Find Commercial Real Estate in the Charlotte Airport Neighborhood
The airport neighborhood of Charlotte, NC is home to the busy Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). It’s located just west of Uptown Charlotte in Mecklenburg County. This bustling community of Charlotte is a popular one for commercial real estate, attracting local businesses, investors, and foreign businesses – due to the quick and easy access to locations all over the United States and the world.
This area is especially popular for office, warehouse, and flex real estate space. In this article, we’ll take a look at the available opportunities in this neighborhood, the benefits of the airport area, neighboring business of the airport, and the exciting River District project taking place from the Catawba River to CLT.
Our team at Regent Commercial Real Estate is proud of the Charlotte area, and we love finding our clients just the right property in the area that best fits your business. Whether you’re searching for office space, warehouse space, flex space, retail space, or industrial outdoor storage (IOS), our experienced team is ready to serve you in the airport neighborhood and other neighboring North Carolina and South Carolina communities.
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The Airport Neighborhood in Charlotte, NC
The Charlotte Douglas International Airport is one of the Charlotte area’s top features. The neighborhood around this airport is a busy place due to the top-notch transportation options, including the airport as well as the Norfolk Southern Intermodal Yard. In addition, this neighborhood of Charlotte is surrounded by a network of highways, including Billy Graham Parkway, West Boulevard, I-485, Wilkinson Boulevard, and I-85. The airport is located approximately 6 miles west of Uptown, Charlotte.
The Charlotte Douglas International Airport is unique because of its size in relation to the city and its seemingly constant expansion and construction additions. In 2024, the airport is working on expanding the terminals, runway, parking, and more. This thriving airport frequently takes the opportunities to expand its services to better accommodate travelers, so it’s constantly evolving to handle its over 100,000 passengers per day.
This airport truly punches above its weight – for the size of the city, the Charlotte Douglas International Airport stays incredibly busy. It’s the 7th busiest airport in North America, the second largest hub for American Airlines, and offers non-stop service to over 180 destinations (both nationally and internationally).
While this airport is the 7th busiest in North America for air traffic, Charlotte is only the 15th largest city in the U.S. This airport hub is a truly dynamic, thriving commercial endeavor and one of the main economic engines in the city.
Commercial Real Estate Opportunities in the Airport Neighborhood
The airport neighborhood is a popular place for both national and international businesses to find real estate. In fact, while we have many local clients closing on real estate in this area, a number of our clients at Regent are actually international, from countries including Germany and Europe. These clients are especially fond of the opportunities that the airport area presents, because from Charlotte, one can get from North Carolina to Germany in just 12 hours!
Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility
In addition to the convenient benefits of the airport, this neighborhood is also home to the Norfolk Southern Intermodal Yard. This yard is connected to the biggest ports on the east coast (Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC), creating quick and easy access for Charlotte businesses.
Because of this, this area of Charlotte is heavily focused on industrial transportation. In fact, some of the biggest industrial submarkets are located within a 2-3-mile radius of the airport.
For these reasons and more, the airport district continues to grow as the population of Charlotte continues to rise.
In 2014, the Norfolk Southern Intermodal expanded from its 40-acre location in the downtown area to a new, 200-acre terminal right near the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. This expansion and addition of the new Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility was a catalyst for economic growth around the Charlotte area. The presence of this larger terminal has provided unmatched opportunities for industrial and warehouse-oriented businesses who need to efficiently and reliably transport product.
Running over 19,500 miles, the Norfolk Southern Intermodal currently connects 800 industrial sites, 175 warehouses, and 43 ports. “Delivering the efficiency of rail and the simplicity of trucking”, it provides a sustainable and convenient transportation solution for industrial businesses across a wide range of industries.
This unique opportunity is just one more prime feature that draws many industrial and warehouse businesses into the greater Charlotte area.
The Airport neighborhood for investment opportunities
The airport neighborhood is also one of the top areas in Charlotte and in North Carolina for investors. Because of the stability of this sector, a lot of large institutions and “big money” continue to flock towards the airport.
Just one example is Amazon, who has a big presence in this area with large distribution warehouses. UPS and FedEx have also taken advantage of this popular and convenient area. Many of these buildings are being built by publicly traded real estate investment trusts.
In terms of investment, this airport neighborhood is one of the safer places for investors to put money, drawing more and more investors to the area. This is largely because the demand is predictable and consistent.
Residential opportunities in the Airport neighborhood
Although it’s not a heavily residential area, the Catawba River to the west of the airport is a well-loved place for homeowners. This clean lake is used for swimming, floating, fishing, and boating.
The Catawba River connects to the major lakes in Charlotte, Lake Norman and Lake Wylie, and keeps going south all the way down to Lake Wateree in South Carolina. This artery of water that flows through the city is attractive to homeowners, despite the lower residential presence in the rest of the airport district.
The recent developments in this River District are also providing prime opportunities for both commercial space and residential real estate, as well as incredible preservation of the natural beauty of North Carolina. At the end of this article, you can check out an interview we did with Roger Holloway of ProStead Realty about this exciting expansion near both the airport and the water.
Office Space in the Airport Neighborhood
In the airport district, you’ll find a healthy concentration of Class A, Class B, and Class C office space. This area offers a range of office space sizes and opportunities, from small, private offices to large office parks, as well as medical office opportunities.
The Coliseum Center and the Water Ridge Office Park are two of the most popular suburban office building developments in this area.
The big draw, of course, of office space in this area is the convenience and close proximity to the airport. For business people who are flying in and out of town – whether nationally or internationally – it just makes sense to work in close proximity to this major airport area.
If you’re searching for office space in this area, you can expect to pay approximately $23/sf/yr for rental space or $368/sf for office space that’s for sale.
Industrial Space in the Airport Neighborhood
The Airport neighborhood is a hub for industrial space in the greater Charlotte metro area. The busy airport combined with the convenience of the Norfolk Southern Rail Intermodal Yard make this a very convenient location for industrial businesses and businesspeople who need to travel often or ship product.
The convenience of this area means that there are numerous high-quality options available for industrial real estate. Prices in this area average at around $301/sf for buildings that are for sale, and $16/sf/yr for buildings that are for lease. Options range in size as well as building style and class.
Warehouse Space in the Airport Neighborhood
Because of the easy access of this neighborhood and the Norfolk Southern Intermodal Yard, this location is a common space for industrial businesses and manufacturing facilities to call home. It’s a great opportunity to have easy access for shipping products or parts.
This central location offers warehouse space for lease at approximately $15/sf/yr, and warehouse space for sale at around $300/sf. The available buildings in this area range from 1,000 square feet to around 44,000 square feet, so there are plenty of different options for sizing and features!
Flex Space in the Airport Neighborhood
In addition to office and warehouse space, you can also find a variety of flex space options in the airport neighborhood, with rental space being the more common option for this area.
From smaller spaces to the Coffey Creek International Business Center on Center Park Drive, you can find everything from office, kitchen, and conference space to hotels. Because of the close proximity to the airport, this area is a prime location for those staying in hotels.
If you’re looking to lease flex space in this neighborhood, you can expect to pay around $17/sf/yr. Stuart Andrew Boulevard and Westinghouse Boulevard are two popular areas for flex space, but you’ll find a variety of options all around the city. Most of the available flex space is between 1,000 and 16,000 square feet.
Retail Space in the Airport Neighborhood
The retail commercial properties in this area are primarily built on the opportunities to support the office space sector. Because this location is prime for office workers, most of the retail opportunities are built with the Monday through Friday, 9-5 crowd in mind. Outside of that, it’s not necessarily a high traffic area for general consumers.
The retail space in this area includes a strip center that’s predominantly filled with restaurants, as well as a dentist, a Fedex store, and a few other retailers who provide a convenient location for the office crowd to grab lunch or tackle some small errands during the day. These retail options are within walking distance or are just a short drive from many office complexes. Most 7-day-a-week retailers find it tricky to turn a profit in this area.
Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS) Space in the Airport Neighborhood
Industrial outdoor storage space has become more and more coveted in recent years, and the airport neighborhood does provide both opportunities and potential for this option. However, there’s only so much space surrounding the airport, of course, so the options are certainly not unlimited.
Industrial outdoor storage is commercial land of usually an acre or more, and it commonly has only a small building on it. It’s ideal for building supply houses, equipment rental companies, trash storage or landfills, and other types of storage.
Much of the industrial outdoor storage real estate in this area is a bit further away from the airport. The challenge here is that space in this area is quite popular, and many investors would rather build larger buildings than have larger yards.
However, there is still buildable land in this neighborhood, showing potential for future IOS properties.
A Prime Industrial Space in the Charlotte Airport Neighborhood
Brian Smith, SIOR, CCIM, MBA, presents a brand-new, Class A 17,000 SF industrial space featuring a prime office section.
The industrial portion of this property offers 32-foot clearance and an ESFR sprinkler system, accommodating higher storage racks up to 2 feet below the ceiling. A combination of dock-high doors and one oversized 12-by-14-foot drive-in door allows for semi-truck access.
The office portion boasts high ceilings and abundant natural light, with the potential for easy expansion.
Case Study – Finding Property in the Airport Neighborhood with a Trusted Commercial Realtor
What does it look like to find your perfect property in the airport neighborhood? Here’s a success story from a recent client:
Jim’s company was working out of two locations: a 30,000 square foot space and a 20,000 square foot space. They wanted to find a commercial property where they could combine into one location for their office distribution space. They also wanted to be close to major roads and highways – as well as to the airport – for ease of commute for their employee base.
They were also looking for a property that had more office space. Jim’s company stayed busy with R&D (research and development), and their current spaces didn’t provide the office space they needed to be efficient.
After getting a good understanding of their needs and goals for a new building, we got to work finding just the right property for Jim and his team.
With our comprehensive database search tools and knowledge of the local market, we were able to find them an ideal property for their needs, right next to the airport. This industrial space was 50,000 feet – enough to combine both of the current locations into this one space as well as providing the additional office space that they needed, with 15 dock high doors and other necessary features for the business.
This deal took 90 days to complete.
Your Neighbors in the Airport Neighborhood
From office suites to large Amazon distribution facilities to hotels and more, you won’t be lonely in the airport neighborhood!
Here are just a few of the hotels, industrial centers, tourist attractions, and shopping centers you can expect to find as your neighbors in this area:
- Hilton Garden Inn
- Hampton Inn & Suites
- Springhill Suites
- West Mecklenburg High School
- Amazon CLT4
- SteelFab Inc.
- Charlotte Regional Farmers Market
- The Overlook (tourist attraction)
- Charlotte Premium Outlets
- Harris Teeter (grocery store)
- Walmart
The River District in the Airport Neighborhood
One of the most exciting recent developments near the airport is the breathtaking River District – an area running from the Catawba River to CLT. This project is assembled by Crescent Communities, Lincoln Harris Development Company, and Mecklenburg County.
This nearly 1,400 acre community combines stunning natural beauty, relaxing riverfront restaurants, hotels, retirement units, and both single-family and multi-family residential living in a gorgeous, park-like setting. Plus, 8 million square feet of commercial space!
This $6 billion project has been estimated to have a gross economic impact of $5.6 billion annually for the region and state.
The first phase of this project is Westrow, a 70-acre town center. This portion of the River District will include 514 market-rate apartments, around 40,000 square feet of office and retail, restaurants, event space, proximity to trails, parks, an event lawn and a 2-acre working farm.
With all of the infrastructure being added to this area, however, the developers plan to preserve nearly half of the acreage for open space, including 30 miles of trails as well as a riverfront park.
For residents and businesspeople who want the opportunity to go from fishing and boating to the airport or office in just minutes, this River District development is absolutely ideal.
This scenic yet incredibly convenient location is currently scheduled to be built out over a 20-year period. If you’re looking for retail, office, industrial, or flex space in a one-of-a-kind area filled with natural beauty and convenience, now is a rare opportunity to talk to a local Charlotte realtor about your options. With an in-depth knowledge of this project and the incredible opportunities it offers, our team at Regent Commercial Real Estate is here to help.
To learn more about the opportunities this project offers, check out this 6-minute video, featuring Roger Holloway (ProStead Realty), and our own Brian Smith, SIOR, CCIM, MBA.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close is downtown Charlotte to the airport?
Depending on the route you take, the Charlotte Douglas International Airport is about 8-10 miles from Uptown, Charlotte (which is the downtown area of the city). It takes approximately 15-20 minutes to drive from Uptown to the airport, depending on your route and traffic.
Popular routes include I-85, I-277, and Wilkinson Boulevard.
What side of Charlotte is the airport on?
The Charlotte Douglas International Airport is just west of downtown Charlotte. It's a 15-20 minute drive from the airport to the city's center. This convenient airport is one of the top features of Charlotte, transporting over 100,000 passengers per day.
Is the Charlotte Douglas International Airport busy?
This airport is currently the 7th busiest in the world for arrivals and departures, with its global passenger traffic ranking 19th. This fast-moving airport is continually evolving and expanding to better serve its many passengers.
Is the airport neighborhood a good place for commercial real estate?
Because of the transportation opportunities of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport and the Norfolk Southern Intermodal Yard, the airport neighborhood of Charlotte is one of the top locations for commercial real estate for local businesses, investors, and even foreign businesses. Our team at Regent specialized in pairing our clients with the ideal office, industrial, flex, retail, and IOS space in this busy neighborhood.
Find Your Next Commercial Property with Regent Commercial Real Estate
Our expert CCIM- and SIOR-designated team at Regent Commercial Real Estate prides ourselves on providing the highest level of client service and communication in the Charlotte commercial real estate landscape. With nearly 1000 successful leases and transactions in the Charlotte area, we’re well connected in the community and are committed to using our resources and knowledge for our clients’ success.
Ready to find your next property? Contact us today, or see what our clients have to say about working with Brian Smith and Regent Commercial Real Estate.
