628 replies to this topic

[dubone]

It appears that the public comment period has just begun to approve the Alpha Cotton Mills redevelopment as a Brownfield redevelopment.
http://www.ncbrownfi...ha_Mill_SNI.pdf

According to Crosland's website, they will begin construction the next few months, and plan for a 2007 occupancy.
http://www.crosland....er_development/

For info on how they will look, here is the approved siteplan, etc.
http://www.charmeck....ns/2004-017.htm

Here is the historical essay for the almost 120 year old mill.
http://www.cmhpf.org...ottonmills.html

This mill is on the light rail corridor, and will have a major impact on optimist park and the beginning of the shift of momentum beyond Brookshire.  Much of the area has already been rezoned as part of the Piedmont Courts HOPE VI project.  I have not heard any updates, but the developers had been working with the city and others to fix the street grid in this area (it is currently interrupted by Parkwood 'Freeway' cutting from diagonally from brevard to caldwell and back to brevard.)

I am excited about this project.  Optimist Park needs all the economic boosts it can get.

[dubone]

I noticed an ads in Creative Loafing for two other Optimist Park developments:
Opt12      http://www.tuscandev...pt12/index.html
and
Duncan Gardens     http://www.tuscandev...ncan/index.html

(Duncan Gardens seems to be broken down in phases: Rosa Place 1/06. Azalea Place 3/06, and Camelia Place 5/06)

both seem to be acting on the rezonings of the neighborhood from I2 to residential and will likely have a major impact on Optimist Park (currently the most murderous square mile in Charlotte, and possibly NC).  I'm not sure what the status of the Belmont/Piedmont Courts redev, which also includes some development in Optimist Park.  But with Alpha Mill and these Tuscan developments, Optimist Park can move away from its blighted past.

[cltlvr]

How many murders have occured in Optimist Park recently? I was not aware that it was the most murderous square mile in Charlotte.

[norm21499]

Both of these developments seem to be taking place along Caldwell in that neighborhood. Wish I could see some development on N. Davidson in there as well in that neighborhood.

[cltlvr]

There is a sign on N Davidson on a plot of land next to the junk yard that is advertising Artist Lofts....have not seen any action on it yet.

[dubone]

i believe the developments are on the block between caldwell and davidson.  The sign for the artist lofts, i think was part of tuscan's "SoDa" development that dougy reported on at some point last year (horrible name, by the way, as it is not south davidson street).  I think those warehouses are part of the Opt12 area.  Tuscan seems to be doing a lot with its land around there.

I will see what i can dig up on crime.  It may have dropped since the data i saw.

[moonshield]

This project looks good to me, It would be nice to have the area cleaned up.

[norm21499]

I know there were 2 murders there at the end of last year I think. There is a lot of crime in the area, not necessarily murders. Car jacking and break-ins and house break-ins are very common around the area, even in NoDa itself once you get outside of the heart of it. It will be a few more yers but it will begin to clean itself up.

[dubone]

i hope you are right about the crime.  the numbers i saw were a few years ago,w hen the area hired a private police service.  It was a map, and on murders, optimist park was black in the legend and the neighborhoods all around uptown on the north and west were dark gray, and then most of the rest were white or light gray.  There were numbers to go with it, too.  I'll see if i can find my original source, but it would be great if they've come around in just a couple years.

[norm21499]

As far as the crime in that area goes, you just need common sense. Leave lights on when you arent home, lock all the doors to your house and your car. Dont leave anything outside. Don't walk outside by yourself at night unless there are a lot of other people around. I lived in Noda for about 6 months, and this homeless guy came into my back yard when I was getting in my car, and he was standing there looking at me, carrying a bottle of clue liquid. I pulled out of the backyard as fast as I could and drove away, and hoped this guy wouldnt break into the house. My room mate had never had anything happen like that to him living there in the 5 years he had been in the house, guess I just have bad luck lol. We would always leave the tv or radio on when we werent home too to make it sound like someone is in the house. The reason why he was so cautious is because he doesnt have money to fix the outside of the house, and from the outside it looks like his house is abandoned, which of course draws attention to the wrong kind of people. Despsite all of the precuations I have just said, I feel that crime in that area is.....slowly.....going down and I loved living in that area.

[c_harmons]

What ever happened to Crosland?  Ever since Birkdale they have seemed to drop off the map!

[atlrvr]

They are busy developing Blakney down in South South Charlote, and are getting ready to start a huge new development off of Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd. by the river.

[c_harmons]

atlrvr, on May 6 2005, 07:03 PM, said:

They are busy developing Blakney down in South South Charlote, and are getting ready to start a huge new development off of Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd. by the river.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is that mixed-use like Birkdale?

[moonshield]

its most like a cheaper ballantyne. Stonecrest II, with many small office buildings, apartments, and cheap looking townhouses. I am not impressed with what I have seen so far. But since its under construction it will be interesting how it pans out.

[nyxmike]

Blakeney looks like it will be nicer than Stonecrest. The Town Center looks good. Here are a few renderings of it...







Here are some of the homes. I think they look alright. A little cookie-cutter, but not too bad.



This development should be almost completed by 2007.

Edited by nyxmike, 06 May 2005 - 09:03 PM.

[moonshield]

that does look better then I thought it would, not too bad. I am not talking about those townhomes being the bad ones, the ones right next to them are the poor ones.

[c_harmons]

The renderings do look nice, but then again I have seen a lot of nice renderings.  It seems that when the project is actually built though, they often look a lot worse.

I remember Crosland before Birkdale and they have nice projects, but they are all pretty cookie cutter.  I hope they don't revert back to that on this project.

[dubone]

I have emailed CHA for an update on the Piedmont Courts revitalization.  We were awarded the $20m federal grant in 2003.  The local bonds passed in the 2004 election.  

I have heard that currently they are just waiting for the current residents to be relocated to better public housing projects before they can continue with any demolition, etc.

http://www.hud.gov/o...3/charlotte.pdf

The plans call for desctruction of the half-century old Piemont Courts, which has 242 units.  940 total units will be built (almost quadrupling density), with 337 being affordable/subsidized housing with the rest being mixed-income/middle class units to create a socially and fiscally sound community.  

Most of the current residents will be moved to section 8 housing throughout the city.  60 families will return to the new Hope VI redevelopment, as they apparently meet the stricter rules, which include requirements for taking classes, getting a job, and against criminal behavior (i believe).  

A total of $100million dollars will be spent on this project, not counting the major investments, in the area such as the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, etc.

[dubone]

here is the reply i got from CHA on the status of the Hope VI project:

Quote

Charlotte did receive a HOPE VI grant to revitalize Piedmont Courts.  Families are currently being moved from the site and demolition should start in January 2006.  The first phase of the revitalization is not slated to begin at the Piedmont Courts site, but instead will begin at two sites on Siegle Ave. about a quarter of a mile from Piedmont Courts.

Knowing that so much will be rebuilt in Siegel Ave makes me more excited about the possibility of a streetcar spur going in that direction.  Belmont can very quickly become a stable neighborhood in 5-10 years and be better than First Ward because of its plentiful stock of original 50-100 year old homes, and a tree canopy.

[Shawn&Zae]

There's something going on 16th and Seigle, but I'm not sure what it was, it was some old run down apartments that they torn down. However I heard it might be part of the Piedmont Court redevelopment.