NRP Group Buys 15 Acres for Multifamily Near Charlotte

Matthews is the latest growth target for one of Charlotte’s busiest multifamily developers.

NRP Group has closed on a 15-acre site in Matthews, North Carolina, where it plans to build a mixed-use apartment community with 377 units, the Charlotte Business Journal reported.

The Cleveland-based developer paid $3.5 million for the property at 11347 Brigman Road, according to Mecklenburg County records. The land, sold by Brigman Family Farm Properties, had been in private hands since 1976. The deal closed Monday.

The new development, called District at Matthews, will also include approximately 19,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.

NRP Group plans to start construction later this year, although a specific construction timeline has not been announced. The project will reserve 7.5 percent of its units as affordable at 80 percent of the area median income for at least 20 years, a condition tied to rezoning approved in June 2023.

The project adds to a growing list of NRP developments across the Charlotte metro.

The firm most recently completed the Residence at Cedar Creek, a 200-unit mixed-income complex with affordability targets at 30, 60 and 80 percent of the area’s median income. Other recent projects include Sundale Flats, Platform Lofts and the Parkwood in NoDa, the latter of which sold to Atlanta-based Cortland Partners for $80.3 million in 2020 and was rebranded as Cortland NoDa.

Matthews, a southeastern suburb of Charlotte, has drawn increased interest from multifamily developers for its promising combination of limited rental supply and steady population growth. Matthews grew by more than five percent from 29,400 to 30,900 bewteen 2020 to 2023, according to Census data.

The town’s location near Interstate 485 and the Matthews Sportsplex has made it a target for mixed-use and residential expansion. NRP’s site is less than two miles from downtown Matthews and within reach of several major retail centers. The project’s modest affordable housing component comes as local officials and planners face rising pressure to balance growth with housing accessibility in Charlotte’s outlying communities.

— Judah Duke