Misc. Uptown Projects/News

[GeauxCLT]

I think it has something to do with tourism/visitor info. Agree, progress is not impressively quick. 

[KJHburg]

I saw this today it looks like work has begun on the kiosk at Wells Fargo Plaza. Havent been by this spot in a few weeks so I don't know if the fencing is new. People were working there too. 

[alb1no panther]

3 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I saw this today it looks like work has begun on the kiosk at Wells Fargo Plaza. Havent been by this spot in a few weeks so I don't know if the fencing is new. People were working there too. 

I say this has been up for almost 2 weeks now.

[KJHburg]

Just now, alb1no panther said:

I say this has been up for almost 2 weeks now.

I did see some workers there today. I hadnt been by that plaza in a couple of weeks for sure. 

[alb1no panther]

Just now, KJHburg said:

I did see some workers there today. I hadnt been by that plaza in a couple of weeks for sure. 

Yeah I was all excited when I saw it...but then it's just been sitting.  Progress is progress! 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, alb1no panther said:

Yeah I was all excited when I saw it...but then it's just been sitting.  Progress is progress! 

I swear, all you guys always forget about this little thing called construction permits. They don't happen over night.

[Dale]

I try to forget government. But it won't let me.

[alb1no panther]

41 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

I swear, all you guys always forget about this little thing called construction permits. They don't happen over night.

bro...get off your high horse.  i'm well aware of construction permits.  oh and btw...fencing going up requires a permit.  

construction law isn't my wheelhouse, but i have extended experience with government red tape as a criminal defense attorney in my early years on to high finance and tax litigation matters currently.

and to the point, i was simply stating a fact.  you implied the value judgment. 

cheers

Edited July 24, 2017 by alb1no panther

[Guest]

bro...get off your high horse.  i'm well aware of construction permits.  oh and btw...fencing going up requires a permit.  
construction law isn't my wheelhouse, but i have extended experience with government red tape as a criminal defense attorney in my early years on to high finance and tax litigation matters currently.
and to the point, i was simply stating a fact.  you implied the value judgment. 
cheers

No high horse here. Just if something sits more than a week without movement after it was just announced people cry foul. Just trying to remind everyone there's a process, and currently a massive construction labor shortage.


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[HighRiseHillbilly]

On 7/22/2017 at 10:05 AM, SgtCampsalot said:

House of LeMond grand opening news clip

https://twitter.com/tspearstv/status/888562705082314752

 

Good to know. I saw this the other day & had no idea what I was looking at. Glad to see a smaller, local shop get the opportunity to open uptown. I would like to see more local businesses be given rent breaks for at least a set time. That is the flavor that our center city is missing. 

[alb1no panther]

8 hours ago, HighRiseHillbilly said:

Good to know. I saw this the other day & had no idea what I was looking at. Glad to see a smaller, local shop get the opportunity to open uptown. I would like to see more local businesses be given rent breaks for at least a set time. That is the flavor that our center city is missing. 

It got a shot because a previous smaller, local shop outgrew the space.  Curious as to your reasoning for rent subsidies in center city.  

Edited July 25, 2017 by alb1no panther

[Spartan]

On 7/20/2017 at 9:18 PM, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

I'm not seeing what people like about this, the building itself turned out terribly. I'd blame it on Value engineering, but to me, it looks like only about 5% was cut out. 

• Too much EIFS
• Crappy quality brick, which I expected from the renderings
• Weird massing
• Fake Stick on Balconies
• Cheap Windows

In my opinion The Mint Apartments look nicer than this, and thats saying something.
 

 

 

IMO, it's because in Charlotte, we don't get good ground floor design or active uses. In Charlotte, we get garbage like this:

So say what you want about that building in Chapel Hill, but I would take that over most of the junk podium apartments we're getting here. The projects they're getting on Franklin Street are contributing more to their town due to their generally decent/good urban design, even if they are architecturally uninspiring. 

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, Spartan said:

 

 

IMO, it's because in Charlotte, we don't get good ground floor design or active uses. In Charlotte, we get garbage like this:

So say what you want about that building in Chapel Hill, but I would take that over most of the junk podium apartments we're getting here. The projects they're getting on Franklin Street are contributing more to their town due to their generally decent/good urban design, even if they are architecturally uninspiring. 

Oh I completely agree with everything you say about street level, I Just think the building is craptastic. 

[HighRiseHillbilly]

1 hour ago, alb1no panther said:

It got a shot because a previous smaller, local shop outgrew the space.  Curious as to your reasoning for rent subsidies in center city.  

Just as I said, I would like to see more local shops in the area. The staggering rents are a bit much for newer, smaller operations. It would be great to give local businesses a shot for a year or two. It would make for a more interesting uptown & perhaps even add a tiny boost in tourism.

That Jimmy John's by Romare Bearden park could be selling someone's amazing family recipes unique to Charlotte. A trendy art gallery/studio would make a great place to stop while walking back from the delicious yet generic Panera. In my opinion, an increase in local flavor would mitigate some of the sterility from lack of historical businesses & architecture. As long as the businesses can maintain some sort of predetermined success rate, I see it as a win for everybody. 

 

[alb1no panther]

well looky here

[kermit]

On 7/25/2017 at 10:22 AM, alb1no panther said:

It got a shot because a previous smaller, local shop outgrew the space.  Curious as to your reasoning for rent subsidies in center city.  

I would really like to see CCCP rent a contiguous strip of 4-5 storefronts and have an annual competition that would give each storefront to an emerging local retailer for a year. This would a) incubate local retail concepts, b) create a small shopping node where one is sorely needed and c) foster some local identity and personality in uptown.

I am sure there will be plenty of folks who will cry that it's an unfair government subsidy for some at the expense of others but as long as uptown retail remains hostile to little guys it seems like a reasonable development strategy and well within the mission of CCCP.

[alb1no panther]

5 minutes ago, kermit said:

I would really like to see CCCP rent a contiguous strip of 4-5 storefronts and have an annual competition that would give each storefront to an emerging local retailer for a year. This would a) incubate local retail concepts, b) create a small shopping node where one is sorely needed and c) foster some local identity and personality in uptown.

I am sure there will be plenty of folks who will cry that it's an unfair government subsidy for some at the expense of others but as long as uptown retail remains hostile to little guys it seems like a reasonable development strategy and well within the mission of CCCP.

Interesting idea.  Making the numbers work might get tricky.  Tenant upfits alone would cause headaches.  If strictly soft goods, then maybe CCCP would provide the allowance for small changes in signage and layout changes.  And I don't see uptown retail as being hostile to the little guys.  Abbeydale, which was in that garage spot on 4th, did well enough over a couple years and moved into First Citizens building, having purchased floorspace there.  I'm not abhorrent to the idea, but exploring shipping container options in pocket (read:  corner of 3d & church) areas around center city may be a more effective and efficient means.

[kermit]

1 hour ago, alb1no panther said:

Interesting idea.  Making the numbers work might get tricky.  Tenant upfits alone would cause headaches.  If strictly soft goods, then maybe CCCP would provide the allowance for small changes in signage and layout changes.  And I don't see uptown retail as being hostile to the little guys.  Abbeydale, which was in that garage spot on 4th, did well enough over a couple years and moved into First Citizens building, having purchased floorspace there.  I'm not abhorrent to the idea, but exploring shipping container options in pocket (read:  corner of 3d & church) areas around center city may be a more effective and efficient means.

Yea, there is lots about the process that I lack experience with. I had imagined that upfit costs would not be a big issue if a basic interior box were provided and part of the competition incorporated a 'low-overhead' (low upfit) element.  Agree that shipping container cluster options may be a better solution (I guess I was imagining this strip of storefronts as the next step up for a shipping container retailer) but I suspect that code issues might make container nodes awkward to get off the ground. In addition the storefront model will put money into building owner pockets while the containers might create a perception of competition among CCCP ratepayers.

I agree that 'hostile' is not exactly the right word, but it feels like uptown has both 1) relatively high per square foot costs, 2) lots of places with poor foot traffic and even worse auto visibility and 3) a perception that parking is difficult and expensive. These three things combine to create a -very- risky environment for a retailer that lacks an established customer base. By creating an established node of retailers the visibility / traffic problem could be remediated.

Edited July 26, 2017 by kermit

[DMann]

Dennis Rash died last night.  Dennis was instrumental in developing residential living downtown, especially in the Fourth Ward.  I had the privilege of meeting Dennis as ChapelWatch was being built.  Over the years that I knew Dennis, I found him to be totally committed to developing downtown Charlotte.

Rest in Peace, Dennis.

[alb1no panther]

i'm gonna go down to my friendly, neighborhood 7/11 and smash a 40 in his honor....cheers!

[KJHburg]

Here is a good tribute and how he and Hugh McColl really encourage Uptown development and residential neighborhood. I remember 4th Ward in the 1970s and it was down trodden, dangerous and had one of the largest houses of prostitution in the city. (that is what my aunt told me who lived in Edwin Towers) http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article163793438.html

[dubone]

1 hour ago, DMann said:

Dennis Rash died last night.  Dennis was instrumental in developing residential living downtown, especially in the Fourth Ward.  I had the privilege of meeting Dennis as ChapelWatch was being built.  Over the years that I knew Dennis, I found him to be totally committed to developing downtown Charlotte.

Rest in Peace, Dennis.

Rest in peace, Dennis.   He was a very good man, and I was fond of him as a neighbor and basically the creator of 4th Ward as a protected little zone of victorian homes.   

I know he struggled with parkinsons the last few years, and it was sad to see the decline.   We are lucky to have Betty seemingly still very healthy.  

[kermit]

I had the privilege of working with Dennis About 10 years ago. Its no exaggeration to say that he did more to build modern uptown Charlotte than anyone (including any developer, bank CEO or politician). Not only did he genuinely love this city but he was also one of the most selfless people I have ever encountered. 

Here are two photos he shared with me from his collection. The first is a memo that documents the creation of the NCNB (now BAC) Community Development Corp (CDC). The CDC was a non-profit subsidary of BAC which financed the redevelopment of 4th Ward, portions of N Tryon's redevelopment and assisted with land acquisition for BoA stadium (among other things). The memo is from Hugh McColl ("HLM" -- then a VP at NCNB) to Tom Storrs ("Tom" -- the CEO of NCNB at the time). The Community Development Corp  was created by Dennis and Hugh (Dennis suggested that much of the discussion occurred over wine-soaked dinners) -- this memo documents the process of getting the initial funds for the CDC -- the literal beginning of Charlotte's redevelopment.

The second photo documents one of the first activities of the CDC. The CDC provided subsidized mortgages to people willing to move houses into the 4th Ward and renovate them (the area was largely empty at the time as shown by the vacant grass filled lots in the background). The majority of the 'historic' housing in 4th Ward was moved there in the early 1980s -- all thanks to Dennis' efforts as one of the first residents of the neighborhood as we know it now and as director of the CDC. I believe this photo was taken around 9th and Pine street.

Both photos by Dennis Rash

Edited July 28, 2017 by kermit

[Spartan]

21 hours ago, kermit said:

I would really like to see CCCP rent a contiguous strip of 4-5 storefronts and have an annual competition that would give each storefront to an emerging local retailer for a year. This would a) incubate local retail concepts, b) create a small shopping node where one is sorely needed and c) foster some local identity and personality in uptown.

I am sure there will be plenty of folks who will cry that it's an unfair government subsidy for some at the expense of others but as long as uptown retail remains hostile to little guys it seems like a reasonable development strategy and well within the mission of CCCP.

 

21 hours ago, alb1no panther said:

Interesting idea.  Making the numbers work might get tricky.  Tenant upfits alone would cause headaches.  If strictly soft goods, then maybe CCCP would provide the allowance for small changes in signage and layout changes.  And I don't see uptown retail as being hostile to the little guys.  Abbeydale, which was in that garage spot on 4th, did well enough over a couple years and moved into First Citizens building, having purchased floorspace there.  I'm not abhorrent to the idea, but exploring shipping container options in pocket (read:  corner of 3d & church) areas around center city may be a more effective and efficient means.

 

I love this idea. They did this in my hometown (Spartanburg) and called it the Main Street Challenge. It's not an annual competition, but it has been quite successful in bringing new retail businesses to downtown. The last one was in 2014, and pretty much all of the businesses are still open and collectively they're helping add to the vibe of downtown. 

IMO, it's no more a government subsidy (in concept) than the tax incentives Charlotte gave Chiquita.

[cjd5050]

21 hours ago, kermit said:

Yea, there is lots about the process that I lack experience with. I had imagined that upfit costs would not be a big issue if a basic interior box were provided and part of the competition incorporated a 'low-overhead' (low upfit) element.  Agree that shipping container cluster options may be a better solution (I guess I was imagining this strip of storefronts as the next step up for a shipping container retailer) but I suspect that code issues might make container nodes awkward to get off the ground. In addition the storefront model will put money into building owner pockets while the containers might create a perception of competition among CCCP ratepayers.

5

Would something like the Kress Emporium in Asheville do this?  It's booths inside rather than store fronts.  I can think of some advantages in areas like property management in having everything under one roof.