Through strategic densification and emphasizing the role nature plays in forging an organic interaction with the property, The Bowl at Ballantyne cements its role as a public realm. By delivering a heart and soul to a once-dated, traditional office park surrounded by surface lots, the development and design team worked to introduce an authentic experience to a fast-growing south Charlotte neighborhood.

Before this integration of uses, office workers often ate at the office or drove to a nearby fast-food spot. Now they have the option to walk over to lunch, enjoy nature, and join the thousands of other people from across the region who decide to visit The Bowl that day.