SREE Springhill Suites Hotel and Center City Green

[nyxmike]

This has been said countless times, and yet nobody seems to get it, there is retail planned facing the light rail!

Oh, well I wasn't aware of that. I was under the impression that the retail would only be along 5th Street. It's good to know there will be some retail along the rail line. Now if someone could re-do the Bank of America and the Omni parking garage with some street level retail that would be nice.

[Spartan]

I agree with you 100%, I'm just correcting a mistake that keeps finding its way to the pages of this thread. Every page someone is getting mad about the lack of retail, when it will be there. An urban market that is currently seasonal, is going to have a new home (and thousands of sq feet) 365 days a year. Not to mention a couple restaurants, to bring some activity to that side of the light rail. I agree there should not be parking here. Hopefully one day the Lynx will be so successful that these parking lots can be Demo'd for multiuse. Right now the infrastructure is just not there to support a city that doesn't completely rely on the automobile, yes we are making great strides toward reaching this, but in reality there are still thousands of people who work in downtown charlotte that come from the east, north and west and need to park. Once we get some more lines built, maybe these parking structures will become obsolete. As you know Spartan, I am very ANTICAR, I have only driven 3 times in 1 year, and as much as I'd love to discount the need, its sadly still there. While it saddens me that these garages exist, I'm just happy we are doing something better with our parking garages than most american cities.

I understand. I'm just pessimistic when it comes to parking garages. I don't know of any that have been torn down for more intense land uses. Anyway, I don't have an issue with the garage itself, just the location. Like you said, parking is still a necessary evil in this city. Having remote parking decks like at Gateway and shuttling in people a few blocks is more preferable, IMO.

As for the retail- facing 6th St there will be relatively little due to the interior ramp, and the sidewalks are fairly narrow in that area. Perhaps the final product will be better than I'm expecting it to be. As always I will with hold my final opinion on it until the project is done.

[Guest]

I understand. I'm just pessimistic when it comes to parking garages. I don't know of any that have been torn down for more intense land uses. Anyway, I don't have an issue with the garage itself, just the location. Like you said, parking is still a necessary evil in this city. Having remote parking decks like at Gateway and shuttling in people a few blocks is more preferable, IMO.

As for the retail- facing 6th St there will be relatively little due to the interior ramp, and the sidewalks are fairly narrow in that area. Perhaps the final product will be better than I'm expecting it to be. As always I will with hold my final opinion on it until the project is done.

The retail (the green market) will be held in the bottom of the 99 unit condo building, which from what I understand is gaining a little more ground.

[HopHead]

The retail (the green market) will be held in the bottom of the 99 unit condo building, which from what I understand is gaining a little more ground.

"Gaining ground" as in they may actually build them?

[dubone]

I hope you mean by 'gaining ground' that the powers that be are trying to make it happen again. Basically this project is intrinsically linked to the "Superblock" project, as Lincoln Harris needed this parking deck because they were building the new office tower for BofA with minimal additional parking. I always interpreted the housing component here as filling in what was missing on the superblock, although the Ritz is still somewhat good in that regard.

Having the residences go up in this part of First Ward will help kick start the eventual plan to having residences up Brevard all the way to 11th.

The only thing, though, is I had in the back of my mind that if the Center City Green condos didn't go up, that it was a potential for a residential tower during the next business cycle.

[krazeeboi]

which part of Brevard was intended to be developed into a "stroll district"?

South of the arena.

I hated to be reminded that this thing included an overhead walkway. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

[New Name]

I hated to be reminded that this thing included an overhead walkway. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Allow me to be the voice of optimism: The whole structure (including the ped-bridge) do a nice job of hemming in the pedestrian areas at 7th Street LYNX Station/ImagineOn. I'm talking about the small plaza on on/around the tracks between Reids and ImageOn - it feels more inviting to me now that ever before - and I think it's because of the scale and the sense of enclosure. You'll have to go there to understand - so next time you're around there, let me know if anyone agrees.

[Guest]

I hope you mean by 'gaining ground' that the powers that be are trying to make it happen again. Basically this project is intrinsically linked to the "Superblock" project, as Lincoln Harris needed this parking deck because they were building the new office tower for BofA with minimal additional parking. I always interpreted the housing component here as filling in what was missing on the superblock, although the Ritz is still somewhat good in that regard.

Having the residences go up in this part of First Ward will help kick start the eventual plan to having residences up Brevard all the way to 11th.

The only thing, though, is I had in the back of my mind that if the Center City Green condos didn't go up, that it was a potential for a residential tower during the next business cycle.

Gaining ground = some action taking place. Condos are priced from 150k, a price range that is actually doing decently right now, and there are supposed to offer programs available to help out "working level buyers" like cops, nurses, teachers, etc. It also has a spectacular location. From what I hear its still a year or two away from completion on the condos, but heres to hoping they will go ahead with the green market and build on top. This info comes from a acquaintance at Spectrum.

Allow me to be the voice of optimism: The whole structure (including the ped-bridge) do a nice job of hemming in the pedestrian areas at 7th Street LYNX Station/ImagineOn. I'm talking about the small plaza on on/around the tracks between Reids and ImageOn - it feels more inviting to me now that ever before - and I think it's because of the scale and the sense of enclosure. You'll have to go there to understand - so next time you're around there, let me know if anyone agrees.

Its also nice that it is LEED Certified. Even if that is hilariously Ironic.

[atlrvr]

Can it be confirmed that the deck is actually designed to accomodate a future tower on top? I ask because of all the exterior elevator shafts. An office tower would need interior elevator shafts. I haven't poked my head inside, so they certainly could be already there, or at least room for a core (elevator and stairs) to be easily added. It just seems odd that the deck itself isn't designed in a functional way to suggest it has furter purpose.

Of course structurally, the thing looks to be a tank, so I'm not suggesting it couldn't handle additional weight.

[AuLukey]

Can it be confirmed that the deck is actually designed to accomodate a future tower on top? I ask because of all the exterior elevator shafts. An office tower would need interior elevator shafts. I haven't poked my head inside, so they certainly could be already there, or at least room for a core (elevator and stairs) to be easily added. It just seems odd that the deck itself isn't designed in a functional way to suggest it has furter purpose.

Of course structurally, the thing looks to be a tank, so I'm not suggesting it couldn't handle additional weight.

Well since the finished shape will make an L rather than the l (P) it is now, additional shafts would be added with the addition of the side tower. I can't imagine them building a tower on top of the deck itself as there wasn't much of a foundation put down for this puppy.

[krazeeboi]

Center City Green, 10/24:

[SmellyCat]

I'm kind of disappointed they are leaving concrete exposed on the sides. Would be nice if they could put something more decorative, like a brick facade all the way up (like the Holiday Inn parking deck).

[HopHead]

I'm kind of disappointed they are leaving concrete exposed on the sides. Would be nice if they could put something more decorative, like a brick facade all the way up (like the Holiday Inn parking deck).

I don't know... It doesn't look all that bad IMO. It's a parking deck, so the expectations weren't too high. Does anyone have any updates or knowledge on the retail components?

[ScottCLT]

I saw this article the O this morning about an uptown farmer's market. They act like its the first time that anything of the like has ever been mentioned. But I recall that CCG was supposed to have an open air market in the first floor...is this still happening or was this part of the condo portion which hasn't been / possibly won't be built?

Farm-fresh food - uptown? - CharlotteObserver.com

[dubone]

That article appeared to me to be weird publicity created by Levine versus news, and the Observer deserves extra rotten tomatoes for taking Levine's 5-10k square foot building plans next to Dixies and some how create a story around the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market behind the old Coliseum on Yorkmount. EACH of the five buildings on that site are 19ksf, so why would having 1/10th the space be at all applicable?

Then, figure that Levine is too late to the game on even providing space to the uptown farmer's market, which has been proposed in this project. The retail space they have created here along Brevard is easily 12ksf and is available soon versus years from now, which I believe is the space planned for the farmers market.

I am not sure, but I was not pleased with that ignorant article today.

[nonillogical]

i thought the market planned for the 1st floor of CCG was to be fronting the lightrail. from what i can tell, there are 2 retail spaces, one along brevard (the door is on 5th though) and one at the 6th/lrt corner, but that one is not nearly big enough to be the market. i think that the market was going to be the 1st floor of the condo portion.

though i've been really disappointed with this project, on a positive note it looks like there is lots of sidewalk space begging for outdoor seating on the brevard/5th corner. this is one instance where they're putting in planting strips but they don't bother me too much because the ratio of sidewalk to planting is so large.

[Guest]

i thought the market planned for the 1st floor of CCG was to be fronting the lightrail. from what i can tell, there are 2 retail spaces, one along brevard (the door is on 5th though) and one at the 6th/lrt corner, but that one is not nearly big enough to be the market. i think that the market was going to be the 1st floor of the condo portion.

though i've been really disappointed with this project, on a positive note it looks like there is lots of sidewalk space begging for outdoor seating on the brevard/5th corner. this is one instance where they're putting in planting strips but they don't bother me too much because the ratio of sidewalk to planting is so large.

I emailed the writer of the Column in the Distruber. She sent me a not so eloquent response.

I'm not sure which site you mean. There was an attempt to put a market in the parking deck by Bobcats Arena, but it turned out that it wasn't a good site.

Kathleen Purvis

Food Editor

It wasn't a good site? What the Hell does that mean, I did not email her back since she obviously cannot shead further detail...

[dubone]

Is she a special needs columnist? If that wasn't a good site, why is she touting a spot 2 blocks away? Also, she may want to explain the genius of shrinking the regional farmers market by 90% just to get it uptown. Also, she may want to explain why her graphics person labeled THE ENTIRE FIRST WARD PARK as the Farmers Market site. Oh, and while she's at it, maybe someone should get Doug Smith to call her to tell her how bad it is to use Daniel Levine as the sole source of a front page news story. I believe Dougie published a front pager in 2001 about the magical urban village that was to be built imminently by Mister Levine. Also, I believe a couple years ago Dougie was tricked again into believing that the demolition of attached buildings around the historic Treloar House was because of an imminent project there. Meanwhile, what was happening was that he was sowing the seeds of demotion by neglect, making sure enough windows were cracked open in the process to speed up its decay.

If the uptown farmers market can no longer go on this Center City Green site because the condos are not being built, and Levine thinks he can provide a spot where PARK PLANNERS suggested for a SMALL farmers market, then that is great news. But moving the regional farmers market to these tiny spots is absurd, and not the proposal.

[rockhilljames]

I want a market downtown, but I want a REAL market like Cleveland or St. Louis has, not some cut-rate, too small space.

[Forrest]

I want a market downtown, but I want a REAL market like Cleveland or St. Louis has, not some cut-rate, too small space.

^ Agreed. I fear that this project will be cut down to such a large degree that it will be a laughably potemkin village of an urban market. And no one will take it seriously enough to bother visiting. If it's just going to be a prop to sell condos then don't do it and strengthen the already popular neighborhood tailgate markets.

[Miesian Corners]

The garage is now open for business. I drove in last night just to check it out--wow. That's one loonnnnngggg drive to the top. One interesting aspect is that the circular ramp is reversable. In the morning, you can drive up the ramp to get quickly to the upper parking levels, and in the afternoon, it's an express ramp to leave the upper levels.

[Spartan]

That actually is kinda a cool. I still hate the deck, but I appreciate the engineering that must have been involved. And I suppose, FWIW, the Brevard Street side of the thing doesn't look that bad aesthetically.

[uptownliving]

I noticed today that the new plaza between the parking deck and the Arena is the new defacto Skate Park. Personally I think its good because it puts eyes and ears in a section of downtown that is pretty quiet when there is no Arena event.

[HopHead]

Spectrum has bought the Center City Green property. They are leasing the parking deck to BofA and plan to soon start marketing the 7600 sqft of retail space. They do plan to add the 200 units of residential, but don't count on that anytime soon.

Here's the link from Charlotte Biz journals. If anyone has more info, please pass it on

[InitialD]

A few photos from the top: