Design Center Expansion in South End

[Norm2]

13 hours ago, gman430 said:

 

 

It's not the best looking building for sure, but at least it isn't Charlotte beige

[Synopsis101]

15 hours ago, gman430 said:

 

 

Only thing I hate about the picture is the strip of grass. Hate them more than power lines. It makes our urban neighborhoods look suburban. 

[Blue_Devil]

7 hours ago, Synopsis101 said:

Only thing I hate about the picture is the strip of grass. Hate them more than power lines. It makes our urban neighborhoods look suburban. 

The grass out front, or the grass in between the garage and the building? 

[KJHburg]

Our sidewalks need to be separated from the streets where possible as drivers in this area are terrible and with on street parking nearby the vehicles need room to swing their doors open without injuring a pedestrian.   Plus the planting strips are where the trees are planted and we need as many as possible. 

[jtmonk]

10 hours ago, Synopsis101 said:

Only thing I hate about the picture is the strip of grass. Hate them more than power lines. It makes our urban neighborhoods look suburban. 

Agreed

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

Our sidewalks need to be separated from the streets where possible as drivers in this area are terrible and with on street parking nearby the vehicles need room to swing their doors open without injuring a pedestrian.   Plus the planting strips are where the trees are planted and we need as many as possible. 

Agree as well but i prefer hardscaping similar to what they did at Camden Gallery Apartments.  I understand the cost advantages of a grass strip but hardscaping an area, in my opinion, is way more inviting than the suburban style grass strip.

[RANYC]

I'm not all that offended by a strip of grass.  As long as there's plenty of space for and attention to pedestrians, and an abundance of other uses in adjacent spaces, then the urban objective has been met in my opinion.  Urban living as concrete jungle is overrated (this coming from someone who moved to Charlotte in Dec 2018 after spending 14 years in Manhattan).  

I am, however, a bit surprised that the Hawk, with the rent prices proposed, is only doing such a bare minimum on landscaping and other design elements around the building.  I enjoy driving past the Bradham apartment complex along South Blvd (complex with Link & Pin on ground floor).  Not only have they created very wide  spaces for effective segregation of pedestrians from cars zooming past on South Blvd,  there's extensive landscaping to almost give the appearance of urban gardens.

Edited September 8, 2020 by RANYC

[southslider]

22 hours ago, Synopsis101 said:

Only thing I hate about the picture is the strip of grass. Hate them more than power lines. It makes our urban neighborhoods look suburban. 

Luckily that strip next to the on-street parking won't last with the foot traffic.

[atlrvr]

They Hawk has its first retail tenant.

Emmy Squared Pizza.

https://www.emmysquaredpizza.com/

Brooklyn based chain with "Detroit" style pizza.  

Looks like they are also opening in P-M this summer.

 

 

 

 

[Rufus]

2 minutes ago, atlrvr said:

They Hawk has its first retail tenant.

Emmy Squared Pizza.

https://www.emmysquaredpizza.com/

Brooklyn based chain with "Detroit" style pizza.  

Looks like they are also opening in P-M this summer.

 

 

 

 

Oh man...what a great place and great pizza. 

[MarcoPolo]

Like wearing a bathing suite to a dinner party.  Charlotte has many "contextual" issues, with its urbanism (as do many other cities....).  The ubiquitous "grass strip" in urban settings is one.  Urban core type development (mixed use/mid rise and up) requires context appropriate streetscapes.  Trees in street grates either flush with sidewalk, or in slightly raised planters (tree with flowers combo looks nice), with wide sidewalks from curb to building.   Better for pedestrians getting out of cars, much better for tree health (in urban settings), easier to maintain and keep looking sharp. 

That pathetic strip of grass (a botched Brazilian) , with the equally disappointing provision of 3 insignificant saplings is a sad detail.   As with many such "strips" it will be pissed on by dogs and trampled under foot.  Relegated to a continual state of brown turf and patches of dirt sprinkled with cigarette butts and pocket debris.  All too common in South End.   Of course, we can look forward to the sporadic application of straw and seed from time to time.   

[HopHead]

1 hour ago, atlrvr said:

They Hawk has its first retail tenant.

Emmy Squared Pizza.

https://www.emmysquaredpizza.com/

Brooklyn based chain with "Detroit" style pizza.  

Looks like they are also opening in P-M this summer.

 

 

 

 

Great news. Not to go off on a pizza tangent, but Detroit style pizza doesn't get enough love. I'll take that every day over Chicago. Don't @ me lol 

[michaelef]

1 hour ago, atlrvr said:

They Hawk has its first retail tenant.

Emmy Squared Pizza.

https://www.emmysquaredpizza.com/

Brooklyn based chain with "Detroit" style pizza.  

Looks like they are also opening in P-M this summer.

 

 

 

 

Ugh I mean it looks good but they announced one in Plaza a few months ago and now the Mr. Ks place is going to be a pizza shop. Can we have some more variety please? 

[Blue_Devil]

As someone who lives in South End, there is no good pizza here. I am thrilled. 

[JacksonH]

2 hours ago, michaelef said:

Ugh I mean it looks good but they announced one in Plaza a few months ago and now the Mr. Ks place is going to be a pizza shop. Can we have some more variety please? 

And not chains.

1 hour ago, Blue_Devil said:

As someone who lives in South End, there is no good pizza here. I am thrilled. 

What about North Italia?

[Bruco72]

4 hours ago, Blue_Devil said:

As someone who lives in South End, there is no good pizza here. I am thrilled. 

That’s for sure. Pretty sure SouthEnd can handle a couple pizza places. I love Detroit style as well as the Midwest tavern style pizza that’s going in the Mr. Ks spot. I grew up with that style. 
 

Fuel is absolute trash. I was appalled at the pizza in this town when I moved here 7 years ago. It’s slowly gotten better.  But very happy to see something beside Neapolitan style. I like that style but there’s too much of it 

[Blue_Devil]

14 hours ago, JacksonH said:

And not chains.

What about North Italia?

North Italia is more of a Chain the Emmy's... I have had both, Emmy's is one of the best pizzas I have ever had. Plus North Italia is a bit of a walk for me. They are good though. I try to walk to everywhere I eat here in SouthEnd. 

11 hours ago, Bruco72 said:

That’s for sure. Pretty sure SouthEnd can handle a couple pizza places. I love Detroit style as well as the Midwest tavern style pizza that’s going in the Mr. Ks spot. I grew up with that style. 
 

Fuel is absolute trash. I was appalled at the pizza in this town when I moved here 7 years ago. It’s slowly gotten better.  But very happy to see something beside Neapolitan style. I like that style but there’s too much of it 

If you haven't tried them yet, Hawthorn's Sicilian style is great and room and board's detroit style is very good. 

[KJHburg]

I am bringing this thread back up as Childress Klein and RAM are prepping to do a high rise here on the site next to the Lowes Tech tower facing West Blvd.  a high rise office or residential tower with ground floor retail is proposed but not sure which it will be.  Here is a photo of the site I took today before I saw their NC Brownfields filing. 

Expect something tall and big to be built here.  Childress Klein is big on office and apartment towers and RAM is big on apartment towers and retail.    Called Design Center Phase 2.  

[Guest]

New lights on the Hawk!

[KJHburg]

Salted Melon signage up.  Now maybe work will begin on the high rise next door fronting West Blvd. last couple of photos.   still love this building which will be part of the OG of Southend towers with so many new ones coming up. 

[atlrvr]

Building permits for foundation and vertical package for Phase 2 have been filed within the last week.  (this would be 125 West Blvd, so the corner of West and Hawkins). 

Not much info gleaned yet.  RAM Realty is the developer, and RJT+R is the architect (out of Atlanta who I think was the architect on the Lowe's tower as well)

Clearly this is fully designed at this point, but I haven't heard/seen anyone confirm exactly what is planned. 

[Madison Parkitect]

1 hour ago, atlrvr said:

RAM Realty is the developer, and RJT+R is the architect (out of Atlanta who I think was the architect on the Lowe's tower as well)

Correct, the Lowes tower was RAM and RJT+R.

[KJHburg]

I heard both possibilities another office tower for Lowes and for an apartment tower.  Not sure which. 

[KJHburg]

7 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I heard both possibilities another office tower for Lowes and for an apartment tower.  Not sure which. 

correction will be residential tower.  

[CTiger]

11 hours ago, KJHburg said:

correction will be residential tower.  

So do we know for sure it will be a "tower" and not midrise apartments?

[Blue_Devil]

1 hour ago, CTiger said:

So do we know for sure it will be a "tower" and not midrise apartments?

KJ would know more, but I have to think, given the land values, especially of that parcel, it would be very hard to justify a mid rise. I am assuming 25+ stories of apartments given market forces. Though I would love to see something like One City Center in Durham, which has 100,000 sqft of office, 20 stories of apartments and 10 stories of condos