Elizabeth Projects (7th St, Elizabeth Ave, etc)

[dubone]

if you get the chance you should ride by CPCC on kings dr. i noticed they were hoisting the new statue in place yesterday. i drove by today and it was on its base... still workers there doing finishing touches around the statue. she is beautiful... the offical dedication is on dec.13 or 18th? can't remember.

Wow, I thought it was to go up with streetscape construction next year. Thanks for the update.

[Seabreeze]

What does the statue look like? I didn't get a chance to see it in the paper when i was home

Its 5 different people/angels that are all going into the sky, anchored by a giant angel... its about 18 feet high

Edited December 4, 2005 by Seabreeze

[eastsider]

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/13323506.htm

An article about the sculture called "Aspire". The dedication will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

[atlrvr]

SOme building on 5th St. was just demolished....I don't remember exactly which one but it's across from Elizabeth Elem. School and the historic church.

I think this site is being cleared to use for temporary parking as they build other projects that will eat up parking lots.

[dubone]

That is the symbol of progress in this town .

I assume it is the one at 5th and Travis.

http://virtualearth.msn.com/default.aspx?c...le=h&lvl=19&v=1

If I remember right, it was quite unattractive, so I guess if it allows another project to start soon, it really is progress.

[nyxmike]

Does anyone know when/if Whole Foods has started construction yet? On Grubb's website, it says Whole Foods Opening Spring 2006.

[dubone]

No, unless they have some seriously fast contractors, Spring 2006 is incorrect.

I just looked up the rezoning application, and it is marked as "Indefinite Deferral"!

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Planni...ns/2005-092.htm

What is the story? Are they just using the current zoning, or is this project in jeopardy?

[nyxmike]

I'm not sure - I hope not, I am looking foward to Whole Foods.

On the Whole Foods website, it still has Charlotte listed as a store in development:

Charlotte

Whole Foods Market

Elizabeth Ave & Hawthorne

Charlotte, NC

50,000 sq. ft.

Opening date to be announced.

[dubone]

It is possible that they have dropped plans for the residential or whatever else that required a Mixed-Use zoning rather than B2.

[dubone]

I drove by the new statue in front CPCC's new Academic Center. It really is cool.

I'd imagine that the people who don't like CPCC's recent trend of building new stuff that looks old will not like it. With the Academic Center and this old-style statue, I have to remind myself that it was all built circa 2005, and not circa 1925.

I like it for CPCC, as it makes it really look more like a college.

[cinco]

I drove by the new statue in front CPCC's new Academic Center. It really is cool.

I'd imagine that the people who don't like CPCC's recent trend of building new stuff that looks old will not like it. With the Academic Center and this old-style statue, I have to remind myself that it was all built circa 2005, and not circa 1925.

I like it for CPCC, as it makes it really look more like a college.

i agree. i am a sucker for good modern art and alas, charlotte falls very short of satisfying that fix for me. however, good art is good art and this statue is a great addition. in the observer article a week or so ago i remember the sculpter being described as being "anti-modern"... i had to laugh.

9 times out of 10, anything in a public space works for me. i love the fact that it makes you notice the space, that you might not have given a glance @ before. whether you like the piece or not... i think its nice that you usually assimilate some type of opinion. one of my pleasures in life is having a harsh first opinion of something only to later discover i have changed that opinion completely.

[Miesian Corners]

I drove by the new statue in front CPCC's new Academic Center. It really is cool.

I'd imagine that the people who don't like CPCC's recent trend of building new stuff that looks old will not like it. With the Academic Center and this old-style statue, I have to remind myself that it was all built circa 2005, and not circa 1925.

I like it for CPCC, as it makes it really look more like a college.

If only they had removed the above-ground utilities along Kings Drive and Elizabeth Avenue, there might actually be a vista. Sigh.

[dubone]

If only they had removed the above-ground utilities along Kings Drive and Elizabeth Avenue, there might actually be a vista. Sigh.

I am very hopeful the the small-scale utilities will be removed from Kings and Elizabeth as part of the streetscape plans to be under construction next year. As CPCC is paying for the part around their campus for the Elizabeth Ave project, I'm sure they're at least doing the part in from of their new Academic Center.

The lines that I'm doubtful will every be removed, is the high voltage line from Cordelia Park, along Sugar Creek to CMC, and along Kenilworth and beyond. If they cannot be buried or removed, I would at least like Duke to replace the A-frame towers with the solid cylindrical poles, which look significantly better.

[Miesian Corners]

Yeah, I heard that too. But would it not have made significantly more sense to bury the lines around the new building while it was under construction? Now they'll have to tear up the streets (again) to put the wires underground. Brilliant.

[monsoon]

I don't think they like to bury power lines of this high voltage through flood planes. Maybe they could paint the steel towers red like they do in Japan. It does have a certain look to it.

[dubone]

Yeah, I think we are stuck with the high voltage lines.

I was in Florida recentally, and noticed that they do theirs with a single pole with three notches, and 3 lines. Somehow, without multiple lines in a horizontal plane, it looks a whole lot cleaner.

The red sounds interesting, but that might be a lot like lipstick on a pig .

I found some photos on the a-frame towers versus the pole towers. Duke currently has a mix, and seems to be using the more attractive pole versions downtown when they build, such as around the Brookshire and Independence interchange.

New transmission towers:

Old transmission towers

They aren't exactly like Duke's, but close enough to get the idea. At the ground level, it makes such a difference aesthetically to have the tubular pole, instead of a 5'x5' base for the old towers, like along Kenilworth.

[49er]

i noticed yesterday that one of the old 50's office buildings was being demolished on 5th street, behind hawthorne medical center. maybe grubb will start on this block soon?

[dubone]

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=263670

Atlrvr thinks it might just be to provide parking while Grubb builds another block, perhaps it to prepare to build the Whole Foods.

I hope it is for Whole Foods. I think that will be a driver of other development in the area, as grocery stores often do. It is a little unclear what the story is now that they abandonned their request for rezoning.

Existing B2 zoning is fine for the Whole Foods, but not for residential above the store as was originally planned. Maybe they just plan to build up residential in a future phase.

[atlrvr]

The CPCC parking deck will be starting any day....as far as other projects....be patient...they will be worth the wait...trust me.

There will still be residential above it....but the starte date will be delayed......

[dubone]

There will still be residential above it....but the starte date will be delayed......

So the parking deck will be delayed, or just the residential portion?

[ElricSeven]

There will still be residential above it....but the starte date will be delayed......

How cool would it be to live over a Whole Foods? Is it open 24 hours per day? You wouldn't need a refrigerator.

[Neo]

How cool would it be to live over a Whole Foods? Is it open 24 hours per day? You wouldn't need a refrigerator.

When I lived in Chicago I lived over a Whole Foods and it wasn't open 24 hours a day. No Whole Foods is open 24 hours a day that I'm aware of. I didn't get much benefit from it and ended up having to take the subway to the grocery store considering Whole Foods doesn't really carry much in the line of regularly used products, at least not ones I regularly use.

[dubone]

Yeah, I can't imagine that Whole Foods type people are up shopping in the middle of the night.

Atlrvr, were you saying there would be residential on the parking deck, Whole Foods or both or neither?

[atlrvr]

I was saying there would be residential over the Whole Foods....I'm not sure about the parking deck, but it wouldn't surprise me there either.

I was also saying the Whole Foods could be delayed a bit longer than people anticipate.

A little known trivia fact. Whole Foods was supposed to come to Charlotte in ~2000. The land was assembled on East between Kenilworth and Scott, but WF backed out before construction began. To make the numbers work for the price of the land, Latta Pavillion was born.

[ElricSeven]

When I lived in Chicago I lived over a Whole Foods and it wasn't open 24 hours a day. No Whole Foods is open 24 hours a day that I'm aware of. I didn't get much benefit from it and ended up having to take the subway to the grocery store considering Whole Foods doesn't really carry much in the line of regularly used products, at least not ones I regularly use.

You survive on Ramen Noodles and Mac'N Cheese?