Duke Energy Plaza Headquarters | 40 Story formerly Charlotte Metro Tower

[AuLukey]

This thread went quiet in a hurry...

 

Speculation that the thread got snuffed out by Duke. So just testing the theory.

 

[SentioVenia]

[AuLukey's next post delivered from a chisel and stone tablet, as his power has been disconnected.]

[Dale]

Is Duke's denial like coachspeak, wherein the football coach is rumored to be talking to another team, angrily denies it then, three days later, officially acknowledges he's going with the other team ?

[Niner National]

2 hours ago, Dale said:

Is Duke's denial like coachspeak, wherein the football coach is rumored to be talking to another team, angrily denies it then, three days later, officially acknowledges he's going with the other team ?

Almost certainly.  They didn't buy that land without a plan for it.

[AuLukey]

It's the largest by most standards and just barely second by market value. And considered one of the healthiest major utility companies in the country.
They have enough need for room to grow to easily have operations in U City and still build a large office tower of their own in Uptown.

Late reply to this, got bored this morning.

I was astonished to find out that, as of 2016, Duke Energy is actually the top utility company in the world. Yes, the world. This, of course, is only by a measurement of market capitalization. But that's a pretty yuge deal. It has a $57.5 billion market capitalization while the second largest utility company, Engie, of France, has a market cap of $49.5 billion. In fact, most companies in the top 10 in the world, aside from Duke, have a market cap between $49.5 and 40 billion. So that makes Duke an outlier in the utility business. That's a pretty crazy stat.

Source: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/022516/worlds-top-10-utility-companies.asp

Back on-topic: I'm hoping that Duke will (partially) appease the anti-coal-establishment by making this building a beacon of renewable energy by shooting for LEED Platinum.

[Dale]

Well damn, if they're the largest in the world, the least they could do is build a supertall.

[Guest]

https://t.co/hENCslDiZj
Dear sweet baby jesus Charlotte Stories. You are so embarrassing

[Guest]

To make this EVEN WORSE, I reverse google image searched the author, after its clear hes not a real person, as he has no social media presence. They are using an image of the pakastani actor Hamza Ali Abbasi for the "author byline"

 

Looks familiar right?

Author Byline

Press Pic from Good Morning Pakistan

Edited July 6, 2017 by Guest

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

To think that the building is 5m sqft. reflects soo poorly on the author. 5th grade reading comprehension at best. 

[KJHburg]

Speaking of Duke here are some photos of their data center in the University Research Park  on David Taylor Drive and a photo their entrance into 95 acre Research Drive property.  I checked into property records that data center on South College St next to convention center is owned by Duke Energy so they may be prepping to sell that and go into space they own uptown or in the University Research Park. Since they lease lots of space in 400 South Tryon and in the Wells Fargo owned Duke Energy Center. they might like another big corporations favor an owner model of real estate to control their own destiny. They have lots of security and fencing around their new buildings in both University Research Park locations.

Past Business Journal article on the University locations https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/print-edition/2014/09/12/duke-energybuys-university-area-land-for-office.html

 

 

Edited July 6, 2017 by KJHburg

[KJHburg]

few photos of where the new Duke Energy power tower will be. The design, height is classified but the location is not. Imagine a tower in this spot. And some one with good graphic skills could put a tower in these photos. A tower here will really fill in the skyline.  

On a serious note I believe they are very tight lipped about it due to their asking the NC Utility commission for a rate hike in half of their NC service area. 

1. to right of the St Peters Church 2 behind the brick manse 3. to right on the existing Duke Energy Center

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

few photos of where the new Duke Energy power tower will be. The design, height is classified but the location is not. Imagine a tower in this spot. And some one with good graphic skills could put a tower in these photos. A tower here will really fill in the skyline.  

On a serious note I believe they are very tight lipped about it due to their asking the NC Utility commission for a rate hike in half of their NC service area. 

1. to right of the St Peters Church 2 behind the brick manse 3. to right on the existing Duke Energy Center

I think it also has to do with a crap ton of people currently living in Raleigh that are now wondering if they have to move to Charlotte in a couple years

[Merthecat]

1 hour ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

I think it also has to do with a crap ton of people currently living in Raleigh that are now wondering if they have to move to Charlotte in a couple years

Why do you think there are so many? (I'm one of them)

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Merthecat said:

Why do you think there are so many? (I'm one of them)

Good Point I don't actually know how many Duke/Progress Energy employees there are in Raleigh. I have been unable to find out. 

[KJHburg]

From 2016 Triangle Biz Journal article about 1000 jobs promised to keep for 4 years in Raleigh. No word if this new proposed building changes that. I believe some may transfer but Raleigh is so big and center for their eastern operations I see many staying there. I view this building as Wells saying we need more space in own building Duke Energy Center and leases at 400 South Tryon building expiring and coming up. I think they want to go an owner occupied model of controlling their own destiny instead of leasing so much space. https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/print-edition/2016/03/04/good-opens-up-about-local-jobs-clean-energy-dan.html  Not to mention the Piedmont Natural Gas office workers in SouthPark 

More articles from 2015 says pledge of 1000 employees is up in 2017 from the article linked below:

Duke is obligated to keep at least 1,000 employees in Raleigh until at least the 2017 anniversary of the Progress deal – a pledge Duke spokesman Thomas Williams says the company has more than kept. Without being specific, he says the company currently exceeds that 1,000 headcount in Raleigh. A year ago, the number was 1,500.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/techflash/2015/12/duke-energy-job-cuts.html

Edited July 7, 2017 by KJHburg
More links

[AuLukey]

In another bit of (older) news. Duke put a 348 acre tract of land up for sale in June. The land is along Lake Wylie in York County. I wonder if they are planning on using the sale of that land to help finance this building without pissing off investors. Timing seems a little too coincidental.

[CarolinaCrown]

Random fun fact, I talked with a contractor who worked on/built the current data center, and said that they encountered a mineshaft while digging out it's basement. It took about 750 yards just to see the concrete and 900 yards of to get filled. 

[videtur quam contuor]

From a visit to the Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site: Docent mentioned that early mining was difficult and dangerous and PLENTY OF PEOPLE DROWNED IN MINES. My emphasis for significance to this discussion.

[11 HouseBZ]

So we have multiple bodies encased in concrete at the bottom of a mine shaft below a call center in uptown? 

[Dale]

7 minutes ago, 11 HouseBZ said:

So we have multiple bodies encased in concrete at the bottom of a mine shaft below a call center in uptown? 

If so, as a tourist attraction, this could give the Billy Graham Library a run for its money.

[Guest]

On 7/14/2017 at 9:13 AM, CarolinaCrown said:

Random fun fact, I talked with a contractor who worked on/built the current data center, and said that they encountered a mineshaft while digging out it's basement. It took about 750 yards just to see the concrete and 900 yards of to get filled. 

Wow, that's about a $200,000 change order.  On a related note, a mineshaft was encountered while test drilling for 300 South Tryon.  There was a void from about 60 to 90 feet below the street grade.  

[Nick2]

So Duke could have ghost miners haunting their servers? I wonder if their IT professionals have ever considered an excorcism to fix some of the issues that they can't find a source of.

[KJHburg]

Photo of land Duke Energy bought but denies any interest in building a high rise there. We will see what happens later this year. 

[Dale]

Is Duke going to be like the college football coach who flat out lies about talking with another program ... then announces he's jumping ship three days later ?

[Dale]

Anyone care to weigh in on Duke's denial ?