NoDa (N Davidson St Arts District) Projects

[Charlotteman]

As I read here about these Charlotte clubs, I'm quite taken aback. Charlotte is quite literally burying Seattle when it comes to night life!

Seattle has Planet Hollywood, if you want to call that a dance club. And a medium sized gay club "Neighbours" that has dancing. Frankly, that's about all I can think of.

Seattle has plenty of strip clubs, neighborhood beer pubs, tiny gay bars etc. But does Seattle have the sort of dance clubs that I'm reading Charlotte has? Absolutely not.

I hope folks in Charlotte aren't taking this for granted!

Edited October 17, 2010 by Charlotteman

[New Name]

Here's some interesting (nerd) stuff that NoDa has been chronicling:

Map of exisiting structures in NoDa by decade of construction

Percent of existing structures by decade (+/-.05%):

1900 - 18%

1910 - 04%

1920 - 20%

1930 - 07%

1940 - 14%

1950 - 08%

1960 - 08%

1970 - 01%

1980 - 01%

1990 - 02%

2000 - 16%

[atlrvr]

http://studio6noda.com/

The new 6-unit condo project proposed for Davidson St down around 31st received zoning approval last month and now has a website up with limited information. All links take you to email the sales agent, but I assume more info will be available soon. Pricing in the low to mid $100ks.

They look interesting. The developer is RED Partners, who did Dilworth Walk (which is the project behind the Blockbuster on East)

[Skyybutter]

When did people in NoDa decide that tearing down a 110 year old house is acceptable? Im moving to Salisbury where they truly appreciate history and tear down nothing. IMO a sad time for NoDa.

[New Name]

When did people in NoDa decide that tearing down a 110 year old house is acceptable? Im moving to Salisbury where they truly appreciate history and tear down nothing. IMO a sad time for NoDa.

Which 110 year old house are you talking about? The post above yours about NoDa Studios or whatever it's called is infil on a vacant lot. The Lap Purser building on McDowell and 36th did tear down a 100+ year old house, but not after a very long discussion. Ultimately, the developer was going to try to repurpose the house, but upon inspection found out there so were termites, and major structural damages. The owner of the house petitioned the whole neighborhood not to get in the way of the sale of the house (a house that his own grandfather build and had lived in since birth), because, quite honestly, that house represented his retirement nest egg.

I would have been more torn about the demo of the house if it were not for the termites and structural damages though. I hate seeing the old houses go. (we lost another one on N. Davidson @ Paterson this summer due to neglect from an out of town investor-owner).

[kermit]

All the windows (all the way to the 3rd floor) were skillfully boarded up at Mecklenburg Mill this morning.

Good to know somebody wants to keep the weather out before it falls down.

[New Name]

The bids for the Johnston and Mecklenburg Mills were to have been unsealed on Friday.

I wonder when the high bidder will be announced. If I remember correctly, once the high bidder is announced, the city will allow upset bids...anyone got an inside track on this?

[New Name]

Community Builders has won the bidding war for the J&M Mills redevelopment. Considering I live only a block away, I have been doing my research. I won't say I know everything there is to know about Community Builders, but I like their track record much more than MPV. The only down side I can see is that Community Builders would not necessarily have the same local ties.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2011/04/washington-dc-firm-wins-bid-battle.html?ana=fbk

[ScottCLT]

Does anyone know anything about the two breweries slated to open on NoDa? There is the NoDa Brewing Company and Birdsong Brewing Company. I don't know much about either except that they are both supposed to open in the near future in NoDa. Locations? Estimated opening dates? Certainly nice to see some craft beer activity in this town!

[nonillogical]

Does anyone know anything about the two breweries slated to open on NoDa? There is the NoDa Brewing Company and Birdsong Brewing Company. I don't know much about either except that they are both supposed to open in the near future in NoDa. Locations? Estimated opening dates? Certainly nice to see some craft beer activity in this town!

First I've heard of this. Amazing news! Charlotte has been a little slow to catch on with the microbreweries compared to a lot of other NC cities.

[New Name]

NoDa Brewing Co is brewing now (I think they're up and running) actually in Optimist Park of N. Davidson St. in the same building as CenterStage NoDa (near Amilies). I don't think they have a taproom or anything. I think they're just brewing and supplying...

I don't think Birdsong has a spot yet. Or if they do, they haven't announced it.

[UrbanGossip]

Community Builders has won the bidding war for the J&M Mills redevelopment. Considering I live only a block away, I have been doing my research. I won't say I know everything there is to know about Community Builders, but I like their track record much more than MPV. The only down side I can see is that Community Builders would not necessarily have the same local ties.

http://www.bizjourna...le.html?ana=fbk

My understanding is that Community builders is planning to apply TARP funds to this project that will require the unit mix to be an 80/20 mix of affordable to market rate. That pretty much means it will all be affordable because no one would ever pay market rate for an apartment where 80% of their neighbors are paying half what they are. For reference, Ashley Square in Southpark is 50/50.

I think the neighborhood has a challenge ahead of it with this scenario. Ashley Square has had a lot of problems even at 50/50. I am a very liberally minded person and ultimately I believe the neighborhood is up for the challenge. However I think those who have been deluding themselves that they are going to get a bunch of artists and 20 something teachers in there need to wake up to the challenge that is ahead. It is only through being clear about the challenge ahead that the neighborhood can successfully plan for it.

[New Name]

My understanding is that Community builders is planning to apply TARP funds to this project that will require the unit mix to be an 80/20 mix of affordable to market rate. That pretty much means it will all be affordable because no one would ever pay market rate for an apartment where 80% of their neighbors are paying half what they are. For reference, Ashley Square in Southpark is 50/50.

I think the neighborhood has a challenge ahead of it with this scenario. Ashley Square has had a lot of problems even at 50/50. I am a very liberally minded person and ultimately I believe the neighborhood is up for the challenge. However I think those who have been deluding themselves that they are going to get a bunch of artists and 20 something teachers in there need to wake up to the challenge that is ahead. It is only through being clear about the challenge ahead that the neighborhood can successfully plan for it.

I agree. I can see these buildings from my front porch. I want the best for them, and I want the best for my 'hood. And honestly, I believe the best thing for NoDa is to continue to be a marginally gentrified neighborhood. If NoDa ended up fully gentrified (to the extent that one may consider P-M or Dilworth), NoDa would have nothing to offer that is unique. Lets face facts, NoDa's housing stock was never more than adequate (people like to use the word "funky," ie: crooked, misshapen). If that word goes away from NoDa due to gentrification, where will people find this in Charlotte?

Of course I hope that only good-natured neighbors move into Mills. But it's not reasonable to say "artists and public servants only." NoDa has quite a few sketchy characters left; people that have been here since the 60's or before. There is a real dichotomy between the new NoDa residents, and the old-school NoDa residents. But everyday I see people who may not have aspirations beyond the old NoDa life growing as a result of the influx of new NoDa. And I hope that whomever the residents that fit into the "affordable label" that is placed on the Mills end up being, they will grow as people and find pride that they may not have found otherwise.

[atlrvr]

My understanding is that Community builders is planning to apply TARP funds to this project that will require the unit mix to be an 80/20 mix of affordable to market rate. That pretty much means it will all be affordable because no one would ever pay market rate for an apartment where 80% of their neighbors are paying half what they are. For reference, Ashley Square in Southpark is 50/50.

I think the neighborhood has a challenge ahead of it with this scenario. Ashley Square has had a lot of problems even at 50/50. I am a very liberally minded person and ultimately I believe the neighborhood is up for the challenge. However I think those who have been deluding themselves that they are going to get a bunch of artists and 20 something teachers in there need to wake up to the challenge that is ahead. It is only through being clear about the challenge ahead that the neighborhood can successfully plan for it.

I just want to clear up a couple of factual errors in this post. First, it's not TARP funds, its LIHTC funds. I just don't want to think "bank bail-out" dollars are directly allocated to affordable housing. Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) have been annual appropriations from the federal government since the mid 1980s.

More importantly, you have the 80/20 ratio reversed. It's 20% of the units which must be considered affordable to people making 50% or less of the area median income. In practice, this usually is reserved for people who qualify for Section 8. This is the same as Ashley Park in South Park, which has 36 of its 176 units set aside for low income residents, not 50%. This is also the same as Sycamore Green located between Gateway Village and I-77. Whether or not the 20% of low income units is enough to destabilize a particular apartment community is certainly a debatable point, and I'm sure there are abundant examples where it has. I just want everyone to be aware of the facts, which is 20% of the units are for low income residents and not 80%.

What all this means is that the maximum income for a single renter is ~$24k/year and a couple (or parent plus 1 child) is $27k/year. Most full time public servants make too much to qualify for the reduced rents.

[UrbanGossip]

I just want to clear up a couple of factual errors in this post. First, it's not TARP funds, its LIHTC funds. I just don't want to think "bank bail-out" dollars are directly allocated to affordable housing. Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) have been annual appropriations from the federal government since the mid 1980s.

More importantly, you have the 80/20 ratio reversed. It's 20% of the units which must be considered affordable to people making 50% or less of the area median income. In practice, this usually is reserved for people who qualify for Section 8. This is the same as Ashley Park in South Park, which has 36 of its 176 units set aside for low income residents, not 50%. This is also the same as Sycamore Green located between Gateway Village and I-77. Whether or not the 20% of low income units is enough to destabilize a particular apartment community is certainly a debatable point, and I'm sure there are abundant examples where it has. I just want everyone to be aware of the facts, which is 20% of the units are for low income residents and not 80%.

What all this means is that the maximum income for a single renter is ~$24k/year and a couple (or parent plus 1 child) is $27k/year. Most full time public servants make too much to qualify for the reduced rents.

Thanks for the clarification. That sounds fantastic actually. I'm glad that the rumor mill failed me and that my facts were wrong. I honestly believe that a neighborhood like ours, with the mix of incomes, races, etc. should readily welcome developments like this. Even a higher concentration at select locations of affordable can be welcomed in my opinion with such an active community (some would say I'm naive for believing so). But I won't lie, the 80% affordable I had heard before scared me.

[Urbanity]

My husband and I recently went to Asheville and just fell in love with the River Arts District. There is not a lot of polish there and in fact it is more disjointed than NoDA; however, what it has that Charlotte doesn't is a continuous and clear Arts District that exists more than name alone.

I happen to go to NoDA yesterday for lunch at Cabo while Husband was getting tattoo word at Fu and I was struck by just how much North Davidson, particularly from Optimist Park to 36th resembled Asheville River Arts District in availability of Factories, Warehouse and abandoned building that could form a continuous Arts district of galleries. To be frank the existing development of NoDa's four corners (as I call them) from N/. Davidson and 36th trumps Asheville in the ability to leverage the district.

I guess I'm just thinking out loud and there is no real point to this post outside of seeing such great potential for both the district and Charlotte as a whole and wishing I was a billionaire who could make it happen!

[southslider]

Green Rice is closing. The increasing rent still attractive to bars and restaurants may be driving out galleries. This block of former Lark & Key, Boulevard and now Green Rice was NoDa's only full block of the arts left. At least Pura Vida and YarnHouse are still around, but the arts scene now seems largely to be the crawl's sidewalk tables and NoDaRioty's booths at Neighborhood Theatre. In other words, less permanent arts space, but at least regular events.

[southslider]

^A silver lining of NoDa's higher-rent success could be galleries now seeking other nearby locations. These alternative locations can then help revitalize more of Charlotte beyond the already established "hot spots."

For example, there is the Hart Witzen Gallery, which is located outside traditional NoDa on the "other side of the tracks" towards North Tryon. Similarly, though hardly as transitional of an area anymore, there also appears to be a new gallery, called "Plaza Muse," coming to the "other side of the tracks" of Plaza-Midwood at Central and Hawthorne.

[mallguy]

I did a drive through what I thought was NoDa today. Just so I understand: is 16th Street, just east of the rail yards, also considered NoDa? South of there, and north of I-277, are a few nice-looking apartment complexes; one was a Crosland development off Brevard. How is the area I describe? It seemed to have some nice developments in it, but there also seemed to be some un-gentrified areas, and the rail yards cannot be good for property values.

[nonillogical]

I did a drive through what I thought was NoDa today. Just so I understand: is 16th Street, just east of the rail yards, also considered NoDa? South of there, and north of I-277, are a few nice-looking apartment complexes; one was a Crosland development off Brevard. How is the area I describe? It seemed to have some nice developments in it, but there also seemed to be some un-gentrified areas, and the rail yards cannot be good for property values.

I would consider that area Belmont, but I'm not sure what the official status is.

[Sabaidee]

I would consider that area Belmont, but I'm not sure what the official status is.

It's actually Villa Heights, generally that neighborhood is bounded by Davidson/Matheson/Parkwood/Plaza. Belmont is roughly Hawthorne/Parkwood/10th/Davidson. My family lived in NoDa before it was known as NoDa and it was vague then and it's more confusing now.

I did a drive through what I thought was NoDa today. Just so I understand: is 16th Street, just east of the rail yards, also considered NoDa? South of there, and north of I-277, are a few nice-looking apartment complexes; one was a Crosland development off Brevard. How is the area I describe? It seemed to have some nice developments in it, but there also seemed to be some un-gentrified areas, and the rail yards cannot be good for property values.

East of 16th is Optimist Park, and that is bounded by Davidson, Belmont Ave, Parkwood, its northern end is vague too.

[mallguy]

Thanks. Is that area considered safe/"cool"/desirable? Seems like it should be a good area, with proximity to uptown, but there is some more gentrification that needs to occur before it would be the "in" place.

For all of these neighborhoods that are next to uptown but cut off from it by 277: the city should really put some kind of well-marked attractive sidewalk or something connecting them with uptown (on the assumption that people in them would walk, rather than drive, uptown, which may not be a correct assumption).

[New Name]

I had some friends buy a house in Belmont several years ago (they have since let the house foreclose because they were moving out of Charlotte and were stuck a house that wouldn't sell). They thought the same thing about the inner ring neighborhoods on this side of town: proximity to Uptown would make Belmont desirable for gentrification. They learned, overtime, that's a long long way away.

So I wondered the same thing. What was it about these neighborhoods that was holding them back (when the other inner ring 'hoods were getting better?). Then I found this book *which is just can't seem to remember the name of right now* that traced the history of Charlotte's neighborhoods from their beginnings and through the years. It really helped me understand that Charlotte has a LONG way to go when it comes to ingrained opinions, racism, elitism and all the other bad "isms." Basically: neighborhoods that were conceived as "white neighborhoods" are still perceived that way as an undercurrent. Plaza Midwood was the first neighborhood to have covenants that actually prohibited non-white residents. Of course this is not the case today, but the perception that Plaza Midwood is historically a "safer" place than Belmont still sticks with the population even though they share much of the same geographical area. I won't argue that PM *may* actually be safer than Belmont, but it could be mostly because of public opinion.

Anyway - long story short - if you believe in the power of public opinion to shape the identity of these neighborhoods: since NoDa is generally considered a *gentrified/safe* neighborhood, and Optimist Park/Belmont/Villa Heights are not - it would be prudent to consider anywhere that has upward mobility on North Davidson Street to be part of NoDa (Amieles Bakery, NoDa Brewery, McGill Rose Garden). Likewise, the junkyards and wrecking company on N. Davidson, would be considered part of Belmont based only on public opinion. However, if public opinion were to change about the mobility of Belmont, or Villa Heights, for example, Villa Heights would be appalled that NoDa Brewing Company should actually be called Villa Heights Brewing Company. I don't blame the owners of this new place (and it looks like it's going to be an awesome place!), because advertising as "Come on down to NoDa with us and have a beer," sounds much more enticing that "Come on down to Villa Heights with us and have a beer." And that is only because of public opinion.

[tozmervo]

I'd wager this book is what you're thinking of.

Unfortunately, Optimist Park, Belmont and Villa Heights suffer from a much higher concentration of petty crime than their neighbors in P-M and NoDa. One look at the CMPD crime mapper shows that it's reality, not a perception problem. I looked at renting in Belmont but almost half the properties within a couple of blocks have had some kind of larceny event in the past year.

The area has been working like mad to brand itself and fix its crime problems, but there are historical and economic forces working against it. I wonder what would have happened had the economy not tanked and Bloc 90 had actually been finished and not turned into a dilapidated pile for two years.

[southslider]

Once BLE happens, there's no stopping Optimist Park. Belmont, OTOH, is a harder nut to crack. Its outer edges of winding Little Sugar Creek, high-speed Parkwood, disconnected Hawthorne, and the industrially lined CSX, all make for an outer shell that is difficult to penetrate.