Briar Creek Projects

[dubone]

There isn't really a thread that addresses this part of town, but this area will see a major transformation in the upcoming years. For the better or worse is unclear.

Here is an aerial of the area http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=...&style=h&lvl=15 .

In today's news, it was announced that Merchandise Mart is being bought to be converted to a large church. It was bought by University Park Baptist, a large african-american congregation, that will move from Beatties Ford Road.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/13365121.htm

While churches are good social stabilizers, which might help the east side, it will not help to lose the large events like the Christmas Show and the Home and Garden Show.

I'm guessing that in some ways, this will not help the east side's push for LRT on the Independence corridor. This area used to be viewed as a major tourist/visitor area that could generate transit rides, but now Cricket and Merchandise Mart buildings are expected to draw far fewer people.

[DigitalSky]

I wonder if this will move things like The Christmas Show and the Home and Garden show to uptown

[dubone]

I wonder if this will move things like The Christmas Show and the Home and Garden show to uptown

I thought that, too, but the article says that the convention center is ruled out. It looks like it will head to that new development near the Catawba.

[sfmartin]

I hope it doesn't diminish the chances for LRT on the SE line - what better way to handle the "NASCAR"-like traffic on Sundays!

At the SE public meetings they had mentioned redeveloping some of the acres of surface lots around the Merch. Mart and Arena - TOD for the Briar Creek station.

[dubone]

Maybe, but a significant reason the church bought the property was the parking infrastructure onsite.

Who knows, that church sounds humongous, and growing 1000 members per year.

I also might have been wrong about lower visitorship after conversion to a church. If Merchandise Mart had 200,000 visitors per year, and this church actually pulls in 6,000 people every Sunday, it might actually be an increase in yearly visitors to this site. As the crowds are more steady, it might support transit better than Merchandise Mart would have.

[Seeker]

Maybe, but a significant reason the church bought the property was the parking infrastructure onsite.

Who knows, that church sounds humongous, and growing 1000 members per year.

I also might have been wrong about lower visitorship after conversion to a church. If Merchandise Mart had 200,000 visitors per year, and this church actually pulls in 6,000 people every Sunday, it might actually be an increase in yearly visitors to this site. As the crowds are more steady, it might support transit better than Merchandise Mart would have.

It is a large church. They actually have 2 buildings on Beatties Ford Rd and a place of worship in Pineville.