NASCAR Plaza rising next to Hall of Fame complex

NASCAR Plaza, a 19-story building, cleared the final hurdle with the Charlotte City Council last week, joining four other office projects announced or under construction.

Construction of the 19-story NASCAR Plaza office tower is to start by March and will be completed in early 2009, pending final approval by NASCAR.

Lauth Property Group, owner/developer, plans a 390,000-square-foot building to be integrated into the adjoining NASCAR Hall of Fame, across Caldwell Street from the Charlotte Convention Center.

The project will include a 1,000-space parking deck serving the three facilities and connect to the convention center via a skybridge.

NASCAR will lease about 110,000 square feet, including a TV production studio. The remainder will be speculative space.

Flint McNaughton, Lauth's Southeast regional partner, said the Class A space is available to any user, but he thinks it will appeal especially to motorsports businesses, luring nontraditional tenants to the urban core.

The $100 million project is to be finished almost a year ahead of the hall of fame.

McNaughton said NASCAR was looking for office park space when he showed Chairman Brian France the proposed hall of fame site uptown.

After seeing it, France switched gears and decided the office building should go there, too, McNaughton said.

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners did the conceptual design, and LS3P Associates Ltd. is the project architect.

Turner, Thompson, Davis and Lauth Construction will handle general contracting.

Doug Smith 704-358-5174; dougsmith@charlotteobserver.com