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Ritz-Carlton Hotel & 1 Bank of America Center

uptownliving

By uptownliving
in Charlotte

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Windsurfer Burg

Windsurfer

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Agree! The people that help plan downtown need to try to restrict skywalks. It's like having a domed football stadium in the south. Totally unnecessary!

They're pretty darn nice when you're in a suite in July-August. As far as cabbies, I'm more worried about the rednecks who don't know speed limits downtown. We NEED an overhead walkway at 5th in front of HT in lieu of the crosswalk. You take great risk trying to cross that freeway, and yes, that's what it seems like.

Just stand on the curb at Trade and Tryon and watch the city buses roar past you. You'd never know the limit is 25.

I LIKE the feel of a labyrinth that the walkways give. Of course that's just my opinion.

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roningreensboro Whistle-Stop

roningreensboro

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I never understood Charlotte's fascination with these walkways... It's not like we're Minneapolis and have to deal with sub-zero temps, nor is it like NYC where you easily get run over by a mad cabdriver. This only slightly dampers my enthusiasm for this project though!

Maybe this is Charlottes way of creating a type of signature. An above ground walk way that connects all the financial business together from one point of uptown to the next. It could become a tourist attraction (Possible) in Charlottes future.

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Andyc545 Burg

Andyc545

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I just got back from DC and Baltimore, and those cities are testaments how ditching enclosed elevated crosswalks allows for successful street activity. Charlotte is ridiculous with these. Maybe if these weren't ever built we'd have some ground floor retail already. Just saying.

And yes- NYC, DC, etc. these cities actually have crappy weather. The obsession with them in this city is uncalled for and really killing some of the basic components that are enjoyed in urban life (mainly the abundance of people on the streets).

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Temeteron Burg

Temeteron

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I never understood Charlotte's fascination with these walkways... It's not like we're Minneapolis and have to deal with sub-zero temps, nor is it like NYC where you easily get run over by a mad cabdriver. This only slightly dampers my enthusiasm for this project though!

Hahahahahaha! I totally agree!

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mallguy Town

mallguy

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If we ever expect to have street level retail,.

Therein lies the problem.

We (e.g., the people of Urban Planet) do expect to have street-level retail.

Others- the people who work in office towers uptown, and those who build them- don't care as much as we do.

I spent a few years working in BofA Corporate Center and elsewhere uptown and recall that the skywalks were jammed during lunchtime- moreso than the street, and people'd walk from their offices through the skywalks to their parking garages at night, afraid to walk outside.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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The difference is that most people don't consciously care about the urban environment. Here on UP we do, and our discussions reflect that. However, I truly believe that all people have a subconscious attraction to a good urban environment, and they like it better, even if they can't explain why. Cities are ingrained in humanity, even in the so called "agrarian" United States of America. The root of the problem is that we (i.e.: society) build structures and cities assuming people are incapable of (or too lazy to) handling the demands of the urban environment, thus we get the crappy hamster tube experience that we have here in Charlotte. A common theme in all aspects of life seems to be appealing to the lowest common denominator.

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Charlotteman Burg

Charlotteman

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articles like this are ridiculous and are not helping the banking situation. Bank of America is not going into the luxury hotel business... eh whatever... whats the point in arguing with the article anyways?

So true. Sometimes newspapers just don't have anything to write about, and sensational stuff like this is presented as "news".

To summarize it for folks who aren't familiar: the bank has guaranteed a certain number of rooms for use of it's officers and visitors. The bank is essentially a partner in assuring the hotel is booked....i.e. profitable.

But almost all of us agreed a long time ago, this is will be moot point in no time flat. The Ritz will most likely be sold out all the time, bank or no bank.

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beyonce245 Hamlet

beyonce245

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articles like this are ridiculous and are not helping the banking situation. Bank of America is not going into the luxury hotel business... eh whatever... whats the point in arguing with the article anyways?

I know this project has been in the works for a long time. But you can't fault USA Today for trying to sell papers. You have to admit its a pretty good angle. BOA has $45 billion in tarp funds and is jacking up interest rates on credit cards left and right, even on people who've never defaulted on their accounts. And BOA gets the Ritz while we get left holding the bag.

Oh well. At least they won't be making any more money off of me. One of their competitors gladly welcomed me and my excellent credit score with open arms after BOA increased my APR 8 percent.

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Rufus Hamlet

Rufus

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Regarding that picture...could any of those decks support towers (and by towers I mean 10+ stories on top of the deck)? It would create even greater density. Once the parking lots are all erased, the decks seem like the next best development opportunity. Granted, this will be in like 10-20 yrs.

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cltheel.sdl Burg

cltheel.sdl

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I don't think any of those decks in the picture are designed for tower support, but maybe in the future they'll be redesigned to support some density. It would be nice to eliminate some of the solely parking deck plots we have uptown. We'll need to in the future for sure.

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InitialD Burg

InitialD

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I don't think any of those decks in the picture are designed for tower support, but maybe in the future they'll be redesigned to support some density. It would be nice to eliminate some of the solely parking deck plots we have uptown. We'll need to in the future for sure.

At least 7th St. Station does and the future Center City Green will have street level restaurants/stores. Maybe that BofA deck next to the light rail tracks can be redesigned to have this as well. There were plans on refurbished the deck, I think, but were shelved.

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ssh214 Whistle-Stop

ssh214

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I'd rather have parking decks though then surface lots, so build up the surface lots to parking decks then when you run out of space you build on the topping decks, there's no need to build on the parking decks when there is so many empty surface lots. Like you said though, hopefully give it 10-20 years (hopefully the economy will get better soon :/ )

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