🎥 Flyover Friday: The highlights of LoSo (free version)
Plus: Aldersgate ousts its CEO; Will Panthers renovation price tag 'shock the conscience'?; Police chief says violent crime stats differ from public perception; Feds oppose Novant hospital purchases
Good morning! Today is Friday, January 26, 2024. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Today's Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by Fox Rothschild, a national law firm whose Charlotte-based attorneys provide litigation, real estate, labor and employment, corporate and a wide range of other services to clients in the Carolinas and across the country.
Editor’s note: This is a shorter, free version of The Charlotte Ledger sent to people on our free sign-up list. The complete version for paying members went out 15 minutes ago. It included:
An important update🚨 to an issue the Ledger has been following for months: the boards that run the Aldersgate retirement community in east Charlotte dismissed longtime CEO Suzanne Pugh this week. Her departure comes as the community is struggling financially and is under the watch of state Department of Insurance officials — and we have emails showing some residents were calling for her ouster.
The scoop🍨 on what one Charlotte city councilman had to say about how much tax money the Panthers may be asking for renovations to Bank of America Stadium. He also hinted at how long it’ll be before the renovation discussion comes up in public.
Some interesting insights from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings about how our perceptions about crime can differ from reality, and what staffing levels are like at the police department. Jennings spoke at Thursday morning’s South Charlotte Partners Breakfast Club.
Big news in the local health care scene: The feds have sued to block Novant Health from buying two hospitals in the Lake Norman area — we’ve got the details of what hospitals are involved, and why the Federal Trade Commission says hospital consolidation “can have life and death consequences for patients.”
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Charlotte’s Lower South End neighborhood, called LoSo, is changing from a warehouse district to an area filled with new entertainment, housing and dining hotspots.
Over the last decade, Charlotte’s Lower South End neighborhood, known as “LoSo,” has emerged from its industrial warehouse roots and transformed into a destination neighborhood with apartment living and after-hours fun.
It’s home to Charlotte staple Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, which first tapped into the area’s potential back in 2009. But it wasn’t until recent years that the area transformed into a living and entertainment landing place.
LoSo — which is generally defined as the area between South Tryon Street and South Boulevard, from Clanton Road to the north to Woodlawn Road to the south — has since welcomed Queen Park Social bar and arcade, State of Confusion restaurant, Protagonist Brewery and Rally Pickleball courts.
The name for the neighborhood received some pushback when it debuted, with local media opinion pieces calling it “LoSo: The death of neighborhood names in Charlotte” and “a generic, soulless neighborhood name.”
But the moniker seems here to stay. And the neighborhood’s newest mixed-used development, called The Station at LoSo, is adding even more living, eating, retail and office spaces to the mix.
Checking out growing areas of Charlotte is most enjoyable when you can do it from above, so The Ledger and our friends at video production company The 5 and 2 Project are excited to share the next video in our “Flyover Friday” series. It’s our look at Charlotte’s growth and development up close, using professional drone video.
For expertise in this area and the new 15-acre development, we turned to Claire Shealy of Beacon Partners, to learn more about:
What visitors can expect to find inside The Station at LoSo’s 200,000 s.f., including 350 multifamily units and office and retail spaces with tenants like Skyla Credit Union, People’s Market deli and coffee shop, Taco Boy restaurant, Salata Salad Kitchen and Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee.
LoSo’s proximity to uptown, the Scaleybark light rail station and other entertainment spots in the area.
What’s next for LoSo as it continues to grow and attract young people and families to the area.
How designing office space has changed since the pandemic to attract remote and hybrid workers into the office.
Check out the video:
We hope you enjoy!
Here’s where LoSo sits on a map, by the way:
Related Ledger articles:
“A neighborhood seeing (Lo)So much change” (May 5, 2023)
➡️ And check out more great work by The 5 and 2 Project on social media channels at @The5and2Project or website The5and2Project.com, or follow the company on YouTube.
If you want to catch up on previous seasons of Flyover Friday, with from-the-air looks at other parts of town, check out our dedicated webpage that houses each episode. The video series is an independent editorial production of The Ledger and The 5 and 2 Project (in other words, we are not a pay-to-play operation).
Aldersgate CEO ousted following months of financial crisis, scrutiny; emails show some residents pushed for her exit
Aldersgate retirement community has dismissed its CEO, Suzanne Pugh, following years of operating losses for the community and months of scrutiny by the N.C. Department of Insurance and some residents.
Aldersgate board members Tommy Lawing and Billy Maddalon announced Pugh’s departure in a letter to residents Wednesday, saying the boards of directors of both the Aldersgate community and its umbrella organization, Aldersgate Life Plan Services, “have made the mutual decision to go in a different direction with the CEO position, effective immediately.”
Aldersgate’s boards are working with executive search firms to hire an interim CEO, the letter said, and the non-profit’s management team will handle day-to-day operations in the meantime.
The news was first reported Wednesday by Business North Carolina.
Pugh’s exit comes after years of financial trouble, first reported by The Ledger in August, when state regulators stepped in to oversee the organization’s finances. At the time, Aldersgate’s leaders blamed the troubles on a previous chief financial officer and said that the community had a bright future. Last week, state regulators extended their oversight for an additional 150 days, The Ledger reported.
Emails show debate over Pugh’s leadership: In emails to NCDOI officials from last summer obtained by The Ledger, some Aldersgate residents called Pugh’s leadership into question, calling for her removal and expressing concern that she was incapable of fixing the community’s financial problems.
City council member: Price tag for Carolina Panthers’ stadium renovations ‘will be a big dollar amount’ that ‘shocks the conscience’
It is widely expected that the Carolina Panthers will seek tax money to help pay for renovations to Bank of America Stadium.
Although Charlotte City Council members have discussed the possibilities in closed sessions, details have not been publicly revealed yet.
One council member last week, though, confirmed that the cost could seem staggering when it is finally unveiled.
Police chief says Charlotte residents perceive more crime than there actually is; says staffing should return to normal levels this year
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said Thursday that the perception in Charlotte that crime is out of control doesn’t square with the reality that violent crime has fallen.
In a speech Thursday to the South Charlotte Partners Breakfast Club, Jennings said violent crime in Charlotte fell in 2021 and 2022 and was flat last year. But he acknowledged that some residents feel unsafe after hearing about shootings on the news.
Feds oppose Novant deal to buy 2 new hospitals in Lake Norman area; say hospital consolidations ‘can have life and death consequences’
The Federal Trade Commission sued on Thursday to block Novant Health’s $320M purchase of two hospitals in the Lake Norman area, saying the deal would raise prices and could result in worse outcomes for patients.
The deal with Community Health Systems called for Novant to purchase
A hearty discussion of the future of health care
Thank you to all who came out last night for a discussion of Charlotte health care, hosted by The Ledger and North Carolina Health News. It was a robust conversation about trends in local journalism and health care, and a good chance to meet dozens of people who work in the medical field or care deeply about the industry. Look for more insightful events to come in 2024!
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
FEB. 10: COMMfidence Workshop, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Creative (CRTV) Lab Coffee, Charlotte. What? Attention Charlotte Professionals! Join Brian Lafontaine for the COMMfidence Workshop and take your communication skills to new levels. Explore and create in this energetic, supportive, and interactive workshop, that will have you on your feet and on stage. $250.
FEB. 12: 2024 Primary Candidate Reception, 6-7:30 p.m., Innovation Barn, 932 Seigle Ave., Charlotte. Join the Charlotte Area Chamber of Commerce, CLT Public Relations and The Charlotte Ledger for a candidate reception for the 2024 primary election. Come meet candidates running for office in Charlotte at an informal drop-in mix and mingle from 6:00 to 7:30 with candidate introductions at 6:45. All the candidates who will be listed on a 2024 Charlotte ballot have been invited to attend, including Congressional candidates, gubernatorial, county commissioner, General Assembly and N.C. Supreme Court. Free. Registration required.
FEB. 21: LWV Civics 101 Program, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, Charlotte. Civics 101 consists of six Wednesday evening sessions to learn about our City and County Government, the Board of Elections, the Judicial System, and the CMS Board of Education. The program is sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Participants may choose to attend in-person or virtual sessions. Free.
◼️ Check out the full Ledger events board.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief
New Panthers head coach: The Carolina Panthers are hiring Dave Canales, the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the team’s new head coach. Canales, known for his coaching of quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Baker Mayfield, signed a six-year contract and will take on the challenge of turning around a team that had the NFL’s worst record in 2023. (ESPN)
Sports betting to start March 11: Legal online sports wagering in North Carolina will start on March 11 at noon – one day before the start of the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament, state officials announced this week. The initial online gambling operators are expected to be DraftKings, FanDuel, Bet365, BetMGM North Carolina, ESPN BET, Fanatics and Underdog Sports. Gamblers can start registering with approved companies on March 1. Brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at arenas and stadiums will be allowed to open at a later date. (BetCarolina.com)
BofA crackdown on back-to-work policies: Bank of America has sent “letters of education” that warn employees of disciplinary action if they’re not complying with the bank’s return-to-office policies. Some bank employees received letters saying they were not meeting “workplace excellence guidelines” despite “requests and reminders to do so,” the Financial Times reported. (The Guardian)
Airport sets passenger record: Charlotte’s airport saw a record number of passengers in 2023: 53.4 million, up 12% from 2022 and 6.5% more than the previous record set in 2019. About 30% of the passengers are local, and the rest were connecting, the airport said.
CMS approves Narcan: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education unanimously approved the use of Narcan, a nasal spray to reverse opioid overdoses, in every school building. The district plans to store Narcan doses in AED cases in each school's front office, with school nurses trained on its use. Some community members question its necessity for elementary-aged students. (WSOC)
On-time at American: American Airlines said it led U.S. network carriers in on-time departures (69.5%) and the percentage of flights completed (98.9%) in 2023. In announcing its earnings on Thursday, Charlotte’s dominant airline said it had a record $53B in revenue in 2023.
New credit union: Allegacy Federal Credit Union celebrated the opening of its Indian Trail Financial Center, its fourth financial center to open in the Charlotte area in the last two years.
Man charged with raping woman in her Ballantyne home: A 32-year-old man was charged with breaking into a home in Ballantyne and sexually assaulting a woman. The victim's 15-year-old child called 911 during the assault, and police apprehended Santerius Qwayshawn Allen on the scene. Prosecutors revealed in court that the attack appeared to be random. Allen was denied bond. (WSOC)
Good eating: Charlotte chefs Daryl “DC” Cooper and Oscar Johnson of Jimmy Pearls in The Market at 7th Street were named together as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award Best Chef: Southeast for their Virginia-inspired seafood and soul food. The pair had planned to close their Market at 7th Street location on Sunday as they work toward a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but will now stay open in the market another month. (Charlotte Five)
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman