CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte continues to see development. Lower South End, also known as LoSo, is the new hot spot with apartments and restaurants being built.
The neighborhood is just south of South End and includes the area around Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.
The area is seeing a shift.
“It’s been transformational,” Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission chair Keba Samuel said.
There's new mixed development, and more on the way.
“It’s hot, everybody wants to live, work, play, eat, dine within walking distance," Samuel said.
Samuel said this area continues to grow due to the light rail.
“There’s nothing that can really catalyze development like transit investment and that’s exactly what we’re seeing," Samuel said.
The Station at LoSo is in the works right now. It will consist of two five-story buildings that will have retail space and will be located across from the Scaleybark light rail stop.
“Every day we see something different," David Rivero, a barber at Jireh Kutz and Salon, said.
Jireh Kutz and Salon is across the street from what will be The Station at LoSo. Rivero said all this development has been good for business.
“People are coming from all different parts of the United States, moving to the area, so they pay a little bit more, more tips, it’s getting better," Rivero said.
While the business Rivero works at is still standing, he has seen the displacement of other small businesses.
“You see a new business coming up every day, different ones though, not the ones we're used to," Rivero said.
Samuel said displacement is top of mind for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission, but there is also excitement as LoSo grows and more millennials come to the Charlotte region.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.