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

[sfmartin]

Does Morningside Village have a website ?

If you're referring to the new development, then no, I don't think they do - or at least it hasn't come up here.

[Justadude]

What is being done with the Morningside residents? A teacher friend of mine mentioned a low-income student of hers who is basically without a home right now...

[voyager12]

I am sure nothing is being done to help them. The developers could care less. They see money not people. Local gvt gives lip service but is incapable of providing any kind of real assistance. They are pretty much on their own.

Edited April 3, 2007 by voyager12

[uptownliving]

Looks like the businesses of the Plaza Midwood area have formed their own website called "plazaland." It is mainly a bunch of advertising for the local businesses in the area...but what really caught my attention was this pic of the skyline that serves as their front page. I really like that. Anyone else seen this stuff around?

[voyager12]

I like! Anything that shows that Charlotte is more than a drab button down banker city is a major plus in my book (Not that all bankers are boring and stuffy, it is the image though)

[Conformity]

Looks like the businesses of the Plaza Midwood area have formed their own website called "plazaland." It is mainly a bunch of advertising for the local businesses in the area...but what really caught my attention was this pic of the skyline that serves as their front page. I really like that. Anyone else seen this stuff around?

Looks like the work of "Little Shiva"..........

[RaleighHeelsfan]

Hey guys,

I have not read all the posts, so forgive me for being behind.

About Morningside, what are they planning to build in place of Morningside? Any renderings?

I sure hope they don't tear up those trees!.......

[CLTNative]

The main PDF is here.

[SCLA]

This is rather last-minute, but for anyone interested in the proposed condo project at the Briar Creek Rd. ramp at Independence, near Commonwealth Ave.: there is a meeting late this afternoon at 5:00 p.m., open to the public, between the developer seeking a rezoning of that vacant lot & the Planning Commission, in City Hall (the Gov't. Center; the triangular bldg. on S. Davidson btwn. 4th & Trade).

The design they've shown looks like it'd be best described as "industrial-chic" style, much like the cool contemporary stuff that's been popping up in NoDa & further up Commonwealth. This is a chance to have your say in support of (or against) it, & understand the details more of this "gateway" project to Commonwealth Park & Commonwealth-Morningside.

[CLTNative]

"gateway" project to Commonwealth Park & Commonwealth-Morningside.

What do you mean by Commonwealth Park? Is that another name for Veteran's Park, or am I missing something?

Thanks for the update on the meeting!

[SCLA]

Commonwealth Park is the neighborhood immed. adjacent to Commonwealth-Morningside's eastern edge........it includes the area from Briar Creek (the creek itself), across Briar Creek Road, over to Eastway Drive.....and from the north side of Independence Blvd. up to Central Avenue.....with Commonwealth Ave. & BC Rd. being the main arteries. Some of the streets are Carolyn, Pinecrest, Oakmont, Woodland, Goodwin, etc.

Until we reclaimed this name from property plats from the 1940s, it was called by the city 'Briar Creek-Woodland'. Within the next few months nice historic signs are planned to be erected at major entrances to the neighborhood.

[CLTNative]

That will be a nice touch to the neighborhood. I walked through a lot of those streets last weekend to look for houses on the market. There are some very charming houses back in there.

[CLTNative]

Did anyone attend the rezoning meeting for the Briarcreek/74 condos? Is this project a GO?

[SCLA]

Yeah, there were several of us Commonwealth Park neighbors.......will add another post w/ more comments later today or Wed. after I get past a deadline. We scanned their architectural rendering, with their permission, & once someone else has posted it to our n'hood Google Group I'll add the link here. (Don't know how to, or if I can, attach a file itself to this forum.)

I doubt there'll be any opposition to it; it was recieved pretty favorably. I generally feel like it's pretty cool architecture. Will prob. begin constr. around July or so.

[CLTNative]

Are the Jamestowne and Williamsburg condos at Green Oaks Ln considered part of Commonwealth Park? Or would they be Plaza Midwood? I dont think I really know the path of the Briar Creek.

[sfmartin]

They would be in Commonwealth Park; Briar Creek runs under Commonwealth Ave just past the sub station (heading nw). I don't think Plaza Midwood would claim anything south of Central - though many home sellers/real estate agents make the claim.

[SCLA]

About the proposed new condos @ Briar Creek Rd. & Independence:

See the files page on our Google Group site here for a color rendering of the proposed condos that they gave us at the meeting on Monday: http://groups.google.com/group/CPNA?hl=en

For anyone willing to sift thru all the comments, click on the first topic ("Indep & BC Zoning Update"); click on Files at the bottom of screen to see the scanned archit. rendering.

[Conformity]

I don't know if it's been mentioned here, but I met a guy today who is putting a restaurant in above Lotus in the old Perch location. I was at Starbucks on Pecan talking with my friend about Las Ramblas, and we started chatting with him. He told me he and a couple of other guys were creating Soul (I think that's right...) - a tapas restaurant with a patio on top of Lotus. He hoped it would be done by June.

I don't know about you, but I'm excited. I love that Midwood is attracting independent restaurants that will require me to leave my children at home.

Does anyone know any other information? This gentleman was really nice. I'm looking forward to enjoying a drink on the patio.

The proprietor is Andy Kastanas....the man behind Mythos and now The Forum and Pravda. Andy has probably touched, in some way, better than 50% of the clubs in Charlotte over the past 25 years and certainly the opening of Mythos was a top 10 watershed moment in the evolution of uptown Charlotte's cultural and entertainment scene. Andy is totally dedicated to the Thomas Avenue/Central Avenue scene. Expect a tapas and sushi restaurant with low lying lounge seating and fresh music all the time. Check this Thomas Street connection out.... The Alley Cat, a rock and roll venue, will open uptown in the next several weeks (formerly Have a Nice Day and the Tiki Hut). It features an outdoor acoustic stage and a larger indoor stage and food from the folks at THE PENGUIN.

[sfmartin]

That's quite a bit of activity around your site ... formulating any plans yet?

[cltgirl]

Expect a tapas and sushi restaurant with low lying lounge seating and fresh music all the time.

Wow, that sounds great! A perfect addition to Central Ave!! I'm getting ready to move to Midwood in May, so this kind of news is very exciting! Please thank Mr. Kastanas for me

[Conformity]

That's quite a bit of activity around your site ... formulating any plans yet?

I am formulating plans, but not for a building....not yet. I haven't heard from all the right people. A few yes, but not all.

What are your thoughts?

[CLTNative]

I assume we are talking about the Auto Werks site? I would love to see a funky residential development. I like the trend that PM is attracting some of the more adventurous architectural projects. I say build something crazy that defies the norm. I'd also like to see small unit street level retail thats affordable to smaller ventures. Please let me know if you guys are talking about another site, but thats my 2 cents.

[turtlesurfer]

I am formulating plans, but not for a building....not yet. I haven't heard from all the right people. A few yes, but not all.

What are your thoughts?

Restaraunt and retail are in high demand here.Every restaraunt that opens in the PM does well. With Jack's ,Soul,Petra's Piano Bar, and Snug Harbour coming this way, the Pecan-Central-Thomas-Commonwealth box will be a major stroll-district hot spot not only for those living here but also for those in other areas. My wife is from Philly and lived in Manhattan for some time, and she believes a place like "The Point" would do great here. She describes it like a bookstore-live accoustic music -coffee shop hang.Something you can do during the daylight hours as well as night .Check it out online and see what you think.

[Justadude]

I agree that a restaurant would probably do well there, but I think that the district already has plenty of dining options. A restaurant is a safe bet, but unless it is gimmicky it will probably just blend in with the rest. Retail is more likely to stand out, considering how precious little urban retail there is in Charlotte as a whole. I think PM, more than any other neighborhood in the city right now, has the opportunity to become a real shopping district. Something like what turtlesurfer described above would probably do very well there.

[archiham04]

I am formulating plans, but not for a building....not yet. I haven't heard from all the right people. A few yes, but not all.

What are your thoughts?

I think that this site may be the neighborhoods best chance for public parking in close proximity to Thomas Street. All this news about restaurants and clubs is great, but parking is going to become a limiting factor very quickly. I would encourage you to explore the viablity of a public deck and TIF deals to facilitate similar to Elizabeth. Being up close to Independance Blvd may limit what you can sell on that back side anyway. Parking deck tenants won't complain about the noise or the view.

EDIT: I am also assuming the AutoWerks site.... Which might make a cool name for a funky parking deck by the way.

Edited April 23, 2007 by archiham04