Ballantyne (Charlotte neighborhood)

Ballantyne is a neighborhood in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, occupying a 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) area of land adjacent to the South Carolina border. The neighborhood is home to St. Matthew Catholic Church, the largest Catholic congregation in the United States.

Ballantyne
Neighborhood of Charlotte
Ballantyne Village
Location in Charlotte
Coordinates: 35.0547°N 80.8502°W / 35.0547; -80.8502
Country United States
State North Carolina
CountyMecklenburg County
CityCharlotte
Council District7
Neighborhood Profile Areas75, 169, 187, 188, 189, 253, 255, 257, 355, 356
Founded byBissell Companies
Government
 • City CouncilEdmund H. Driggs[1] (R)
Area
 • Total5,114 acres (2,070 ha)
Population
 (2016)[3]
 • Total70,582
 • Density8,800/sq mi (3,400/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip Code
28277
Area code(s)704 and 980
Quality of Life Dashboard

In June 2013, Wingate University announced that it was moving its Matthews campus to Ballantyne.[4]

History

Ballantyne was originally a large hunting tract owned by the Harris family, descendants of former North Carolina governor Cameron A. Morrison.[5] In 1992, Johnny Harris and his brother-in-law, Smoky Bissell, started Ballantyne Corporate Park, which has become one of the most successful master-planned communities in the United States. Harris had the 2,000 acres rezoned, the largest in Mecklenburg county history. Another developer, Crescent Resources, had already purchased the 610 acres that would later become the Ballantyne Country Club and the accompanying residential development.[6] In October 1995, Bissell bought out his brothers-in-law’s shares for $20 million and established Ballantyne, named after his great aunt. Bissell also developed and designed the Ballantyne Hotel, which opened in September 2001.

At the intersection of Johnston Road and Ballantyne Commons stand four 30-foot monuments representing transportation, technology, finance, and the human spirit of Charlotte. The art installation was commissioned by Yugoslavian artist Boris Tomic, who spent three years crafting them at a brick factory in Salisbury.[6]

Ballantyne Corporate Park

Ballantyne Corporate Park is a 535-acre (217 ha) business park. With over 4,000,000 square feet (370,000 m2) of Class A office space, the business park includes the headquarters of Dentsply Sirona, Babcock & Wilcox, Curtiss-Wright, Tree.com Inc, Snyder's-Lance Inc, Premier Inc, Extended Stay America, Inc, SPX, and ESPN regional television.[7] Brighthouse Financial, TIAA, and Wells Fargo also have a major corporate presence in Ballantyne.[8]

In 2010, Ballantyne Corporate Park was recognized as International Office Park of the Year by the Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA).

In 2017, H.C. "Smoky" Bissell, who developed Ballantyne Corporate Park, sold the development for $1.2 billion to Northwood Investors, becoming the largest transaction in Charlotte real estate history.[9] In an effort to transform Ballantyne from a corporate park into a walk-able, dense community, Northwood announced plans to construct a 25-acre mixed-use development on the current site of The Golf Club at Ballantyne. Phase I of the development includes 1,200 multifamily units, 300,000 square feet of retail, an amphitheater, multiple parks, and a greenway. Phase II includes an additional 1,000 multifamily units, 300 townhomes, and 400,000 square feet of additional office space.[10]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
20009,466—
201020,936121.2%
2015 (est.)23,49512.2%
[3]

As of 2011, Ballantyne had a population of 20,936. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 69.2% White American, 11.3% Asian American, 10.3% Black or African American, and 2.5% of some other race. Hispanic or Latino American of any race were 6.7% of the population. The median household income for the area was $96,435.[11]

Controversies

On April 14, 2012, residents met to discuss an idea of breaking away from the city of Charlotte to form their own city.[12] In the history of North Carolina, this has never been done before. If it is done, the residents will name the new city Providence. However, there is currently a North Carolina community that already carries this name and has its own zip code.[13] Due to a layout that combines a variety of land uses and densities plus a reliance on vehicular journeys, traffic congestion in the area has been a consistent problem.

Printed media
  • Ballantyne magazine

References
  1. "District 7 Charlotte City Council Member Ed Driggs". City of Charlotte. City of Charlotte. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  2. "Quality of Life Explorer (acres)". City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and UNCC. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  3. "Quality of Life Explorer (population)". City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and UNCC. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  4. Wingate University to open Ballantyne campus in August
  5. Markovitch, Jeremy (March 2, 2016). "Being Ballantyne in the Always New Charlotte". Our State. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  6. Newsome, Melba (November 19, 2012). "There's Something About Ballantyne". Charlotte Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  7. Ballantyne Corporate Park Directory
  8. Bissell's Ballantyne bet pays off
  9. Portillo, Eli (March 8, 2018). "Behind the scenes on Ballantyne's $1.2 billion sale: 'A deal that wanted to be made'". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  10. http://reimagined.projectballantyne.com/phasing/
  11. "Quality of Life Explorer". City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and UNCC. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-04-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. https://www.zipdatamaps.com/27315
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