Optimist Park / Belmont Projects

[Desert Power]

13 hours ago, cltbwimob said:

WRT Queens Park initiative, I think the only way you will ever get the buy in from NS to move their rail yard would be to offer them a huge chunk of money probably somewhere North of $150mil for the 220 acres considering its proximity to Uptown.  Considering environmental cleanup on this site will likely also cost a crap ton, my guess is that the city will not be able to get the site plus cleanup costs for less than $175mil and would probably looking at a price tag of $200mil or greater.  I think the only way to get the city to purchase the site is if they have the ability to recoup, most if not all, the costs of such a transaction. That certainly won't happen if it is converted into civic space.

I think a path forward that may make sense would be to offer to purchase the rail yard from NS and to offer them a lease on some additional land adjacent to the intermodal yard between the runways at the airport so they can rebuild the yard there.  Then the city would need to clean up the land, implement infrastructure such as new streets on the land and sell off the excess 200+ acres left over for just North of $1mil per acre (average) to developers and get the land back on the tax rolls.   That's really the only scenario under which I can see the rail yard being moved.  Certainly, in no circumstances do I see a 220 acre park coming to the rail yard.

I think it would have to be something with a lot of potential tax revenue like this:  https://ui.uncc.edu/display/charlotte-urban-designers-propose-mixed-use-village-atop-old-railyard.  You even have enough space here for a potential MLS stadium.  Build in connectivity to the Sugar Creek Greenway with whatever parks you build on that site.  

However, I agree this is likely to be cost prohibitive for quite some time.  I wish it could change though at the very least so I won't have to hear these damn horns so much.  There is an awful lot of density coming to Optimist Park soon, but I think it will stay on only one side of the light rail for a while.

[Trickbot]

I think the city could get it cheaper than the $680k per acre @cltbwimob estimated. Could probably get it declared a Superfund site and eminent domain the entire place for around 150-200k an acre since a reasonable price for a federally declared hazard would be much lower than not. and give NS somewhere near the airport to put a new one it, plenty of space out there. Get it cleaned up and redevloped with highest bidders for a plan similar to the UNCC one @Desert Power shared above. The city would make money and we would get a new core

[SgtCampsalot]

Tompkins Mill

Western side, Duke offices:

Western wing old Mill, facing Blue Line tracks:

Smokestack:

Southeastern corner of eastern wing of Mill, abutting Brevard:

Same spot, looking left back toward the Western wing, slight shot of center courtyard w awnings:

Edited November 4, 2018 by SgtCampsalot

[SgtCampsalot]

It looks like Tompkins Hall will be called Optimist Hall.

[fortibus]

On 11/6/2018 at 2:42 PM, SgtCampsalot said:

It looks like Tompkins Hall will be called Optimist Hall.

Hmm I wonder why the rebranding. Too much baggage tied to D.A. Tompkins?

Tompkins was outspoken against public education, child labor legislation, and wage/hour regulation. But I would imagine that's par for the course for any southern industrialist of the time.

Edited November 8, 2018 by fortibus
misspelling

[SgtCampsalot]

2 minutes ago, fortibus said:

Hmm I wonder why the rebranding. Too much baggage tied to D.A. Tompkins?

Tompkins was outspoken against public education, child labor legislation, and wage/hour regulation. But I would imagine that's part for the course for any southern industrialist of the time.

That's not a bad point, though my guess is that OP residents have been fervent about getting the proper branding down for new developments, so that may be it.

[Matthew.Brendan]

Just watched EMS roll out what I presume was a worker on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance at Optimist Hall this morning approx 7:45

[KJHburg]

More retail and food tenants announced for Optimist Mill this is really coming together nicely.     https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/11/12/new-restaurants-retail-headed-to-60m-optimist-park.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-11-12&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1542054179&j=84979451

[SgtCampsalot]

26 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

More retail and food tenants announced for Optimist Mill this is really coming together nicely.     https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/11/12/new-restaurants-retail-headed-to-60m-optimist-park.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-11-12&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1542054179&j=84979451

From the article (read using Incognito Mode):

"This $60 million Optimist Park project has snagged new restaurants and retail.

Expect Archer Paper Goods — a stationary and supplies shop — and cocktail bar Billy Sunday to open next spring at Optimist Hall. Two additional food hall tenants — The Dumpling Lady and Pet Wants — also have taken space. 

Charlotte’s White Point Partners and Atlanta-based Paces Properties are behind that adaptive-reuse project. It sits on an 11.9-acre parcel on East 16th Street. 

It breathes new life into an old textile mill, which dates to the 1890s.

This will be the first North Carolina location for Archer Paper Goods. The concept taken 2,258 square feet for a shop that will sell greeting cards, books, journals and other gifts.

Chicago-based Billy Sunday will offer classic drinks, new creations and a menu of elevated bar food. It will occupy 1,450 square feet.

The food hall continues to line up tenants.

Popular Charlotte food truck The Dumpling Lady will open its first bricks-and-mortar location. Expect that concept to dish up handmade dumplings, noodles, dim sum and Sichuan dishes.

“Following such success in Charlotte at local farmers’ markets and with our food truck, we knew we wanted to find a forever home to open our first brick-and-mortar location,” says John Nisbet, co-owner.

Qian Zhang is executive chef and Bea Vang is sous chef.

Pet Wants will offer fresh, slow-cooked natural pet foods and treats. It has snagged a 500-square-foot space.

Those concepts join food hall tenants including food truck Papi Queso, which is also planning its first brick-and-mortar location there. 

An Italian eatery called Ava — from restaurateur Michael Steward and Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon — Undercurrent Coffee, Zukku Sushi, SuarezBakery & Barra, Honeysuckle Gelato and Aix Rotisserie, from the owners of French restaurant Aix En Provence, have snagged space.

Moffett Restaurant Group will launch new concept, Bao + Broth. That restaurant group is known for Barrington’s, Stagioni and Good Food on Montford.

Fonta Flora Brewing has also taken space at Optimist Hall.

"

Edited November 12, 2018 by SgtCampsalot

[KJHburg]

Here are some more interior photos of Optimist Hall from another Business Journal article today.

This is going to be so nice convenient to uptown via LYNX or other areas.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/11/12/photos-checking-in-on-this-60m-project-underway-in.html?ana=e_clt_bn_newsalert&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1542070725&j=84983771

[SgtCampsalot]

39 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Here are some more interior photos of Optimist Hall from another Business Journal article today.

This is going to be so nice convenient to uptown via LYNX or other areas.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/11/12/photos-checking-in-on-this-60m-project-underway-in.html?ana=e_clt_bn_newsalert&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1542070725&j=84983771

Honest survey question: Will people consider this close enough to the Parkwood Station to have Lynx-value? Maybe it's because that stretch of Parkwood still feels like a baron hellscape, but it seems like people may consider it just too-many-hundreds of feet away from the station to feel convenient.
Or maybe that will change after the Parkwood road diet is completed...

[KJHburg]

13 minutes ago, SgtCampsalot said:

Honest survey question: Will people consider this close enough to the Parkwood Station to have Lynx-value? Maybe it's because that stretch of Parkwood still feels like a baron hellscape, but it seems like people may consider it just too-many-hundreds of feet away from the station to feel convenient.
Or maybe that will change after the Parkwood road diet is completed...

I think one of their parking lots will be right next to the station in that triangular piece between Parkwood and LYNX tracks.  So I think there will be a well marked and lighted pathway from the station to the Mill. 

Edited November 13, 2018 by KJHburg

[Guest]

Honest survey question: Will people consider this close enough to the Parkwood Station to have Lynx-value? Maybe it's because that stretch of Parkwood still feels like a baron hellscape, but it seems like people may consider it just too-many-hundreds of feet away from the station to feel convenient. Or maybe that will change after the Parkwood road diet is completed...

 

I gave myself “a hard hat tour” a few weeks back, got my nice shoes muddy but it was a short walk to parkwood station. If there were finished paths I’d have had a much better time not walking in the middle of Parkwood. A man tried to flag me down to ask me a question, but he was too far to hear, I nodded at him with encouragement. My wife told me as we walked away that the guy asked me if I owned the building. So I guess in one persons eyes I own Optimist Hall.

 

I do not condone or encourage breaking and entering. Lol

 

[kermit]

3 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

Honest survey question: Will people consider this close enough to the Parkwood Station to have Lynx-value? Maybe it's because that stretch of Parkwood still feels like a baron hellscape, but it seems like people may consider it just too-many-hundreds of feet away from the station to feel convenient.
Or maybe that will change after the Parkwood road diet is completed...

My 2 cents:

Its a long walk from 16th street station to Optimist now due to a crappy sidewalk and sketchy 16th street (not the station). This will become a very short walk with a better sidewalk and more people out and about. Its going to change bigly.

(eyeballs of train riders passing by have already improved the security of the neighborhood)

Edited November 13, 2018 by kermit

[SgtCampsalot]

7 hours ago, kermit said:

My 2 cents:

Its a long walk from 16th street station to Optimist now due to a crappy sidewalk and sketchy 16th street (not the station). This will become a very short walk with a better sidewalk and more people out and about. Its going to change bigly.

(eyeballs of train riders passing by have already improved the security of the neighborhood)

1. Noted

2.  Oh I honestly still wish they had made OP's station at 16th St rather than Parkwood. But there are pros and cons no matter what...

[Hushpuppy321]

Pretty amazing growth already throughout this area even though the Lightrail Extension is barely 1 year old (actually 9 months old).   I'm hoping someone out there with the CLT Agenda or Observer will put together a list of projects throughout OP, NODA, & UC that have broken ground, opened or under construction since the BLE has been opened.  

Was hard for me to understand the magnitude of what's going on (until I toured these areas at length today) because I'm fairly new to CLT  (5 years) but never frequented the areas within a mile radius of the BLE.  

[Guest]

1. Noted
2.  Oh I honestly still wish they had made OP's station at 16th St rather than Parkwood. But there are pros and cons no matter what...

Hard to believe this is 2 years old. I’ll pitch an update.
https://www.charlottefive.com/light-rail-reshape-optimist-park/


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[Desert Power]

On 12/2/2018 at 12:31 AM, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Hard to believe this is 2 years old. I’ll pitch an update.
https://www.charlottefive.com/light-rail-reshape-optimist-park/


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These Miller Valentine Apartments seem to have stalled

No real work on the retail/office part of Faison either

Everything else on there is going well, although the slow progress of the 25th station is a big facepalm

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, Desert Power said:

These Miller Valentine Apartments seem to have stalled

No real work on the retail/office part of Faison either

Everything else on there is going well, although the slow progress of the 25th station is a big facepalm

Miller Valentine stalled, and the land was sold to another developer who will develop apartments, haha. Office part of the mill is waiting for other whitepoint properties to get leased up to start leasing Chadbourne. 

[Desert Power]

12 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Miller Valentine stalled, and the land was sold to another developer who will develop apartments, haha. Office part of the mill is waiting for other whitepoint properties to get leased up to start leasing Chadbourne. 

I wish all of that land between 21st and 22nd would become apartments with some retail at the bottom.  There is just so little on that land besides that lot a couple old run down homes.

[SgtCampsalot]

1 hour ago, Desert Power said:

I wish all of that land between 21st and 22nd would become apartments with some retail at the bottom.  There is just so little on that land besides that lot a couple old run down homes.

Speaking of that block! I took a shot of some of the beautiful tile work on the walks up to those houses - it's modest, but it's not something you see much anymore except in the quaintest of neighborhoods.

Personally I hope those blocks can get filled up, but keep the existing homes and brick warehouses... in this case I think it would go a long way to identify the new area once new development is built around these homes

Edited December 3, 2018 by SgtCampsalot

[Hushpuppy321]

On 12/3/2018 at 10:06 AM, Desert Power said:

These Miller Valentine Apartments seem to have stalled

No real work on the retail/office part of Faison either

Everything else on there is going well, although the slow progress of the 25th station is a big facepalm

25th street station?  I think you're talking about the 25th Street Connector project that's a City of Charlotte Project, unless they have a developer making the connection as part of their project.

Also - the Chadborn /Faison project is going to be built in phases I believe.  The Apartments/Retail are well underway.  The hosiery mill renovation will probably be much later on.

I do hope the Miller-Valentine Apartments (sold to another developer) start soon because it's a great lot fronting the Park.

[KJHburg]

More on Chadbourn Mill project and the office portion is being marketed now.

http://www.clinedesignassoc.com/projects/chadbourn-office  

Here is a marketing flyer for the commercial space

https://research.catylist.com/api/images/data/og/media/user_uploads/5ba175ecea0e6d00010da47c_Flyer.pdf

[Desert Power]

7 hours ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

25th street station?  I think you're talking about the 25th Street Connector project that's a City of Charlotte Project, unless they have a developer making the connection as part of their project.

Yes.  They opened the station with little way for people to use it yet  

[Guest]

Yes.  They opened the station with little way for people to use it yet [emoji20] 

Most isolated transit station in the entire country


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