Legacy Union (former Charlotte Observer redevelopment)

[Matthew.Brendan]

Mmmmmm, yes please! So perfect. 

Also... Tunnels to the stadium! Make it so!

[Dale]

With shops and restaurants like Toronto and Montreal!

[ah59396]

1 hour ago, Dale said:

With shops and restaurants like Toronto and Montreal!

Of course, the PATH system in Toronto and whatever Montreal's is called are really just to protect humanity from the brutal Siberian winter.  I'd hide underground too if I had to be in the dot year round.

[Dale]

Mine was tongue-in-cheek, but Toronto's PATH is a marvel. Don't care what urban purists think.

[kermit]

26 minutes ago, Dale said:

Mine was tongue-in-cheek, but Toronto's PATH is a marvel. Don't care what urban purists think.

I agree it's pretty great, but it's only possible because of their remarkable streetcar system.

[videtur quam contuor]

I believe the Montreal Underground City was the earliest to plan for shopping, office access, commuter rail and bus stations, long distance CN rail station, parking, restaurants and all other services available without above ground movement. Enter the Metro on your morning commute and everything is available until late evening return to your neighborhood. Miles of contiguous passageways.

Unbelievably disorienting on my first few visits. It was designed for residents who had only a few destinations each day. Visitors who want to explore everywhere and shop several downtown malls will be lost in 15 minutes.

[UPNoDa]

On August 25, 2016 at 9:50 PM, mpretori said:

From the observer. 

 

The other side looks almost completely gone. 

 

That spot across from the stadium is begging for an entertainment mixed-use development similar to what the Texas Rangers have planned next to their ballpark. I don't think it would be in direct competition with EpiCenter due to it's location and would give us the MUCH needed Center City retail we have all been asking for.                                    Source: texasmonthly.com

 

[KJHburg]

Or like the Battery at Sun Trust Park in Atlanta's Cobb County http://batteryatl.com/  I think an entertainment retail center would do well there. 

[Guest]

You guys will not be disappointed. Except maybe by the architecture...

Edited August 28, 2016 by Guest

[sclark]

any idea when these plans will go public? this year?

[jednc]

1 hour ago, UPNoDa said:

That spot across from the stadium is begging for an entertainment mixed-use development similar to what the Texas Rangers have planned next to their ballpark. I don't think it would be in direct competition with EpiCenter due to it's location and would give us the MUCH needed Center City retail we have all been asking for.                                    Source: texasmonthly.com

 

 

 

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

Or like the Battery at Sun Trust Park in Atlanta's Cobb County http://batteryatl.com/  I think an entertainment retail center would do well there. 

I couldn't agree more: 

 

[NikolaTesla]

1 hour ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

You guys will not be disappointed. Except maybe by the architecture...

I guess 50% aint bad....Is it that bad???

[elrodvt]

Does it really make sense to be so focused on the football stadium (not a Football fan so agnostic on the topic). How many events in a year there? 

[Niner National]

1 hour ago, elrodvt said:

Does it really make sense to be so focused on the football stadium (not a Football fan so agnostic on the topic). How many events in a year there? 

Obviously depends on performance as that determines how many playoff games are hosted, but:

 

10+ panther games

Usually one regular season college game

Belk Bowl

ACC championship

International soccer game

 

All in all, not many events. I think having something attractive to game day activities would be great, but I do agree with you that it shouldn't be a focus. Simply too few events there to justify it. That side of uptown does need some entertainment however. 

[cltbwimob]

I really don't share the enthusiasm for a stadium focused entertainment development.  I hope and pray the "retail" doesn't turn out to be a bunch of restaurants, entertainment venues, bars and nothing more.  If this turns out to be another Epicenter, this development is going to be a huge disappointment.  A couple restaurants/bars/entertainment venues is fine, but uptown has been begging so long for soft goods retailers-if it doesn't happen here then I really think we will lose our last best chance to see such retailers for years.  

 

[KJHburg]

Honestly I know something good will go here. It has to be much better than the Brutalist Soviet style Charlotte Observer building. Lincoln Harris is very traditional in their architecture and that is okay. Everything can't be all glass and think of the reflections of their new tower onto the Tryon Place tower. They were involved with Bank of America Corporate Center back in the 1990s and more recently The Rotunda, Piedmont Row and the new Capitol Towers all very traditional in SouthPark. Rea Farms off Providence Road will be in the Georgian classical style as well. I know what they will do will be first class. (I like a tower with a pyramid on top as some have hinted) Anyway my guess is that we are a couple more months off before the big unveil. Variety in architecture is a good thing on the skyline. 

Edited August 29, 2016 by KJHburg

[kermit]

In a flashback to 2008 the WSJ reports that Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are both developing/expanding their retail banking operations due to declines in trading revenue. Those who were around in 2008 will remember that Morgan Stanley set up a retail banking office here using ex Wachovia execs but pulled the plug on the effort shortly after. Charlotte remains the low-cost location for retail bank operations. Despite not believing our auto-generated rumors that Goldman is going to set up shop here (and new offices are not mentioned in the article) I did think it was an interesting coincidence. (To be really clear I do not have any non-public information nor did I consult with Otis the cat)

http://www.wsj.com/articles/goldman-sachs-morgan-stanley-take-a-tough-assignment-reinventing-themselves-1472378401

 

Edited August 29, 2016 by kermit

[cjd5050]

9 hours ago, Niner National said:

Obviously depends on performance as that determines how many playoff games are hosted, but:

 

10+ panther games

Usually one regular season college game

Belk Bowl

ACC championship

International soccer game

 

All in all, not many events. I think having something attractive to game day activities would be great, but I do agree with you that it shouldn't be a focus. Simply too few events there to justify it. That side of uptown does need some entertainment however. 

I know the talks for Major League Soccer has centered around a redevelopment of Memorial Stadium but why not try to land a team that plays at BofA?  The teams for New England and Seattle play in the respective NFL stadiums and BofA clearly can host soccer matches.  Future teams in Atlanta and Minneapolis will also play in football stadiums with the team from Minnesota playing in a collage stadium.  

The MLS season runs from March to October and it appears they play 25 matches at least.   Combine with the other events and you have at least 25 events a year.  That still not as active as a basketball arena but still a pretty darn good use ratio.  

[SouthEndCLT811]

41 minutes ago, cjd5050 said:

I know the talks for Major League Soccer has centered around a redevelopment of Memorial Stadium but why not try to land a team that plays at BofA?  The teams for New England and Seattle play in the respective NFL stadiums and BofA clearly can host soccer matches.  Future teams in Atlanta and Minneapolis will also play in football stadiums with the team from Minnesota playing in a collage stadium.  

The MLS season runs from March to October and it appears they play 25 matches at least.   Combine with the other events and you have at least 25 events a year.  That still not as active as a basketball arena but still a pretty darn good use ratio.  

New England plays there because the Kraft family owns them and is actively looking to move to a soccer specific stadium (SSS if you will) but hasn't found a location suitable yet.

Seattle plays in that stadium mainly because they can draw a crowd that is bigger than your average MLS draw.  It was also part of the agreement with the city to get CLink built back when it was going through development, vote etc..

Atlanta designed their new stadium to become more intimate than a cavernous football stadium when the United play there.  Also the connection that Arthur Blank owns them.

Minnesota is at TCF until this gets built.  Much like Orlando City playing at Citrus Bowl till next season when their SSS is built right next door.

I won't go all /r/mls on you as stadium talk is kind of a focal point of MLS fans (Europe envy if you will) but I think the perception of MLS becoming a top flight league is lessened if the teams play in a 1/3 full football stadium versus a modern, intimate 18,000-25,000 field in a trendy urban location.  Call it the Portland TImbers effect on the league.  Being a big supporter of the team we have now, I think we should focus on a 10K remodeled stadium for USL over anything MLS.  Expansion fee alone to get into MLS is $200 million, then stadium and operating expenses on top of that.  For reference you can purchase the entire entity of Aston Villa who was recently relegated for $130 million.  If you put the rest of the money you'd have to spend just to get MLS off the ground into transfer fees on players, Villa would be back in the Premier League where the 20 teams will share $8 billion pounds over 4 years on a TV contracts alone.  MLS is a dumb investment the more you look at it.  There's your Monday morning MLS history, now back to the Observer site

Edited August 29, 2016 by SouthEndCLT811

[CLTProductions]

13 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

You guys will not be disappointed. Except maybe by the architecture...

I beg to differ. I am a fan of the architecture. Unique to Charlotte. Dated, sure....but its a good kind of dated that we need and not just another building of sheet glass. 

[cjd5050]

37 minutes ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

New England plays there because the Kraft family owns them and is actively looking to move to a soccer specific stadium (SSS if you will) but hasn't found a location suitable yet.

Seattle plays in that stadium mainly because they can draw a crowd that is bigger than your average MLS draw.  It was also part of the agreement with the city to get CLink built back when it was going through development, vote etc..

Atlanta designed their new stadium to become more intimate than a cavernous football stadium when the United play there.  Also the connection that Arthur Blank owns them.

Minnesota is at TCF until this gets built.  Much like Orlando City playing at Citrus Bowl till next season when their SSS is built right next door.

I won't go all /r/mls on you as stadium talk is kind of a focal point of MLS fans (Europe envy if you will) but I think the perception of MLS becoming a top flight league is lessened if the teams play in a 1/3 full football stadium versus a modern, intimate 18,000-25,000 field in a trendy urban location.  Call it the Portland TImbers effect on the league.  Being a big supporter of the team we have now, I think we should focus on a 10K remodeled stadium for USL over anything MLS.  Expansion fee alone to get into MLS is $200 million, then stadium and operating expenses on top of that.  For reference you can purchase the entire entity of Aston Villa who was recently relegated for $130 million.  If you put the rest of the money you'd have to spend just to get MLS off the ground into transfer fees on players, Villa would be back in the Premier League where the 20 teams will share $8 billion pounds over 4 years on a TV contracts alone.  MLS is a dumb investment the more you look at it.  There's your Monday morning MLS history, now back to the Observer site

Thanks.  Awesome info.  Had very little understanding of how the MLS operates outside of knowing in some cities it does really well.  The size of the stadium makes sense.  

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, Jayvee said:

I beg to differ. I am a fan of the architecture. Unique to Charlotte. Dated, sure....but its a good kind of dated that we need and not just another building of sheet glass. 

lol. I like it too. I just know Urban Planet posters. If they didn't like Capital Towers, I don't think they will like this. LOL. Sounds like @KJHburg will like it though. The silhouette is pretty lovely. 

[HopHead]

5 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

lol. I like it too. I just know Urban Planet posters. If they didn't like Capital Towers, I don't think they will like this. LOL. Sounds like @KJHburg will like it though. The silhouette is pretty lovely. 

That's right. Keep teasing us all with what you know... 

[southslider]

First phase appears to have a huge parking deck on the block closest to the stadium and an office tower on the former newspaper building block.

[urbanlover568]

2 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

lol. I like it too. I just know Urban Planet posters. If they didn't like Capital Towers, I don't think they will like this. LOL. Sounds like @KJHburg will like it though. The silhouette is pretty lovely. 

The capital towers are lovely. They give southpark class and elegance. Just like the BOA building was not value engineered, and is the crown of the city. Architecture like that is much better IMO.