Optimist Park / Belmont Projects

[Niner National]

On 2/27/2017 at 4:07 PM, SgtCampsalot said:

The townhomes are on N Myers St, in between 15th St and Belmont Ave. If I may be so bold, they are a bit of a travesty... what are you smoking having a garage door facing the greenway like that? As nice as it is to have some for-sale properties in the area.

You can also watch them celebrate clearing trees on their facebook page.

Walked past these today. Particle board construction. For the price they're charging you think you would at least get real plywood, but nope.

[UPNoDa]

On 2/27/2017 at 3:40 PM, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Wait... 425k for 1,100 sq feet in Belmont? Surely these people are stoned??

Two words....affordable housing (???) and bubble

[Guest]

I'm torn between two ideas. In one, I see Belmont becoming a great neighborhood that holds it's own with walk-ability and close access to downtown. It has surviving corner corner stores and I see caring neighbors patching it up. Homes are being repaired. Therefore, housing prices are rising.

In another, Belmont's population still has a 30% poverty rate and an average income of around 20,000$. Yet unimproved homes and lots are being listed at twice their price when last sold at the height of the 2007 bubble. Land speculation and house flipping are in full force.

I'm not going to jump in out of fear of being priced out. I'm not playing that dangerous game. I'm taking my time.

[SgtCampsalot]

9 hours ago, mazman34340 said:

I'm torn between two ideas. In one, I see Belmont becoming a great neighborhood that holds it's own with walk-ability and close access to downtown. It has surviving corner corner stores and I see caring neighbors patching it up. Homes are being repaired. Therefore, housing prices are rising.

In another, Belmont's population still has a 30% poverty rate and an average income of around 20,000$. Yet unimproved homes and lots are being listed at twice their price when last sold at the height of the 2007 bubble. Land speculation and house flipping are in full force.

I'm not going to jump in out of fear of being priced out. I'm not playing that dangerous game. I'm taking my time.

Dontchyouknow the only way to lower that poverty rate is by making those folks leave?

[Midwoodian]

Storage facility site prep work is underway.


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[KJHburg]

Too bad that site could not be all townhomes or residential. It has such great views. Is there any residential apart of it now? 

[SgtCampsalot]

7 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Too bad that site could not be all townhomes or residential. It has such great views. Is there any residential apart of it now? 

It is entirely storage, office/retail, restaurant.

Respectfully, I still don't understand this opinion. Not only are there apts across the street, but the other two corners will likely be residential as well. Then there is the fact that the storage portion is what's allowing the retail/commercial in the first place. And cap it off with the fact that if this project was any taller than it is, it would be blocking skyline views for all three of the other corners, making monopoly on the view itself. Why would we want that?

Edited March 1, 2017 by SgtCampsalot

[KJHburg]

I wasn't talking about apartments I am more interested in for sale townhome product since it is on a hill. Homeowners stabilize and establish stakeholders in the neighborhood more so than relative transient apartment renters. 

[Desert Power]

12 hours ago, mazman34340 said:

I'm torn between two ideas. In one, I see Belmont becoming a great neighborhood that holds it's own with walk-ability and close access to downtown. It has surviving corner corner stores and I see caring neighbors patching it up. Homes are being repaired. Therefore, housing prices are rising.

In another, Belmont's population still has a 30% poverty rate and an average income of around 20,000$. Yet unimproved homes and lots are being listed at twice their price when last sold at the height of the 2007 bubble. Land speculation and house flipping are in full force.

I'm not going to jump in out of fear of being priced out. I'm not playing that dangerous game. I'm taking my time.

Basically my personal calculus on buying in the whole Belmont/Villa Heights area right now.

[archiham04]

^ What do you mean by being "priced out".  Are you worried that taxes are going to price you out? 

[SgtCampsalot]

44 minutes ago, archiham04 said:

^ What do you mean by being "priced out".  Are you worried that taxes are going to price you out? 

Meaning for investing. Getting in over one's head with the land cost so that after flipping/construction you can't sell it for the necessary sum.

[Niner National]

8 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I wasn't talking about apartments I am more interested in for sale townhome product since it is on a hill. Homeowners stabilize and establish stakeholders in the neighborhood more so than relative transient apartment renters. 

I'm really hoping the large plot caddy corner to the storage project will be for sale townhomes in the $350,000+ range. I own a townhome in Seigle Point and I'd love for those to be used as comps for the area. More low income housing at this intersection would be a bad thing for Belmont.

[SgtCampsalot]

10 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I wasn't talking about apartments I am more interested in for sale townhome product since it is on a hill. Homeowners stabilize and establish stakeholders in the neighborhood more so than relative transient apartment renters. 

Truth. I'd like to see the creative sort of ownership here. There's so much commercial stock in Belmont relative to other areas there's lots of opportunity for multi-unit projects.

 

20 hours ago, mazman34340 said:

I'm torn between two ideas. In one, I see Belmont becoming a great neighborhood that holds it's own with walk-ability and close access to downtown. It has surviving corner corner stores and I see caring neighbors patching it up. Homes are being repaired. Therefore, housing prices are rising.

In another, Belmont's population still has a 30% poverty rate and an average income of around 20,000$. Yet unimproved homes and lots are being listed at twice their price when last sold at the height of the 2007 bubble. Land speculation and house flipping are in full force.

I'm not going to jump in out of fear of being priced out. I'm not playing that dangerous game. I'm taking my time.

I'm on the edge of my seat with this Market situation here; Belmont has so much unique commercial stock with multiple main street networks weaving it together, it would be the perfect place to build micro-urbanism. It has a bus line going right through it, it could potentially have an inner main street in Belmont Ave. I'm frankly worried that such an intense market could bully out all the innovation.

Edited March 2, 2017 by SgtCampsalot

[Spartan]

On 1/27/2017 at 9:30 AM, SgtCampsalot said:

^Yup, it's good stuff (and thanks, I didn't know it was posted online!).

However the neighborhoods (as far as I know, PM as well) are currently corresponding w CDOT and Kinsey to communicate that it is unacceptable that they will not consider any change past Parkwood into The Plaza, or consider any kind of protected bike facility. They only will consider bike lane strips for Parkwood Ave (unless they did that alleyway cycle track, which is dumb). Essentially, the time is either now or two decades from now, so we will see how it goes. 

Look at page 16 (below): The change meets EVERY other neighborhood priority except potential traffic capacity. So they don't recommend any additional changes.

CDOT's meeting w Council to officially have them vote on it is Monday 02/13 at 2pm. Emailing the council members on the TAP (Kinsey, Lyles, Phipps, Smith) as well as CDOT (Danny Pleasant) will be needed in the next week or two in order to pin down the neighborhoods' intentions of demanding more than a half-job.

 

You can't do protected lanes with that many residential driveways. Too many breaks in the protection make it useless. 

 

On 1/29/2017 at 2:14 PM, mazman34340 said:

If there's a decent road network, traffic will disperse to other roads. This happened repeatedly when major cities replaced highways.

In the long run, it's better to think about positive changes to the nearby neighborhoods because of this project. This project will replace a forsaken sewer for traffic into a platform of wealth for the community.

Charlotte's road network is very sketchy. Remember when they had to shut down Park Rd because of that sinkhole? Chaos. Remember when Kings Dr was shut down at Elizabeth Ave for the streetcar construction? Chaos. 

2 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

Truth. I'd like to see the creative sort of ownership here. There's so much commercial stock in Belmont relative to other areas there's lots of opportunity for multi-unit projects.

I'm on the edge of my seat with this Market situation here; Belmont has so much unique commercial stock with multiple main street networks weaving it together, it would be the perfect place to build micro-urbanism. It has a bus line going right through it, it could potentially have an inner main street in Belmont Ave. I'm frankly worried that such an intense market could bully out all the innovation.

Belmont has so much potential to be a really cool neighborhood. Quite possibly one of the coolest in Charlotte eventually. There are no other neighborhoods with as many small-scale commercial opportunities like that. They literally don't build them like that anymore.

[SgtCampsalot]

10 hours ago, Spartan said:

Belmont has so much potential to be a really cool neighborhood. Quite possibly one of the coolest in Charlotte eventually. There are no other neighborhoods with as many small-scale commercial opportunities like that. They literally don't build them like that anymore.

Totally... Belmont Ave, Seigle, and Pegram are all different styles of main streets in the making. I'm glad there is so much affordable housing now and on the horizon; I know the CHA still owns some vacant lots as well. It would be nice if it could be spread more evenly through the zip code, but at least it's in the neighborhood with the best design. 

I worry of how the culture shock of 28205's boom may affect the established culture. It could be either very integrated and have newer residents work to cater to the existing community's values, or Belmont could simply exist with two insular worlds until the older one gets exhausted and trickles away. 

The high levels of home ownership and established social networks in all the old businesses could certainly act as the glue to hold its existing community together as things change, but that will require the newer folks working hard to not steamroll things. Either way the next decade will be interesting to watch.

[Matthew.Brendan]

Tidal wave is my prediction. Money is ruthless. 

[SgtCampsalot]

This old building in OP is one of my favorites. Store (or studio apt) in the front, house in the back.
 

[Guest]

Never seen an actual rendering of the office part of Tompkins facing the light rail. very nice, looking. Well at lease from what I can tell from this crappy rendering.

[SgtCampsalot]

That crappy rendering even makes it look like a crappy office park.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

That crappy rendering even makes it look like a crappy office park.

Its not. I love the midcentury modern/modernism look. I wish it was 1 floor taller. Here is a higher resolution image, and a high resolution of the other side of the backside.

 

Edited March 7, 2017 by Guest

[deleted]

^^

Love this project!

 

[archiham04]

This is a contemporary interpretation of a mill building aesthetic, large windows in repetition, tower element etc. without the disney esque recreation.  Nailed it.

[kermit]

2 minutes ago, archiham04 said:

This is a contemporary interpretation of a mill building aesthetic, large windows in repetition, tower element etc. without the disney esque recreation.  Nailed it.

Honestly it looks like the most Charlotte thing ever.

(with our mid-century office parks arguably being more historically important than our textile history)

I hate-love it.

[archiham04]

7 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Its not. I love the midcentury modern/modernism look. I wish it was 1 floor taller. Here is a higher resolution image, and a high resolution of the other side of the backside.

 

who is the architect?

[tozmervo]

28 minutes ago, archiham04 said:

who is the architect?

I think Perkins+Will was connected to this at one time, I'm not sure if that's still the case, though the new portion strikes me as very Perkins and Will-ey