Turning Vision into Reality: Anker Haus

In 2017, UDP was approached with a pocket neighborhood concept and tasked with how to bring it to reality, without going through the rezoning process. This posed an interesting challenge since in pocket neighborhoods units front communal open and gathering spaces versus the traditional residential layout where units front public roads. Homes are clustered together, reserving additional outdoor common open space for residents. Anker Haus is recognized as the first of its kind in the Charlotte market and is the unique result of innovative design thinking, creative problem-solving, and effective collaboration among the entire design team.

UDP worked through various challenges with the site design, topography, and permitting, as a pocket community concept had never been completed in Charlotte. Utilizing a combination of private streets and alleys to provide access to the units while creating a warm, walkable community within the limitations of the zoning code was difficult. The layers of permitting included Planning & Zoning, Stormwater, Erosion Control, Urban Forestry, Charlotte Water, NCDEQ and Charlotte Department of Transportation.

Key components to any pocket neighborhood are the open space and amenity areas for residents to enjoy. Shared amenities at Anker Haus include a pool, a courtyard with TVs, as well as an outdoor dining room with gas fireplace and grilling area. These amenities create spaces for the residents to gather and form a true sense of community. Within these planned amenity areas, there was significant coordination effort due to the relationship between the utility lines and amenities. Access to the site is through a shared driveway with the adjacent community which was re-designed to accommodate the additional traffic.

Since welcoming the first residents in 2019, Anker Haus created a unique community that has become a model for others within Charlotte and has been a beautiful addition to the Plaza Midwood neighborhood. From the planning and design to execution and construction, Anker Haus is an award-winning project. Pocket neighborhoods provide an alternative to the traditional single-family residential community but require creative planning and engineering design.