The River District Officially Opens its Doors to Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Sept. 22, 2025) – Crescent Communities, a nationally recognized market-leading real estate investor, developer, and operator of mixed-use communities, celebrated the official grand opening of The River District, its 1,200-acre master-planned community in West Charlotte.
More than a decade in the making, the celebration brought together homebuilders, local vendors, and community members for a day of live music, food trucks, raffles, and tours. In partnership with The River District’s multifamily community, NOVEL River District, and its four homebuilders David Weekley Homes, DRB Homes, Saussy Burbank, and Toll Brothers, Crescent Communities offered visitors a first glimpse into its vision: “the soul of the city in the heart of nature.”
“This groundbreaking marks the beginning of a place where the energy of city life flows seamlessly into the beauty of the natural landscape,” said Rainer Ficken, Senior Managing Director of The River District. “From day one, we’ve been intentional about building lasting partnerships with organizations like the Catawba Lands Conservancy, the Catawba Riverkeeper, and Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation. These collaborations ensure that The River District grows not only as a place to live, but as a place that protects our natural resources, connects people to the outdoors, and enriches the cultural fabric of our city. This moment represents the foundation of a community designed to thrive in harmony with its surroundings.”
In August, The River District welcomed its first resident to a David Weekley-designed single-family home in Westrow, the community’s 70-acre town center that will feature sidewalks connected to tree-lined streets and storefronts. Additional single-family homes and townhomes in Westrow are now under construction and available for purchase.
Earlier this month, Crescent Communities closed on its second set of 140 single-family lots in its Basswood neighborhood, with construction to begin later this year. Additionally, Crescent kicked off construction on Forge Village in Westrow, which will include a playground, a two-acre working farm, a lawn pavilion for events, and a building with a café and store selling produce from the farm.
The community also features NOVEL River District, a 318-unit multifamily development under Crescent Communities’ Class A NOVEL brand offering world-class amenities, engaging resident programming and events, and contemporary design. The initial builder phase includes more than 260 lots, with long-term plans for up to 2,300 single-family homes and 2,350 multifamily residential units. A portion of these units will be dedicated to mixed-income housing through a partnership with local developer Laurel Street Residential.
“The River District represents the most ambitious project in Crescent Communities’ history,” said Brendan Pierce, President of Commercial and The River District at Crescent Communities. “With more than 1,200 acres thoughtfully designed to bring together homes, businesses, schools, and public spaces, this community will redefine what it means to live in Charlotte. Our vision is to create a place where urban energy meets natural beauty – a destination that will serve families, businesses, and visitors for generations to come.”
As part of Crescent Communities’ overarching commitment to responsible development, The River District was designed through Bioregional’s One Planet Living (OPL) framework, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of health, economy, climate, communities, and the natural world. In April, The River District earned the prestigious One Planet Living Leader designation, becoming only the third development in the U.S. and the first in the Southeast to achieve this distinction. Recognized for its innovative approach to sustainable design, the community will reduce carbon footprints, expand access to nature, and foster healthier, more connected living.
Conceptualized through a thoughtful multi-year development process and nestled between the banks of the Catawba River and Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, The River District will integrate the primary components of urban life – a connected network of homes, retail shops, restaurants, office buildings, schools, and public spaces – with the allure of the parks, trails, forests, river access, and open spaces abound in nature. For more information, visit www.theriverdistrict.com or follow the development on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
Renderings of The River District are linked here, and photos of the Grand Opening celebration are linked here.
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About Crescent Communities:
Crescent Communities is a nationally recognized, market-leading real estate investor, developer, and operator of mixed-use "communities." We create high-quality, differentiated multifamily and commercial communities in many of the fastest growing markets in the United States. Since 1963, our development portfolio has included more than 96 multifamily communities and 25 million square feet of commercial space. Crescent Communities has offices in Charlotte, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, Dallas, Denver, and Phoenix. Our multifamily communities are branded NOVEL, RENDER and HARMON by Crescent Communities, our industrial developments are branded AXIAL by Crescent Communities, and our life science developments are branded THE YIELD by Crescent Communities.
