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


JunktionFET

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  • 3 weeks later...

The building in the front is where the BP station is/was at Elizabeth and Hawthorne.

I'm disappointed in the design only to the extent that I wish it were already built!!!!

I'm hoping this will give Grubb back some momentum and get some tenants, to move this project forward. I think the lack of residents nearby has kept this district from getting retailers. But with a highrise, it could get things moving.

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I didn't notice it at first, but 20 stories (it doesn't actually look 20 stories to me) will really add some height to that section of town, and coupled with a hotel will really start to enliven the street.

Now we need to get the streetscape project actually under construction, and there will really be a perfect storm to get buzz and hopefully lift.

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Grubb was smart to orient it long ways, parallel to Hawthorne. The skyline views from this place are unreal. I'd go so far as to say this project will have some of the best skyline views in the city.

I feel confident that Grubb will have enough pre-sales this spring to get it moving mid to late next year.

This has a lot going for it. It is near all the retail going in at Midtown. It is across the street from the thousands of jobs at the hospital (the pretty hospital :) ). It is also on a proposed streetcar line to downtown, convenient by car to Plaza-Midwood, Eastover/Myer's Park, Dilworth, and Uptown.

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Grubb was smart to orient it long ways, parallel to Hawthorne. The skyline views from this place are unreal. I'd go so far as to say this project will have some of the best skyline views in the city.

I feel confident that Grubb will have enough pre-sales this spring to get it moving mid to late next year.

This has a lot going for it. It is near all the retail going in at Midtown. It is across the street from the thousands of jobs at the hospital (the pretty hospital :) ). It is also on a proposed streetcar line to downtown, convenient by car to Plaza-Midwood, Eastover/Myer's Park, Dilworth, and Uptown.

I'd go even further and say this is the best project all around in the city, especially once the streetcar is running.

I think it will have the best views, it will have the second best quality after The Vue, and it will be attached to a grocery store......

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Back around May I was told they wanted to break ground 1st Quarter 2007.

MC posted a bit earlier that they would start construction on the new Bk soon on 4th, so I guess they are still close to being on that schedule.

The hotel was the surprise here for me, because none of the plans I've seen ever included it at this location. I'm guessing they are close to having a signed agreement with an operator.....any guesses on who it will be?

I'm going to be optimistic and say one of the Kimpton brands.

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With confirmations that Jackalope Jack's has been sold to a developer,

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=30852

...and with plenty of rumors going around about the plans for that section of Elizabeth, we might as well have a thread on it so that Doug knowns what to put in his article.

For those of you not familiar with the area, it is the Elizabeth neighborhood's other commercial main street. Elizabeth Ave, however, densified and then un-densified so most of the current residential streets are within walking distance to 7th and not so much Elizabeth Ave.

7th Street is an odd corridor. It had grand trees, so instead of widening it to alleviate Independence Blvd traffic, they simply made the center lane reversible. It is lined with older homes from the 20s and 30s, many of which have been converted to restaurants, like Fig Tree, Cajun Queen, and Jackalope Jacks. Some have been torn down for ugly strip malls. There are some old urban storefronts, like the short stretch at 7th and Pecan which house Heroes and Starbucks. But most commercial in the area is either in the strip malls or the old houses themselves.

http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&a...364&iwloc=A

Plans are starting to show up on transportation plans at MUMPO, the group that cooridinates this area's road money, to convert 7th to 4 lanes (2 lanes/direction) between Independence and Laurel. The old trees have mostly been ruined by Duke Power anyway, so there isn't too much loss in adding an extra lane. But by removing the reversible lane, the area will be more attractive and the road will have higher capacity.

If 7th Street converts to more urban commercial/mixed-use density between Hawthorne and Pecan, it will connect to the more urban residential that has gone up between Pecan and Laurel.

The street currently has the look of being a quaint old suburban neighborhood that was overrun and is now just a hodge-podge of stuff built without regard for aethetics. Whereas, if the best parts are saved and the worst parts converted to attractive modern urban density, it will have a much better appearance and draw people to the area.

I hope some efforts are made to save the old houses that were converted to restaurants. They were mansions, and could be put in some random lots in Elizabeth nearby.

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Converting Seventh to four lanes between Independence and Laurel is a terrible idea. East Blvd gets reduced to two lanes from four, but Seventh gets widend? Huh? The area has heavy pedestrian traffic due to Independence Park and the fact that residents of Elizabeth actually walk places. If they would simply pave it, I'd be happy. Besides what will they do to get the land, bulldoze St Martin's Episcopal Church?

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Nothing like having a grocery full of people from upstairs in their pajamas, picking up a bowl of cereal or and sub sandwich.

When I was in Chicago I lived in an apartment tower above a Whole Foods. More than once I found myself in my comfy pants and a t-shirt shopping for some needed items at the Whole Foods downstairs. They would even let you take the grocery cart up to your floor and leave it. They made daily trips to collect the carts from the hallways of the 52 story complex.

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Well....the ugly strip center is likely to go too....the one with the Dollar General.....a developer has the shopping center under his control and will likely soon file for a rezoning to do 3-4 stories of condo w/ ground floor retail building.

As far as Jackalope Jacks.....I belive a similar project is going where it, La-Tea-Da's, and Philosopher's Stone currently are.

The project that I hate the most is the one with the Jersey Mike's, but my hunch is that it will be redeveloped in the future as well....the owner is beginning to see the "urban light".

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As for the road, this isn't even on the state construction plan yet, so it won't be done any time soon. But, a four lane road with skinny lanes would still be as ped friendly as the current street. Also, I walk across four lane streets down town all the time. I don't believe it would hurt ped activity that much. As for Pecan Place, I hope it gets redeveloped with the water tower lot. To me, they could put a large water tank on top of an urban project and make that area much nicer.

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I will miss Jack's and Philosopher's Stone when they go. Jack's is a good sports bar with great outdoor patio and has good food. They both have made nice improvements in the past year and have really grown in popularity on the weekends. Along with Cajan Queen, Fig Tree, Pearls of Elizabeth the area is a great alternative from going to the uptown bars and restaurants. I hope with this new project the area doesn't loose it's nightlife.

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