On Independence, former Office Depot to become office demo

Listen to this article

CHARLOTTE — The Office Depot building on Independence Boulevard is about to be filed away in the pages of Charlotte’s history.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is tearing the former store down to make way for the roughly $150 million Independence Boulevard widening and expansion project.

MBH Enterprises, of Rural Hall, is the general contractor for the $103,000 demolition.

Asbestos abatement is scheduled to begin Wednesday, before the building’s walls come crashing down, said Kenny Hill, senior right of way agent for the DOT.

The building is on the southeast corner of Independence Boulevard and Sharon Amity Road.

Hill said the demolition will take from three to four weeks, once the building is cleared of asbestos. In demolition projects like this, he said, it’s common to find asbestos in the insulation and the tiles in the floors and ceiling. Before the wrecking balls can start swinging, the asbestos has to be removed, he said.

Hill said he has overseen other demolition projects along Independence over the past year as the DOT waits to move forward on the massive widening and expansion project for the thoroughfare. After yet another delay, he said, the widening project will be let for bids in February, with construction set to start no sooner than late March or early April.

GUION can be reached at payton.gu[email protected], (704) 817-1344 or on Twitter at @paytonguion.