Dilworth Projects (Kenilworth, Morehead, East)

[Charlotte_native]

The whole block is going if plans go through. I know a nearby property owner that was approached by Blvd Centro with these plans. Last I heard it might not include the older 2 story apartments on the corner of East and Lombardy, but the rest of the block including the chinese place, wax museum, East Bar and Grille, etc, yes.

Supposed to be similar to Latta Pavilion.

[atlrvr]

I love Ho Ho's......they are the nicest family and have good food too. Never went into East Blvd Grill.

EDIT....DCDA won't like these plans, not one little bit.

[Andyc545]

The whole block is going if plans go through. I know a nearby property owner that was approached by Blvd Centro with these plans. Last I heard it might not include the older 2 story apartments on the corner of East and Lombardy, but the rest of the block including the chinese place, wax museum, East Bar and Grille, etc, yes.

Supposed to be similar to Latta Pavilion.

Hmm interesting. That area would have a completely new face to it with development this large. I would think that E. Blvd Grill would move if this is true in fact; it really is quite popular and almost always busy. During lunch time on a weekday I often have to wait for a seat.

[voyager12]

I hope the old apt building is exempt. There should be be affordable rental options in Dilworth for people that can't buy condos but still want to stay in the neighborhood.

[Charlotte_native]

I hope the old apt building is exempt. There should be be affordable rental options in Dilworth for people that can't buy condos but still want to stay in the neighborhood.

I agree with you, but I also suspect that the rental rates, should that building survive, would rise.

[voyager12]

Well if this plan does come to fruition I hope the end result is a building that has more curb appeal than Latta Pavillion and offers sidwalk retail and or dining. There is little enough to walk to in Charlotte as it is already. East Boulevard needs more outside dining not less and this option will be reduced if The Grill goes. That stretch of East has a great village type atmosphere because all of the current buildings are well set within the surrounding tree coverage. It would be a shame of they build some massive ugly box that would permanently mar the pleasant streetscape in place at this time.

[JBGB]

Does anyone know what's being planned where Furgeson's use to be on Tremont? They have the building towrn down and a crane set up. I heard someone has bought all the land next to the light rail ftom Tremont all the way to Remount/Ideal Way. This is a huge section of SouthEnd and hope something great will be developed.

[voyager12]

Patou @ East and Scott has closed. I just noticed the sheet posted on the door this morning. I can't say I am all that surprised. They seem to have made an abrupt exit in the same fashion as Red Star the previous inhabitant that failed. That location is very expensive I would think with the high traffic visbility. A shame Patou could not make a go of it. Since they left a well known spot that Las Ramblas has turned into a success. I wonder if anyone is going to try after another failure. Brixx and Starbucks thrive but that spot just seems cursed.

Edited August 2, 2007 by voyager12

[origin.clt]

Does anyone know what's being planned where Furgeson's use to be on Tremont? They have the building towrn down and a crane set up. I heard someone has bought all the land next to the light rail ftom Tremont all the way to Remount/Ideal Way. This is a huge section of SouthEnd and hope something great will be developed.

Ashton South End. Info can be found in the SouthEnd Projects thread.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...st&p=806064

[atlrvr]

That spot is too big and there are too few parking spots at Latta Pavillion. The space needs to be carved up into two.

I'm surprised Patou lasted this long there....nothing against them, but they're just not the type of place that lends itself to needing 8,000 sq. ft.

[voyager12]

I agree with Latta Pavillion's parking deficiencies. It's a major problem for all the current tenants in LP. They hire guards to chase people out who try and park in LP to go to Picasso's because technically Picasso's is adjacent and not part of Latta Pavillion and Picasso patrons are prohibited from parking there. So Patou was always fighting with them. And to the unfamiliar it looks like there is no parking at all from Scott which would hurt Patou. Maybe chopping the space is up is a good idea. Perhaps small retail shops would fare better.

[revitalize]

Why can't they turn that empty Epicurean lot into a parking lot in the meantime while we wait for some good development there?

[New Name]

That spot is too big and there are too few parking spots at Latta Pavillion. The space needs to be carved up into two.

I'm surprised Patou lasted this long there....nothing against them, but they're just not the type of place that lends itself to needing 8,000 sq. ft.

My wife worked at Patou when it first opened, and only for about 5 months in the beginning. And she commented often how slow that place was from the get-go. She quit, assuming it wouldn't even last this long. It was a fine looking place, but just never got any steam behind it...and really, for the price: the food wasn't that good.

[dubone]

I still don't understand why no one can convince Epicurian to make their spot a surface lot immediately. I'm sure that the businesses like Starbucks, Brixx, [Latta Pavilion], Picasso would gladly pay monthly dues on spaces to help offset the parking woes in the area. It seems crazy to have that land sitting there for a decade with gravel paving, while it is surrounded by businesses struggling for parking. The area has not yet turned into a place where people can avoid the car, which I feel would gradually take place in the coming decade. Why not help smooth the transition by creating extra spaces to help these businesses survive!

I mean, if it is a surface lot anyway, why not use it for the betterment of the area. It doesn't help Epicurian's land value any to have businesses failing across the street.

[voyager12]

1315 East's sales must be slowing again. Their latest banner promotes a free iPhone when you buy a condo there. I don't think sales have ever been outstanding and having a shuttered empty spot in LP's flagship restaurant space again will not help matters.

[Andyc545]

1315 East's sales must be slowing again. Their latest banner promotes a free iPhone when you buy a condo there. I don't think sales have ever been outstanding and having a shuttered empty spot in LP's flagship restaurant space again will not help matters.

Hmmm... a free iPhone.... J/k. Don't the 1315 East condos start in the upper 200's?

[voyager12]

I noticed a sign in front of the former Patou spot today. It's advertising available office space. Converting that place into offices may be the smartest solution. It will be a shame to lose sidewalk dining but maybe the locale is just not workable for restaurants to make it.

[urbandesign]

I noticed a sign in front of the former Patou spot today. It's advertising available office space. Converting that place into offices may be the smartest solution. It will be a shame to lose sidewalk dining but maybe the locale is just not workable for restaurants to make it.

I'm hoping it gets subdivided, Office/professional/small-retail would be a great fit for the back/north portion of the space (with a separate entrance, of course); I agree 100% with the sidewalk dining - I'd still love to see a smaller bar/restraunt in the front on the corner. It's a really nice space, but it's just huge.

Can someone provide, or direct me to, a brief history of the Epicurian lot and why nothing is being done there? Well, besides putting up a freshened "coming soon" sign every 3yrs. I always just assumed it was tied up in a trust or some other legal issues... That's a whole lota taxes and lost revenue being flushed down the comode every year. I've been in Dilworth for almost 10yrs and haven't gotten the bottom line on that one - haven't really looked that hard though...

Edited August 6, 2007 by urbandesign

[voyager12]

From the little I know I have heard it's the same family that has owned the land and the former building for years and they are just passing it down through the generations, watching the value go up and doing nothing. In other neighborhood gossip Idilworth.org says HoHo China Bistro has already moved to Pecan Pointe and the occupants of Dilworth CoOP are all being bought out or moved, the project seems to be moving forward. Would be great to know more details on the actual plan....

[atlrvr]

There was a tentative agreement betweent he family and a developer a few years ago....the developer's name escapes me at the moment, but I believe they typically do suburbanish retail. Anyway, from what I understood, the family wanted to maintain a large stake in the development and either the developer wouldn't agree or the family wasn't happy being a silent partner. Regardless, I'm pretty sure the family has decided they aren't going to sell the lot free and clear....they may still be willing to JV, but if they are, obviously no developer has wanted to go down that road with a family that has kindly been referred to as "difficult".....the owners of the lot, by the way, are the owners of the (former) Epicurean restaurant.

[28202]

I think you can plug most of that dialogue in the First Ward/Levine thread and it would work exactly.

[Charlotte_native]

There was a tentative agreement betweent he family and a developer a few years ago....the developer's name escapes me at the moment, but I believe they typically do suburbanish retail. Anyway, from what I understood, the family wanted to maintain a large stake in the development and either the developer wouldn't agree or the family wasn't happy being a silent partner. Regardless, I'm pretty sure the family has decided they aren't going to sell the lot free and clear....they may still be willing to JV, but if they are, obviously no developer has wanted to go down that road with a family that has kindly been referred to as "difficult".....the owners of the lot, by the way, are the owners of the (former) Epicurean restaurant.

From what I've heard in the developer community the family would definitely qualify as "difficult". No one wants to work with them being anything less than silent partners and they wish to be noisy partners.

The funny part about these type of landowners (typically family land like this situation) is they want to sit on their land as it appreciates, but they could sell, reinvest, and make so much more than they are now. I always love dealing with "smart" investors that never let go of anything.

Edited August 7, 2007 by Charlotte_native

[Miesian Corners]

As I've posted here before, the owners of the Epicurean site are/were very difficult to work with. I was on DCDA back in the day when they first came forward with their plans for redevelopment. On the night it was presented to DCDA, I remember one board member asking a question as to the inward-facing design of the project; before she could finish asking, the daughter family-member's head nearly exploded in a violent rage with the "how dare you question us" mode of thought. As you can imagine, that set the tone from that point forward.

As a point of reference, that was 1997. 10 years later, the land is still vacant. What still amazes me is how they simply go along and just sit on it. I know they probably made some cash from leasing it as a staging area for construction at Latta, but I know they've paid over $150K in property taxes for the lot. Someone has deep pockets.

Who knows, maybe Levine was so enthralled with how "JNC Properties" handled their land in Dilworth that he decided it would be his M.O. in First Ward. Perhaps we'll see Danny at the Yasou Festival in September...

[voyager12]

The only flexibility I have seen from them regarding their land in two years living in Dilworth is Cantina' s use of the site for parking during Cinco de Mayo. Hopefully the space housing Patou will be wisely utilized soon. It's a drag having two dead zones on what should be the most thriving part of East Blvd.

[atlrvr]

Ah yes....JNC was who I was trying to remember......I'm going to be bold a predict that over 25% of Levine's Uptown land will be developed before anything happens with the Epicurean lot outside the remote possibility of a comet strategically aimed at a certain family reunion.