Transformative changes in Charlotte’s historic Brookhill Village

January 5, 2023

by Fred Shropshire, WCNC-Charlotte

Renovation is underway in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood at Brookhill Village, which is a historically Black community. The project upgrades affordable housing.

Some might call it a dream deferred, while others call it a bunch of broken promises, but one thing is clear: Transformative changes are underway in Charlotte’s Brookhill Village.

“It’s about opportunities for families who deserved affordable housing,” said Antoine Dennard with Quore Real Estate Advisors, which is one of the firms overseeing the historically Black community’s renovation.

In 1950 segregated housing was the norm when C.D. Spangler — father of billionaire and former UNC System President C.D. Spangler Jr. — built the 418-unit complex located near South Tryon Street and Remount Road in what is now South End.

The affordable housing units were constructed on land with a 99-year land lease stipulating only the buildings, not the ground upon which they sit, can be sold.

“Part of the challenge here is that there’s been just almost neglect,” Dennard told WCNC Charlotte. “It represents opportunity to pay homage to an historic community.”

Last March, Dennard and Mike Griffin with Griffin Brothers became the latest developers over the last 72 years of the 99-year lease to partner to oversee the apartments. Griffin, who is a native Charlottean, said the work will be challenging but well worth it.

“South End is rapidly gentrifying, and all kinds of things are going on,” Griffin explained. “We’ve got to get out of this crescent moon situation we have here in Charlotte, where everybody’s condensed in certain areas.”

For Griffin Brothers the work is an estimated $7 million investment, which includes demolition and replacing original single source oil heaters with HVAC units, LED lighting, appliances, paint, and fixtures.

See more at WCNC-Charlotte.

The Charlotte Journalism Collaborative is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems.

About The Project

Solutions Journalism Network launched the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative in 2019, a partnership of six major media companies and other local institutions focusing on issues of major importance to the Charlotte region. The collaborative is supported by $150,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its $300 million commitment to rebuild the future of local journalism, essential to a functioning democracy.

The Charlotte Journalism Collaborative (CJC) is modeled on the Solutions Journalism Network method of investigating and reporting news with a primary focus on solutions to community problems. “At a time when local journalism jobs are disappearing and trust in media has hit an all-time low, the Solutions Journalism Network has taken on the challenge by organizing collaborative journalism reporting projects that promote excellent reporting and civic dialogue. the model has the potential to be part of a new wave of great local reporting, which is vital to building strong communities,” said Karen Rundlet, Knight Foundation director for journalism.

Transformative changes in Charlotte’s historic Brookhill Village

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