MoRA

[Blue_Devil]

36 minutes ago, turbocraig said:

It’s eye catching for sure.  Catching even eyeballs owned by the folks in City code enforcement.  They say it’s in violation of the sign ordinance and the box needs to be unwrapped by the end of the month.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wbtv.com/2021/05/20/you-cant-miss-it-bright-yellow-bojangles-stirs-up-reaction-city-says-violation-sign-codes/%3foutputType=amp

Ohhhhhh, I would love to be the attorney on that case. They should challenge that.

[jthomas]

I don't know enough to know if this actually runs afoul of the letter of the law, but IMO this is the kind of thing that makes cities interesting. It should be encouraged, not legislated away.

[tozmervo]

It's only interesting out on a crappy suburban thoroughfare or as a temporary installation. Just imagine the hell if Truist had wrapped Hearst Tower in purple. 
 

_{oh wait...}

[jthomas]

20 hours ago, tozmervo said:

It's only interesting out on a crappy suburban thoroughfare or as a temporary installation. Just imagine the hell if Truist had wrapped Hearst Tower in purple. 
 

_{oh wait...}

Sure - your example would be a travesty. But, I believe that in many ways zoning codes try to legislate against the worst case scenario, and in the process outlaw many creative solutions that can bring interest and vibrancy. Things like minimum setbacks, separation of uses, and yes, sign ordinances enforce a rather dull homogeneity. The purpose of these codes should be to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the community. A yellow Bojangles (dare I say, even a purple Hearst Tower) does not hurt anyone. I say let 'er rip.

[RANYC]

Charlotte is often referred to as an "emerald city."  I've had company from out of town tell me that driving around Charlotte, even in our heavily commercial areas, is like going through an expansive park.  I am a major advocate for our signage and tree regulation.  I'm all for continuously improving pedestrian accessibility everywhere in the city, including commercial areas, but that accessibility would have nothing to do with cluttering our streets and avenues with a barrage of pole signs.  I see it way too often in american cities, especially sunbelt ones, and I'm incredibly grateful that Charlotte has largely avoided such an aesthetic assault.  

In Charlotte, our street trees - natural and shade-producing and air-purifying monuments - still generally have more prominence than the sensory overload of pole signs screaming at you from above seemingly in an effort to re-program the automatic part of your cognition to consume.  I want nothing to do with what I see in Atlanta or Dallas or Houston, and would fight even the slippery slope that tries to steer us in that direction.  You want a break from dull homogeneity - then sure - let's vary the street trees and the biodiversity in our parks and plazas.  But a jarring blitzkrieg of neon and yellow-wrapped box-buildings luring you to high blood-pressure and angioplasties...hard pass!

Edited May 27, 2021 by RANYC

[Michael Zabilansky]

On 8/4/2016 at 4:31 PM, go_vertical said:

While the 'hood is unique, the naming of it is quite the opposite. The formula was tired and overused when the name was conceived and has only become less unique since then. It seems like every medium sized city has a neighborhood named very similar. 

To bring it around, I don't care for MoRa. IMO it just screams lazyness. Having said that I don't live in the neighborhood so I don't have a dog in this fight.

Combining two part geo name is easy , New Orelans. NOLA, North Davidson, NoDA, Monroe, NC; its a tough combo, Monc, MorNC, MoeCO, etc

[Blue_Devil]

29 minutes ago, RANYC said:

Charlotte is often referred to as an "emerald city."  I've had company from out of town tell me that driving around Charlotte, even in our heavily commercial areas, is like going through an expansive park.  I am a major advocate for our signage and tree regulation.  I'm all for continuously improving pedestrian accessibility everywhere in the city, including commercial areas, but that accessibility would have nothing to do with cluttering our streets and avenues with a barrage of pole signs.  I see it way too often in american cities, especially sunbelt ones, and I'm incredibly grateful that Charlotte has largely avoided such an aesthetic assault.  

In Charlotte, our street trees - natural and shade-producing and air-purifying monuments - still generally have more prominence than the sensory overload of pole signs screaming at you from above seemingly in an effort to re-program the automatic part of your cognition to consume.  I want nothing to do with what I see in Atlanta or Dallas or Houston, and would fight even the slippery slope that tries to steer us in that direction.  You want a break from dull homogeneity - then sure - let's vary the street trees and the biodiversity in our parks and plazas.  But a jarring blitzkrieg of neon and yellow-wrapped box-buildings luring you to high blood-pressure and angioplasties...hard pass!

I mean what is not to like there. That street is as American as TLC reality shows and the Military Industrial Complex. 

[TCLT]

Combining two part geo name is easy , New Orelans. NOLA, North Davidson, NoDA, Monroe, NC; its a tough combo, Monc, MorNC, MoeCO, etc

MoRA is Monroe Road Area or Monroe Road Advocates. Not associated with the town.

https://moraclt.org/

[KJHburg]

On the Monroe Rd corridor between Elizabeth and the newly name MoRa area.  from the Biz Journal

Clariant sells North American HQ site to Parkside Partners after move to Dilworth - Charlotte Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

""Clariant Corp. has sold its North American headquarters site on Monroe Road to Atlanta-based Parkside Partners after moving to a smaller office in Dilworth earlier this year. Th Atlanta developer paid $8.35 million for the property, Nick Claudio of Avison Young told CBJ. The deal was finalized yesterday.  The specialty chemicals company had owned that 10-acre site on 4000 Monroe Road since 1995. In May, the Charlotte Business Journal reported on Clariant's plans for a big real estate move here that would downsize its office footprint.

Gene Mueller, North American president of Clariant, told CBJ at the time that, through sales of various business lines over the years, the company today has a smaller total headcount than it used to, about 130 people in Charlotte.  At 165,000 square feet, the 4000 Monroe building was too big for Clariant, Mueller said, and contained spaces, like laboratories, no longer used by the local office.  Mueller said the company found a space that reflected what he called the Clariant 2021 program. Since about 2010, Clariant has been evolving into more of a specialty chemicals company, he said. Plus, most Clariant jobs in Charlotte are true corporate functions, such as HR, legal and finance.  The Swiss company is now leasing 32,500 square feet at 500 East Morehead in Dilworth. It moved into that space, which encompasses the building's full fourth floor, this spring.  Parkside Partners plans to convert the 1950s-era building in east Charlotte into a mixed-use creative office space, Claudio said.""

[Matthew.Brendan]

 

Is the shipping container look original to the building?

[KJHburg]

the Clariant building was a lab, warehouse etc so I say the metal look is all apart of that.  It will be interesting to watch what happens with the new owner. 

[rancenc]

From the recent episode of "Carolina Impact"

 

[deleted account]

On 1/14/2022 at 5:31 PM, rancenc said:

From the recent episode of "Carolina Impact"

 

Good video, great momentum, terrible name (IMO). I think using MoRA as a representation of a business/retailers association is fine. Using it to identify the area itself isn't great because it's a bad name and it reduces the use of specific longstanding neighborhood names. Oakhurst is a great name/story on its own, it shouldn't be lumped in under MoRA.  Everything between Elizabeth and Matthews should not be MoRA.  That said, this is very low on my list of concerns. 

[RANYC]

6 hours ago, JBS said:

Good video, great momentum, terrible name (IMO). I think using MoRA as a representation of a business/retailers association is fine. Using it to identify the area itself isn't great because it's a bad name and it reduces the use of specific longstanding neighborhood names. Oakhurst is a great name/story on its own, it shouldn't be lumped in under MoRA.  Everything between Elizabeth and Matthews should not be MoRA.  That said, this is very low on my list of concerns. 

Is this area looking to become dense and walkable?

[deleted account]

1 hour ago, RANYC said:

Is this area looking to become dense and walkable?

https://charlottenc.gov/Projects/Pages/MonroeStreetscape.aspx

Yes.  But, some businesses are upset because of the impact this project may have on parking/business. 

[tozmervo]

It's an uneven impact, to be sure. I know a couple of businesses that are excited to see the changes, it will make a pretty good stretch of Monroe a lot more attractive. There's a decent amount of pedestrian activity and the sidewalk is straight terrible.

[kayman]

I have a close friend who owns a residential property with his rear yard adjacent to the MoRA corridor. He's ecstatic about these developments and the appreciation of his property values.  He said he will be lobbying the COC City Council to endorse and jettison these initiatives.  I am over there often and recognizing the changes in the past few years.

[tozmervo]

Big picture, the streetscape project may well become the precedent for a lot of other major roadways and what it takes. Park Road, Providence, and Graham all come to mind as really tight ROWs that desperately need space for proper pedestrian and cycling paths. 

[deleted account]

1 hour ago, kayman said:

I have a close friend who owns a residential property with his rear yard adjacent to the MoRA corridor. He's ecstatic about these developments and the appreciation of his property values.  He said he will be lobbying the COC City Council to endorse and jettison these initiatives.  I am over there often and recognizing the changes in the past few years.

The confused emoji is not from me (I liked) but it could be reacting to your use of "jettison":

jettison

 verb

 

jet·ti·son | \ ˈje-tə-sən  , -zən \

jettisoned; jettisoning; jettisons

Definition of jettison

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1: to get rid of as superfluous or encumbering : omit or forgo as part of a plan or as the result of some other decisionmust be prepared to jettison many romantic notions— Christopher Catling

2: to drop (cargo) to lighten a ship's load in time of distress

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by JBS

[KJHburg]

up the Monroe Road corridor today.  Major expansion over at East Meck HS where my mom went it was relatively new and way out in the country (2nd photo).  New businesses and the new apartments the heart of the new MoRa. 

[slipperypete]

15 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Major expansion over at East Meck HS where my mom went it was relatively new and way out in the country (2nd photo). 

They are significantly increasing the student body at East Meck. It still remains to be seen whether the original 1949 buildings will be part of the evolution, or if they may be replaced in the future as well. 

Project info for this new building: https://cmsbondconstruction.com/projects/east-mecklenburg-high-school/

Reporting from the school newspaper from earlier last year: https://eastmeckeagle.com/3241/news/new-building-on-east-meck-campus-to-begin-construction-in-april/

 

[JRCLT]

My mentor worked on that project and offered to give me a site tour but unfortunately I never found the time to make it happen. Would have been fun.

[RANYC]

Massive trees chopped all over the area around Monroe and Rama.  Anyone know anything about it?  

[slipperypete]

On 2/13/2022 at 3:09 AM, RANYC said:

Massive trees chopped all over the area around Monroe and Rama.  Anyone know anything about it?  

There are now survey stakes from the corner of Rama (the Hendrick property) all the way to Ashmore.  And the Jehovah's Witnesses signage has been removed. Doesn't look like there is a rezoning filed for it though, and it all still shows as office zoning.  

[CLTdev18]

I imagine it is part of the Monroe Rd/ Rama intersection improvement project.

 

https://charlottenc.gov/Projects/Documents/U-5805_IRM_Optimized.pdf