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Competition launched to re-imagine vacant Uptown Charlotte office buildings

On Flashpoint, Charlotte Center City Partners announced a new competition among design firms.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This week, Charlotte Center City Partners announced the Reimagining Vintage Office Design Competition

This fall, the Uptown development group is collecting ideas from architecture, design and building firms on ways to repurpose some of Uptown's underutilized office space.

"We still have economic development momentum," Charlotte Center City Partners Senior Vice President James LaBar said on WCNC Charlotte's Flashpoint.

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LaBar said the organization hopes to harness some of that momentum and address the vacancy rate in Uptown office buildings after the COVID-19 pandemic.  

"Right now, our vacancy rate is hovering around 17% to 21%," LaBar said. "If you look at other downtowns across the country, they have much higher percentage of vacancies."

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Before the pandemic, LaBar said the rate was in the single digits, which presented different problem: There wasn't room to attract new large companies or expand current ones. He said an ideal vacancy rate is around 13%.  

The design competition requires firms to submit detailed plans that are viable options from design standpoint and that are financially feasible. LaBar suggested the plans could incorporate a mix of spaces for residential, offices, hotel or medical use.

The deadline for submittals is Nov. 7, 2023. The winning entry will be awarded $15,000 to execute its vision. 

Contact Ben Thompson at bthompson@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookX and Instagram.

Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
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