Neighborhoods close to town

[Seeker]

What are some nice neighborhoods clost to town? I know about Plaza Midwood NoDa, Chantilly, Elizabeth, Wesley Heights but is their anything else that is relatively affordable? If you want new contruction further out, everything looks the same. If you live close in your option is to get a condo. There has to be a market for something in between. On a slightly different topic why does every house in a new neighborhood look the same?

[uptownliving]

Another up and coming neighborhood is next to SouthEnd...called Wilmore....its along S Tryon roughly from Camden St to around West Blvd.

[monsoon]

What are some nice neighborhoods clost to town?  I know about  Plaza Midwood NoDa, Chantilly, Elizabeth, Wesley Heights but is their anything else that is relatively affordable?  If you want new contruction further out, everything looks the same.  If you live close in your option is to get a condo.  There has to be a market for something in between.  On a slightly different topic why does every house in a new neighborhood look the same?

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Its less expensive for builders to stick to 5-6 plans with minor changes in a new development, and the Charlotte zoning and planning departments gladly lets them get away with it. Its especially bad in the starter home developments. This is a relatively new method of building that did not exist prior to the 70s. ie. most new development in Charlotte is in planned communities under control of just a few developers. Prior to this most people would buy a lot and then contract out the house. A number of homes in the most desirable parts of Charlotte came out of the Sear Catalog. LOL

You have to go to Huntersville & Davidson if you want to see some modern attempts to require developers to build more "character" into their developments, but you won't see this in Charlotte.

[Miesian Corners]

Its less expensive for builders to stick to 5-6 plans with minor changes in a new development, and the Charlotte zoning and planning departments gladly lets them get away with it.  Its especially bad  in the starter home developments.  This is a relatively new method of building that did not exist prior to the 70s.  ie. most new development in Charlotte is in planned communities under control of just a few developers.  Prior to this most people would buy a lot and then contract out the house.  A number of homes in the most desirable parts of Charlotte came out of the Sear Catalog.  LOL

You have to go to Huntersville & Davidson if you want to see some modern attempts to require developers to build more "character" into their developments, but you won't see this in Charlotte.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now, now, Metro, there are plenty of unadorned boxes, er, I mean houses in North Meck, South Iredell. Even the "ritzy" developments like the Peninsula with its huge houses has them. McMansions are just as bad in my book as vinyl clad strarter homes if they look like every thing else. In fact, I think they're actually worse. Nothing like a 5,000 square foot dryvit Chateau with a bradford pear in the front yard.

Corneilus has given us the really bad "Heritage Green" on NC-115. Tragic beyond belief. Davidson has River Run (no river in sight) with snout houses as far as the eye can see, and Huntersville has Crown Ridge which offers nothing in the way of architecture. And don't even get me started on the Brawley School Road corridor.

But back to Seeker's question. It depends on what you're looking for. There are some great 50s ranch houses in Madison Park (between Park Road and South Blvd). They have easy access to Park Rd Shopping Center, SouthPark and Freedom Park. Cotswold is another good area. Granted, you're not going to be able to walk to uptown from either, but they are close-in and offer good value for your money.

As monsoon stated, the gentrification of Wilmore has started taking off. If you want a bungalow there, buy now because prices have started going through the roof. Wesley Heights is facing the same issues, but is a great neighborhood if you can find a decent place over there.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

lol. your just jealous. I rather live in a 6,000 sq. ft. home then say a little trailer or starter home. I drive through a development like Piper Glen and am like this is living. But I am buying a condo uptown when the new buildings are built. Money over character.

[Miesian Corners]

lol. your just jealous. I rather live in a 6,000 sq. ft. home then say a little trailer or starter home. I drive through a development like Piper Glen and am like this is living. But I am buying a condo uptown when the new buildings are built. Money over character.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Moon,

No, no, no, my friend. I really have no desire to live in a styrofoam house. And if living it up means I spend half my life in the car sitting in traffic, I'll take the low-end housing.

If I ever have money (which is seriously doubtful), I'll take that 1930s tudor on Sherwood Ave in Myers Park. Now that's a house!

[peaceloveunderstanding]

oh. Indeed. I forget that other people have commutes... Without out the commute would you take the expensive large house?

Personally I would most desire to live in the Myers Park / Eastover area, but I much rather live up at the lake in a very large house then live in low-income housing.

[uptownliving]

Most of the very large houses at the lake are just as expensive as the very large houses in Myers Park

[monsoon]

Now, now, Metro, there are plenty of unadorned boxes, er, I mean houses in North Meck, South Iredell.  Even the "ritzy" developments like the Peninsula with its huge houses has them.  McMansions are just as bad in my book as vinyl clad strarter homes if they look like every thing else.  In fact, I  think they're actually worse.  Nothing like a 5,000 square foot dryvit Chateau with a bradford pear in the front yard.   

Corneilus has given us the really bad "Heritage Green" on NC-115.  Tragic beyond belief.  Davidson has River Run (no river in sight) with snout houses as far as the eye can see, and Huntersville has Crown Ridge which offers nothing in the way of architecture.  And don't even get me started on the Brawley School Road corridor.

But back to Seeker's question.  It depends on what you're looking for.  There are some great  50s ranch houses in Madison Park (between Park Road and South Blvd).  They have easy access to Park Rd Shopping Center, SouthPark and Freedom Park.  Cotswold is another good area.  Granted, you're not going to be able to walk to uptown from either, but they are close-in and offer good value for your money. 

As monsoon stated, the gentrification of Wilmore has started taking off.  If you want a bungalow there, buy now because prices have started going through the roof.  Wesley Heights is facing the same issues, but is a great neighborhood if you can find a decent place over there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually I did not include Cornelus in my statement because they are behind in restricting development. RiverRun is an old development that was approved by Mecklenburg County, not Davidson before the new rules on EJT went into effect. I actually don't think the Pennsula is littered with McMansions such as Ballentyne as there is a great deal of variety there.

If you look at current restrictions on what can be put up for a new development in Meckenburg county, Huntersville and Davidson are by far the most restrictive in the county. Neither allow snout houses, require porches, require sidewalks on both sides of the street, do not allow cul de sac development, require multiple accesses to a community, do no allow gated communities, and have restricted vast portions of their EJTs from any development. This is why I made the statement that I did. The city of Charlotte should do the same.

[Miesian Corners]

Metro, point well taken. Huntersville has done an outstanding job in requiring connectivity in new developments. They actually stood up to Simonini last month when it wanted to build a "gated community". The town didn't back down and has said that if the developers want to do business in H'ville, perhaps they should read the zoning and code documents before they come back to staff. In other words, don't waste our time. I understand planning staff was pissed because they had gone over and over this with Simonini only to have them come to the planning board with the same crap.

[Raintree21]

So for all of you that recommend areas such as S. Tryon and Wesley Heights to name just a few, are you actually living there, or do you value your life and are waiting it out before you decide to move? Why not go stay in Piedmont Courts? I hear they have a nice revitalization planned.

[Raintree21]

From the Wesley Heights thread:

monsoon-

Well this is were you do get that "urban pioneer" experience. I have a friend that redoes homes in Wesley Heights and gunfire is not uncommon and he has his porch furniture chained down to keep it from being stolen. Several cars have been stolen from his property as well.

[Miesian Corners]

So for all of you that recommend areas such as S. Tryon and Wesley Heights to name just a few, are you actually living there, or do you value your life and are waiting it out before you decide to move?  Why not go stay in Piedmont Courts? I hear they have a nice revitalization planned.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Raintree, when I moved to Charlotte in the 1980s, E Kingston Ave, Tremont, Worthington...all in exclusive Dilworth...were exactly the same way that Wilmore is now. I have a friend who lives on East Kingston and someone was murdered in his back yard shortly after he moved in. He and his wife paid $42,000 for their 3,200 square foot home in 1985. It would sell for over $1 million today. They are happy they invested and stayed. Was it easy, especially after someone was shot to death on their property? No, but they didn't give up. They new they had something special.

Likewise, I have a friend in Wesley Heights on Grandin. She is a single woman and lives alone. She paid $180,000 for her beautiful home in 2002. She went to get refinanced and it appraised for $270,000. No gunfire, no thefts, nada. Good return on an investment in three years, though.

I lived in Myers Park. My car was broken into, my bike was stolen out of my garage WHILE I WAS HOME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY (sweet Cannondale, too), and my planters were stolen off my front porch. I lived on Selwyn Ave. Crime happens. I lived in a "safe" neighborhood.

[rockhilljames]

Gotta agree with Miesian on this one. Wilmore is one hell of a deal right now (of course, I said that 4 years ago). Big money projects have now officially jumped the tracks on S. Tryon, and those places will be just like Dilworth 5 to 10 years from now.

I have a friend who bought a house in Dilworth for $30,000 in the mid 70's. Adult bookstores were all around and his place was broken into three times. He stayed, built on to it, and when he went through a divorce sold the place for over $320,000.

[dubone]

If the dilworth-like section of wilmore revitalizes comfortably, then the section north of summit (where the knights were originally to go) will become a AWESOME place for urban density. (i think that is part of wilmore, since it isn't officially south end). Have any of you seen some of the old buildings around there? They have SO much potential.

I should take a photo tour just of wilmore, but here are a few i took in wilmore in on a separate tour i haven't posted yet:

Here is the ghettofab church on south mint not far beyond morehead.

This is the type of building in the area i'm talking about. i was driving through, so i didn't get to photograph any of the others, but i will.

In the residential section of wilmore, here is an old school that can look good if it CMS renovates it.

This one is just south of West on S Tryon I'm sure it is officially part of southend, but it seems like it has a lot of potential when south end development begins focusing on s. Tryon.

as it is starting to with Camden Sq Village:

Camden Sq village website:

http://www.camdensquarewest.com/

and Citispace, on S Tryon at Tremont, is almost done renovating some industrial buildings on the west side of tryon.

http://www.citispaceinsouthend.com/

[monsoon]

I have heard that it is really difficult to get a good deal in Wilmore now. It's still a less pricey area to move to, but you will have to do a lot of rennovating and the Dilworth like windfall isn't there.

Wesley Heights is suffering from price speculation but I'm not sure how long it will be able to maintain it. It has two negatives that don't exist on the others areas being discussed. First it is on the wrong side if I-77. As you move further away from I-77 it gets really sketchy. Second, it is right on I-77. That is a big negative that is going to keep it from rising in value in the same manner that Dilworth did.

(I remember the $10k houses in Dilworth too. )

[Neo]

You sure do get around Dubone!

[dubone]

You sure do get around Dubone!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

that is the beauty of living intown, dozens of interesting places are just a few miles in way.

I have a few photo tours outside of uptown that i'll post in the next few weeks.

Metro, I agree about Wesley heights, that being west of 77 is a psychological drain on the neighborhood's potential. I believe it is a great neighborhood, though. Right now, it is mostly black middle class, as blacks are more willing to live west of 77 historically, the black middle class is getting the best deals in these old neighborhoods .

The psychological lines between the risky west, and healthy south charlotte used to be park road or so, and is currently closing in on south boulevard. When the light rail line opens, it will quickly shift to Tryon street and then gradually revitalize and densify the areas past tryon to make 77 the barrier. Separately, though, West Charlotte is slowly pulling out of pariah status as minorities gain wealth and other social problems improve.

(NOTE: for me, revitalization does not mean all white, but rather an area where poor homeowners can become middle class, and races and income groups can blend into a safe and healthy neighborhood.)

[Neo]

that is the beauty of living intown, dozens of interesting places are just a few miles in way.

Do you have a bike that you just ride around on with your camera? Walking all of this would be quite a challenge!

[dubone]

i walked.

Although, i do use a car, too. sadly, my bike is in the attic, as that is only place it fits without being in our dining room.