River District road expansion officially opens in west Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — The four-lane expansion of West Boulevard officially opened Tuesday morning.

The development has been described as a complete transformation for the west Charlotte area.

It will turn a forested area into apartments, as well as single-family homes. It has been in the works since 2017.

The lane expansion will connect the areas around the Catawba River and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Developers said the next step for the River District is to begin construction work on Phase One, which will include 318 multi-family units.

Work on that project, however, isn’t expected to begin until late next year.

In the end, the developer said around 5,000 homes, market rate and affordable apartments, millions of square feet of office space, half a million square feet of retail, and 1,000 hotel rooms will be on the site.

However, it could take up to twelve years before a home is sold.

City leaders told Channel 9 that one of the most important goals is to bring affordable housing to Charlotte.

“Well, of course, it’s difficult to keep up with demand because we know that people know who we are as a community, the values that we have, and people want to come here,” said Major Vi Lyles.

VIDEO: Portion of protected park space slated to become road to industrial area

Portion of protected park space slated to become road to industrial area

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