Charlotte's Camden Square
Thrives as a Center for
Design and Technology ,
T
JLlM
Charlotte, North Carolina
. hanks to assistance from EPA's Brownfields Program, Charlotte,
North Carolina's abandoned industrial South End-Wilmore district
is well on the way to becoming a vibrant community. With the help
of a $200,000 Brownfields Pilot grant awarded by EPA, the former
Nebel knitting mill complex was converted to the Design Center
of the Carolinas at Camden Square, a complex of three buildings,
housing design-related businesses such as architectural firms, graphics
production companies, and interior design firms. Renovation of these
three buildings is complete, and the Design Center is up and running
with over 100 businesses already in place. Restoration of the third
building, the original Nebel Mill itself, was completed in January 2003.
The Design Center of the Carolinas was the first phase of the Camden
Square project in the South End-Wilmore district. Of the two projects
in the second phase, Village West was completed in late 2003, and
Village East has been started.
Camden Square was the first project to fall under North Carolina's
Brownfields Property Reuse Act, which became law in October 1997.
Under an agreement with the state, Camden Square's property owners
were not held responsible for pre-existing groundwater contamination
on the property, in exchange for limiting future use of groundwater
to protect those using the property. EPA's Brownfields Pilot aided in
negotiations with the North Carolina Department of Environment and
Natural Resources to make this agreement possible, and was able to
help expand the original agreement with an amendment that included
a separate, $49 million project—Camden Square Village East and
Village West.
The proposed plan for Village East includes three, five-story office
buildings for technology and design-related businesses and includes
a 610-space parking deck. Village West is already home to Camden
Square Commercial Lofts, which offer unique space for entrepreneurial
businesses and cutting-edge technology firms. The first 12 units
in Village West were completed in November 2002 and are now
occupied. Village West is also home to the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte's School of Architecture design studios.
The entrance to the former Nebel Knitting Mitt.
JUST THE FACTS:
• A $200,000 EPA Assessment
Demonstration Pilot allowed the city to
perform environmental assessments on
the former Nebel knitting mill complex.
Cleanup activities included the removal
of asbestos and lead contamination.
• The $14.5 million Design Center of
the Carolinas was the first phase of the
Camden Square project in Charlotte's
South End-Wilmore District. Of the two
projects in the second phase, Village
West was completed in late 2003, and
Village East has been started.
• The Design Center of the Carolinas
now includes more than 100 design-
related businesses and more than 500
employees.
continued
-------
Camden Square Associates, who has undertaken all of the redevelopment projects, estimates the
investment thus far at Camden Square to be $14.5 million. The developer spent $31,000 for initial
environmental assessments, and $20,000 in Pilot funds were allotted for additional assessments. Cleanup
of the former industrial properties at Camden Square, which involved the removal of lead and asbestos,
has been estimated at $165,000. To date, more than 500 jobs have been created at the Camden Square
Design Center. With the completion of Camden Square Village East and Village West, that number
is expected to grow to more than 750 jobs in the design and technology fields.
The redevelopment at Camden Square incorporates Charlotte's goals for what
the city calls "transit supportive development," which aims to create "compact
neighborhoods" with work, housing, shopping, and other needs all within walking
distance of a transit station. Camden Square is located directly across from a
trolley station and the city's proposed light rail line.
The economic disparity once prevalent in the South End-Wilmore area is now
shrinking, as the community experiences a wave of revitalization efforts spurred
by EPA's brownfields grant. Tony Pressley of Camden Square
Associates has said that the Design Center of the Carolinas
will serve as an "icon for the design community." For
j more information on the Charlotte Brownfields Pilot,
contact Tom Warshauer at (704) 336-4522.
CONTACTS:
For more information contact
U.S. EPA REGION 4
(404) 562-9900
Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
The completed Design Center of
the Carolinas.
Brownfields Success Story
Charlotte, North Carolina
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-F-06-232
August 2006
www. epa. gov/brownfields/
------- |