Landscape Architect Articles

The Bowl at Ballantyne Reimagined07-17-26 | Feature

The Bowl at Ballantyne Reimagined

Anchoring a Mixed-Use Destination Through the Public Realm
by LandDesign, Inc.

As a 535-acre site with well-established office parks, a hotel and an 18-hole golf course, Ballantyne was a valued corporate campus in Charlotte, North Carolina, but it didn't have the necessary essentials to be an all-encompassing destination. To remedy this, property owner Northwood Development tasked a team of multidisciplinary firms with devising a dense, mixed-use district dubbed 'Ballantyne Reimagined.' The first phase - a walkable area known as The Bowl - comprises a six-acre public park nestled between the Ballantyne Hotel and over 200,000 square feet of retail and dining options contained by a network of streetscapes and plazas. As prime consultant, LandDesign oversaw civil engineering, landscape architecture, and master planning. Sasaki supervised urban design and assisted with master planning while Cooper Carry managed architecture and design. Photo Credit: Cooper Carry

Bowl Street - the mixed-use/retail development's main avenue - is lined with organic-shaped, concrete seat wall planters featuring Ipe benches. Specified outdoor furniture includes a custom caf?(C)/bar counter and stools sitting atop concrete pavers made to look like wood while 'Traditional Prest Brick' from Hanover Architectural Products comprise the sidewalk.

Signage and wayfinding integrated into the public realm reinforce Ballantyne's evolving identity while creating a more intuitive visitor experience. This sign - designed by Cooper Carry and fabricated by Southwood Corporation - incorporates board-formed concrete in the foreground, powder-coated aluminum letters, and perforated material and concrete for its base.

Strategically placed synthetic turf lawns and integrated seat walls work alongside jewel box retail to shape a series of spaces that accommodate everyday use or events of various scales. Maglin bollards were specified throughout the project.

LandDesign collaborated with NCDOT on a $111 million infrastructure upgrade that included 24 new or improved intersections with enhanced crosswalks; 2.5 miles of complete streets with planting strips, buffered bike lanes, and street parking; and four vehicular/pedestrian bridges. The brick-paved retail street is anchored by two garden-inspired "jewel boxes" (left, middle) that feature vegetated rooftops meant to extend the landscape upward.

At the heart of Ballantyne Reimagined is Stream Park, where an existing pond was retrofitted to capture and store rainwater while providing an aesthetic amenity. Three aerating fountains were added. An exposed aggregate concrete path flanked by illuminated bollards, security poles, and Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica 'Wildfire') leads to a seating deck with Adirondack chairs.

Stream Park's six acres encompass the realigned and stabilized McAlpine Creek corridor that expands flood capacity by accommodating overflow from the park's pond to the wider floodplain. The sinuous stream design provides a 600% increase in the corridor's function. Native plants were carefully selected to offer pockets of color and interest throughout the year.

In addition to the McAlpine Creek corridor, Stream Park features a play area with hill loops, slides, and climbing ropes from Landscape Structures atop safety surfacing. Litter receptacles in this area are the 'Chase Park' model.

Exposed aggregate concrete paths weave through Stream Park following the curves of the restored stream corridor. Nuttall Oak (Quercus nuttallii) and Willow Oak (Quercus phellos) trees were specified for this area in addition to artificial turf with hammocks from KOMPAN. The custom planter rails were fabricated by a local company. Virginia-based Irrigation Research & Design was a key consultant in the landscape strategy.

A new ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge with Ipe wood decking and weathered steel railing spans the restored McAlpine Creek corridor, linking Stream Park to The Bowl. In-grade LEDs illuminate the bridge. The shade structure made of steel and Southern Yellow Pine decking is up-lit to create the illusion of "floating."

As the district's outdoor performance venue, The Amp combines placemaking and environmental performance. The backdrop to the stage - a stormwater management pond with a decorative upper recirculating pond and a buried forebay - was created to hold a 25-year storm event as well as remove 80% of total suspended solids and 70% of total phosphorous. The tiered amphitheater lawn is Tiftuf Bermuda.

As Ballantyne connects to the Lower McAlpine Creek Greenway, this former golf cart tunnel was repurposed as a grade-separated pedestrian and bicycle connection to 20 miles of new multi-modal trails. Pathway plantings include Limelight Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'), Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis 'Tara'), and Ice Chip Butterfly Bush (Buddleja x 'Ice Chip'). A maple grows above.

1 / 12

2 / 12

3 / 12

4 / 12

5 / 12

6 / 12

7 / 12

8 / 12

9 / 12

10 / 12

11 / 12

12 / 12

Supporting thousands of residents and visitors each day in Charlotte, North Carolina, Ballantyne was one of the Southeast's most successful suburban corporate campuses. It grew around expansive office parks, a boutique hotel, and a private 18-hole golf course. Economically strong but shaped by a development centered on vehicle-dominated, single-use parcels, the district functioned as a workplace destination yet lacked a public realm that could support a more integrated daily life. Recognizing this opportunity, Northwood Development launched Ballantyne Reimagined, a long-term initiative to transform the property into a dense, mixed-use district organized around a shared public realm. As prime consultant, LandDesign led the public realm vision for Phase One, collaborating with Cooper Carry and Sasaki to shape an organizing structure that blends private development with the built environment. Infrastructure was not treated as a background system, but as a tool to guide circulation, define gathering spaces, and support long-term performance.

Establishing the Commercial Core
The Bowl at Ballantyne Reimagined serves as the development's commercial anchor. Designed as a walkable district adjacent to The Ballantyne Hotel and surrounding office buildings, The Bowl introduces more than 200,000 square feet of retail and dining within a connected network of streetscapes, plazas, and a six-acre public park, creating the physical and economic groundwork for future phases.

Phase One defined the district's primary retail spine, Bowl Street, where the public realm is shaped as a continuous, pedestrian-first environment. Along this corridor, urban green spaces are anchored by two garden-inspired retail "jewel boxes," featuring vegetated rooftops that extend the landscape upward, reinforcing a layered, immersive streetscape. Organic-shaped concrete and Ipe benches pair with native plantings to soften the street edges. Custom paving, lighting, and site furnishings carry consistent styling across the storefronts developed in collaboration with Cooper Carry, aligning architecture and landscape to support an active, everyday retail environment while remaining adaptable for events.

The redevelopment required substantial infrastructure investment and coordination. LandDesign worked closely with NCDOT to integrate transportation improvements, including upgraded intersections, enhanced pedestrian crossings, protected bicycle facilities, and shared-use paths. A $111 million investment, it establishes the framework necessary for long-term private development and sustained economic return. Connectivity extends beyond The Bowl with new multimodal routes linked to the regional greenway system, linking formerly isolated parcels to a larger recreational and transportation framework. Remnants of the former golf course cart paths and tunnels now serve as grade-separated pedestrian and bicycle connectors, enhancing safety and supporting walkability in an area formerly dominated by vehicles.

Ecological Infrastructure Disguised as Amenity
At the heart of the district, Stream Park transforms six acres of the former 18th hole into a shared civic space that anchors retail activity and - while remaining privately owned - welcomes public access for daily pursuits, seasonal programming, and large events. The park's landform was strategically manipulated to organize circulation, frame aesthetic views, and integrate stormwater and irrigation systems that manage runoff while shaping the park's character. A primary stormwater pond captures and treats runoff, meeting water quality targets while serving as a visual and functional backdrop to The Amp, an outdoor performance venue. The system is designed to retain a 25-year storm event as well as remove 80 percent of total suspended solids and 70 percent of total phosphorus, aligning environmental performance with placemaking.

Stream restoration and floodplain enhancements further increase the site's ecological function while improving development capabilities. By realigning and stabilizing the McAlpine Creek Stream corridor and expanding flood capacity, the design enhances long-term resilience while bringing the reconditioned corridor into the everyday experience. A new pedestrian bridge spans the restored stream, creating a seamless connection between Stream Park and The Bowl. Outlet controls are integrated into the park's design, embedded within trails, lawns, and gathering spaces, reinforcing the project's landscape-led identity.

Phasing a Retrofit
Transforming an occupied corporate park into a mixed-use district calls for strategic phasing. The project team coordinated across eight permits and seven design teams, with LandDesign aligning civil infrastructure, environmental approvals, and development schedules to ensure retail tenants could open for business within a cohesive public realm. Early delivery was intentional: by establishing streetscapes, parks, and multimodal connections in the first phase, the project created an identifiable center that could be built upon. This reduced fragmentation across the project, ensuring subsequent phases would easily integrate into the already functioning framework.

Utility relocation was a significant component of the project. Existing systems serving active office buildings had to remain fully operational while new infrastructure was introduced to support retail, residential, and entertainment uses. The multidisciplinary team worked to consolidate utilities, adjust grading, and manage stormwater within tight construction windows, minimizing disruption to surrounding properties.

Multidisciplinary Coordination
The complexity of the site required the design team to engage closely with the City of Charlotte, environmental regulators, and other agencies. LandDesign led the coordination of roadway upgrades, greenway connections, and permitting requirements. Collaborating with Cooper Carry ensured architectural frontage, storefront rhythm, and plaza conditions reinforced the landscape framework's pedestrian-first intent. Throughout design and implementation, landscape architects and civil engineers operated as a unified discipline. Grading strategies shaped open space while accommodating floodplain requirements. Transportation improvements support retail visibility and guide safe, intuitive circulation. Environmental systems serve both regulatory performance and long-term operational efficiency. This cross-disciplinary approach illustrates how engineering enables design and design informs infrastructure, resulting in a district where commercial success is directly supported by coordinated public investment.

Measurable Impact
Since opening, The Bowl has drawn more than 880,000 visits, with peak-day attendance reaching 15,000 and weekend activity outperforming comparable regional districts. Retail tenants are exceeding $1,000 per square foot in sales. National brands rank the district among their top-performing locations. Ballantyne Reimagined has earned multiple recognitions - including NAIOP's 2026 Project of the Year Award for New Development, a 2025 NC ASLA Honor Award in Urban Design, and the 2024 Charlotte Urban Design Award for Great Suburban Design - demonstrating the commercial value of delivering infrastructure and open space as primary drivers of development rather than afterthoughts.

By redeveloping a private golf course and corporate park into a connected, walkable "third place," The Bowl establishes a replicable model for suburban reinvention where environmental stewardship, mobility, and retail performance successfully operate as one. Ballantyne Reimagined demonstrates how coordinated, multidisciplinary collaboration across planning, architecture, and infrastructure can transform existing assets into enduring community destinations.

As seen in LASN magazine, July 2026.