Who decided that Charlotte needed to "move in a direction"?

[voyager12]

Oh no, if I eventually became an homeowner I would completely lose my indie street cred I would not be able to fight "the man" because I would be him. I can't be doing that but it would make my family happy

[MZT]

Nah... NC does not have "Prop 13" like Ca, which caps property tax increases at 2%.

If you inherited a large piece of land 30 years ago, county re-asessments might have risen so high you'd sell it anyway, just to be out from under the burden. It happens now to retirees in Cotswold, farmers in exurbia, etc. They may be compensated with cash, but still lost something they would have rather kept.

"The Man" is all of us collectively, and the public burdens we place upon ourselves.

[Charlotte_native]

East blvd down on that end is always scary with traffic. I live there and we always have trouble crossing the street. I think the lane changes and medians will be great for pedestrians. Honestly I don't think the changes will back traffic up that much -- the traffic between Kenilworth and Kings isn't very heavy with excep-tion during two 30 minute periods during rush hour. The place where cars back up often is between Kenilworth and Scott and from Dilworth Road to Scott during rush hour coming West. Those spots are not being changed. The rest of the time it isn't volume that is a problem, it is the blind curve and speeds of the cars. We always have to run across the street or pedal REAL fast if we are on bikes.

That sucks about the biker -- I bike around here all the time.

As for the Kinko's, I'm in there a lot also and didn't know it was a UP satellite HQ!

[davidals]

Having lived in downtown Charleston and watched as yuppies drove out almost all the local residents including me off the peninsula through condo conversions and bought up all the houses SOB I can understand the animus against yuppies. Charleston has completely sold out and pushed out almost all of the locally owned merchants as well. King St. might as well be a mall. If Asheville is not proactive and watchful their downtown will end up the same way. Its the same all over the country, neighborhoods go from dangerous and abandoned to funky to yuppie because they want to feel "hip" and they drive out all the interesting people that made the neighborhoods attractive in the first place.

Charleston, or Asheville, or Austin or anywhere else's loss is someone else's gain. Look at how the 'centers of the creative class'/coolness/authenticity/blah have shifted around NYC as one area gentrifies and prices soar: all places will change, and NC or Charlotte isn't immune to that.

Yuppies do deserve, like anyone else, to live where they like and can afford to. But on the other hand, if a city doesn't appreciate it's own home-grown funkiness, and the cultural amenities that arise from that, then that city doesn't deserve the effort, and said 'authentics'/funky people would probably be better off getting out and creating something in a location where their contributions would be less likely to be taken for granted.

[monsoon]

If you inherited a large piece of land 30 years ago, county re-asessments might have risen so high you'd sell it anyway, just to be out from under the burden. It happens now to retirees in Cotswold, farmers in exurbia, etc.

At least in Mecklenburg, if a piece of property is designated as a farm, then its property tax rate is about 10% of what is charged if it did not have this designation.

[voyager12]

That makes a lot of sense Davidals and I mostly agree with you. It would be a better situation in Charlotte if North Davidson, Plaza -Midwood etc were a little larger and more interconnected which would create better longterm viability. Banding together in grassroots fashion similar to organizations in Asheville to protect creative districts would be helpful although I reallly don't think there are enough people. Some efforts are being made and there are several community based newspapers and small groups: Central Speak and Little Shiva's rag as well Point 8 and Charlotte Viewpoint.

[cinco]

That makes a lot of sense Davidals and I mostly agree with you. It would be a better situation in Charlotte if North Davidson, Plaza -Midwood etc were a little larger and more interconnected which would create better longterm viability. Banding together in grassroots fashion similar to organizations in Asheville to protect creative districts would be helpful although I reallly don't think there are enough people. Some efforts are being made and there are several community based newspapers and small groups: Central Speak and Little Shiva's rag as well Point 8 and Charlotte Viewpoint.

that is exactly what is happening. north davidson and plaza-midwood are interconnecting. while i agree with you about the need for official organizations (working together) to protect these areas... there is more and more "creative" spillover showing up in neighborhoods like belmont, shamrock gardens, windsor park, country club, etc. these areas are extremely affordable compared to their counterparts in the heart of the forementioned districts.

i own/live in shamrock gardens (1 block across shamrock from country club) and i see it everyday. more and more young artists moving in the area... out priced of others and looking where they can afford thats close to where they want to be. i have many close friends that live within walking distance and we have all made the decision to walk or ride bikes to one anothers houses. some of us are even talking of starting a neighborhood bicycle club. also, on the drawing table is a website for country club that will connect shamrock gardens and windsor park to it.

*sidenote: as most of you are aware walking, biking, running, or just working in the yard speaks volumes on changing the connectivity of a neighborhood. it's contagious... if you start doing this, you will begin to notice others.*

i tend to agree with concerns of losing certain areas/vibes of charlottes niche creative areas but i DO see evidence of it transmogrifing into neighboring areas, thus interconnecting and making the community larger.

[voyager12]

That is good to know Cinco and I have also observed similar changes. I suppose an argument could be made that what you describe is evidence that Charlotte is actually becoming more broadly diverse overall which lessens the need for isolated creative pockets. However, the original districts need be maintained because they add a lot to Charlotte's character. The development so far has been relatively sensitive. Many of the condos in North Davidson allow for street level retail or studios. Steelhaus in Plaza Midwood is dedicating ground level space for artists. Studio space is available in the development next to Urban Stash off Davidson. Change is these types of neighborhoods is inevitable. On a larger scale, Haight Ashbury in SF and South St. in Philly have certainly transformed far from what their original identities were although vestiges remain. Since Charlotte is so much smaller we have even more to lose since we don't have large neighborhoods to begin with. I know migration is common , West Asheville's Haywood road is becoming the new hangout for local creatives up there as downtown Asheville turns more expensive and trendy. Charlotte will evolve on its own and hopefully grow more artistic as we add population. Business and Sports dominate now but there is and should be room for the Arts and the only way that can happen is to band together and fight on the grassroots level. ASC ( Art should only be Conservative) tool of the establishment is not going to lend a helping hand Oy vey, thats a story for a whole other thread

[cinco]

^ i definently see your point and have often pondered this. i think it's vital that the people who truly create a positive change in their neighborhood have stock in it as well. the worst is seeing a founding member of a blossomed community forced out by high rents. but, i know that not everyone is going to benefit.

the artist community in charlotte has always been discombobulated and tends to move under the surface... which is probably not unlike alot of cities our size. however, IMO we are home to many, many amazing creative minds and would fare better with an organization with deeper and more concerning grassroots, than say, - the ASC.

[Charlotte_native]

^ i definently see your point and have often pondered this. i think it's vital that the people who truly create a positive change in their neighborhood have stock in it as well. the worst is seeing a founding member of a blossomed community forced out by high rents. but, i know that not everyone is going to benefit.

the artist community in charlotte has always been discombobulated and tends to move under the surface... which is probably not unlike alot of cities our size. however, IMO we are home to many, many amazing creative minds and would fare better with an organization with deeper and more concerning grassroots, than say, - the ASC.

I met a local, older, artist recently who is creating a group called Artists Helping Artists. They are creating a space next to Urban Stash and from what he described to me, a very grass-roots oriented group. Artists locally banding together can help with what you guys have been discussing on here. Maybe this group will accomplish some of what you have been discussing.

[cinco]

I met a local, older, artist recently who is creating a group called Artists Helping Artists. They are creating a space next to Urban Stash and from what he described to me, a very grass-roots oriented group. Artists locally banding together can help with what you guys have been discussing on here. Maybe this group will accomplish some of what you have been discussing.

thanks c_n, i will try and find out more about these guys. i hope they are able to work it out... sometimes co-op's like this end up eating themselves. what would be cool is if a non-profit exsisted - created by philanthropists, grant writers and the like... who worked in connection with local artists, corporations, gallery owners etc. to foster local growth... and hopefully not become self-serving. also, something like this could have a database set up for people who are looking to rent out space for living, studio, gallery, etc. this would not only be a nice resource for people already here but also for people coming to town and haven't a clue as to what area to look in.

[Charlotte_native]

thanks c_n, i will try and find out more about these guys. i hope they are able to work it out... sometimes co-op's like this end up eating themselves. what would be cool is if a non-profit exsisted - created by philanthropists, grant writers and the like... who worked in connection with local artists, corporations, gallery owners etc. to foster local growth... and hopefully not become self-serving. also, something like this could have a database set up for people who are looking to rent out space for living, studio, gallery, etc. this would not only be a nice resource for people already here but also for people coming to town and haven't a clue as to what area to look in.

I THINK that is the direction they are going. The guy heading it up is established and I think well-funded, the space they are working on is geared towards what you have stated above. We'll see how it goes, if you are interested in being involved, send me a message and I'll get you in touch w/ them.

In the very least it is good to see some creative folks keeping things alive in the North Davidson / Belmont area, especially this close to center city.

[voyager12]

I heard about Artists helping Artists as well. Community based groups are great in helping push local creative efforts forward. Its also important to remember that many artists, theatre companies etc struggle greatly even in "artsy" cities. I lived in Charleston for seven years and there are constant shortfalls and struggling amongst the local art world, in a city where art is a main tourist draw. The same in Asheville. Charlotte has the financial and corporate resources to assist but then you run into censorship and heavyhanded oversight by organizations like the ASC. Its a tough problem and there needs to be mutual respect and compromise to make genuine progress. And move Charlotte in the right direction ( trying to tie back into the thread topic)