Atrium Health says it is moving closer to delivering on its affordable housing commitments tied to its new medical district, The Pearl, an Atrium executive said Thursday.
The update comes after a 2025 investigation by NC Health News and The Charlotte Ledger found the health system had not yet fulfilled promises to include affordable units in the development, and to donate a 14-acre site on North Tryon Street for new affordable apartments.
Atrium made those commitments in 2021 as part of its request for $75 million in local tax incentives for the medical district.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Executive Vice President Collin Lane said Atrium is continuing to work with a private developer to build apartments on the site, with about 5% of units — or 19 total — set aside for low-income residents. He did not provide a timeline for completion.
Lane also said the health system plans to transfer the 14-acre parcel to Inlivian, the city's housing authority, "in the next couple of weeks."
He also criticized "inaccurate" news coverage — though he did not specify what he disputed — and said Atrium executives were surprised by questions around the affordable apartments because "we just opened The Pearl in June of 2025. Those apartments could never have been built until later this year because of all the construction that was going on at that site," he said.
The NC Health News and Charlotte Ledger investigation found discrepancies between Atrium's public statements and its formal agreements with the city. For example, while city leaders were told all affordable units would be reserved for residents earning below 50% of the area median income, documents showed some units could go to households earning up to 80%.
The reporting also found that Atrium initially said it would donate the 14-acre site, but later offered it as part of a land swap in exchange for a property on Baxter Street near The Pearl.
An Atrium spokesperson declined to provide further comment.
