Since when is a large retailer replacing LESS retail space on a lot such a horrible thing? The only reason we are not used to seeing the traffic effect of retail is because almost no one has been going to the retail that was there before Walmart.

I don't shop at Walmart, but I think its location in a zone of dying big box retail on a transit corridor and high capacity thoroughfare is not bad policy. Where would this have gone that wouldn't cause just as much traffic?

The only problem are the people going across all lanes. The cut through traffic is painful for the neighborhood, but these are city streets and as long as the traffic is calmed appropriately, it should be allowed to help ease some use of the freeway. These cars could very well be from the nearby neighborhoods, which is totally valid.

I agree that a reasonable control for this is to eliminate the right turn exits from the Walmart. People can use the freeway entrance from Pierson or drive to the exits of the Coliseum Shopping Center, which would help support the retailers there.

My hope is just like the Wilkinson Walmart, that this Independence Walmart can help create additional redevelopment of the adjacent shopping. In Wilkinson's case, the strip mall next door with Family Dollar got aesthetic improvements, and a more urban style of complementary retail near Wilkinson and Ashley.

It's not so much about some big customer, it's the dozens of smaller customers that litter the line. Like Pactive Corp, which has a dozen cars at their site or FXI which has about 8 cars. I found these companies looking at a very small part of the line. Don't forget Gerdau Ameristeel's steel mill which is the bulk of the lines traffic south of Mooresville. NS upgraded the rail between Gerdau and the charlotte yard just to handle the heavy loads into and out of this plant. The Line up to just south of Mooresville is served daily M-F from Charlotte, Mooresville and north is served by a local out of Spencer. This is actually pretty busy for a line only hauling local traffic.

I am all for the red line, but the city should have had the railroad operations as a top priority, and that just does not seem to have been the case.

TH

But, really, where is all this supposed freight coming from? Lowes? That's a corporate HQ. All the mills have long since been shut down and most of the towns, like Charlotte, promote office and service type industry. Nobody really wants heavy industrial in their backyard. It's a rare day now to see a train with any kind of cargo using those rails.

But I'd still like to see another skyscraper pop up. I'm a junkie for those things...

Would it be feasible to attract retail to uptown by offering tax breaks to retailers, or by offering some other kind of subsidy?

An executive at track owner Norfolk Southern Corp. sent an email to the N.C. Department of Transportation today that called the state-backed plan introduced last year “fatally flawed” and “based upon assumptions ... that are no longer valid.”

I know I already posted this, but I think it's worth repeating - I'm not too worried about the next skyscraper happening. It will. When? Can't say - it may be a while, but it doesn't bother me a bit.

My biggest concern is the city's infrastructure (mass transit and parks) being built as well as attracting retail to the core and retrofitting existing downtown buildings to have street retail.

Not coincidentally - I think when you take care of the latter, the former is more likely to happen due to the increased attractiveness and marketability of the city for companies looking to relocate to the core

Southpark/Ballantyne/Myers Park would be my picks if we had any choice, but between the two, I think Plaza. Southend is too commercialized I think. And all the new condo buildings would get on my nerves. I love southend a lot. I just don't want to live there.

The one thing that Charlotte has and will always posses is the drive, instinct and ability to reach past its limitations when it comes to status and recognition. The one thing it has never possessed and I doubt ever will is the heart and soul to be considered a city of the world. I know this because only those with a heart and soul can speak out against the ruthless push to relegate its own citizens as second class...

I think the root of the phrase is because Uptown is actually "up" in elevation. It is apparently the highest point in Charlotte (I have no reference for that - just what I've heard. Correct me if I am wrong). Aside from that, I think it's also a bit of marketing ploy to make it sound more desirable.

can anyone tell me exactly what led to the central business district being dubbed Uptown, and when that happened? i'm always asked by out of towners, and all i can do is shrug and say "it's a quirk."

Speaking of which, here is an interesting (and apparently old) map

How about Duke Energy? They seem to be in a growth mode. Did they acquire the name of the company eludes me at the moment, Progressive Energy, maybe? If they continue acquiring other companies, they might be the next company to require more space. As an aside Girrantana is a dreamer and some of his propasals never get built. We, here in Nashville can only hope it will be built. It is an unusal looking building.

This should probably be in the coffee house.

Apples to oranges IMO, despite the fact that parts of both have a hipster/arty reputation. I think the main difference is that much more of Southend's population is apartment-dwelling, and therefore more transient (case in point, I myself liked it but was in and out in 1 year). The increasing urbanity definitely makes it exciting right now, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of community pride aside from what you find on Camden and cozy places like Common Market. Plaza Midwood is more established and seems like more of a cohesive community, but the connectivity to other neighborhoods is pretty poor in comparison right now.

How about Duke Energy? They seem to be in a growth mode. Did they acquire the name of the company eludes me at the moment, Progressive Energy, maybe? If they continue acquiring other companies, they might be the next company to require more space. As an aside Girrantana is a dreamer and some of his propasals never get built. We, here in Nashville can only hope it will be built. It is an unusal looking building.

Why the hostility? You commented, we stated how we felt. Not a single person told you that you were wrong, they merely stated their opinion on the subject. Did you expect a different response? This is a Charlotte message board after all.

And to end it with a knock on the city? Hmm. Quite an odd choice. I for one am proud to be a North Carolianian.

I've also noticed that it looks like they're preparing to do sidewalk widening on the stretch of West Morehead along the former Beazer site. Land has been flattened next to the sidewalk and all the brush on those blocks cleared. I doubt this means any kind of project is imminent, but its good that some attention is going to get paid to the area in the meantime.