Jump to content

Dilworth Projects (Kenilworth, Morehead, East)


Southend

Recommended Posts

The CBJ and The O both had stories that East Blvd Bar&Grill was moving to the former Quiznos/SS space in January. CHS was supposedly evicting them. They are still open for business next to Caribou/Brueggers. Maybe the hospital gave them another extension. CHS's "secret" plans for a medical school are tied up in NC's budget woes and the money does not exist right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


In other CHS news, does anyone know if the 2nd Phase of Morehead Medical Plaza is now under construction? This would be the sister building on the newish 8 story office building on Harding that was built a few years ago along with the new deck at Morehead and Kenilworth.

I can confirm my own question. Phase 2 of Morehead Medical Plaza is now under construction and they have been pouring the foundation. It will be a 6 story office building that mirrors Phase I which was completed about 4-5 years ago. I'm really hoping they put in some ground floor retail along Harding or Morehead, but I'm not holding my breath.

Not much to see yet, but here's a picture anyway.

post-1289-1235148520_thumb.jpg

Also, excavation has been completed for 700 E Morehead (former Longhorn location) for the 2 stories of subterranean parking deck. They appear to be pouring the floor for the lowest level, and a tower crane has been up for several weeks. No pics yet, because there's not much to see. Rendering of the building.

700%20Rendering(forwebsite).jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A new restaurant will be openning on East Blvd in the space that "i" was in. That's joint that is right beside what is now called the "Rockin Lobster". The new place will be called Lebowski's. It is owned by the same family that owns Township Grill in Mathews. That paritcular space has had trouble keeping a tenant but I would imagine that Lebowski's has a very good chance considering Township Grill has been so succesfull. They are hoping to open by St. Patty's day. I'm not exactly sure what type of food they will serve but since TG is known for it's wings you can bet that will be one of their specialties.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A new restaurant will be openning on East Blvd in the space that "i" was in. That's joint that is right beside what is now called the "Rockin Lobster". The new place will be called Lebowski's. It is owned by the same family that owns Township Grill in Mathews. That paritcular space has had trouble keeping a tenant but I would imagine that Lebowski's has a very good chance considering Township Grill has been so succesfull. They are hoping to open by St. Patty's day. I'm not exactly sure what type of food they will serve but since TG is known for it's wings you can bet that will be one of their specialties.

That really sucks. I wondered why 'i' was closed. They were, IMO, the best sushi in town by far. They didn't have great crowds so I'm not surprised, but they hadn't fallen for the gimmicky sushi with loud music and pumped up club music like so many other places have. It was an older Japanese couple, he ran the back of house, she ran the front. He was a classicly trained chef and did sushi the traditional Japanese way. If they couldn't get it fresh, they didn't serve it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A reminder for tonight...

"The East Blvd Pedscape Ph 2 meeting will be held 6:30 PM, Thursday, February 26 at Dilworth United Methodist Church (605 East Blvd) The project team has prepared the recommended alternative and will present it at this third public meeting. Come out and see the plans for East Blvd. If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Buchanan, Project Manager at [email protected]

I will be there, I am sure it going to a wild party :alc::lol:

No. But quite informative and important to me as I ped along East Blvd quite often and will do so to this meeting :hi:

Edited by voyager12
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The plans look good, and I'm glad they are giving East a road diet between Euclid and Dilworth Road West. The road diet that was completed in Phase I has really helped both traffic flow and pedestrian safety, and it is much more visually pleasing.

In a plan presented maybe 4-5 years ago, there were plans for large traffic circles at both Euclid and DRW, but those didn't seem to make the cut. It seems that the city has backed away from large traffic circles after including them in plans for quite a number of intersections. I wonder if the city no longer thinks they are effective/safe?

Finally, someone should point out to the planners that the planned diagonal parking on the north side of East between Park and DRW is, ummm, slanted the wrong direction. :) Better yet, can we not just get parallel spaces there like the rest of the street?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finally, someone should point out to the planners that the planned diagonal parking on the north side of East between Park and DRW is, ummm, slanted the wrong direction. :) Better yet, can we not just get parallel spaces there like the rest of the street?

Actually, the reverse diagonal parking is something CDOT has been pushing in recent years. And once you get past the initial awkwardness of the set up, it actually makes sense. Think about it, your sight lines are severely impaired when trying to pull out of a diagonal spot, much less one on a higher speed road such as East Blvd. The reverse diagonal allows you to back into a spot easily, and pull out of the spot easier with improved sight lines.

So... in short, those diagonal spots are not slanted the wrong direction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte...06/daily10.html

I guess Cantina on East is moving in 18 months when their lease ends. It's upsetting to constantly see the announcements of great places leaving that add to the irreplaceable character of East. Even though Cantina wants to stay in Dilworth, losing their current spot to CMC...well, it sucks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CMC has stated repeatedly that they don't have "immediate" plans for any teardowns. But Cantina and East Blvd Bar&Grill do seem to be higher on the priority list for demo than Caribou/Brueggers. Although EBG was slated to move out of their spot to Latta Pav months ago and have so far stayed put. I am hoping the whole process continues to be delayed. That stretch of East has the vibe that we need more of in this town and not less. Charlotte has a tradition of tearing down what works and making more ugly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am still confused. Why is there a need for CMC to go all the way to East Blvd? Why do they need a street presense? This is sort of insane. They could totally build around some of the retail on East. I figured this would be a bigger deal b/c a lot of people move or want to live in Dilworth b/c of East Blvd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am still confused. Why is there a need for CMC to go all the way to East Blvd? Why do they need a street presense? This is sort of insane. They could totally build around some of the retail on East. I figured this would be a bigger deal b/c a lot of people move or want to live in Dilworth b/c of East Blvd.

They could build decks and buildings on them in their numerous surface parking lots between their current buildings and East Blvd. They could do a lot of things but this company with shareholders and huge profits gets to benefit from being quasi-government and doing whatever they please. Don't ever expect CMC to give a crap about what anyone wants because they are allowed to do whatever they want and their current plans are simply the easiest ones if you don't consider neighborhood impact.

CMC is a crappy corporate citizen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And in other neighborhood news, the camera shop adjacent to the Dilworth HT has moved out. That leaves two empty storefronts in a bustling shopping center. Hope they fill soon but that corner seems to have a hard time getting attention. I have heard rumors for years that Teeter wouldl like to punch through and expand. No time like the present but I don't see it happening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not defending CMC, but I just want to point out they aren't a corporation. They are a privately held non-profit. That doesn't make them good civic citizens, rather that their motivations aren't shareholder returns.

Whenever this property comes up for a rezoning, hopefully there is enough public and political pressure to ensure that the rezoning includes requirements that neighborhood oriented development be built in conjunction with the hospital development. This was verbally agreed to when they built the parking deck off Kenilworth, but the accompaning residential never was completed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you look at a plat map or aerial of CMC they have so much unused or under used land that the "need" to barge onto East Blvd is just absurd.

Do know, though, that a couple doctors groups have purchased land/homes in front of the CMC expansion that they can now sell to their employer at a high profit (along East, Lombardy, Fountain View, and Terrace View). Wonder how they knew to buy there? I bet those negotiations are going to really tough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a plan presented maybe 4-5 years ago, there were plans for large traffic circles at both Euclid and DRW, but those didn't seem to make the cut. It seems that the city has backed away from large traffic circles after including them in plans for quite a number of intersections. I wonder if the city no longer thinks they are effective/safe?

Sometimes signalized intersections work better than traffic circles, and sometimes traffic circles are not an effective solution to a problem. They are great tools to have, but unfortunately in an urban setting they can't always be used.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I have long loathed that ugly bunker of a building next to PaperSkyscraper. Clearly it was built before there was any type of review process in Dilworth. It looks some top secret intelligence headquarters with the narrow windows and 24/7 gated parking. Anyone know what type of business is in there? And what was on the site before this prison was built?

Noticed that the former Quiznos/SS space is under renovation for the E. Blvd Grill's move. I guess they got a little delayed. Their food is not outstanding but it's a good place to go on a nice evening. It will be a shame when it goes dark. That stretch of East has the best vibe in the neighborhood, and all that money was spent making East more ped friendly...grumble grumble grumble :angry: On the other hand LP will get another needed boost. When Cantina moves next year the impact will really be felt. According to the latest Dilworth Quarterly, CMC considers Caribou/Brueggers an "amenity" so it's safe for now.

Edited by voyager12
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.