| Dilworth was Charlotte’s first true streetcar suburb established in the 1890s to allure upper middle class residents through stately trees, curvilinear streets, convenient access to parks, and large homes. Commercial development is concentrated along South Blvd and East Blvd with a mix of urban and suburban orientated buildings. Recent in-fill has generally improved the urban form of existing commercial nodes especially at East Blvd & Kenilworth and South Blvd adjacent to the light rail line and across from the dense development of the South End. A major area for Dilworth to improve in order to become a premiere urban district is more density. Its current density of 5,000 souls per square mile is more akin to a post War II suburb. Higher density could facilitate more walkable schools and retail amenities. The district is also pretty exclusive and needs more diversity. |
URBAN STRENGTHS:
| * Good public transit and very convenient access to Dwtn. * Solid ADA and sidewalk infrastructure. * Great dedicated bike lane system but only a couple bike share along the northern edge of the district. * Large supply of rental housing generally skewing expensive. 1-bedrooms lease btwn $1,000-$1,500, 2-bedrooms from $1,000s to the low $2,000s, and 3-bedrooms btwn 2K-4K. * Great park amenities with the expansive Freedom park on Dilworth southern edge with its extensive recreational path and the multi-faceted Sedgefield and Latta Park. Also a nice bike path on the northern edge of the district. * Very safe district with really no blight. * Culturally Dilworth hosts a great array of restaurants, bars, cafes, art galleries, and a handful of live music venues, * Quality urban amenities although some are pretty auto centric. Several full service supermarkets, including a supermarket, drug store, public library, post office, good array of chain retailers at the Atherton Mill and many other higher end retailers, plenty of boutiques, a couple book store, and Charlotte’s largest hospital sits alongside the district’s southern border. * Great early 20th century SF historic architecture. Modern in-fill is good as well with a nice mix of urban townhomes, MF, and historic looking SF homes. * Excellent Tree canopy. |
URBAN WEAKNESSES:
| * Racial, economic, and generational diversity are all fair. * This is one of Charlotte’s most expensive urban districts, but still some for sale product reasonably priced. 1-bedroom condos sell in the high 100s & 200Ks, 2-bedroom condos btwn 250K-500K, modest SF homes btwn 500K-800K, larger homes 800K to 1.5 Million. * No museums, theaters or historic sites. * Schools are limited to a highly rated elementary. * Urban form of the business districts (South End & East Blvd) is a mixed bag. * Good vibrancy at commercial nodes (South End & East Blvd and East Blvd & Scott Ave) but plenty of dead spots. |
Evaluating our Urban Communities [with a focus on America] 