Context and Rationale

Brevard Street stretches across five blocks in the Second Ward, from Stonewall Street to the Spectrum Center, near multiple Uptown destinations and activity centers. Recent development along Stonewall has brought hundreds of residents and new energy to the area, which includes the Charlotte Convention Center and NASCAR Hall of Fame. At the other end of Brevard Street is the Charlotte Transit Center and the Spectrum Center at East Trade Street. These major destinations bring thousands of visitors to the area every season, but the scale and design of the facilities create challenges for the streetscape.

Steps from the Blue Line, Gold Line and Rail Trail, Brevard Street is ideally located to cater to visitors and residents alike. Yet, this five-block segment of South Brevard Street lacks the qualities of a place that attracts visitors and invites activity. It is characterized by large blank facades and inactive streetscapes. Brevard Street does not have a clear identity or consistent look and feel, nor does it have attractions that would draw people from nearby hotels, offices, conferences, games and events.

A hundred years ago, the intersection of East 3rd Street and South Brevard Street was a social and commercial hub in the Brooklyn neighborhood, an African-American community that was destroyed by government Urban Renewal programs in the 1960s. The two remaining structures are the Grace A.M.E. Zion Church and the Mecklenburg Investment Company (MIC) Building, which was the first office building for Black professionals, designed by the city’s first Black architect, William W. Smith. Today, these buildings are surrounded by surface parking lots.

Taking advantage of its history and location, Brevard Street can be transformed into a bustling activity center and transformed into a “festival street” when large events are taking place in the Spectrum Center or Convention Center. These major uses can extend their programs onto Brevard Street and its sidewalks, creating an arts, culture, entertainment and sports hub. Sidewalks can host outdoor dining and mobile food vendors and pop-up retail. And, day-to-day visitors can enjoy restaurants, coffee shops, music venues and bars just a short walk from transit and other active neighborhoods.

Planning is underway for the historic structures at 3rd Street and Brevard to re-emerge as a community hub – one with a mix of uses focused on upward mobility. The “Brooklyn Collective” building is planned to include space for small businesses, artists-in-residence program, community meeting space, and a small museum dedicated to the history of the Brooklyn neighborhood. This site can be a catalyst of activation for the entire area, supporting a blend of historic and new venues and businesses that celebrates and advances Charlotte’s African-American community.

Objectives

• Create a fun, and vibrant area in Second Ward that commemorates and celebrates the history of the former Brooklyn neighborhood and preserve the local historic assets that remain

• Provide destinations and attract visitors from the Spectrum Center, NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Charlotte Convention Center

• Create spaces for small, local and BIPOC-owned businesses and restaurants to complement the Brooklyn Collective and honor the heritage of the formerly vibrant Black business district

• Enliven the street environment during business and evening hours

• Increase small business job and training opportunities in the redevelopment, design and programming of the street

Strategies and Recommendations

H1. RE-DESIGN AND ACTIVATE THE STREETSCAPE FROM STONEWALL TO EAST TRADE

H1-1 Encourage events and activities from the Spectrum Center, NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center to “spill out” onto Brevard Street

H1-2 Include generous sidewalks to accommodate pedestrians and allow activity such as outdoor dining and retail

H1-3 Add street trees and landscaping to soften the urban environment, while maintaining visibility

H1-4 Include design elements that are visible from either end of the street to attract visitors, such as overhead lighting and public art installations

H1-5 Improve intersections to support safe pedestrian crossings and create a distinct identity for the street through art or improved crosswalk markings

H1-6 Provide temporary street closure options while maintaining transit/vehicular access along 3rd and 4th for overall transit connectivity

H1-7 Develop a new brand and identity for Brevard Street based on the Second Ward neighborhood history, art and culture

H2. EXPLORE CHANGES TO THE RIGHT-OF-WAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARLOTTE TRANSPORTATION CENTER BUS TERMINAL, SUCH AS

• Converting Brevard to two-way traffic

• Diverting bus traffic from the Charlotte Transportation Center

• Designating bus-only lanes to manage Charlotte Transportation Center bus traffic and slow other vehicles

H3. CATALYZE INFILL DEVELOPMENT TO FILL IN GAPS IN THE STREET, INCREASE DENSITY AND ADD NEW ENTERTAINMENT-FOCUSED GROUND FLOOR USES

H3-1 Encourage design that provides activity at and above the ground-floor, such as upper-story patios and roof decks-floor patios

H3-2 Create opportunities for African American entrepreneurs and Black-owned businesses to locate along Brevard Street and to benefit from the growth and redevelopment of the area

H4. DESIGNATE MULTIPLE PUBLIC SPACES FOR FLEXIBLE RETAIL INCLUDING FOOD VENDORS, KIOSKS AND STAGES

H4-1 Use surface parking lots for farmers markets, food trucks and other temporary programming before sites are developed

H4-2 Partner with Black-owned businesses and organizations (e.g., Black Chamber of Commerce) to locate and expand enterprises along Brevard Street to reestablish and reflect the historic Brooklyn culture

H4-3 Study the feasibility of converting the ground floor of the NASCAR Hall of Fame parking deck into new micro-retail spaces, such as kiosks, to enliven the street, and create strategically located locations for new restaurants, bars and shops

H5. PROTECT AND RESPECT THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS ON BREVARD STREET

H5-1 Ensure new development does not impede the ongoing use of the Grace Church and Mecklenburg Investment Company Building

H5-2 Establish design guidelines for new development to complement these structures

H5-3 Protect the remaining buildings on the corner of Brevard and Trade Streets and ensure new development and site design complements the architecture of those structures