Good morning! Today is Friday, August 14, 2026. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Happy Friday! Lindsey here, with some sad, almost tantrum-level news reported by Axios yesterday: Charlotte rapper DaBaby is selling his crib in Troutman.
I would be remiss not to walk down Ledger memory lane, back to when we first reported on DaBaby’s then-$2.3M estate in 2020 — an 11,300 sq. ft. compound with guard towers, a 10-foot concrete wall and stadium lighting that caused quite the stir in tiny Troutman. Ledger staff even drove to the property, stood outside the gates and talked to neighbors. That’s some true booties-on-the-ground journalism. One might say: “We go where we want, good.”
(Fun fact: “The rap star next door” remains one of The Ledger’s most-clicked stories to this day!)
Anyways, back to your regularly scheduled programming…
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After selling most of its SouthPark campus for mixed-use development, the former ‘ski-slope’ church is growing while adapting to a new way of ministry
SouthPark Church offers two worship options—traditional and modern—that both meet at 10 a.m. They also rent these spaces for community events. (Photo courtesy of Leo Solis)
by Maggie Fipps
In 2018, Sharon United Methodist Church in SouthPark took the unusual step of selling most of its land, about six acres, to a developer.
Today, the site is known as Apex SouthPark. Diners flock to its restaurants, such as Steak 48, Snooze and Calle Sol. Visitors stay at the Hyatt Centric Charlotte SouthPark, and the 345 luxury apartments at Element SouthPark are buzzing with activity.
But what about the sanctuary that remains at the center of the site, now known as SouthPark Church?
CMPD recommends teen curfew to full City Council in response to ‘teen takeovers’
A Monday night Charlotte City Council meeting made national headlines this week on the topic of “teen takeovers” and the recommendation by Charlotte’s police chief to impose a citywide curfew for teens 17 and younger.
Over the past few months, large gatherings of teens, typically at night and organized over social media, have taken over public spaces like Camp North End and Birkdale Village, some of which have resulted in serious crimes, like shootings.
The city’s safety committee held a special meeting last month, while council was on summer break, to discuss the issue and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s proposal to permanently update the Youth Protection Ordinance. The committee unanimously voted to take the recommendations to full council, which happened Monday night:
REAL ESTATE WHISPERS
Real Estate Whispers is our weekly look at commercial real estate development, debates and debacles — with plenty of scoops and information you won’t find anywhere else.
🏢 The uptown properties that could soon be heading for sale — what we know, and what we don’t
🤑 What the recent sale of The Station at LoSo says about the broader market
🏨 Fowler Building plans presented to Historic Landmarks Commission
💼 Commercial real estate executives on how they’ve navigated their careers
📝 A wrap-up of land deals and real estate news from us and other sources
🎸 Neighborhood Theatre pulls back the curtain on renovations; What to know if you’re going
The Neighborhood Theatre has been closed for about eight weeks for renovations, but the NoDa live-music venue reopened on Tuesday night with a sold-out Franz Ferdinand show in its main room.
The renovations included:
New sound and lighting systems at both of the venue’s stages, as well as what the venue operator calls “acoustical treatment” throughout the space that provides a more immersive and elevated production experience
Updated restrooms
A new draft beer bar
Renovations to the theater's balcony, with new seating and an updated VIP restroom
“Refreshed” decor and interior finishes
Renovated backstage dressing room and restroom, plus a new second dressing room
“Premium seat availability” and private event bookings
Ashley’s take:
I’m a concert enthusiast (the Franz show was my third consecutive concert this week) and have enjoyed several shows at the Neighborhood in the decade I’ve lived here. I admittedly didn’t notice much difference when I walked into the venue Tuesday night, but upon closer inspection, and after pulling up videos from previous concerts I had been to, the venue had a bit more of a “polished” look than I remembered (without losing its small-venue charm).
There was a “fast pass” option for this show. For $15 per ticket, you could skip the line and get into the venue first (general admission is standing-room-only). I did not spring for this, but I got in line early and still was able to snag a spot very close to the stage — the fast pass holders, however, pretty much occupied the front row.
The lighting and audio quality of the concert probably stood out the most to me. It’s been good at previous Neighborhood shows, and perhaps a bigger act like Franz Ferdinand simply yields a bigger, brighter show, but I thought it looked and sounded great. Visiting the women’s bathroom at the end of the night was not particularly memorable or remarkable, and perhaps that’s exactly what you want out of a public restroom. I unfortunately did not get backstage access, nor did I go up to the balcony, so I can’t speak for those updates.
But longtime fans of Neighborhood, specifically for its reputation as one of the most intimate venues in Charlotte, need not fret. This is still the theater you know and love, with just a bit of a glow-up! —Ashley Fahey
🎭 TOPPMAN ON THE ARTS
Local arts criticism — from touring Broadway shows to community theater and museum exhibits — from longtime critic Lawrence Toppman.
“Million Dollar Quartet” runs through Aug. 23 at the Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius. (Photo by Sydney Schertz Photography)
Last night, Toppman took in a rockin’ production of “Million Dollar Quartet,” which reimagines the legendary 1956 recording session that brought Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis together at Sun Records.
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
AUGUST 26: “August After Hours,” 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Town Brewing Co., 800 Grandin Rd. Please join Business Leaders of Charlotte for its monthly networking event. This is Charlotte's best networking event for professionals who build business through relationships. Everyone is welcome to attend. Free for members. $10 for non-members (pre-registration). $15 for non-members (at the door).
SEPTEMBER 1: “The Day the Music Didn’t Stop: 9/11 at 25 Years,” 7-8 p.m., at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 115 W. 7th St. Music and memory tell a story of hope and resilience, commemorating 25 years since 9/11. The Rev. Dr. Stuart Hoke shares his firsthand account from Ground Zero, interwoven with live music by 7th Street Concerts. Featuring string quartet, oboe, piano and organ, this moving program honors remembrance, healing and the enduring power of music. $30-$45/ticket.
NOVEMBER 12: “Verse & Vino,” 6-9:30 p.m., at Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College St. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation presents Verse & Vino, the region’s premier literary event presented by PNC Bank. Verse & Vino welcomes acclaimed NYT bestselling authors Isaac Fitzgerald, Lucy Foley, R.F. Kuang and Walter Mosley. Attendees will enjoy exclusive opportunities to meet each author, an elegant, seated dinner and unlimited wine. $250.
In brief
Mecklenburg sues Brooklyn Village developer: Mecklenburg County is suing BK Partners, the master developer behind the long-delayed Brooklyn Village project, seeking to terminate its rights to future phases after alleging it repeatedly missed demolition and construction deadlines. The lawsuit comes as Charlotte-based First & Early Capital, which bought the phase-one site for $24.3M in June, works with county leaders on plans to revive the uptown redevelopment. (Charlotte Business Journal, subscriber-only)
CRVA reports nearly $6.5B in Mecklenburg tourist spending: Visitors spent a record $6.47B in Mecklenburg County in 2025, up 1.5% from the previous year and the highest total of any county in North Carolina, according to a press release from the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Mecklenburg County accounted for 17.4% of the state’s $37.2B in visitor spending, which supported 38,380 local jobs and generated more than $430M in state and local tax revenue.
Airport outlines terminal people mover: Charlotte Douglas International Airport says a proposed people mover could carry passengers from the future Silver Line station on Wilkinson Boulevard to the airport in about seven minutes. Plans call for five stops, though officials are still deciding between an elevated automated train and self-driving buses. (WFAE)
Ardrey Kell faces another leadership change: Principal Susan Willis will retire Nov. 1, leaving the South Charlotte high school searching for its third principal in three years. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools plans to meet with families as it begins the search for her replacement. (WSOC)
Lowes Foods eyes South Boulevard: The grocery chain is considering converting the Burlington space at Woodlawn Marketplace into another Charlotte-area grocery store as it continues expanding across the region. (Observer, subscriber-only)
Red Line plan approves Camp North End stop: The Metropolitan Public Transit Authority approved a Camp North End station for the proposed Red Line and also voted to study a possible West Craighead stop separately. The latter had faced concerns from transit staff, but community pressure kept it in the conversation. (Observer, subscriber-only)
All Hornets games televised across Charlotte: WSOC and TV64 will air every non-nationally televised Charlotte Hornets game during the 2026-2027 season under an expanded broadcast partnership. The deal will make regular-season games available free over the air across the Charlotte market, with additional coverage and streaming details to come. (WSOC)
DaBaby to sell his crib: Charlotte rapper DaBaby has listed his nine-acre Lake Norman-area property for $6.9M, more than double what he paid in 2019, Axios reports. The Ledger first reported about DaBaby’s Troutman crib in 2020. The estate includes five bedrooms, a pool, basketball court, mini golf course and half-size football field.