An Atlanta developer plans to take condo living in Charlotte's center city to its highest and densest level yet with a 35-story, 390-unit tower.

Novare Group Inc. said Thursday that it expects to start construction in the second quarter of 2005 at North Church and West Fifth streets behind the 30-story IJL Financial Center and across from Settlers Cemetery.

The building -- which will rub shoulders with uptown's tallest skyscrapers -- is the third uptown condo tower announced since mid-April.

Boulevard Centro broke ground this week on 16-story Courtside at Sixth and Caldwell streets, and developer Pete Verna plans to start work in November on The Park, a 21-story project at Third and Caldwell streets.

"What we're seeing is the continuation of an extraordinary demand for high-rise residential in the center city," said Tim Newman, president of Charlotte Center City Partners.

"The boom will continue -- there are others I am aware of looking to do projects," he said. "There is much more demand than supply to meet that demand over the next several years."

The center city population has climbed to 8,500 from about 5,500 in the mid-1990s, and it will get a boost when 1,200 Johnson & Wales University students arrive for Monday's opening.

Suburbanites weary of fighting traffic, empty nesters seeking to downsize and young professionals eager to get closer to nightlife, trendy restaurants and jobs are helping fuel the surge back to the core. The past decade has seen smaller condo projects in such neighborhoods as First and Fourth wards.

Now real estate analysts believe the center city is on the cusp of a high-rise condo boom that will shape the skyline of this decade much like office skyscrapers did during the previous decade.

John Long, Novare's chief investment officer, said the company was attracted by Charlotte's "vibrant economy" and "energetic center city," where more than $500 million in construction projects are under way, from an NBA arena to a new courthouse.

Novare, one of the Southeast's most active high-rise developers with 3,500 condo units under construction, will target professionals ages 25 to 40 with prices starting in the $170,000s for a one-bedroom condo and the $250,000s for a two-bedroom.

The project -- average unit size about 900 square feet -- will be weighted toward smaller one-bedroom condos to make uptown living more affordable to the young professionals who contribute to its vibrancy, Long said.

The building's height is tentative and could change slightly as construction plans are finalized, he said. Its value likely will be in the low to mid-$70 million range.

Long said the project will be similar in scale, design and amenities to the residential towers the company typically builds.

Novare focuses, he said, on distinctive urban architecture featuring 10-foot, floor-to-ceiling exterior glass walls; luxury finishes such as granite countertops; high-end amenities such as a 3,000-square-foot health club and reserved parking for residents.

"They are not lofts -- no exposed pipes or ductwork -- but they do have semi-open floor plans," Long said. "They will be nicely finished with stainless steel sinks, stainless steel appliances, cherry or maple cabinets and tile bathroom floors."

The condo tower -- yet to be named -- will include 8,000 to 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level.

Long said Novare puts serious thought into coming up with names suited to the city and the specific location. In Atlanta, for example, it has residential high-rise buildings named Metropolis and Centennial House.

The company has a contract to purchase the 0.8-acre site in Fourth Ward from Bank of America, which has owned it for more than 10 years.

"Bank of America wanted to see something special on that site -- that's the reason they reserved it," Newman said. "Now, this is something special."

John Saclarides, senior vice president in the bank's corporate real estate department, said, "We always thought it would be a high-rise site. It just took the uptown market a while to come around and be able to support high-rise residential."

Other developers have looked at the property from time to time. Saclarides said the bank liked Novare because of its "accomplished team" and "proven track record."

The real estate development and investment company, founded in 1992, has done projects ranging from adaptive reuse to high-rises in midtown and downtown Atlanta and has developed buildings totaling more than 2.25 million square feet.

"Because of our track record and reliable lenders," Long said, Novare doesn't need to sell condos before it starts construction. In Charlotte, developers typically try to sell at least half the units before starting a project.

If work starts as anticipated in the second quarter of 2005, it should be completed in late 2006, he said.

Atlanta's Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates Inc. is the project architect. No contractor has been named, but Long said Novare has a strong working relationship with R.J. Griffin & Co.