Brooklyn Village Redevelopment in 2nd Ward

[dubone]

Well, considering the price they paid for the land, I'm sure part of making the numbers work includes extracting value out of the current structures. However, I'll bet they'll add other major structures, which might serve to downplay those existing buildings. Who knows, perhaps renovations will yield a completely different skin, like many of the South Tryon buildings recently.

This article implies residences will go on the Adam's Mark site.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/13097639.htm

[monsoon]

Not sure if I ever mentioned the shorter building of the two buildings that make up the Adams Mark, originally opened as the Charlotte Sheraton. Only after the Adams Mark bought it did they build that ugly highrise next to it.

[rooster8]

The addition looks like a public housing project.

[dubone]

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte.../28/focus4.html

It looks like an RFP will be posted for the County, City, and CMS land in second ward early next year.

With proposals floating around by Furman, and other developers, the time might have finally come for Second Ward to be a neighborhood again. Momentum is already being created on the west with the possible NHOF/Convention Center expansion, the new Smith Curry condos, and the new Metro School, and on the east with the Adam's Mark redevelopment.

I'm sure that responses to the RFP will include changes to the design of Marshall Park, and the street grid. Second Ward will almost certainly be unrecognizable in 3-5 years.

It will be so nice to finally overcome some of the demons that this area has had since the 1960s "Urban Renewal" which was actually more like "Urban Removal".

[tombarnes]

If they build around the buildings, there's little doubt that they would have to be given a new cladding of some sort. The bigger question is whether the buildings are intrinsically valuable enough to save. While the steel skeleton beneath both buildings might be in good shape, nearly everything else would have to go. The hotel is in poor shape in terms of FF&E.

[dubone]

The Adam's Mark is outside the scope of the RFPs. However, the new owner of the Adam's Mark has announced plans to reuse the existing buildings, which will almost certainly include recladding.

I think the Furman proposal for the government land in Second Ward is really interesting. Not only does it keep CMS from having to make expensive relocation decisions at a highly political time, but it will wrap the current hideous CMS office buildings with housing and other new buildings.

I'm interested to see his plans for Marshall Park. I have heard descriptions of his plan from people who have seen it, but I can't fully visualize it yet.

[dubone]

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/13346216.htm

This is so bizarre. They are telling the Adam's Mark workers to find other jobs 2 days before Christmas, but then they have rumors abounding that says they'll stay open for some groups next year during remodelling.

I suppose they'll just hire temp workers for those days next year.

Apparently, the closure is putting some 2007 conventions at risk. I sure hope they are able to figure something out. Chetrit should announce their plans so that groups can plan accordingly.

Or we should slip atlrvr some truth serum.

[A2]

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/13346216.htm

Or we should slip atlrvr some truth serum.

I am with you on that note D

A2

[tombarnes]

The hotel does not appear to be accepting new reservations at this time. I'd bet on its closing permanently very soon.

[dubone]

The hotel does not appear to be accepting new reservations at this time. I'd bet on its closing permanently very soon.

It was announced a few weeks ago that they were closing down before Christmas. The question mark is whether they will reopen as a hotel, or as residences, or something else altogether.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=238584

[tombarnes]

If they do keep the buildings, I would imagine it would resurface as some sort of condominium or apartment complex. Its closing is certainly no great loss to Charlotte.

[cltguy99]

Hey I just heard on WBTV about the Adam's Mark being renovated by the group who bought it out into what is called Blake Hotel. I did find a Blake hotel in Chicago not sure if there is any relation but looks to be a nice hotel. Anybody else heard anything new on the future of Adam's Mark??

[RiverwoodCLT]

Only what you hear on WBTV.

Glad to hear it will reopen in Feb. 06

Edited December 16, 2005 by RiverwoodCLT

[atlrvr]

Here is some more info from the CBJ.

It says that Amsterdam Hospitality Group will operate it. Here is the website for the NYC properties that they operate.

I'll be honest, I'm a bit disappointed that the hotel won't be reclad. On the positive side, there is still a lot of land, and they WILL do additional development at some point in the future.

[dubone]

Is it possible that they will reclad it later? That is really not so fun that it will stay looking as ug as ever.

I'm glad they will make it a nicer hotel inside, though. If people have good experiences in the city, they will be more likely to return and do more business here.

[tombarnes]

I'm really surprised that they are not closing the place down while they renovate. Anything would be an improvement over the status quo, but I would have thought they would have to close it down in order to do the major work which will certainly have to be done. In the end, I'm sure it will be a better property, if not a better building.

[SmellyCat]

Did anyone catch the news report last night about the Adams Mark? The report said Chitrit was going to covert it to a Blake hotel shortly after its Dec. 23 closing as the Adams Mark. It also said this Blake concept was known for its "hip, cool interiors".

[dubone]

Yeah, http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=274823 .

It definitely puts hotel space back on the market immediately, which is good for the city. I think we were all hoping for more dramatic building changes, though.

[graydog]

I like the class this adds even wihtout a more dramatic change. I think what we give up in the level of change will be made up by the fast transformation. Of course we still have an opportunity for larger scale improvements, as they have hinted at changing the land around the hotel. There's a great opportunity to connect to and leverage the midtown re-building and the greenway.

[atlrvr]

Apparantly the Blake Hotel will only use the smaller of the two Adam's Mark towers, so there is a chance that the taller one will be demolished....I sure hope so. Even better, 2nd St. could still be extended into the site if the taller tower was demolished.

[dubone]

That is awesome. The older, shorter tower has much more architectural merit. I agree with you, also, that it would be great to extend 2nd into the site.

[dubone]

Okay, so I guess I'll post the to the aspects of the new uptown deal that deal with second ward into this thread.

I wanted to correct something I posted earlier when I described the deal originally in the Knights thread, although it is a minor point. The Mass Mutual STIFs that would fund the new CMS building, would actually build the new CMS HQ at 3rd and Alexander, on the NW corner of the current Marshall Park. I originally thought they were talking about rebuilding it outside the center city. The CMS part will definitely be the most controversial part of this proposal, and it might end up getting changed.

Mass Mutual wants the entire rectangular plot of land that is bounded by McDowell, 3rd, 2nd, and [Alexander]. A triangular half of the land is Marshall Park, and the other half is a CMS HQ site. Seen here in an aerial.

Although the complex land swap deal will keep every party whole from a land value perspective, it is still going to be controversial to rely on a TIF to fund a new CMS office building when the Board of Ed could have alternatively sold the land.

My hope would be for the city to offer a suburban or uptown site to swap with CMS for the land next to Marshall Park. CMS would then either sell it to build their offices, or locate at the Freedom Mall complex, or simply (most preferably) just reduce their central office employment and space needs.

[A2]

Apparantly the Blake Hotel will only use the smaller of the two Adam's Mark towers, so there is a chance that the taller one will be demolished....I sure hope so. Even better, 2nd St. could still be extended into the site if the taller tower was demolished.

atlrvr, do you not think they will just improve the current Adam's Mark (ie Reclad it and make some improvements to the inside for a much more updated look to the hotel)

If we lose that entire building, do you think a developer might come in to replace that hotel space lost in CC sometime in the near future?

I can't believe we are going to lose the 2nd largest hotel in CLT and then just blow the building up with nothing on the docket to fill its void. If I were a developer or a National Hotel chain I would be beating down the door to buy some land to put up a nice Hotel tower in CC. With the explosive growth happening in CC we sure could use the rooms. If we neglect this, we are due to lose serious convention dollars because of the lack of rooms.

A2

Edited December 21, 2005 by A2

[dubone]

Well, it would not be entirely removed, it would only be half removed, and replaced with a higher quality, although smaller, hotel. We will also have the addition of the Ritz in a little more than a year, which could come close to restoring the number of hotel rooms.

I'd say that sets us up for increased health of the uptown hotel industry, as there is slightly lower capacity, and much less capacity of low-priced rooms. The nicer hotels should, then, be able to sustain more profitable prices.

By the reducing the hotel room count, through partial demolishment of the Adam's Mark, I think it might really leave room for a new hotel announcement. I really hope that means TWELVE will come to second ward at the Epicentre site.

[A2]

. I really hope that means TWELVE will come to second ward at the Epicentre site.

I sure hope so. I hate to see a tower be imploded with no replacement. Even if the tower currently standing isn't the most architecturally pleasing to the eyes.

A2