Plaza-Midwood Projects (Central, Commonwealth, The Plaza)

[PMrez]

On 1/12/2017 at 6:11 PM, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Interesting. Looks like about 1/3 of that land is owned by a LLC "1120 LLC." looks like they are slowly buying up the block.

That group owns 1124 Central as well. It's Rick Springsteeds's group. They own maybe 3/4's of the block. There were whispers a few months back of a potential grocer eyeballing the spot but not sure that anything came of it. 

[Niner National]

28 minutes ago, PMrez said:

That group owns 1124 Central as well. It's Rick Springsteeds's group. They own maybe 3/4's of the block. There were whispers a few months back of a potential grocer eyeballing the spot but not sure that anything came of it. 

I was told by a business owner in the neighborhood that Publix was going to be building there. That was probably 3-4 months ago. I have no idea how reliable he is, so don't take it as fact.

[PMrez]

Speaking of whispers, has anyone heard anything about Junior League Wearhouse possibly vacating fairly soon? Someone mentioned this in line the other day at Harris Teeter so I can't speak to the legitimacy but they seemed somewhat knowledgeable. 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, PMrez said:

Speaking of whispers, has anyone heard anything about Junior League Wearhouse possibly vacating fairly soon? Someone mentioned this in line the other day at Harris Teeter so I can't speak to the legitimacy but they seemed somewhat knowledgeable. 

I'm sure that entire massive block will be vacated soon. 

[SgtCampsalot]

21 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

I'm sure that entire massive block will be vacated soon. 

Including the historic brick buildings?

[Midwoodian]

Speaking of whispers, has anyone heard anything about Junior League Wearhouse possibly vacating fairly soon? Someone mentioned this in line the other day at Harris Teeter so I can't speak to the legitimacy but they seemed somewhat knowledgeable. 

Wife is in Junior League, I can confirm the warehouse is closing.


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[GeauxCLT]

38 minutes ago, PMrez said:

Speaking of whispers, has anyone heard anything about Junior League Wearhouse possibly vacating fairly soon? Someone mentioned this in line the other day at Harris Teeter so I can't speak to the legitimacy but they seemed somewhat knowledgeable. 

I was told by a lady in Junior League they were closing because rent was going up and they could not afford to renew at the higher rate. Who knows if that was intentional by the landlord or not.

 

Does anyone know if there will be retail in the ground floor of the apartment complex on Central and Hawthorne? Ground floor facing Central appears to be concrete build. I suppose that could just be leasing office and poorly placed fitness facility though. 

[Niner National]

4 minutes ago, GeauxCLT said:

I was told by a lady in Junior League they were closing because rent was going up and they could not afford to renew at the higher rate. Who knows if that was intentional by the landlord or not.

 

Does anyone know if there will be retail in the ground floor of the apartment complex on Central and Hawthorne? Ground floor facing Central appears to be concrete build. I suppose that could just be leasing office and poorly placed fitness facility though. 

It was pitched as having retail, then it came out later that it'd just be leasing office / common area for residents. Huge waste of space.

[Matthew.Brendan]

Shocking! 

[archiham04]

In the grand scheme of things, Concrete podium construction lends itself very well to future retail uses.  I am optimistic about future retail in this location.  The Gibsons of the world, however, that are stick built top to bottom are a lost cause forever.  a cancer on our neighborhoods.  only redeeming factor for gibson is the contiguous block of sidewalk without a curbcut.... better in that respect than 1201.

[deleted]

^^

Feels like they are working hard to ruin one of the coolest places in Charlotte.  One may not like the quality of all of the construction in Southend but without the boom it would still be a place to avoid (it's inarguably much nicer today compared to 12 years ago).  NoDa's jury is out but recent construction seems generally to be improving the neighborhood (construction from 15 years ago was fittingly funky but very low quality unfortunately).  PM doesn't need this though...it was already awesome and needed gradual, minor improvements and not projects of this scale.  It's disappointing that the city would allow this to happen...all just my opinion, naturally.

[archiham04]

The complex we are talking about replaced a vacant church that no one could lease, a fitness center in warehouse space, a taxi dispatch/repair center and a lot of vacant land.  People were trying to find uses for these properties for years and there was no market there.  Aside from the Beaver... which is staying... there were not any viable businesses on this block that contributed to the vibe of the neighborhood.  Nothing lost... 250 residents gained.  

 

[deleted]

1 minute ago, archiham04 said:

The complex we are talking about replaced a vacant church that no one could lease, a fitness center in warehouse space, a taxi dispatch/repair center and a lot of vacant land.  People were trying to find uses for these properties for years and there was no market there.  Aside from the Beaver... which is staying... there were not any viable businesses on this block that contributed to the vibe of the neighborhood.  Nothing lost... 250 residents gained.  

 

Opportunity for something better was lost (despite the lack of apparent interest previously)...lot's of traffic gained.  It is possible for neighborhoods to be too dense.  Adding residents is great, making a car-focused development here is less great.

[archiham04]

I don't think adding people ruins a place.  It will change for sure, but PM is a dynamic place.  i don't think it is ready to be put in a jar and preserved as is for eternity.  It needs change to stay alive.

[deleted]

12 minutes ago, archiham04 said:

I don't think adding people ruins a place.  It will change for sure, but PM is a dynamic place.  i don't think it is ready to be put in a jar and preserved as is for eternity.  It needs change to stay alive.

You live there and I don't so I'll defer to you.  However, when it takes 10 minutes to go half a mile on Central, I think the community will suffer as a result.  I think the Elizabeth residents have been more vigilant about protecting their neighborhood and I think in 10 years it will be better and PM will be worse.  Hope I'm wrong...

[archiham04]

Keep in mind that PM had absolutely no say in Gibson, Campusworks, 1301, Elizabeth Square etc...  the projects that folks see as "destroying" the neighborhood.  Those were all use-by-right, and not rezoning.  PM was no less vigilant... they just had no say (some of those are technically in "Elizabeth" by the way).  Elizabeth has a lot of connectivity advantages that PM does not that puts them ahead of the game.  PM is constrained at a few choke-points that certainly need to be addressed.  In 10 years, I think you are right, traffic in Elizabeth will likely be better than in PM, but that is not my measure of better.  I think that in 10 years PM will have more artists, activists, and entrepreneurs that will continue to be a center for vibrancy in the city.  Elizabeth will likely continue to protect and preserve the same neighborhood they have today... 

[PMrez]

This may be an unpopular opinion but is gridlock necessarily a bad thing? It's the only thing that will force people to start walking, biking, public transpo, etc and force conversations on how to make those methods of transportation better. The amount of people that live in PM, Elizabeth, etc that pay for parking uptown rather than taking the bus just boggles my mind. 

[kermit]

2 hours ago, JBS said:

It is possible for neighborhoods to be too dense.

Sure, if you build a neighborhood that fails to mix land uses and transportation modes then everybody's gotta drive.  Traffic is no problem in super high-density areas where you have a healthy mix of uses and alternative circulation systems.

 

Edited January 17, 2017 by kermit

[SgtCampsalot]

The one true bummer about PM (related to that congestion) is the CSX tracks. It would be nice if a bike/ped connection was made behind the Barnhardt building in lieu of the effectively defunct Phase 3 Gold Line. But the other side of central, where Morningside and the Family Dollar building are a stone's throw away from each other, has no hope of connection.

[deleted]

1 hour ago, kermit said:

Sure, if you build a neighborhood that fails to mix land uses and transportation modes then everybody's gotta drive.  Traffic is no problem in super high-density areas where you have a healthy mix of uses and alternative circulation systems.

 

Well I agree completely.  Do you think PM fits the description of a neighborhood you describe with a healthy mix of uses and transportation?  It doesn't feel like it to me.

[kermit]

35 minutes ago, JBS said:

Well I agree completely.  Do you think PM fits the description of a neighborhood you describe with a healthy mix of uses and transportation?  It doesn't feel like it to me.

Nah, PM ain't there yet. Protected bike lanes, the streetcar and the transition of the Family Dollar center will get it closer. Residential growth (even in ugly apartments) and more congestion will help speed the process along.

[UrbanGossip]

15 hours ago, JBS said:

Well I agree completely.  Do you think PM fits the description of a neighborhood you describe with a healthy mix of uses and transportation?  It doesn't feel like it to me.

Beds come first then the other neighborhood uses.

[archiham04]

What other neighborhood uses do you think PM needs to give it a healthy mix?  I ask because I think we have a remarkably healthy mix already, but recognize, there is room for improvement.  The PM merchants are advocating for change, but I think we as a neighborhood need our own list.  Their interests and ours are not always aligned.

Edited January 18, 2017 by archiham04

[SgtCampsalot]

9 minutes ago, archiham04 said:

What other neighborhood uses do you think PM needs to give it a healthy mix?  I ask because I think we have a remarkably healthy mix already, but recognize, there is room for improvement.  The PM merchants are advocating for change, but I think we as a neighborhood need our own list.  Their interests and ours are not always aligned.

If you're in the area bounded by Commonwealth, Central, Pecan/The Family Dollar block, and The Plaza, you pretty much have most of your needs met if you're in a pinch (Common Market provides several uses in one).

Retail is difficult in this age. Beyond the internet, there are already brick-and-mortar places that dominate (malls/shopping centers). So food/bev/specialty is the only realm you can successfully provide. So Okra (yoga/tea/coffee) and the new guitar shop are nice additions. Buffalo Exchange for stylish clothing that's actually affordable is a definite keeper.

But heads on beds are needed, for sure. 

Edited January 18, 2017 by SgtCampsalot

[archiham04]

I'd like a neighborhood Hardware Store