Legacy Union (former Charlotte Observer redevelopment)

[navigator319]

This is all truly bizarre.  The website is like something made out of Geocities as well.  Go figure.

Also nothing like having to climb 30 steps to get to the entrance of the Tryon street side.

[elrodvt]

I hate how some of the previous layouts we saw show they know to not even bother asking the city for a tryon crosswalk.

[Norm2]

3 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

nah, those are to 2017 still

Actually....you forgot about the Virgin Megastore!

[JRNYP2C]

9 hours ago, tozmervo said:

In a bizarre and cringey marketing move, they have hired "newsies" to work the corners of Uptown today yelling "Extra Extra, Read all about it, new building to change charlotte's skylines" (or something like that) flinging around some kind of promotional paper. 

I wondered what all that was as I was walking into work this morning.  A nice old car with someone in the back dressed up in an old newsboy outfit.  There were several bikes lined up as well.  With all the cameras and photogs, I thought they were shooting an ad for something.

[KJHburg]

It must be big WSOC TV is reporting on LUT Legacy Union Tower http://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/new-skyscraper-will-transform-charlottes-iconic-skyline/587647220  and there is a great photos of all the old time newsboys and girls. 

And several people on the street agree with me they like the design! 

Edited August 10, 2017 by KJHburg

[tozmervo]

2 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

It must be big WSOC TV is reporting on LUT Legacy Union Tower http://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/new-skyscraper-will-transform-charlottes-iconic-skyline/587647220  and there is a great photos of all the old time newsboys and girls. 

Didn't watch it, did they explain how it may kill my children? With your tax dollars? Tonight at five?

[KJHburg]

Just now, tozmervo said:

Didn't watch it, did they explain how it may kill my children? With your tax dollars? Tonight at five?

No it was not their typical If it Bleeds it Leads story    I got to give it to LH they are really promoting it during this PGA week here. 

[grodney]

Reading this thread I'm all of the sudden craving Loaded Potato Skins and $2 Long Island Iced Teas!

 

[GeauxCLT]

19 hours ago, Squid7085 said:

Also, I recognize that floor...

Hahaha.  Really no better place to read "The Special Edition."

[AP3]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RiverwoodCLT]

 Web Cam

https://api.ibeamsystems.com/api/cameras/6a0926d114/large/latest/?timestamped=true

Edited August 14, 2017 by RiverwoodCLT

[Scribe]

Anyone else notice there is a tunnel going under Church St. from the new tower to where the parking garage will be?

[KJHburg]

4 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Anyone else notice there is a tunnel going under Church St. from the new tower to where the parking garage will be?

Yes that was an old Charlotte Observer tunnel where the huge rolls of paper were brought in and I think it will be a service tunnel or additional pedestrian entrance from the garage. If someone knows something else please share . 

[Dale]

I'm bored with the Overstreet Mall. Build a new underground like Toronto and Montreal have.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Dale said:

I'm bored with the Overstreet Mall. Build a new underground like Toronto and Montreal have.

I have a wilder idea. How about we build ground level retail!!! that'd be GROUNDBREAKING!!!!!!!

[KJHburg]

Houston due to excessive humidity and hot summers has a huge underground tunnel system linking most of downtown skyscrapers it goes for blocks and blocks and is lined with retail. if we had a subway then maybe we could have underground shopping.  Have been in Toronto's too and it goes for blocks and blocks too. 

[caterpillar2]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

Houston due to excessive humidity and hot summers has a huge underground tunnel system linking most of downtown skyscrapers it goes for blocks and blocks and is lined with retail. if we had a subway then maybe we could have underground shopping.  Have been in Toronto's too and it goes for blocks and blocks too. 

They also have mass underground shopping in Montreal and to an incredible extent, Munich. Montreal does it for snow. I guess Munich does if for any future attacks. 

[Spartan]

4 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Houston due to excessive humidity and hot summers has a huge underground tunnel system linking most of downtown skyscrapers it goes for blocks and blocks and is lined with retail. if we had a subway then maybe we could have underground shopping.  Have been in Toronto's too and it goes for blocks and blocks too. 

Overstreet Mall has proven to be bad for uptown retail and general street life. 

If you build me an urban core like Toronto (which has loads of street retail) and tons of walkable neighborhoods, then having some underground tunnels won't be a deal breaker and nobody would have much to say about it. Lots of European cities have them, so it's an idea that can work. The key is that the successful cities don't have to base their retail market and walkability around the tunnels. The retail and walkability just exist, and the tunnels are a bonus. When then tunnels are basically all you have (like Charlotte) then it just creates a downtown devoid of meaningful retail. 

 

 

[AuLukey]

I'm not going to stay on this topic long as this topic has been beaten to death here and many other places on UP.

That's exactly the point@seabrooke. Uptown was just a 9-5 town and still, in many ways, is. Uptown streets may be full of activity during the work week, but businesses still close early and many still aren't open all weekend. The void of retail Uptown is a direct result of the lack of foot traffic during non-business hours. That traffic has VASTLY improved over the last four or five years, but that critical mass clearly still isn't there if we have chains closing up for the weekend.

[Dale]

9 hours ago, Spartan said:

Overstreet Mall has proven to be bad for uptown retail and general street life. 

If you build me an urban core like Toronto (which has loads of street retail) and tons of walkable neighborhoods, then having some underground tunnels won't be a deal breaker and nobody would have much to say about it. Lots of European cities have them, so it's an idea that can work. The key is that the successful cities don't have to base their retail market and walkability around the tunnels. The retail and walkability just exist, and the tunnels are a bonus. When then tunnels are basically all you have (like Charlotte) then it just creates a downtown devoid of meaningful retail. 

 

 

Toronto is a prime example of loads of off-street retail not hindering street retail. And you'll notice for all the carping about Overstreet Mall, sidewalk activity has increased exponentially in recent years, and retail is beginning to follow.

[cjd5050]

10 hours ago, Spartan said:

Overstreet Mall has proven to be bad for uptown retail and general street life. 

 

 

I have always viewed Overstreet as a mall for employees in the towers and ground level retail for everyone else.  I think Overstreet is great to service employees and horrible for pedestrians and visitors.   

My hope is that Brooklyn Village is the start of a pedestrian retail corridor.  One that starts at McDowell and heads towards the Convention Center and Light Rail.  

[Dale]

Any more news on plans to "humanize" the Stonewall side of the convention center ?

[elrodvt]

As Spartan said comparing Toronto or Montreal to Charlotte does not make sense. They both have great retail presence on the streets while Charlotte has virtually nothing. Getting all those people eating at chains in the hamster tube out onto the streets and going to local businesses would make a huge difference. It is a chicken and egg problem though.

[Dale]

4 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

As Spartan said comparing Toronto or Montreal to Charlotte does not make sense. They both have great retail presence on the streets while Charlotte has virtually nothing. Getting all those people eating at chains in the hamster tube out onto the streets and going to local businesses would make a huge difference. It is a chicken and egg problem though.

The main reason you can't compare Charlotte to Toronto is because Toronto is a global city and Charlotte didn't crack 100,000 until WWII.

Aside from that, Charlotte CBD was rendered a virtual office park by "urban planning."

But street retail is beginning to take root, nonetheless. And the Overstreet Mall will not hinder it.

Besides, why should office workers have to brave the rain and the cold just to satiate some urban geek's notion of what a city should look like ?

[15895]

8 minutes ago, Dale said:

The main reason you can't compare Charlotte to Toronto is because Toronto is a global city and Charlotte didn't crack 100,000 until WWII.

Aside from that, Charlotte CBD was rendered a virtual office park by "urban planning."

But street retail is beginning to take root, nonetheless. And the Overstreet Mall will not hinder it.

Besides, why should office workers have to brave the rain and the cold just to satiate some urban geek's notion of what a city should look like ?

Yeah. Without overstreet, people wouldn't venture as far as they do from their office. People just want to eat their chick-fil-a & go. And besides, plenty of people already do go outside to epicenter, Hearst tower, etc for food anyway.