SgtCampsalot

Interesting light shed on our former Commission: Screenshots of how soon-to-be former County Commissioner highly conservative Vice Chair Jim Puckett (R)articulates how he “handled” our County chair Ella Scarborough (D) throughout their tenure to get a 6-3 Democrat majority to operate like a 5-4 or 4.5-4.5 ratio. To quote the always-thoughtful Justin Perry: "To be clear, he got the vice chair spot based on in-fighting between (identified) Democrats. For the record, I applaud the republicans for manipulating our democrats so effectively. I’m not mad at you and tip my hat. It’s the democrats who need to get it together. "

Can anyone illuminate the history behind this structure, behind Saint Peter's on the Green (this is the building that houses Fuel Pizza, et al). I never gave it much thought but realized it looks like it used to be a church hall or something. (Posting other photos of the church properties because they're so beautiful even from a parking lot)

Any idea how long it takes to top-out and start leasing a project like this? First Ward's getting a good one!

Growing up in South Charlotte around these kinds of roads, then living for a while in Charlotte with no car and taking a bus and my bike everywhere, is exactly what led to me following UP and why I care about the things we talk about here. We fail to consider that it's the road's fault for deaths and injuries. But if we do that, then we call into question the design of our built environment, which calls into question the values of our culture, which then begs the question of what we value for ourselves and our families, and how much we're willing to advocate for change. If we acknowledged that our built environment is the result of the largest federally subsidized social experiment in human history, and that it is contributing to the wealth of some at the expense of others, then... Well, that's a big pill to swallow, especially if we've built our life around one of these communities that are designed to benefit from this system. A lot of introspection is required and it's not so easy. So, it becomes easier to shame pedestrians or lambast drivers. I don't know ow the answer, but I do know that a person getting hit by a car in Uptown is far more likely to survive than the same occurrence on Fairview Rd.

First Wesley Village, now this. What gives? The real estate market doesn't seem to see FreeMoreWest as an urban community...

What are the odds of these windows in the NASCAR Hall of Fame being converted to retail? Also, what's the deal again with the parking lot at Caldwell/Stonewall? I walked Stonewall today and -- I know I know we're spoiled -- but it's a bit disappointing that Stonewall's exciting development is exclusively on one side of the street, with the other side being littered with institutional buildings with bad street presence that are not to be changed. or going anywhere. The whole Stonewall corridor still feels very disconnected from Uptown... I imagine the Brooklyn Village redevelopment will be the one thing that can make the corridor finally feel coherently unified with the surrounding area. Until then we've got: -Charlotte Convention Center (this street frontage across from Whole Foods is not getting re-done anytime soon) -NASCAR Hall of Fame (retail, maybe?) -Vacant Parking Lot at Caldwell/Stonewall (beacon of hope?) -Charlotte Metro School (what's the likelihood they would sell? Not that we'd want them to) -Second Ward HS Gymnasium (very important relic of a bygone community) -Mecklenburg Country Aquatic Center (they just did renovations, right? Ain't goin' nowhere...)

I hear you, but is this logic based on the market's perception of necessary "auto traffic capacity", or some legitimate functional limitation. Because the way I see it, the entire Belmont, Villa Heights, NoDa, Shamrock, area (within one mile of BLE) would function far more fluidly with higher density than most of South End for the very reason of its lesser auto capacity. Perhaps I'm thinking with my rosey "Global City" glasses, and ignoring American tendencies.

IMO the value of OP and NoDa is their lack of connection to major thoroughfares. Parkwood/The Plaza is the closest thing to a traffic-heavy arterial. Central Ave, South Blvd, etc, make it much harder to walk, bike, or even drive around, whereas the other neighborhoods' road system makes it nicer and much safer.

1. Noted 2. Oh I honestly still wish they had made OP's station at 16th St rather than Parkwood. But there are pros and cons no matter what...

Honest survey question: Will people consider this close enough to the Parkwood Station to have Lynx-value? Maybe it's because that stretch of Parkwood still feels like a baron hellscape, but it seems like people may consider it just too-many-hundreds of feet away from the station to feel convenient. Or maybe that will change after the Parkwood road diet is completed...

From the article (read using Incognito Mode): "This $60 million Optimist Park project has snagged new restaurants and retail. Expect Archer Paper Goods — a stationary and supplies shop — and cocktail bar Billy Sunday to open next spring at Optimist Hall. Two additional food hall tenants — The Dumpling Lady and Pet Wants — also have taken space. Charlotte’s White Point Partners and Atlanta-based Paces Properties are behind that adaptive-reuse project. It sits on an 11.9-acre parcel on East 16th Street. It breathes new life into an old textile mill, which dates to the 1890s. This will be the first North Carolina location for Archer Paper Goods. The concept taken 2,258 square feet for a shop that will sell greeting cards, books, journals and other gifts. Chicago-based Billy Sunday will offer classic drinks, new creations and a menu of elevated bar food. It will occupy 1,450 square feet. The food hall continues to line up tenants. Popular Charlotte food truck The Dumpling Lady will open its first bricks-and-mortar location. Expect that concept to dish up handmade dumplings, noodles, dim sum and Sichuan dishes. “Following such success in Charlotte at local farmers’ markets and with our food truck, we knew we wanted to find a forever home to open our first brick-and-mortar location,” says John Nisbet, co-owner. Qian Zhang is executive chef and Bea Vang is sous chef. Pet Wants will offer fresh, slow-cooked natural pet foods and treats. It has snagged a 500-square-foot space. Those concepts join food hall tenants including food truck Papi Queso, which is also planning its first brick-and-mortar location there. An Italian eatery called Ava — from restaurateur Michael Steward and Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon — Undercurrent Coffee, Zukku Sushi, SuarezBakery & Barra, Honeysuckle Gelato and Aix Rotisserie, from the owners of French restaurant Aix En Provence, have snagged space. Moffett Restaurant Group will launch new concept, Bao + Broth. That restaurant group is known for Barrington’s, Stagioni and Good Food on Montford. Fonta Flora Brewing has also taken space at Optimist Hall. "

One dichotomy I'm getting from this is what I was originally wondering: >While high-rises do cost more in general, they also offer that standard of living (security, noise abatement) that older people with higher incomes will prefer >Though mid-rises are more likely to have cheaper rents, so will be more appealing to younger folks who can't afford more. So the question arises, will 550 on Stonewall struggle more than its mid-rise competitors, or vice versa?

I would like to temporarily make this thread about "Who is going to rent all the apartments?": We have a half dozen apartment projects about to come on line this late-Winter/early-Spring in Uptown and along the BLE. I find this notable because these are great markets, but with so many new units across the city I wonder whether the market will be saturated when it comes to filling them up? For this exercise I am less interested in South End. Which communities do we think will lease-up quickly? And which ones may struggle (Cadence Music Factory, anyone?...)? I like to follow occupancies and renter interest, so what do we think of each? We've got: UPTOWN: 1> 550 on Stonewall (Northwood Ravin): 550 units Pros: High-rise portion, Stonewall is a hot market; Whole Foods, retail Cons: Lots of Uptown competition; high-rises are more expensive 2> Savoy (Proffit Dixon / Greystar): 302 units Pros: Stonewall is a hot market, mid-rises are less expensive Cons: Lots of Uptown competition; Stonewall is somewhat isolated this far down (all these new retail spaces will be important to fill that void) BLE: 3>Alexan Highland Mill / Optimist Hall (Trammell Crow / Matrix Residential): 250 units Pros: Directly adjacent to Optimist Hall and Area 15 Cons: Potentially perceived as isolated in between two BLE stops 4> Parkwood Station Lofts (NRP Group): 335 units Pros: Right on Parkwood Station, great building design Cons: Somewhat isolated, no retail, may seem too far/uncomfortable of a walk to Optimist Hall until Parkwood diet is completed 5> Alta Warp + Weft (Wood Partners): 260 units Pros: Right on 25th St station, ground floor retail Cons: Somewhat isolated, no 25th St connection to N Davidson St (yet) HONORABLE MENTION: 6> The Lofts at Hawthorne Mill (Clachan Properties): ??? Units Pros: Historic building, next to new Belmont retail and Plaza-Midwood Cons: Perception of Belmont may not help Which will find the easiest success, and which will find difficulty? Am I wrong about any of these pros/cons?

That's not a bad point, though my guess is that OP residents have been fervent about getting the proper branding down for new developments, so that may be it.

I enjoyed the cloud cover from the back of Element yesterday, especially the ominously shrouded DEC ..