Cherry Neighborhood Projects and Gentrification Issues

[Miesian Corners]

Does anybody know what they're building on Baxter St between Kings and Cherry?

I think that's the new Levine Properties apartment project.

[atlrvr]

They are building a 2-level parking deck for the old (but just renovated) office building at Kings and Baxter. 

 

Per the title, there is a new construction home on Luther that just was listed on MLS, and the agent listed the neighborhood as Myers Park....sigh.

[Miesian Corners]

They are building a 2-level parking deck for the old (but just renovated) office building at Kings and Baxter. 

 

Per the title, there is a new construction home on Luther that just was listed on MLS, and the agent listed the neighborhood as Myers Park....sigh.

Kind of like how Forest Park is now either Dilworth or Myers Park. I love how realtors manufacture faux reality.

[teeg]

Kind of like how Forest Park is now either Dilworth or Myers Park. I love how realtors manufacture faux reality.

I do not know the house in question, but it might not be so much of a stretch depending on where it is located.  I recalled that the Myers Park National Register Historic District includes some part of Luther.  

 

http://charmeck.org/maps/Documents/More-printable-Maps/Historic/MyersParkHistoric.pdf

[Urbanity]

Kind of like how Forest Park is now either Dilworth or Myers Park. I love how realtors manufacture faux reality.

 I remember living in Hells Kitchen in early-mid 2000's when realtors started calling it Midtown West!

[Vitamin_N]

Kind of minor, but they just tore down that old church on Torrence, though that thing looked like it was going to collapse anyway.

[Vitamin_N]

The O's on the scene:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/01/02/4583312/high-end-housing-moves-into-cherry.html#.UscGQ_RDt1Y

 

Toward the article's point, I'm kind of amazed at all the new houses going up right now, not to mention their prices.

[CLTProductions]

Would love to see this area built up with some nice houses. this is good news.

[Madison Parkitect]

LOL at the developer whose defense is "Well, they could have been even bigger, so be happy with what I'm putting here."

[mad_park]

The O's on the scene:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/01/02/4583312/high-end-housing-moves-into-cherry.html#.UscGQ_RDt1Y

 

Toward the article's point, I'm kind of amazed at all the new houses going up right now, not to mention their prices.

Does anyone know the details of the "neighborhood community organization that bought more than 100 homes in the 1970s slowly allowed them to decay"?

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/01/02/4583312/high-end-housing-moves-into-cherry.html#storylink=cpy

[Madison Parkitect]

Yeah, that sounds super shady, although I can't imagine anyone buying that land in the 70s betting on it becoming as valuable as it is now.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Windsor Parkitect

[Windsurfer]

 

Does anyone know the details of the "neighborhood community organization that bought more than 100 homes in the 1970s slowly allowed them to decay"?

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/01/02/4583312/high-end-housing-moves-into-cherry.html#storylink=cpy

 

Same sort of thing happened up here on Statesville Ave between I-85 and La Salle. Some guy dressed in a suite came by our business asking us if we'd like to donate some of our land to such and such community organization affiliated with the church behind us. I started asking around, and it seems he had been successful in strong arming some of the locals who had owned their homes forever into selling their property to him. He told them things like, you're land is soon to be condemned by the city and I'm your best hope. He told the church all kinds of lies and got in good with the ex (crooked preacher). I had neighbors calling me up asking if they had to sell their homes to this guy. Of course I told them to chase him away. Most in the neighborhood did, but many didn't before word got around. As a result, you can see a lot of vacant lots where there used to be homes. The guy coming around pushing everyone to sell eventually died. It's been quiet since then. He called his company something like "American Investment Company". 

[atlrvr]

 

Does anyone know the details of the "neighborhood community organization that bought more than 100 homes in the 1970s slowly allowed them to decay"?

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/01/02/4583312/high-end-housing-moves-into-cherry.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

I feel like the full story has been relayed 1 or 2 times on here....I'll try to post a link the thread if I can find it this weekend.  It wasn't for investment, it was to keep the gentrification out.  The characterization of slowly allowing them to decay is a little harsh on the motives, but probably accurate on the end effect. 

[kermit]

^ that summary sounds right to me too.

The neighborhood association's concerns about gentrification were well articulated enough to get a substantial contribution from BoA / Hugh McColl IRRC.

The story is told in Chapter 5 of this book (and somewhere on UP as well):

http://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-NC-Global-Evolution-South/dp/0820343080/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388791894&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Charlotte+NC+globalizing+city

[Madison Parkitect]

So it seems less "allowed them to decay" and more "wanted to keep gentrification out but ended up not being able to keep the existing houses in good shape"

[Guest]

Now this will be very interesting to most of you people. 

A new rezoning has come online for this entire area below. When I saw 7 acres in Cherry I was hoping it was the subsidized housing, but I mapped it out.

Unfortunately the Rezoning is password protected, which I've never seen before... HMMMMM

So its being rezoning U2-SPA. Which means Urban Residential - 2 Site Plan Amendment. All that really means is you can build townhomes and bungalows, etc.

Can anyone shed any light on this/ Have more information?

[tozmervo]

Well, it does include the worst (most decripit) of the public housing along the north side of Cherry Park

[Vitamin_N]

Wow! That is very interesting, thanks. The rezoning is requested by Stonehunt LLC, which was behind the original massive Cherry redevelopment project from a while back.

 

Sort of related news: they just tore down one of the decrepit buildings in the upper left section of that area, but that's because there was a fire in one of the units.

[mad_park]

Zoning site plan is online now...looks like 46 parcels to be developed.

http://ww.charmeck.org/planning/rezoning/2014/023-027/2014-024%20site%20plan.pdf

[Guest]

Zoning site plan is online now...looks like 46 parcels to be developed.

http://ww.charmeck.org/planning/rezoning/2014/023-027/2014-024%20site%20plan.pdf

There goes my plan of buying land in Cherry.

[Vitamin_N]

Very happy about those townhouses, I think that's great for that little section. Hopefully they plan to do a respectable job on them.

[Vitamin_N]

They just tore down three more houses on Baldwin on Friday, presumably with more new houses to come. With all the new construction, both under way and planned, plus that big rezoning this could be quite a year for Cherry.

[CoffeeSamurai]

I live right around the corner and drive through Torrence or Baxter often. From our first days in the neighborhood, I had this feeling that Cherry was going to blow up. Maybe not like NoDa or anything, but being so close to Uptown and the Met...

 

I look forward to hearing more on this. I'll snap some pictures of development as it progresses and share whenever I can.

Edited March 9, 2014 by gill2003

[Guest]

Zoning site plan is online now...looks like 46 parcels to be developed.

http://ww.charmeck.org/planning/rezoning/2014/023-027/2014-024%20site%20plan.pdf

Heated battle going on over this at city council meeting. Neighborhood fighting progress. It just needs to happen, honestly. Great town homes with chantilly style homes mixed in.

[Heuristic]

As I read the rezoning application, the requested SPA results in a reduction in density. Dropping from some 60 plus townhomes to 43 or so houses, of which two are duplexes.  Seems like a good fit and spot on the requirements of the recently approved "Morehead/Midtown/Cherry Small Area Plan".  As best I can tell, there are no single family homes being demolished as a part of this plan.  Despite being a large area, it appears that nearly all of the land is vacant with the exception of some 1950's duplexes that are not in any way indicative of the  period housing in the area; housing that some residents would like to see recognized as part of a Local Historic District currently being promoted as a possibility.  Sadly, it seems that period bungalows are razed nearly every week by the builders already at work in the area where no rezoning is required.