Charlotte's Light Rail: Lynx Blue Line

[KJHburg]

The old NorthPark mall site where is a Kimbrell furniture store is now as I understand it, is all owned by one owner.  This parcel which is within walking distance of the Old Concord station will get redeveloped for sure in the future.  When I don't know.  Across the tracks from this site is a major park that will remain of course and the original site of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  

On the LYNX line south as the light rail opened on one side you had Dilworth Sedgefield etc all the way down. High to middle income neighborhoods.  The South Blvd corridor was aging retail and light industrial and quite honestly sketchy before the light rail opened.  I remember when everybody would just say they were on the north end of South Blvd not South End.  Nothing special and not anything you would drive your friends from out of town to see   The benefit the line had to the south was upper income areas closer to the line.   Specifically in the Sugar Creek to Tom Hunter corridor it is obviously more lower income areas but lots of aging commercial areas too.  You will see this change from both ends first  NoDa  moving northward to surround the Sugar Creek station then from Tom Hunter the university area with all its apartments and so forth creeping southward.  I do believe there are actually bigger tracts of land to redevelop on this stretch than southward along South Blvd until you get out to Arrowood and so forth.     

I would say just wait take it from a Charlotte native it will change.  The line just opened on Friday!  The big whorehouses and drug dens of Charlotte were once in 4th Ward in the early 1970s.   Now has that changed?  Of course it did in about 10  years time  that neighborhood changed.   Patience Rome was not built overnight and neither will north Charlotte.  

[JacksonH]

22 minutes ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

 

There is a big difference to me. Especially the area between Sugar Creek and Old Concord. It doesn't really matter because there is no stop between them, but gentrifying that area, or massive transformations, would be no different than (thanks to the poster who always makes me mind me then's and than's) Brooklyn Village being torn down for gentrification. This section of the corridor goes through poverty and an established community. The gentrification of South End didn't really dislocate anyone nearly as much as gentrification would do to the area around Old Concord and Sugar Creek. 

 

I too am interested in the new ridership numbers so far, even though it's probably not reliable data yet. I bet the next semesters of UNCC, the stations will become more popular with students who debate paying hundreds for parking passes or opt to take light rail (most likely everyone who commutes to UNCC has already purchased their parking passes for this semester)

 

And All stations have been busy on the original blue line the last few months. Even Carson is getting decent amounts of people.  I can't think of any stations that are too light these days. 

The area I'm talking about is between Matheson Avenue and Sugar Creek, not between Sugar Creek and Old Concord.  It's nothing but old warehouses.  Nobody lives there so nobody will be displaced.  I agree about Brooklyn Village.  What happen there was a tragedy.

Re: UNCC students, the light rail is being included in their fees.  They have no choice in the matter but to have a light rail pass, so that fact might help them make their decision on whether they want to pay for parking passes.

[NCMike1990]

18 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

The old NorthPark mall site where is a Kimbrell furniture store is now as I understand it, is all owned by one owner.  This parcel which is within walking distance of the Old Concord station will get redeveloped for sure in the future.  When I don't know.  Across the tracks from this site is a major park that will remain of course and the original site of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  

On the LYNX line south as the light rail opened on one side you had Dilworth Sedgefield etc all the way down. High to middle income neighborhoods.  The South Blvd corridor was aging retail and light industrial and quite honestly sketchy before the light rail opened.  I remember when everybody would just say they were on the north end of South Blvd not South End.  Nothing special and not anything you would drive your friends from out of town to see   The benefit the line had to the south was upper income areas closer to the line.   Specifically in the Sugar Creek to Tom Hunter corridor it is obviously more lower income areas but lots of aging commercial areas too.  You will see this change from both ends first  NoDa  moving northward to surround the Sugar Creek station then from Tom Hunter the university area with all its apartments and so forth creeping southward.  I do believe there are actually bigger tracts of land to redevelop on this stretch than southward along South Blvd until you get out to Arrowood and so forth.     

I would say just wait take it from a Charlotte native it will change.  The line just opened on Friday!  The big whorehouses and drug dens of Charlotte were once in 4th Ward in the early 1970s.   Now has that changed?  Of course it did in about 10  years time  that neighborhood changed.   Patience Rome was not built overnight and neither will north Charlotte.  

The old speedway used to be where Asian corner mall is, correct?

[KJHburg]

15 minutes ago, NCMike1990 said:

The old speedway used to be where Asian corner mall is, correct?

No on Eastway drive where Eastway Park is today right by the tracks. 

[SgtCampsalot]

Let's also not forget that the BLE has many more at grade stations than the first leg. Much nicer to build around those than a park-and-ride monolith that one must climb up to utilize.

[NCMike1990]

6 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

No on Eastway drive where Eastway Park is today right by the tracks. 

Interesting, but if you use the historical aerial tool here, and select 1960-65, you'll see there was also a large track where the Asian mall is today. What was that track used for? I honestly thought that was the old speedway. Also, going by the aerial dates, the Asian Corner Mall was built in 1968.

[KJHburg]

11 minutes ago, NCMike1990 said:

Interesting, but if you use the historical aerial tool here, and select 1960-65, you'll see there was also a large track where the Asian mall is today. What was that track used for? I honestly thought that was the old speedway. Also, going by the aerial dates, the Asian Corner Mall was built in 1968.

I see that but there is also a track on that same map where Eastway crosses the RR tracks there.  Maybe one paved one dirt not sure. 

[michaelef]

Here is the path from 36th Street Station. 

[HighRiseHillbilly]

4 hours ago, JacksonH said:

If you had seen the area now known as South End thirty years ago -- and you look too young for that -- you would realize that nothing is hopeless.  That was no man's land!  There are actually big projects either proposed or under development for the Sugar Creek area.  The Station House project (a rather large development) will be going up very close to the Sugar Creek lightrail station.  The developers of the Greenway District are also doing the Station House, and they're trying to get the city to do some work that will enable them to expand the Greenway District all the way to the Station House so they can connect the two projects into one huge residential/office/commerce/park district.  There will be lots of people living and playing in that area down the road.

http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/January-2018/Charlotte-Art-League-Announces-Its-New-NoDa-Home/

http://www.uptownevolution.com/category/uptown-living-blog/

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article184429013.html

 

This is the event they had yesterday. It was decently attended. So, they're not waiting until it's pretty to get started. Sometimes you just need to know where to look to find the progress. Something Charlotte has specialized in for a while now.

[JacksonH]

41 minutes ago, HighRiseHillbilly said:

This is the event they had yesterday. It was decently attended. So, they're not waiting until it's pretty to get started. Sometimes you just need to know where to look to find the progress. Something Charlotte has specialized in for a while now.

Here's what that address looked like in April 2015 (Google image).  I trust that it's at least a little prettier now?  This looks nothing like the image in their literature, which shows a second story and a very handsome building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, michaelef said:

Here is the path from 36th Street Station. 

 

 

So 36th Street is still under construction?  This has been a pain for NoDa businesses.  I thought the road would be finished by the time the light rail began operation.  And if you come by light rail, you have to walk through mud?

Edited March 20, 2018 by JacksonH

[tozmervo]

43 minutes ago, JacksonH said:

So 36th Street is still under construction?  This has been a pain for NoDa businesses.  I thought the road would be finished by the time the light rail began operation.  And if you come by light rail, you have to walk through mud?

You can access the station easily (and without stairs) across the crescent project plaza. Otherwise what you say is true.

[grodney]

8 hours ago, JacksonH said:

So 36th Street is still under construction?  This has been a pain for NoDa businesses.  I thought the road would be finished by the time the light rail began operation.  And if you come by light rail, you have to walk through mud?

Yeah definitely no mud....big clean sidewalk/ramp/stairs from the station down to 36th street sidewalk to North Davidson.....no problems.  But yeah the street itself is nowhere close to done. 

In other news, the train schedule posted at 3rd St station is still the old schedule.  

[15895]

Light rail is so packed this morning at 8:50. More than I’ve seen including special events. Every single stop until stonewall was just pouring people in. All the park & rides looked full too. 2018 seems busier. Especially the past month 

[kermit]

I was on that train too. However just about all of them got off uptown,  there are only about 20 people in the car after CTC.

Only one person  got on (my car) at any stop after 7th. Sugar Creek deck looked 95% empty (ground level anyway). 

Old Concord lot had about 50 cars in it (and one person boarded)

The Quick Trip looks great?

stopped at Waffle House and found this sign and a 98% empty deck and this sign (so free parking for most of the day? Doesn’t seem like this system would discourage UNCC students from parking in a deck)

JW Clay deck looked to be more than half full (when viewed from train)

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by kermit

[lit]

77 was gridlock’d today due to an overnight tractor-trailer accident. The radio personalities literally suggested that everyone should take the light-rail

[15895]

12 minutes ago, kermit said:

I was on that train too. That said there are only about 20 people in the car after CTC

 

I hate to post so many times but to add to this. On my way to UNCC yesterday. It was similarly full until 7th street.  but I was pretty much the only person in my train with 2 people in the back half of mine for the extension. 

Stations I only saw 1 person get on the entire extension. About 10 students got off at Main.  That train arrived at ~10:40. Which for those familiar with UNCC knows that is prime time for commuters 

 

and great about the radio telling people to ride. Tryon street seemed pretty empty (for this time of day, for its purpose) as we zoomed past cars 

Edited March 20, 2018 by AirNostrumMAD

[nmundo]

I work near Arrowood Station at 8am so I don't get to see much of the rush hour crowd since I'm on the train at 7 but these past 2 days the trains have had a decent amount of people. Not packed but about 70% of the seats filled without anyone standing up, most people seem to get on/off at JW Clay, UNCC Main, and some at Old Concord and 36th. It's going to take some time for people to change their commute patterns but it's definitely already getting some use considering it's been running for less than a week.

 

In other news one of the retail spots at JW Clay was lit up and had some boxes inside, I'm going to keep an eye on it on my way home this afternoon and see if something has started to move in there. 

[tozmervo]

36 minutes ago, lit said:

77 was gridlock’d today due to an overnight tractor-trailer accident. The radio personalities literally suggested that everyone should take the light-rail

Still present tense for me. It's almost 10 and my bus (which is taking an alternate route) still isn't south of 85

[videtur quam contuor]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article205172039.html

A search shows no mention on this site of Metromont closing. 18 acres with no sale or development yet mentioned and close to Sugar Creek Station.

 

[kermit]

6 minutes ago, tarhoosier said:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article205172039.html

A search shows no mention on this site of Metromont closing. 18 acres with no sale or development yet mentioned and close to Sugar Creek Station.

 

Holy crap! Huge game changer for N Tryon / Sugar Creek.

[tozmervo]

21 minutes ago, tarhoosier said:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article205172039.html

A search shows no mention on this site of Metromont closing. 18 acres with no sale or development yet mentioned and close to Sugar Creek Station.

Good catch, I hadn't heard about that. I've gotten to tour that facility before, and was told it was one of their oldest (ie, most outdated) plants. Opening up that land for redevelopment really is a game-changer for the area, though that will be very difficult land to redevelop. I wonder if this opens up route options for XCLT trail - Little Sugar Creek runs through the site.

[Guest]

Its been really hard to write anything negative, because it being open is just such an overwhelming net positive.

[tozmervo]

3 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Its been really hard to write anything negative, because it being open is just such an overwhelming net positive.

You would never make it working at a local news station

[Guest]

1 minute ago, tozmervo said:

You would never make it working at a local news station

good thing I'd never want to lol.

[pathb]

14 minutes ago, tozmervo said:

You would never make it working at a local news station

I think the headline I saw on Twitter this morning was something like "Local commuters shocked and appalled they are expected to pay for parking at new BLE parking decks."