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

[deleted account]

20 minutes ago, Nathan2 said:

Looks like Midwood Corner is getting renovated. This place had definitely needed some TLC, though I am not a fan of the white washing of the building and the ousting of some of the long time tenants. If you look closely the building has beautiful brick that has been hiding underneath that I wish could be restored and used instead of plastering everything white. Better yet demo the whole building and get rid of the awful parking lot fronting central. 

 

I get both your points but have to say, this looks like a pretty significant improvement. Knocking the building down to reposition the parking or restoring the original brick would both be huge expenses.  I'm pretty thrilled with what they are doing.  Giving me some Park Road Shopping Center vibes...

[Third Strike]

2 hours ago, JBS said:

I get both your points but have to say, this looks like a pretty significant improvement. Knocking the building down to reposition the parking or restoring the original brick would both be huge expenses.  I'm pretty thrilled with what they are doing.  Giving me some Park Road Shopping Center vibes...

Not exactly in PM, but I feel like the Eastway Crossing shopping center could become something similar to Park Road. A decade ago the shopping center was mostly empty, but now the shopping center is almost full with some significant tenants (Book Buyers from Midwood Corners is moving here).  There should definitely be a push to redevelop some of the remaining parking lot for mixed-use development. The shopping center will have a stop at the Gold Line and not too far away from the Silver Line. 

[Nathan2]

3 hours ago, JBS said:

I get both your points but have to say, this looks like a pretty significant improvement. Knocking the building down to reposition the parking or restoring the original brick would both be huge expenses.  I'm pretty thrilled with what they are doing.  Giving me some Park Road Shopping Center vibes...

Yes a huge expense, but a huge opportunity to build much needed housing above. It does look like Park Road which is exactly my problem with it. Everywhere looks exactly the same, there is no uniqueness. Its just a developer coming in and doing the bare minimum in order to raise rents sky high.  

[RANYC]

2 hours ago, Nathan2 said:

Yes a huge expense, but a huge opportunity to build much needed housing above. It does look like Park Road which is exactly my problem with it. Everywhere looks exactly the same, there is no uniqueness. Its just a developer coming in and doing the bare minimum in order to raise rents sky high.  

Let's not let perfect be the enemy of better...

[deleted account]

3 hours ago, Nathan2 said:

Yes a huge expense, but a huge opportunity to build much needed housing above. It does look like Park Road which is exactly my problem with it. Everywhere looks exactly the same, there is no uniqueness. Its just a developer coming in and doing the bare minimum in order to raise rents sky high.  

Again, I get your point. But I think they are doing more than the minimum. It's an old strip center and they are definitely in it for the money. But if I lived nearby I'd be pleased. Across the street, they are building a dense urban project that's beautiful and neighbors nearly rioted. Can't please everyone...

4 hours ago, Third Strike said:

Not exactly in PM, but I feel like the Eastway Crossing shopping center could become something similar to Park Road. A decade ago the shopping center was mostly empty, but now the shopping center is almost full with some significant tenants (Book Buyers from Midwood Corners is moving here).  There should definitely be a push to redevelop some of the remaining parking lot for mixed-use development. The shopping center will have a stop at the Gold Line and not too far away from the Silver Line. 

That center is great and populated with a lot of PM tenants who moved down the road!

[Nathan2]

Anyone know what is exactly being proposed at 1101 and 1111 Central Ave?  It looks like it is in the process of being rezoned by crescent communities for office/condo.

https://charlottenc.gov/planning/Rezoning/RezoningPetitions/2021Petitions/Pages/2021-197.aspx

[atlrvr]

Hotel.... permanent mid-rise space for the pop-up hotel "Refuge" currently there in the old kickstand burger spot.

[JeanClt]

I need to talk to the city planners to see who decided that set back buildings with seas of parking in front was a good idea. Because that is most of the US AND MAN is it U G L Y. No wonder no one wants to walk anywhere. The built environment in the US is so hostile to pedestrians in almost every way.

[sakami]

Anyone have any insight on why Charlotte Metro Credit Union is buying residential houses on Sunnyside? This is technically in the Elizabeth neighborhood but it feels more like P-M. 

[KJHburg]

some drive by photos yesterday.   Love how that Post Office expansion on top turned out.  That is a very difficult project to pull off.   The huge Commonwealth project which is going to be great despite what the NIMBYs say.  

[SpiritOf76]

[SpiritOf76]

[SpiritOf76]

[KJHburg]

^^^ thanks for your regular photos of this as it saves me from going over that way to see it. 

[archiham04]

On 1/28/2022 at 9:57 AM, sakami said:

Anyone have any insight on why Charlotte Metro Credit Union is buying residential houses on Sunnyside? This is technically in the Elizabeth neighborhood but it feels more like P-M. 

They might need land adjacent to their property so they could be buying similar properties around the neighborhood as an offer to trade or sweeten an offer to buy

[SpiritOf76]

Stay away kJ. Haha 

[KJHburg]

^^^ with gas at decade high price don't worry.  Unless I am in the area for work, snap away! 

[SpiritOf76]

Old d q

[KJHburg]

The contractor on Commonwealth Choate has a pretty good webpage on the project.

https://www.choateco.com/project/commonwealth/

[Nathan2]

Minor complaint on the commonwealth project, but with the parking garage being built why do they need to incorporate 34 on street parking spots? Why not provide more space for pedestrians and further narrow the street so cars drive slower? Living in Plaza I sometimes feel like the neighborhood is for cars and not people. This is especially true along commonwealth Ave, a street that I wish the city could reimagine, the weekends tend to be backed up cars just circling around for hours. 

[deleted account]

1 hour ago, Nathan2 said:

Minor complaint on the commonwealth project, but with the parking garage being built why do they need to incorporate 34 on street parking spots? Why not provide more space for pedestrians and further narrow the street so cars drive slower? Living in Plaza I sometimes feel like the neighborhood is for cars and not people. This is especially true along commonwealth Ave, a street that I wish the city could reimagine, the weekends tend to be backed up cars just circling around for hours. 

Some of those backed up circling cars are looking for parking. I could be 100% wrong but it seems like on street parking has a traffic calming effect. 

[JeanClt]

Some of those backed up circling cars are looking for parking. I could be 100% wrong but it seems like on street parking has a traffic calming effect. 

It does.

[Nathan2]

29 minutes ago, JBS said:

Some of those backed up circling cars are looking for parking. I could be 100% wrong but it seems like on street parking has a traffic calming effect. 

Yes I get that. Though it has negative affects on pedestrian usage of the street and sidewalks. I would think a community garage on the edge of the neighborhood would serve the area better than have people constantly driving around trying to find limited parking. Half the time the bus can't even make it down the street because cars are parked terribly. 

[KJHburg]

in todays post pandemic environment they maybe 10 minute pick up parking or curbside delivery parking spots.  Many shopping centers have such spaces now.  

[go_vertical]

6 hours ago, Nathan2 said:

Yes I get that. Though it has negative affects on pedestrian usage of the street and sidewalks. I would think a community garage on the edge of the neighborhood would serve the area better than have people constantly driving around trying to find limited parking. Half the time the bus can't even make it down the street because cars are parked terribly. 

It actually has a positive effect on pedestrians.  A parked car adds a barrier between them and moving traffic providing a stronger sense of safety.