Charlotte Coliseum Massive Development - City Park

[monsoon 1]

Today's paper has a spread on a huge mixed use development being planned for the former Charlotte Coliseum (the Tyvola one) that includes:

• Almost 600,000 sq/ft office space
  
• Quarter of a million sq/ft of retail space
  
• 300 room hotel
  
• 1400 lowrise condos
  
• 175 single family houses
  
• 190 town homes
  
• 313 stacked garden flats
  
• And most interesting, 450 units in a highrise tower(s)
  

It is being billed as an active lifestyle center. I think this means its a place where everything you need is in one place and you can drive in, and never come out. Everything is planned out like what you see on the Truman Show.

The article mentions the site could expand to over 4 million sq/ft of office space and 1000 hotels rooms which would make it a major competitor to Southpark and downtown Charlotte. If they get approval, they will start building it next year. It will be interesting to see how this would affect the other proposals in this city as this is like dropping a pretty big rock into a tub of water.

This will be another test to see if the city sticks to its stated plan of only approving projects that are on transit corridors, or if they will continue to approve development regardless to its location.

[monsoon 1]

Edit: Online article is here.

[ChiefJoJo 0]

So this would be in the SW wedge near Billy Graham & Tyvola... certainly not a good place for that intense level of development given the wedges and corridors strategy. Given the price the developer paid for that land, the city will get a lot of pressure to approve something BIG.

[uptownliving 927]

This is on one of the city's planned Ehanced Bus corridors for the West Side. Just because it won't be served by rail doesn't mean its not supprted by mass transit.

[monsoon 1]

So this would be in the SW wedge near Billy Graham & Tyvola... certainly not a good place for that intense level of development given the wedges and corridors strategy. Given the price the developer paid for that land, the city will get a lot of pressure to approve something BIG.

Unfortunately ChiefJoJo, I have to agree with you as no doubt the city will approve this massive development. It goes completely against the 2025 transit plan but there are still prices to be paid for building the arena downtown and this will be one of them. i.e. much more traffic in the wrong places.

[krazeeboi 196]

Sounds impressive, but I don't see the need for more hotel rooms. I'm sure the ones already located along Tyvola are already feeling the pinch since the Coliseum is no longer in use.

[nowensone 147]

More hotel rooms please. Much more. To attract conventions and other events. First and foremost, the Furniture Market being lost to Vegas.

[Charlotte_native 0]

It is being billed as an active lifestyle center.

That makes it sound more like an old folks home.

[AuLukey 1133]

Well, when viewing it from a light rail perspective, Southpark's growth doesn't line up with the 'plan' but will most likely continue. I'm not sure how the mass of hotels planned makes sense in that area's current state. And a 450 unit high rise seems like it might stick out like a sore thumb, I

[reverbandwhiskey 0]

Well, when viewing it from a light rail perspective, Southpark's growth doesn't line up with the 'plan' but will most likely continue. I'm not sure how the mass of hotels planned makes sense in that area's current state. And a 450 unit high rise seems like it might stick out like a sore thumb, I

[DigitalSky 5]

That area isn't really residential currently... mostly commercial so I guess this would bring some big changes to that area

[tiblerbrit 36]

They already have some bike trails at Renaissance Park don't they?

[kickazzz2000 460]

Are there any height restrictions in that area?

[monsoon 1]

It is relatively close to the airport, but I don't believe there are any height restrictions.

[bwags80 0]

Could someone explain to me why they would add a highrise condo tower to this development? It doesn't make sense to me due to the high cost of highrises versus the abundance of available land in that location. What am I missing?

[monsoon 1]

The only thing that comes to my mind is they are planning future phases of this thing and building highrises preserves land for that.

[rjp212 1632]

Does anybody know how tall the towers will be?

[krazeeboi 196]

More hotel rooms please. Much more. To attract conventions and other events. First and foremost, the Furniture Market being lost to Vegas.

But what's the point of having new hotels out that way to cater to conventioneers when there's no longer a venue in the area? And since when does Charlotte have a large furniture market?

[monsoon 1]

..... And since when does Charlotte have a large furniture market?

Charlotte gets a tremendous amount of hotel business when the furniture market is in session in High Point and Hickory. It is a much larger event in terms of people than what most people think. (or at least was)

[reverbandwhiskey 0]

They already have some bike trails at Renaissance Park don't they?

Yes, but we can never have too many. Those trails are also very technical and can be quite dangerous. I have seen many broken bones there.

[dubone 1619]

Ah yes, Mecklenburg's great tradition of only building parks on floodplains and trash dumps.

[krazeeboi 196]

Charlotte gets a tremendous amount of hotel business when the furniture market is in session in High Point and Hickory. It is a much larger event in terms of people than what most people think. (or at least was)

Hmmm, didn't know Charlotte got overflow from those markets. I guess it isn't so different from Columbia getting overflow from the Masters in Augusta. Thanks for the info.

[mallguy 49]

From the article:

"Pope & Land sees its target market as active, young professionals seeking shorter commutes or working in nearby offices and singles, newly marrieds, small families or older home owners living nearby or relocating from within five miles."

My view:

Active young professionals do not want to live in a suburban office park or anything like that, especially in west Charlotte, however it's billed. Flaw #1 in the developer's strategy.

[krazeeboi 196]

Well if they can live in Baxter Village and Birkdale, why not this development which is actually in city limits and not really that far from anything? All of the good, mixed-use stuff shouldn't be downtown.

[monsoon 1]

Hmmm, didn't know Charlotte got overflow from those markets. I guess it isn't so different from Columbia getting overflow from the Masters in Augusta. Thanks for the info.

It's not only overflow, but many people going to the furniture market prefer to actually stay at hotels in Charlotte because there is more to do here and the hotels are of higher quality. Since most of them have traveled through the Charlotte airport it's not that much out of the way.

Luxury hotels in this development should do well for that reason because it is just a few minutes away from the terminal. The entrance to CLT airport is difficult to get to during rush hours and staying close is one way to have more time. It's quite common for people flying on business trips to pick a place near the whatever airport but the CLT airport has a surprising lack of nice hotels near the terminal. If this development puts up a couple of luxury hotels, I see a lot of people staying there.