Skye Condominiums and Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen to Refresh Uptown Charlotte

By Amalia Otet, Associate Editor

Small Brothers LLC, a real estate investment, development and management company headquartered in Naples, Fla., is bringing Skye Condominiums into the spotlight once again as its newest mixed-use uptown redevelopment, expected to be completed by fall 2012.

The construction is currently underway but it has a long history behind it, going back to 2000 when the venture was first announced as the uptown’s first luxury condo tower to be built in Charlotte. At the time, it was called The Park. Its former developer, Pete Verna, defaulted on a $30.7 million loan, thus allowing Small Brothers to acquire the building in 2009 for $4.5 million in a private auction, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The development’s success is all the more important now, considering the current economic trend that tends to slow down, delay or even bring to a halt every construction project in progress. The Skye condominium is advertised as a 22-story luxury high-rise tower, featuring 67 condos and two penthouse suites, a 172-room hotel and 2,600 square feet of retail space that culminates in an open-air rooftop restaurant offering 360-degree views of Uptown Charlotte. In addition to its first-class location at the corner of Caldwell and Third Street, the tower is expected to provide attractive amenities such as full-service valet parking, a private fitness center, billiard/game room, theater, rooftop pool and sun deck.

The residential units range from 700 to 2,500 square feet, comprising one- and two-bedroom condos with pricing ranging from $200,000 to $2 million for the 3,500-square-foot penthouses. Designed by Perkins Eastman, the LEED Silver-target project is being built by construction manager Cleveland Construction Inc. The project’s sales leader is The McDevitt Agency, whose brokers are specialized in selling Center City Charlotte and its surrounding neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, the Uptown Charlotte retail sector seems to be flourishing these days as it adds a new restaurant to its vibrant community. Hendrick Construction will break ground on a second location for Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen this summer, according to the Mecklenburg Times. The 5,000-square-foot outfit will be located in 1 Bank of America Center’s Urban Garden and will be organized on two levels, allowing access from the Garden as well as from College Street.