Charlotte and state Department Of Transportation officials have put out a call for developers interested in building the proposed Gateway Station mixed-use project next to realigned passenger rail tracks uptown. The development on 13 acres off West Trade Street could include shops, offices, housing and a hotel as well as a new Amtrak train station.
The area also would have connections to Charlotte Area Transit System buses and the planned Gold Line streetcar and Silver Line light rail.
CATS CEO John Lewis said the project will transform the northwest end of uptown.
"I think we can expect a really creative development there that will be a great use of transportation/mobility elements and also a 24-hour kind of development that really engages that property to be an entryway into the city," Lewis said this week.
The $90 million first phase of the project began last summer. It includes track realignments, a 2,000-foot platform, construction of five bridges and signal work.
"That work is progressing very well and we expect that to finish on time in 2022," Lewis said.
Lewis says the Amtrak train station, now off North Tryon Street, is expected to move to the site by 2022 — bringing passenger rail service back downtown after 60 years.
The Request for Qualifications, or RFQ, outlines a vision for the project that includes:
- A CATS local and express bus facility.
- The Amtrak station.
- Offices and shops.
- A diverse mix of housing types, including affordable housing.
- A new multi-use path.
CATS is asking developers to respond by October. It will evaluate the proposals after that and hopes to pick a master developer next year, Lewis said.
Properties to be developed are owned by the city and NCDOT, which joined in issuing the RFQ.
See the full RFQ, at CharlotteNC.gov.
Read more about the project vision at charlottegatewaydistrict.com.