Elizabeth Projects (7th St, Elizabeth Ave, etc)

[JunktionFET]

Grubb adding to Elizabeth project

Mixed-use building to include 15,000 square feet of retail

J. Lee Howard

Senior staff writer

Grubb Properties Inc. hopes to start construction in about 45 days on a $9 million, 38,000-square-foot retail and office building -- its latest addition to the $240 million Elizabeth Avenue redevelopment project.

The two-story, 1523 Elizabeth Ave. building should take about a year to complete and will feature about 15,000 square feet of ground-level retail space.

The building also is being designed to incorporate a two-story restaurant with balcony seating.

Discussions with prospective tenants are ongoing, says Laura Smith, Grubb marketing manager. The company declines to identify would-be occupants.

The building will be adjacent to the 1535 Elizabeth Ave. building, home to Carpe Diem restaurant and a centerpiece of the Elizabeth redevelopment.

The overall project is an ambitious mixed-use development Grubb is coordinating with Central Piedmont Community College and Presbyterian Hospital.

The project, expected to take about 10 years to complete, eventually will include as much as 340,000 square feet of offices, 800 residential units and up to 250,000 square feet of retail.

The mix also is expected to include high-end grocers, boutiques, service-oriented shops, a 150-room hotel, as many as 25 restaurants and an eight-screen movie theater.

More here: http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte.../01/story3.html

I'm excited about this project, especially since it is getting started for real. This area is perfect for such a project too since it bolsters the SE side of Uptown... Though the Elizabeth Ave area has also been called "Midtown" for a long time, a project like this (once completed) will definitely make it more of a destination for people other than CPCC students or hospital patients. "Midtown" will certainly mean something to more people.

[uptownliving]

Construction is underway on a $220M mixed use project called East Park by Grubb Ellis. This project is located just outside the 277 Loop near downtown Charlotte. It is situated on Elizabeth Ave between Presbyterian Hospital and Central Piedmont Community College. For those of you not familiar with Elizabeth Ave...it is the same road as Trade Street. The road changes names to Elizabeth roughly near the 277 bridge. Here is a map of the area. The red star denote where the project will go:

Here is a picture of what the area looks like today. That is Elizabeth Ave running through the middle of the picture. At the top is Presbyterian Hospital.

This project entails:

-250,000 sq ft Retail

-340,000 sq ft Office

-810 Residential Units

Here is that same view of Elizabeth Ave after the project is complete:

Notice the Street Car running down Elizabeth Ave...CATS plans to have that Streetcar running from JC Smith Univ through downtown to Presbyterian Hospital. Later that line will be extended out to Eastland Mall.

Here is a Street Map of the completed project:

The left side is CPCC and the right side is Presbyterian Hospital.

The project will keep some of the exisitng buildings...Carpe Diem restarant is there already today. Here is how it will look when integrated with the new buildings:

Here are some more schematics of the development.

Construction has already stated on this project. The latest retail rumor is that the Manor Theatre will move to this development from its current Myers Park location.

[sunshine]

Great project!

[Spartan]

That is impressive. How long until it will be finished?

[Neo]

It's been a while since I heard anything about this project but it's nice to hear that it's still a go! When did construction start because I honestly haven't noticed anything being put up in that area. And I too am interested in an estimated completion date. It sounds and looks as if it will be something much like Gateway Village on the city's west side.

[monsoon]

[uptownliving]

Total build out will take about 10 years. Land has been cleared and construction on the Movie Theatre will begin this summer.

[larry]

I live a long way from Charlotte. First, thanks for this information. Second, is there any updated information on condos or buildings for uptown, i.e., Park Condos or others? I look forward to my summer visits. They continue to get better and better. An old friend owns Thompson Studios on Elizabeth. I suppose it will be on its way soon. He moved there from College Street which he sold several years ago to make way for construction.

[cityboi]

I am absolutly amazed!

[49er]

Well I finally made my way back to this forum. Thanks for the updates. Where is the Sterling under construction? I noticed yesterday that the parking lot across from the pink bldg in the first pic now has the steel frame of a 3-4 story domed building for CPCC. i think its there bookstore. This district is so awesome b/c there arent any suburban style buildings under construction.

Will the double door be torn down, I hope not?? Greatest blues club around, for over 25 years now i think

[monsoon]

[larry]

Metro, It was Paul Thompson's art and picture frame. It was close to Independence Blvd. It was possibly on 4th street if that is the street that parallels Elizabeth? I've been gone a long time.

[Southend]

great thread, man. the elizabeth avenue area is so underused and unrealized its a a damn shame. with a large student population in cpcc- that area should be thriving, instead, the parking decks and lots around it are. hopefully grubbs plan will bring the much needed synergy to the area.

[uptownliving]

It goes before the Meck Co Commision next week for funding approval. The Charlotte City Council already voted unanimously to fund this project this week.

[49er]

I hope Andersons and the Visulite dont meet the wrecking ball. Burger King can go its own way.

[uptownliving]

My understanding is that they want to integrate some of the old buildings with the new ones...This is the same developer that built the Ratcliffe Condos where they saved the old Carpe Diem restarant in the process.

[appatone]

I really like that Art-Nouveau looking awning they have on Carpe Diem in the picture. The awning isn't on the actual restaurant. I hope they didn't decide against it I think it really makes that building.

[appatone]

Coming attraction for Elizabeth: Movie theater

Venue for 1st-run films expected to open atop parking deck in 2007

DOUG SMITH

Eastern Federal Corp. plans to follow Whole Foods Market into the Elizabeth neighborhood with a multiscreen movie theater.

The 20-theater Charlotte chain disclosed Thursday that it expects to open a cinema in 2007 atop a parking deck with 800-plus spaces to be constructed at Fourth Street and Hawthorne Lane.

The deck is part of Grubb Properties Inc.'s $240 million Elizabeth redevelopment project, which combines new and renovated buildings on both sides of Elizabeth Avenue between Hawthorne Lane and Independence Boulevard.

Clay Grubb, president of Grubb Properties, said the combination of the theater and natural foods supermarket will help make the Elizabeth Avenue District "a single destination during the day and evening for retail, dining, shopping and entertainment in the heart of the city."

Whole Foods announced plans last month for a 50,000-square-foot supermarket to open in late 2006 or early 2007 at Fourth and Hawthorne within the six-block district.

A key factor in choosing Elizabeth, supermarket officials said, was the neighborhood's accessibility to the nearly 4,000-employee Presbyterian medical complex, Central Piedmont Community College, uptown and Johnson & Wales University.

Eastern Federal CEO Carter Meiselman said the new first-run theater will serve the center city and close-in neighborhoods such as Elizabeth, Myers Park, Eastover and Dilworth.

Charlotte's Spectrum Properties also plans a theater as part of the old convention center makeover to be completed in late 2005 across East Trade Street from the new arena. It's unclear how Eastern Federal's plans will affect that project.

Center city dwellers typically drive to Park Road Shopping Center or SouthPark to see a first-run movie.

Meiselman sees the Elizabeth cinema as a complement to the chain's Manor Theatre, which opened on Providence Road in 1947 and now focuses on independent films.

The new theater will total about 40,000-square-feet and have up to eight screens. It will include stadium seating, digital sound and high-back seats. Other features -- including some new to the marketplace -- are still being designed, Meiselman said.

He said the investment amount -- yet to be determined -- will depend on the final design.

Theater construction won't begin until Grubb Properties completes the first phase of the parking deck in July 2005.

Grubb began work on the first new building in the redevelopment project -- a three-story, 38,000-square-foot office-retail structure -- in May at 1523 Elizabeth Avenue.

The Elizabeth redevelopment plan envisions 340,000 square feet of office space, about 800 residential units, a 150-room hotel and more than 250,000 square feet of retail -- including boutiques, restaurants and services.

The project is a collaborative effort involving Grubb Properties, Presbyterian Hospital and CPCC.

Jonathan Nance represented Grubb Properties in the transaction with Eastern Federal.

Doug Smith

[monsoon]

[Neo]

Wonder if this will kill any hope of a theater actually being placed in the downtown area?

You mean the planned theater located in the old convention center? The article says it is still planned so I'm assuming this would be in addition to. I would consider the old convention center downtown...but maybe you were referring to something else?

[uptownliving]

The movie theater for downtown is still all systems go...construction starts in just over a month. The one downtown will be Consolidated...in my opinion one of the best theatre operators.

Edited August 21, 2004 by uptownliving

[Neo]

Uptownliving...do you know the details on what exactly is going in the old convention center site other than the movie theater? I've heard several different versions of what's going in there and I'm just not sure which one is the chosen path for the project.

[uptownliving]

Movie Theatre, Bowling Alley, Fox Sports Grille are the anchor tenets...there will be some other tenets as well that have not been annoced yet.

[49er]

both theaters will be relatively small, 8-12 screens each. This should make for healthy competition

[jolive]

SWEET SWEET. Yes, save some of those buildings!!! I think this will add much more new life to the Uptown(ish) area. I also believe it will increase the appeal for Uptown living with new restaurants, shops and a theatre going up that close to Uptown.