Building Connections, The ULI Charlotte Podcast

Every construction project carries risk. Some of it can be controlled, some of it can only be managed and some of it doesn’t show up until the schedule or the budget already feels it.

In this episode of Building Connections, Brian Nicholson of RyLake Consulting talks with Mike Moore of Pappas Properties and Andy Aldridge of Edifice Construction about identifying risk early, the power of early contractor involvement and design-assist processes, and the market forces no one can fully control. They also discuss how owners, designers and contractors can work together to protect budget, schedule and long-term value.

Charlotte’s tree canopy is one of the city’s defining characteristics. But as the region continues to grow, can Charlotte maintain its identity as the City of Trees, especially with a goal of 50% canopy coverage by 2050 and current coverage sitting at 47%?
In this episode of Building Connections, host Bart Landess of Catawba Lands
Conservancy sits down with Eric Schmidhausler of Bartlett Tree Experts and Thomas Haapapuro of Design Resource Group (DRG) to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding Charlotte’s urban forest.
From development pressures and tree preservation policies, like the city’s
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), to homeowner responsibilities and “teenage trees” in the canopy’s future, the conversation explores how thoughtful planning, community advocacy and smart design can help balance growth while preserving one of the region’s most valuable assets. 

Listeners can visit: https://charlotte.uli.org/resources/building-connections-the-uli-charlotte-podcast/ and click on episode #15 to access resources on the tree canopy and tree preservation in Charlotte.

Charlotte has become one of the nation's most watched growth markets. But what are experienced developers seeing that keeps them investing here?

In this episode of Building Connections, Charlotte Ledger Managing Editor Ashley Fahey talks with leaders from Republic and Hines about why Charlotte continues to attract capital, talent and ambitious development projects.

They discuss the opportunities, challenges and long-term trends shaping the city's next chapter.

Restaurants play an important role in shaping how people experience a
place, but behind the energy and atmosphere is a business model under
constant pressure. 

In this episode of Building Connections, host Rachel Krenz sits down with
restaurateur and celebrity chef Chris Coleman with Built on
Hospitality and developer Bobby Speir with Crosland Southeast to
explore the intersection of restaurants and real estate from both sides of the
table. 

The conversation digs into the realities restaurant operators face, from
rising costs and labor challenges to the complexity of scaling and sustaining
concepts. It also examines how developers and landlords evaluate restaurant tenants, balancing the value they bring to a project with the risk they carry. 

Together, they discuss how expectations are shifting, where traditional deal structures fall short and what more collaborative approaches could look like moving forward.

In this episode of Building Connections, host Todd DeLong of the City of Charlotte Economic Development Department sits down with Jeff Brown of Moore & Van Allen and Daniel Malino of Levine Properties to break down how public-private partnerships (P3s) actually work.

From the legal structure behind these deals to the financial realities developers face, the conversation explores how cities and private partners collaborate to deliver projects that benefit both the market and the community. Using real Charlotte examples like Camp North End, the Pearl Innovation District and Providence Square, they discuss the tools, timing and relationships required to structure successful P3s and how infrastructure investment and aligned public priorities can unlock development that might not otherwise happen.