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

[CTiger]

1 hour ago, atlrvr said:

Also, I'm struggling to make out the approved building heights.  I'm assuming there is nothing of note here height-wise, but can anyone confirm?  

[tozmervo]

7 minutes ago, CTiger said:

Also, I'm struggling to make out the approved building heights.  I'm assuming there is nothing of note here height-wise, but can anyone confirm?  

ENHANCE

[CTiger]

2 minutes ago, tozmervo said:

ENHANCE

Well I can tell its only triple digits.   BORING

[Hushpuppy321]

23 minutes ago, CTiger said:

Also, I'm struggling to make out the approved building heights.  I'm assuming there is nothing of note here height-wise, but can anyone confirm?  

I believe it was around 4 to 6 Story

[atlrvr]

3 hours ago, tozmervo said:

ENHANCE

The office building (the building on the site plan between the portion of retail remaning up along Central and the historic 2 story building) is the tallest building at 102'....apartments are 84'.

[SpiritOf76]

[SpiritOf76]

To me it looks as if this long section is split. Will they leave the section from Bistro to the end wall of the former market and tear down from Roco to the end?  They both seem like different sections, already... And what of the current grass area between Meineke and Independence, If anything?

 

Cant wait to document the progress

[KJHburg]

from CLT Development on Twitter

Phase 1 Central Square aka Commonwealth is approved! 

Details so far:
383 Units MF
145k office
60k retail
50k Food & Bev

Blue = rehabbed old building
Green = new building

[JacksonH]

Comment deleted 

Edited September 4, 2021 by JacksonH

[go_vertical]

Really wish the structure on the right was broken into two with a pedestrian path I between. 

[Matthew.Brendan]

 

Mason Circle across from Villa Heights directly off Plaza. 

 

before pics. taken June 17

[michaelef]

The renderings are officially out! 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CThq9DzHmLm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[CTiger]

9 minutes ago, michaelef said:

The renderings are officially out! 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CThq9DzHmLm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Wow those comments are NEGATIVE.  Apparently that parking lot was near and dear to many hearts.

[michaelef]

2 minutes ago, CTiger said:

Wow those comments are NEGATIVE.  Apparently that parking lot was near and dear to many hearts.

I try not to read the comments from people on Axios Charlotte, most of them don't know what they are talking about and most likely have done nothing to help Charlotte.

[CTiger]

2 minutes ago, michaelef said:

I try not to read the comments from people on Axios Charlotte, most of them don't know what they are talking about and most likely have done nothing to help Charlotte.

Yeah I'm with you.  Its funny how stark the contrast is in the sentiments of UP and places like that.  Axios commenters really really love parking is what I have realized.

[jtmonk]

I like it.

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by jtmonk

[go_vertical]

I don't have Instagram so I can't read the comments. I like it, I just don't think it has a Plaza Midwood feel what-so-ever. Still, way better than that awful lot. 

[KJHburg]

basically to sum up the negative comments from Instagram both Axios and CLT Development posts is that people prefer the status quo of the huge parking lot and their neighborhood will be over run with "Southend Bro's" whatever group that is.   Most of the negative comments probably live in the apartments nearby that have already changed the character of the neighborhood somewhat including destroying the Reflections studio site.  

I think this plan is fantastic and preserves the older buildings and gets rid of a huge surface parking lot that I thought many of these PMers would like to get rid of. 

[J-Rob]

24 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

I just don't think it has a Plaza Midwood feel what-so-ever

The office building portion actually has similar vibe to the office building at Caswell & 7th, which is less than a mile away. I love it.  Kind of ties PM with Elizabeth.

https://www.elizabethonseventh.com/

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by J-Rob

[KJHburg]

from CLT Development on twitter after receiving many negative comments.....

""Ok so y’all want to preserve aging trash-strewn parking lots and strip centers instead of enlivening them with retail, lots of open space, places for people to live and work. Got it. Commonwealth with extend the PM CBD, and include 100k retail, that’s incredible.""

 

sounds like everyone who lives or cares about PM is anti Southend and think it is too cool for itself or something full of these "Southend bro's"  very anti Southend yet this project is nothing like that.  

Edited September 7, 2021 by KJHburg

[JacksonH]

38 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

I don't have Instagram so I can't read the comments. I like it, I just don't think it has a Plaza Midwood feel what-so-ever. Still, way better than that awful lot. 

Totally agree with you.  I'm happy to see the parking lot disappear and more pedestrian-oriented development and pedestrian interaction on the street level, but I wish the new structures were not as tall and less steel and glass.  This could overwhelm the historic charm  and character of Plaza Midwood.  Somebody posted awhile back an image of a development in *I believe) Indiana, which looked perfectly suited for PM.  That's more in line with what I was hoping to see.  If Charlotte isn't careful it's going to look like Atlanta or Dallas, which isn't a compliment.

25 minutes ago, J-Rob said:

The office building portion actually has similar vibe to the office building at Caswell & 7th, which is less than a mile away. I love it.  Kind of ties PM with Elizabeth.

https://www.elizabethonseventh.com/

 

You make a good point.  At least the steel and glass buildings that I don't like are set back away from Central Avenue.  I still wish these buildings were one or two stories shorter.

[tozmervo]

9 minutes ago, JacksonH said:

Totally agree with you.  I'm happy to see the parking lot disappear and more pedestrian-oriented development and pedestrian interaction on the street level, but I wish the new structures were not as tall and less steel and glass.  This could overwhelm the historic charm  and character of Plaza Midwood.  Somebody posted awhile back an image of a development in *I believe) Indiana, which looked perfectly suited for PM.  That's more in line with what I was hoping to see.  If Charlotte isn't careful it's going to look like Atlanta or Dallas, which isn't a compliment.

I get what you're saying about the materiality of the larger buildings. It has the same fiber cement panel look that doesn't really jive with P-M.  I'm also a little concerned that the street level renderings almost entirely focus on the *interior* of the development, as opposed to how it integrates into Central & Pecan. 

[atlrvr]

It's funny how architects have their own repetitive design language.  This doesn't look South End to me, it looks BB+M.  You can say that about most architects....I don't ascribe that to be a good or bad thing.  In this case, maybe they were the wrong firm for this site.

I like it by the way.  I can see why some might not.  

At the end of the day, the average person looks at it and thinks "how will this improve my life?" (and the avg U.P.'er says "how will this make us more world class?")

Through that lens, I think it's clear why the UP's are happier with this specific outcome than long time neighborhood residents or random SJW's.

[Urban Cowboy]

6 minutes ago, JacksonH said:

This could overwhelm the historic charm  and character of Plaza Midwood. 

This project is literally saving and tastefully incorporating historic structures. The only historic charm in Plaza Midwood IMO is residential along Thomas Avenue. And arguably the business frontage along Central. I'm all for this project. And this is 1.5 blocks from the gold line terminus. We should be encouraging this type of development. It has LOTS of retail, office, and residential. And continues Commonwealth through the development, effectively extending the urban fabric of PM's core. PM will never be the PM of 15 years ago. So odd how people like to complain (not saying you are JacksonH). But how many of these people *really* want to live in the PM of years ago? 

 

 

[RANYC]

1 hour ago, go_vertical said:

I don't have Instagram so I can't read the comments. I like it, I just don't think it has a Plaza Midwood feel what-so-ever. Still, way better than that awful lot. 

Very nice infill example of a vast wasteland of a parking lot.  

As a newcomer to CLT, I'm fairly agnostic to whether it has a PM vibe or not because I don't think PM is all that sizable or substantial, and whatever design consistency it wants to tout isn't so compelling as to hold up the infill of a huge parking lot within eye-shot of Uptown.  To put it another way, I've always thought PM was a nice neighborhood with very small strips of walkable retail nearby (which isn't super common in CLT), but as an outsider, it almost felt that the massive Central Square parking lot defined commercial PM moreso than any sort of design thematic - so frankly, this new replacement of the parking lot is of enough scale to actually set the standard for what commercial PM actually is. 

Thank God for this project, "Plaza Parking Lot" might actually become Plaza Midwood.

Edited September 7, 2021 by RANYC