Construction starts on long-planned South End affordable housing

Construction has started on the first building at Centre South, the long-planned mixed-income redevelopment in Charlotte’s South End, The Fallon Company said Wednesday.

The building, called Twelve03, is planned as a 329-unit midrise with studios, one-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom apartments. The project is expected to wrap up in late 2028.

A project years in the making

Centre South was first announced in 2016 as a public-private redevelopment by The Fallon Company and Charlotte housing authority Inlivian. The site had previously been home to low-income cottages known as the Strawn Cottages.

Those cottages were demolished in 2017, but the broader plan then moved slowly through years of delays. The start of construction on Twelve03 marks the clearest sign yet that the project is finally moving from planning to building.

Axios reported in September 2025 that the first phase was expected to break ground in early 2026 and would include 66 affordable units. The new construction update confirms the start of work, but the latest reporting did not add a fresh breakdown of the affordable-unit count for Twelve03.

What Centre South is supposed to become

The full Centre South site covers 16.7 acres at the crossroads of South End, Dilworth and Uptown. The wider development is expected to include residences, office space, retail and potentially a hotel.

That makes Twelve03 the first visible piece of a larger redevelopment that has been discussed for nearly a decade. For now, it is also the first concrete step toward replacing a site that once held subsidized housing with a mixed-income project.

Why the project matters

The redevelopment carries added significance because it involves the replacement of former low-income housing with a new housing plan that includes an affordable component. Inlivian’s role reflects a broader strategy in Charlotte to weave workforce and affordable housing into larger private developments in high-growth areas.

The project also sits in one of the city’s most active corridors. South End continues to draw offices, apartments and retail, and the Centre South parcel sits near the boundary of several fast-changing neighborhoods.

What to watch next

The next milestones are likely to be a formal groundbreaking update, additional construction details from The Fallon Company or Inlivian, and any changes to the financing or delivery schedule.

It remains unclear whether the rest of Centre South will keep the same timeline as Twelve03 moves forward. The broader buildout has been discussed for years, but the start of construction gives the project its strongest momentum yet.

For Charlotte, the move is notable not just as another South End development, but as the revival of a long-delayed affordable-housing effort on a highly visible site.