CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-based Hendrick Construction has completed the 80,000-square-foot second phase of the 400,000-square-foot Valerie C. Woodward Office Center. The facility, which was constructed at the intersection of Freedom Drive and Interstate 85 in Charlotte for Mecklenburg County Real Estate Services, currently houses more than 400 county employees in 180,000 square feet of space. The workers are from the social services, real estate services and the information services and technology departments. Plans for the third and final phase have not been finalized.
The property started life in 1964 as the 330,000-square-foot Freedom Mall. In 2004, the county issued a policy requiring that all construction projects costing more than $2 million obtain Silver LEED certification. Two years later, Hendrick razed the mall and started on the office property’s $12 million first phase. An underground irrigation system, on-site rain gardens and eco-friendly paints are just some of the environmentally friendly features of the development. Additionally, the use of recyclable construction materials that were manufactured locally was a big part of the project. Charlotte-based Little Diversified Architecture Consulting provided design services for the property.
“We’re proud to be part of this ambitious green-building project,” says Hendrick’s Bill Stewart in a prepared statement. “We have transformed a 40-year-old mall into a state-of-the-art facility that provides much-needed office space for Mecklenburg County.”
— Jon Ross