A look at the progress made on River District development
Queen City News is getting a look at what's already underway and what's to come for the River District.
'It truly integrates the opportunities for employment, for living, hospitality, restaurants and diversity of product,' said Rainer Ficken, senior managing director with Crescent Communities.
Work is happening every day, and slowly but surely, the 1,200-acre piece of land is starting to look like a community.
'It's exciting because things are actually going vertical, coming out of the ground very tangible,' said Ficken. 'People can see what's going on and start to catch the vision.'
Ficken is with the development company behind the project to turn the largest piece of undeveloped land along the Catawba River into the River District. He drove our crews around the property Wednesday, showing where his team plans to add retail and office space, potential schools and restaurants, all while maintaining 500-plus acres of green space for trails and parks.
'We want to do what's right for the planet,' he said.
It's part of why the River District is the first on the East Coast to receive the One Planet Living Leaders designation for the way the project blends development with natural spaces.
'Development doesn't always mean that it's strictly about paving streets and putting up houses,' said Ficken.
When it's finished, there will be about 2,000 homes and equally as many apartment units of varying sizes and price points, including 87 affordable units.
'There's something for everybody at the River District,' said Ficken.
There's currently one completed model home on the property. Builders are already taking appointments for people to come view the home. The first apartment building could be open to tenants as early as the end of this year.
'Demand right now has been extremely strong, so we're very encouraged by that,' said Ficken.
Ficken expects the entire project to be completed in the next eight to ten years. Every detail has been meticulously designed, so the neighborhood feels like a one-stop shop for anything you could need.
'If you were to live in the River District, there will be opportunities to easily walk to your community center, to walk to neighborhood retail within community,' he said. 'To literally walk from your home to where you work.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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