A rooftop restaurant and cocktail lounge called The Union Sky is set to open atop NOVI Lofts in downtown Concord sometime in August or September, bringing handcrafted cocktails, bar food and views over the city to the seven-story, 89-unit building at 23 Market St SW. The new venue will span a 2,062-square-foot restaurant and a 1,023-square-foot patio, serving American cuisine alongside pasta, burgers, flatbread pizzas and dessert.
The Union Sky is owned by Krushani Patel and her husband Ronak Patel, according to The Charlotte Observer. Patel envisions the rooftop as a relaxed but upscale gathering space, aiming to give Concord residents a local venue for nights out and special occasions. The couple also owns Red Chillez Indian restaurant and Kiddie Academy of Harrisburg, and Patel told the Observer that the new spot offers a new elevated way to experience the community.
Steven Tice, who negotiated the leasing transaction for the space, said in a news release that a rooftop venue in Concord had been discussed for years and predicted The Union Sky would become a destination drawing visitors from across the region. Tice is the principal broker and founder of Concord-based Mortice Commercial Real Estate, according to his LoopNet profile.
A $100 Million Bet on Downtown Concord
The Union Sky's arrival is the latest piece of a much larger redevelopment story unfolding around NOVI Lofts. The building sits within the NOVI portfolio — NOVI Rise, NOVI Lofts and NOVI Flats — an estimated $100 million private investment jointly developed by Lansing Melbourne Group and Denholtz Properties, according to The Cabarrus Compass. NOVI Lofts itself rose on the site of Concord's former municipal building at 26 Union Street South, land the city sold to Lansing Melbourne Group specifically to jump-start redevelopment of the central business district, per Downtown Concord, NC.
That private investment has been paired with public infrastructure work. Downtown Concord completed a streetscape overhaul along Union Street that widened sidewalks to 22 feet, narrowed travel lanes to 11 feet, upgraded underground utilities, added smart light poles and carved out dedicated outdoor dining areas, according to CESI Civil-Geotechnical-Surveying — improvements meant to boost foot traffic and outdoor gathering exactly where rooftop and street-level dining are now clustering.
Developers Refinanced as Council Held Firm on Affordability
In December 2025, Lansing Melbourne Group and Denholtz Properties secured a $50 million refinancing loan from Argentic Investment Management for the 304-unit NOVI portfolio, according to Multi-Housing News. That capital infusion came a month after the Concord City Council unanimously rejected a proposed amendment that would have cut the portfolio's required affordable and workforce housing units from 50% down to 10%, according to the Cabarrus Compass — a sign that municipal oversight of the development's public commitments remains firm even as the private side of the project moves forward.
Ground-floor retail across the portfolio already includes a 4,757-square-foot Salon Lofts location at nearby NOVI Rise, according to Denholtz Properties, adding to a growing mix of commercial tenants surrounding The Union Sky. Also on the ground level of the NOVI building is 1122 Coffee Company, owned by WNBA player Kayla McBride and her sister, Karlee McBride-Webber — a venture Hoodline reported on in July.
Union Street's Shifting Dining Scene
The Union Sky's debut lands amid broader turnover along Union Street. Fifteen-year dining fixture Gianni's Trattoria relocated to Gibson Mill Market earlier this year, opening the door for incoming concept Mestiza Steakhouse near NOVI Lofts, a shift Hoodline detailed back in March. Together with The Union Sky and 1122 Coffee, the changes point to a corridor in the midst of a broader dining reshuffle.
Patel's civic footprint has also grown alongside her business ventures. She launched a campaign for Cabarrus County Commissioner in 2026 and has taken part in regional leadership summits on child care and workforce development, according to the Salisbury Post. Patel has said she and Ronak Patel are passionate about investing in downtown Concord, a commitment now visible in both the rooftop venue and her broader community involvement.
The demand underlying all this development traces back to population growth across Cabarrus County, which is projected to grow 10.5% over five years, according to Benzinga. That growth is fueling demand for suburban multifamily housing and local entertainment amenities — the same forces that turned a long-discussed rooftop concept into The Union Sky's ground-floor-to-rooftop reality above downtown Concord.
