628 replies to this topic

[archiham04]

I think the immediately adjacent neighbors are welcoming the appreciation in value.  The developer couldn't or wouldn't pay what they were asking... or so I'm told.

[Shawn&Zae]

The evident of construction on Duncan project can be seen from Parkwood Ave, however that old run down apartment on 16th is still there. The property values will go up as the NELRT project speeds up in a few years as the 16th Street station is a block away.

[f0xym0p]

Yeah, I went over there last night and saw they had cleared the land on Parkwood. The framing is on the ground for Opt12 and all the pipes are sticking out.
There was a handwritten combination "Coming Soon/Wet Paint" sign on the building on 15th beside Cre8 Group. I believe the sign said it was Harris Transportation, but I can't remember for sure.  
Oh, and I posted the wrong website for Cre8 group, it should be http://www.cre8groupe.com/

Not only will the LRT be a block away, but the greenway is a block away also.

[dubone]

f0xym0p, on Jul 8 2005, 08:07 AM, said:

Oh, and I posted the wrong website for Cre8 group, it should be http://www.cre8groupe.com/

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

kinda funny that both cre8group and cre8groupe do concrete work.  

the stuff that cre8groupe makes are really cool.  they are the kind of fixtures you say "you have GOT to go see the bathroom in this place".

Hopefully their presence will help get some of those more interesting fixtures in the projects that go up around uptown, etc.

[f0xym0p]

Yeah, plus I noticed that the number on cre8group.com is a 704 number, so maybe they are the same.

That stuff on the website is so awesome. Opt12 is going to have concrete floors so I'm hoping cre8group will design them! I would love to have a countertop like that too.

[dubone]

well, i believe it is now a certainty that the rail yards will move from Optimist Park to the airport.  congress has appropriated more than half the total money need to make the shift, according to the observer.

http://www.charlotte...ss/12273353.htm


I have written this many times, but i think the single act of moving the rail yards will have major impact on the area between downtown and university city.  There are major industrial and frieght operations in this area now, which create a serious impediment to residential or commercial growth in the huge section of the urban grid.  Hopefully the feds can also eventually appropriate some brownfield redev funds, too, for the area as that will certainly be needed.

Once the major industrial magnets have relocated to the airport, growth can begin to reclaim the area by branching out from the northeast transit stations, uptown neighborhoods, and the noda neighborhood.

The infrastructure is there to support a major population: 3 freeways, 2 rapid transit lines, extensive grid network, greenway, historic industrial facilities that are attractive enough to redev, no political opposition to density.......


(EDIT: and i'd love for the area to be called "North End" ...sorry MB)

[atlrvr]

Not to be a downer......but after looking through the RFPs we had here and talking to some people at the city, the only thing for certain to move is the multi-modal yards......this would be the 40 acre piece they refer to in the article.  The remainder of the rail yards would stay......at least for now.

[dubone]

So the intermodal facility isn't actually the rail yards, it is land adjacent to the rail yards?  do you know what blocks specifically the 40 acres are, then?


Well, although that isn't as good as i thought a minute ago.... in the spirit of optimist park, i'll say once intermodal operations leave, N-S may not see a need to have the yards....  Also, although it would be important for the area to get rid of the yards, because they prevent east-west traffic flow in the area.... there is much more land dedicated to the freight tracks than there are dedicated to the freight trains...  As much larger facilities are built near the airport, many of the companies currently dedicated to trucking around there would likely begin scouting larger facilities closer to the new intermodal facility, 485, and Garden Parkway.  Over a decade, the trucking-related land could be mostly gone, and even if the rail yards remain, there could still be a major redev of that land.

[monsoon]

Its very tough, tough as pulling teeth from chickens, to get railroad companies to give up ROW such as that.

[dubone]

monsoon, on Aug 1 2005, 12:20 PM, said:

Its very tough, tough as pulling teeth from chickens, to get railroad companies to give up ROW such as that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yeah...but we are just talking about the yards rather than the through lines... the culdesac/deadend tracks are there for trains to stop... but if they aren't lifting freight off to go to trucks, or at a station (both the passenger stations and the intermodal transfer facilities will be moving to better locations), then you don't need all those anymore.   The single/double tracks for moving trains through there would remain indefinitely no matter what happens.

you might be right, that they won't give it up the extra area... but it just seems like they'll be unneeded once the other facilities leave, so they'd be abandoned.  

Are there any examples of this sort of transition in other cities?  I'm sure it is a very common thing for freight operations to move from old parts of cities to newer areas...  what have the railroads done with the older yards?  orulz, do you know?

[botsemanne]

dubone, on Jul 8 2005, 08:23 AM, said:

kinda funny that both cre8group and cre8groupe do concrete work. 

the stuff that cre8groupe makes are really cool.  they are the kind of fixtures you say "you have GOT to go see the bathroom in this place".

Hopefully their presence will help get some of those more interesting fixtures in the projects that go up around uptown, etc.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah that is kinda confusing. CRE8group's flooring division was bought out by a company named EUROfloors.

These EURO guys are THE concrete stain specialists. I have seen some of their work in the new art gallery (8,000 sq. ft.) in the town of Davidson, Wooden Stone.
(South end of Davidson  see: http://www.woodenstonegallery.com
Some real cool looking stuff.  http://www.eurofloors.us

[dubone]

http://charlotte.biz.../15/story4.html

it seems that the $66m Norfolk Southern Intermodal Yard plans are continuing to move forward, which could free up 40 acres in optimist park, where the current operations are staged.

Quote

The deal also has big implications for the emerging residential districts just north of uptown, adjacent to Norfolk Southern's existing rail yards.

City leaders love the idea of converting about 40 acres now used by Norfolk Southern's intermodal group into potential commercial and residential uses, Orr notes. The switch would reroute thousands of trucks from congested uptown roads.

Norfolk Southern's main rail yards in north Charlotte would remain in place.

i'm sad to see confirmation that the rail yards will remain, but the land area devoted to trucking and the intermodal facility in optimist park would be a major boost to the area if converted to TOD or other use.

[dubone]

i inquired of crosland as to the status of the alpha mill project, as their website originally said summer 05 for construction, which is almost over....

they said they closed on the property last month and are now waiting from the national parks service for the historical tax credit approval.  construction will begin within the next 2 months.

[f0xym0p]

dubone, on Aug 22 2005, 05:36 PM, said:

i inquired of crosland as to the status of the alpha mill project, as their website originally said summer 05 for construction, which is almost over....

they said they closed on the property last month and are now waiting from the national parks service for the historical tax credit approval.  construction will begin within the next 2 months.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, that is good news. I was getting scared that this project wasn't actually going to happen. Maybe you should tell them to remove the "For Sale" sign from the top of the mill.

[dubone]

Groundbreaking was held on a piedmont courts revitalization/hope VI project yesterday.   The new project will be named McAden Park Apartments.

Construction of various aspects of the Belmont Plan will take place through the end of 2009, but the first homes (i believe those at the 16th street intersection mentioned earlier in the thread) will be ready for move in a year.  

http://www.charlotte...al/12699838.htm


These apartments are a $125m investment which is almost 3/4 from private funds.  Although it uses the Hope VI model, that program has been relatively phased out by the current administration, and the grants are now only $20m, or ~1/6 of the project.

[A2]

Where exactly is the first building going up at D. I am unsure by reading the article. It talks about it around a field in the Central Ave area. I thought this was right below the First Ward neighborhood. I am totally turned around on where this is at. BTW does anyone know what kind of structures we are going to be looking at. Will they be dense 4-8 story complexes, or small residential towers north of 12 stories???? Just curious.  

A2

[dubone]

i emailed the guy in charge of this project a few months ago and asked if there were any details or docs, but never really got any.  I'm sure there are remnant of info in the Belmont Area Plan and old news articles.

Piedmont Court is situated just across 277 from first ward and north of 10th street.  The investments/improvements, however are being scattered throughout optimist park and belmont neighborhoods.  Most of the reason for that is that much of piedmont courts is currently in a floodplain for little sugar creek.

As far as the field off of Central... i have no idea what they are talking about... check out the sats of the area (piedco is the area around Siegel, McRae and Willis).  The track and field in that sat is part of Piedmont Middle School and is not part of this project.  But i'll post if i find out the specifics.

http://virtualearth....le=h&lvl=16&v=1

[dubone]

I am not sure if it has anything to do with location of the new apartment complex described in the article, but there is a McAden St a couple blocks north of the current piedmont court.  That could be related to this...
http://virtualearth....le=h&lvl=17&v=1

but then again, McAden might just be a historical reference or something and be located somewhere else.
http://www.cmhpf.org...mont-et-al.html

(That second link shows the historic properties in the area)

there is a ton of info in the belmont plan
http://www.charmeck....elmont Plan.htm
but i think it was adopted before specifics were known for the federal-related project.

[monsoon]

It is a great area that just awaits redevelopment.  From the satellite shots, you can see the extensive area of gridded streets.  Any ideas why it is taking so long?

[dubone]

monsoon, on Sep 21 2005, 07:40 AM, said:

It is a great area that just awaits redevelopment.  From the satellite shots, you can see the extensive area of gridded streets.  Any ideas why it is taking so long?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i'm sure it is taking so long because of complexity, slow payments from the feds, and the shoestring budget of the city agencies involved.

i agree, this massive investment in the area (which in addition to this 125m, there is little sugar creek greenway, north east light rail, and i think it was 100m or so invested by the city in their city yards land) will DEFINITELY turn this neighborhood around, and i think will benefit most of the current residents who have fought the blight for years..

There is a cookie factory in belmont behind piedmont middle that makes it an absolute joy to live in first ward, and i'm sure in the revitalized belmont and other nearby areas.  I remember when i first moved to town, we had a friend move to ballantyne and gloat that it was the fancy part of town, but when we visited it would smell like peppermint from the wastewater plant down there... but when she visited us, it always smelled like chocolate chip cookies .