Legacy Union (former Charlotte Observer redevelopment)

[Nick2]

Continuing the Atlantic station off branch. My marching band got lost in that parking garage. We tried to take a short cut to get to the bodies exhibit. What should have taken ten mins took closer to 40. 

30 high schoolers and a hopelessly clueless band director wandering almost aimlessly in a giant garage. We must have been quite a sight.

I remember it being completely devoid of people though and it was HUGE. It was a weekday to be fair though.

So it is probably better to have smaller and more organic retail for CLT rather than a large urban mall. That's probably looking in the wrong direction for a city this size.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Nick2

[Guest]

*Off-topic Warning*
[mention=17104]ricky_davis_fan_21[/mention] , you mentioned Grubb and Novant aren't working together anymore (I assume because the Kings College situation happened).  My understanding previously is that Novant was holding up Grubb/Elizabeth redevelopment.  If Grubb/Novant aren't working together anymore, does that mean Grubb can actually develop some of the gravel parking lots now?  Is there an article waiting to be written about this? [emoji6] There is soo much unrealized potential along Elizabeth Ave.  I am reading between the lines hoping that there is chance it actually happens in the near future.

It’s actually the exact opposite. It’s Novants land, and grubb was brought in to reimagine the district. Clay Grubb was perhaps our only hope. Hopefully we get a new developer, and a new vision. The original Elizabeth Avenue is probably no longer viable from a land price perspective. It’ll need to be much higher density. So a new vision would be nice, but who knows.


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[CarolinaDaydreamin]

17 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

Perhaps I misspoke.   NY, for example, supports massive amounts of very expensive retail because there are tons of very rich people in many different neighborhoods in Manhattan.   These stores don't rely on people driving in from Westchester, Connecticut, NJ, and Nassau.   Other than cities like NY, SF, Boston, and Chicago, there aren't many US cities with huge numbers of very, very rich residents (let alone hoards of tourists) to support this level of urban retail.

For the typical US city, like Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, etc., most wealthy people who shop at these stores don't live downtown.  They live in the suburbs and that's where they want to shop.   

I don't think that Charlotte needs a street lined with Burberry, Brooks Brothers, Pink, Tiffany, Cartier, etc. to validate it.   It has a lot of great stuff in Uptown as it is, and for those who want to buy fancy stuff, a short drive to Southpark isn't too onerous.

Midtown Atlanta and Uptown Dallas, have the potential to have this demographic, but more likely it develops just outside the densest area. In Atlanta its converging along the Beltine to the east and west midtown.

Obviously South End would be Charlotte's candidate followed by Central avenue as its secondary urban pocket eventually.

Edited February 6, 2019 by CarolinaDaydreamin

[SydneyCarton]

25 minutes ago, CarolinaDaydreamin said:

Midtown Atlanta and Uptown Dallas, have the potential to have this demographic, but more likely it develops just outside the densest area. In Atlanta its converging along the Beltine to the east and west midtown.

Obviously South End would be Charlotte's candidate followed by Central avenue as its secondary urban pocket eventually.

Neither of those areas in Atlanta and Dallas have tens of thousands of multi-million dollars apartments.  I guess NY is unique in that respect, but Boston, SF, and Chicago all have tons of pretty expensive condos, which support that shopping,

I like Charlotte as it is.  Neither Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, etc. will ever be like Chicago, for example.  That's fine with me.

Edited February 6, 2019 by SydneyCarton

[Temeteron]

On 2/4/2019 at 10:00 PM, CLT2014 said:

Any of us are welcome to open up a small boutique and store in Uptown rather than wait for others to do it. We can be a part of the solution, who wants to do it!?!

I think the hard thing is if I was to open a store, I'd feel like I could make more revenue in other locations in Charlotte, but cut my rent.

The fact that there are literally tons of buildings uptown whose lobbies are collecting dust, maybe they can cut some slack to small businesses (or medium sized local businesses) and create some more life on the streets uptown?  I know this has happened to a few buildings but could continue.  I know logistics is involved but for crying out loud....enough with the overpriced steakhouses and hotels.  

[15895]

4 minutes ago, Temeteron said:

The fact that there are literally tons of buildings uptown whose lobbies are collecting dust, maybe they can cut some slack to small businesses (or medium sized local businesses) and create some more life on the streets uptown?  I know this has happened to a few buildings but could continue.  I know logistics is involved but for crying out loud....enough with the overpriced steakhouses and hotels.  

I’ve never seen office buildings with small or medium sized businesses in them. Kinkos and national retailers are all I’ve ever seen.

[tozmervo]

39 minutes ago, Temeteron said:

The fact that there are literally tons of buildings uptown whose lobbies are collecting dust, maybe they can cut some slack to small businesses (or medium sized local businesses) and create some more life on the streets uptown?  I know this has happened to a few buildings but could continue.  I know logistics is involved but for crying out loud....enough with the overpriced steakhouses and hotels.  

 

34 minutes ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

I’ve never seen office buildings with small or medium sized businesses in them. Kinkos and national retailers are all I’ve ever seen.

Do sundries shops count?

[Temeteron]

55 minutes ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

I’ve never seen office buildings with small or medium sized businesses in them. Kinkos and national retailers are all I’ve ever seen.

You mean FedEx And maybe they should start considering?  Empty gigantic lobbies is so 1988.   They need to maximize their ROI  lol

[Desert Power]

1 hour ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

I’ve never seen office buildings with small or medium sized businesses in them. Kinkos and national retailers are all I’ve ever seen.

Ivy and Leo, The Beehive, and Brownlee Jewelers in Overstreet are a nice exception, but none are open on the weekends and can't be found easily

[Crucial_Infra]

 Only three window panes from the west face being complete. Any day now. 

Edited February 6, 2019 by Crucial_Infra

[King of the Queen City]

As seen on WCNC this morning. Hope they can manage to get the pyramid lit up in time for the NBA All Star Game next weekend.

Update: The pyramid looks slightly lit up on the 6 AM broadcast, probably due to lights on the crane.

Edited February 7, 2019 by King of the Queen City

[KJHburg]

Legacy today maybe Legacy 3 and 4 will be in the  near future with the 2 Fortune 500 HQs floating around town.  

Can we add another 10 floors on the parking garage for the future buildings? 

[King of the Queen City]

LU3 

[Seaboard Fellow]

1 hour ago, King of the Queen City said:

LU3 

Being from the Triad orginally, that has got to be one of the funniest post I’ve seen on UP. 

Edited February 8, 2019 by Seaboard Fellow

[Nick2]

I don't get it. Can someone help a brother out?

[Seaboard Fellow]

6 minutes ago, Nick2 said:

I don't get it. Can someone help a brother out?

That’s the BB&T Financial Center building in Winston-Salem. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BB%26T_Financial_Center 

[CTiger]

Anyone else spot a crane base for LU2 sitting onsite today?  I didn't get to snap a picture of it, but it looks like they have it sitting off to the side on Hill St.

[CLTProductions]

23 minutes ago, CTiger said:

Anyone else spot a crane base for LU2 sitting onsite today?  I didn't get to snap a picture of it, but it looks like they have it sitting off to the side on Hill St.

Yup, it is going up this weekend.

[navigator319]

Can someone please explain this to me??? Scratching my head.

 

 

 

[j-man]

The brick actually looks decent on the ground floor. with the glass. They should brick the garage on MLK by RB Park like this.

Edited February 8, 2019 by j-man

[SydneyCarton]

2 hours ago, Jayvee said:

Yup, it is going up this weekend.

Since it's a pretty small tower, I assume that it will rise pretty quickly.  Is there any chance that it will top out by Christmas?

[Dale]

On 2/4/2019 at 10:25 PM, TheOneRJ said:

Something like City Creek Center in Salt Lake City would work well in Uptown. With the long sought after Saks Fifth Avenue store as an anchor. 

What is Nashville’s “buzz”? Charlotte has more annual tourists than Nashville on top of a higher CBD population and income. 

At last check, it’s Music City USA. What are tourists coming to see in Charlotte ? The Levineland Ruins ?

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Dale said:

At last check, it’s Music City USA. What are tourists coming to see in Charlotte ? The Levineland Ruins ?

Um, have you not been to the Airport lately and learned about our fabulous tourist attraction, rated #1 by TripAdvisor. The fabulous and informative Billy Graham Library.

[Dale]

2 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Um, have you not been to the Airport lately and learned about our fabulous tourist attraction, rated #1 by TripAdvisor. The fabulous and informative Billy Graham Library.

Well, it is the bomb. But by itself it pushes stratospheric numbers ? Maybe NASCAR. In any case, Nashville just feels differently. Like LA, it exudes nostalgia and celebrity. 

[ertley]

I know this off topic from Legacy Union, but taking off the last few posts about Charlotte's appeal, I think Charlotte's best strategy is never to fool itself into thinking it's ever going to be a destination for anyone, but instead endeavoring to be a place that people are surprised, even shocked, at how good it is when they happen to be there (for a convention, visiting friends, etc.)

I've long thought that the museums and cultural facilities of the surrounding counties should form a strategic group and develop their missions and plans in concert. Just some thoughts:

I think it's extraordinarily unique to have a living Native American population on their continuously inhabited Reservation (for 200+ years) within 20 miles of the city limits: The city and the region should work with the Catawba to create an experience in and/or around their Reservation that provides the perspective of the pre-Colonial past--with their perspective of the post-Colonial past. All of that should be enveloped into a greater natural area along the Catawba River, that connects to the Thread Trail...

With a truly significant turning point of the Revolution, Kings Mountain, just 25 miles west of the city, and other historic Revolutionary battle sites, each should emphasize its specific timeframes and impacts of and on the war...

The historic houses and plantations should focus on a specific theme (that's germaine to them)--since Brattonsville in York Co. actually had a revolutionary war skirmish there, that's its focus, and certainly the horrific nature of slavery should be addressed--I propose Rosedale, since it's in the city, with greatest mass accessibility, and could be most effective there, as the locus for that--with maybe Latta Place focusing more about the natural environment and cultivation since it's got a fair amount of land and Lake Norman access too...  

Then, my God, the area was the center of gold production in the entire U.S. before the California Gold Rush. The city and county should not simply try to brand the area west of South End the Gold District, they should make real efforts to develop a world class facility that could even incorporate some of the mine shafts. (I even think the old Mint Museum building should be re-purposed to a museum in conjunction with the Gold District exhibit, since there's now a main facility downtown; even move the building (again), at least closer to where it originally was, to the Gold District)...

Speaking of Nashville, Charlotte was the original home of country music, during the Depression--so develop a museum with performance space devoted to early regional country music, focusing on Charlotte (of course)--I've always thought Spirit Square (the old First Baptist) should have a specific function, connected to the new Library, and making it our (not explicitly stated) version of the Old Grand Ole Opry, with an adjacent museum about early country music, would be amazing, and you could fill it with performances almost every night of the week... 

Each county museum obviously needs to provide fundamental collections and resources for its own population, but each should develop an added thematic focus that makes it draw from the other counties...

Move the NASCAR Hall of Fame to the actual racetrack, and a car museum adjacent to boot...

Just some thoughts, but I think the city has done the requisite things--with the Mint and other museums downtown--that mid- and larger cities do. What Charlotte needs to do to distinguish itself, and make itself a unique experience, is draw from its own past and personality--that's how you get people who come to the city to experience things they haven't and won't in other places. What's so special about Nashville other than the music scene? Nothing. But Nashville has that, and leverages it. Charlotte needs to learn to to that.