Misc. Uptown Projects/News

[KJHburg]

^^^ I am not too sure of that has been up for years. They leased 1 floor there and then then leased another which probably triggered this. 

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

^^^ I am not too sure of that has been up for years. They leased 1 floor there and then then leased another which probably triggered this. 

I remember seeing this last time I was in town, July, and I believe I remember seeing this once last year in at least September.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Guest

[CLT704]

I remember seeing it for at least 2+ years.

[KJHburg]

I must usually walk on the other side of Tryon and never looked up.  I was over at the Johnston Bldg today that is why I saw it finally I guess 

[Cadi40]

Cool! Maybe US Bank is looking to establish a more prominent presence on the East Coast. 

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Cadi40 said:

Cool! Maybe US Bank is looking to establish a more prominent presence on the East Coast. 

They are 100%. They said so publicly in the CBJ. I expect them to anchor the second office tower at Legacy Union.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Guest

[Cadi40]

Does this mean they are going to continuously expand presence in CLT and possibly build their own office one day? I don't read the CBJ.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Cadi40 said:

Does this mean they are going to continuously expand presence in CLT and possibly build their own office one day? I don't read the CBJ.

you'd have to ask the CEO. lol

[Spartan]

On 10/12/2017 at 5:40 PM, HighRiseHillbilly said:

I get what you're saying, but while out walking last night - just an ordinary Wednesday night - there  were a lot of ordinary Charlotte people doing ordinary Charlotte things: Loads of kids on skateboards; dog walking en masse; a few neighborhood guys walking home with their girlfriends trying to sound smart so they could get laid; a respetable amount of people having dinner in every restaurant that was open; bars had nice sized, chill, weekday crowds; light rail stops were busy; families walking into apartment towers and the kids had light up toys from some event I'm assuming; people walking home with to-go dinners; groups of kids, older people, and other individuals like me sweating our faces off just for the sake of being out & about; and several people not looking where they were going because they knew where they were going.....

There were a lot more people walking around uptown just hanging out, having a nice evening, and going about their business then there were in Plaza Midwood. I rode through on the way home specifically for the comparison (expecting it to be the other way around).  Actually, if you don't have a real plan in mind, it's easier to just fart around uptown. The encapsulated bubble feel, smaller streets with slower traffic, and loads of parks, benches, and structures to sit on and do nothing but enjoy where you are make it much easier and more comfortable than say, sitting alone looking crazy on the corner of Davidson & 36th.  It may not be hip and funky, but it's clear that Uptown is "home" if not just a nice place to hang out and kill time to a lot of people.

I'm not saying Uptown is devoid of activity, just that I think that it lacks a singular neighborhood feel because most of the 'stuff' that there is to do is geared towards tourists. For example, when I go to Plaza, there are: a conveniently located Harris Teeter, yoga studios, breweries, good restaurants, coffee shops, a good variety of bars/pubs, Common Market, a good variety of miscellaneous retail establishments (including a future ABC store), a library branch, etc. It feels like if I lived over there, I would have everything I need to exist and entertain myself, and I wouldn't need to leave for anything unless I chose to.

"Uptown" collectively has many of those things, but If you look at the types of things on my list above that I like about PM, the individual Wards lack most of those. It's hit or miss as to whether the things exist and whether or not they are easily accessible (ie: not in Overstreet Mall or in a skyscraper), or open past 5pm. I have most of the things I need, but I still find myself leaving frequently for the things I want to do.

Again, as a local, I don't want another high end steak house. I don't want another hotel lobby that may or may not have a bar in it, and I don't want another tourist trap (like Lucky's). What I want is a place where I might actually meet my neighbors. I'd like to be able to walk to a brewery, I'd like to be able to walk to yoga (or even crossfit or something  like that), I'd like to have more bars with a neighborhood vibe - by which I mean a bar that isn't geared towards the 2am club crowd where I have a chance of knowing the bartender (eg: I feel like I know more bartenders in NoDa than in uptown), a Sabor, and a few local coffee shops. I'd love it if Latta Arcade and Brevard Court had more restaurants open past 5pm (like that Vietnamese place).

Now, I'm not bashing uptown. I've lived here for just over a decade, and it's gotten a lot better over the past few years. Places like Fourth Ward Bread Co (now defunct), CoCo and the Director, Que Onda, Murhpy's, and Rhino Market are all collectively making "Uptown" a better places for locals. I'll even give  both 204 North and Flight credit for being good quality, even if slightly on the pricey side for what they offer.

[HighRiseHillbilly]

35 minutes ago, Spartan said:

I'm not saying Uptown is devoid of activity, just that I think that it lacks a singular neighborhood feel because most of the 'stuff' that there is to do is geared towards tourists. For example, when I go to Plaza, there are: a conveniently located Harris Teeter, yoga studios, breweries, good restaurants, coffee shops, a good variety of bars/pubs, Common Market, a good variety of miscellaneous retail establishments (including a future ABC store), a library branch, etc. It feels like if I lived over there, I would have everything I need to exist and entertain myself, and I wouldn't need to leave for anything unless I chose to.

"Uptown" collectively has many of those things, but If you look at the types of things on my list above that I like about PM, the individual Wards lack most of those. It's hit or miss as to whether the things exist and whether or not they are easily accessible (ie: not in Overstreet Mall or in a skyscraper), or open past 5pm. I have most of the things I need, but I still find myself leaving frequently for the things I want to do.

Again, as a local, I don't want another high end steak house. I don't want another hotel lobby that may or may not have a bar in it, and I don't want another tourist trap (like Lucky's). What I want is a place where I might actually meet my neighbors. I'd like to be able to walk to a brewery, I'd like to be able to walk to yoga (or even crossfit or something  like that), I'd like to have more bars with a neighborhood vibe - by which I mean a bar that isn't geared towards the 2am club crowd where I have a chance of knowing the bartender (eg: I feel like I know more bartenders in NoDa than in uptown), a Sabor, and a few local coffee shops. I'd love it if Latta Arcade and Brevard Court had more restaurants open past 5pm (like that Vietnamese place).

Now, I'm not bashing uptown. I've lived here for just over a decade, and it's gotten a lot better over the past few years. Places like Fourth Ward Bread Co (now defunct), CoCo and the Director, Que Onda, Murhpy's, and Rhino Market are all collectively making "Uptown" a better places for locals. I'll even give  both 204 North and Flight credit for being good quality, even if slightly on the pricey side for what they offer.

Again, I get what you're saying. My point was that these people were doing these things because it IS their neighborhood. I understand why you feel the way you do, I grew up here and Uptown was always some "thing" that wasn't really habitable for decades, but it appears, at least to me and a few others, that it is and does feel like a neighborhood of sorts.

My own neighborhood is inexplicably  vibrant yet lacking something special, so maybe that's why I see uptown differently than you do. Eh... Whatever. 

 

[dubone]

On 10/12/2017 at 1:08 PM, Spartan said:

Do we know what this new business is going to be yet?

 

IMO, while "Uptown" offers a lot, it's designed for tourists and office workers. People who live in Uptown reap the benefits of convenience and access, but "Uptown" is not a neighborhood in the sense of Plaza Midwood, Dilworth, NoDa, etc. I think that the surrounding neighborhoods already have more appeal to locals than Uptown in many ways.

This trend has solidified in the 2010s decade.   Really crappy places in Epicenter or Hooters will be packed with hotel visitors and great local restaurants look empty, while out in the surrounding center city neighborhoods it's somewhat the opposite.  

I have made an effort to no longer feel like I'm inconveniencing people to ask they come uptown versus those other neighborhoods.   

 

[CLTProductions]

1 hour ago, Spartan said:

I'm not saying Uptown is devoid of activity, just that I think that it lacks a singular neighborhood feel because most of the 'stuff' that there is to do is geared towards tourists. For example, when I go to Plaza, there are: a conveniently located Harris Teeter, yoga studios, breweries, good restaurants, coffee shops, a good variety of bars/pubs, Common Market, a good variety of miscellaneous retail establishments (including a future ABC store), a library branch, etc. It feels like if I lived over there, I would have everything I need to exist and entertain myself, and I wouldn't need to leave for anything unless I chose to.

"Uptown" collectively has many of those things, but If you look at the types of things on my list above that I like about PM, the individual Wards lack most of those. It's hit or miss as to whether the things exist and whether or not they are easily accessible (ie: not in Overstreet Mall or in a skyscraper), or open past 5pm. I have most of the things I need, but I still find myself leaving frequently for the things I want to do.

Again, as a local, I don't want another high end steak house. I don't want another hotel lobby that may or may not have a bar in it, and I don't want another tourist trap (like Lucky's). What I want is a place where I might actually meet my neighbors. I'd like to be able to walk to a brewery, I'd like to be able to walk to yoga (or even crossfit or something  like that), I'd like to have more bars with a neighborhood vibe - by which I mean a bar that isn't geared towards the 2am club crowd where I have a chance of knowing the bartender (eg: I feel like I know more bartenders in NoDa than in uptown), a Sabor, and a few local coffee shops. I'd love it if Latta Arcade and Brevard Court had more restaurants open past 5pm (like that Vietnamese place).

Now, I'm not bashing uptown. I've lived here for just over a decade, and it's gotten a lot better over the past few years. Places like Fourth Ward Bread Co (now defunct), CoCo and the Director, Que Onda, Murhpy's, and Rhino Market are all collectively making "Uptown" a better places for locals. I'll even give  both 204 North and Flight credit for being good quality, even if slightly on the pricey side for what they offer.

You forgot poplar street bar and cafe (and cotton room :))

[JoshuaDrown]

At the risk of taking this totally off topic, I’ll chime in. 

To live in a neighborhood is to understand a neighborhood’s pulse, and when you live in a downtown neighborhood specifically you inherently understand “where” to go, and “when” to go, for the vibe you are looking for.

I lived in Fourth Ward for years, and now live in Third Ward, and they certainly feel like neighborhoods to me. We have great neighborhood bars and locally owned restaurants, but these places personalities change depending on time of day and day of week.

I have met my best friends while out “living” in these neighborhoods, and I run into my neighbors constantly in places like Murphy’s, Corkscrew, Al Mike’s, The Wooden Vine, Draught, Cedar St Travern, Que Onda, Poplar Street. I know the bartenders, the owners, chefs, sommeliers, and servers. My wife jogs to Uptown CrossFit on Mint in the mornings, I walk a block for coffee and two blocks for groceries, there’s yoga in the Fourth Ward Park, and concerts at Romare Bearden. I walk to the library, the  movies, the Doctor and the Dentist, the ballet, football, baseball, and basketball.

I love my Uptown neighborhood and constantly remind myself how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many great places and so many good people.

Edited October 18, 2017 by JoshuaDrown

[DMann]

Joshua, you nailed it.  I have lived downtown since 1999, and would not live anywhere else.  

[Spartan]

I hope nobody takes my thoughts for bashing uptown. I've only lived in Uptown since I've been in Charlotte, and there's nowhere I'd rather be. I want to live in an urban place, and I think uptown offers the most urban environment even if it lacks ALL of the amenities of a neighborhood I'd like to see. I guess what I really want is for the full slate of urban amenities to come to me, rather than having to relocate to another part of town or another city to get them. We're so close to having it all... I just want the market to realize that uptown residents want the same things as other neighborhood. 

I think a completely off-topic question for residents in 28202 is what do you consider your neighborhood? Is it your ward or "Uptown" as a whole? I personally don't consider "uptown" my neighborhood - even if it might be functionally accurate. I always tell people I live in Fourth Ward, and then if I get a confused look I might qualify that by saying it's in uptown. 

[elrodvt]

^ I consider myself as living downtown. As small as the DT area is I don't think there's a need to discuss wards and people I talk to out of town would be clueless. It ain't Brooklyn or something.

[JoshuaDrown]

9 minutes ago, Spartan said:

I think a completely off-topic question for residents in 28202 is what do you consider your neighborhood? Is it your ward or "Uptown" as a whole? I personally don't consider "uptown" my neighborhood - even if it might be functionally accurate. I always tell people I live in Fourth Ward, and then if I get a confused look I might qualify that by saying it's in uptown. 

I certainly don't feel like all of Uptown is my neighborhood, but I live at TradeMark and am so close to the Trade - Tryon intersection that I feel like parts of all the wards are my neighborhood. I think the Historic Fourth Ward has its own personality, as does the Garden District, or Third Ward west of Cedar, and I imagine the future Brooklyn Village will as well. When out Uptown I tell people that I live in Third Ward and that usually suffices, but when in there rest of the city I say Uptown.

[15895]

1 hour ago, elrodvt said:

^ I consider myself as living downtown. As small as the DT area is I don't think there's a need to discuss wards and people I talk to out of town would be clueless. It ain't Brooklyn or something.

 

The 4 wards are distinct. That said, I wouldn't refer to the wards to someone out of town neither. 

 

[SgtCampsalot]

Out of Towner's Guide to Charlotte's Wards:

1st Ward: The one with 7th St Market and that stack-of-books building

2nd Ward: The collection of office parks with the fountain in that park

3rd Ward: The one with Miami high rises

4th Ward: The New England-esque pretty one.

 

[KJHburg]

In residential real estate, 1st Ward is viewed as lower density (just Courtside high rise currently) and more townhomes and walk up condo buildings.  2nd Ward really no residential now except the Ratcliffe.  3rd Ward has both lower density on the other side of the tracks along  Cedar and high rises closer to heart of uptown like Trademark.  4th Ward is the most established with lower density along Poplar St and high rises closer on Church like Avenue, 400 N Church etc.   I would describe them as 4 different neighborhoods as we all know there are quite a few single family homes within the 277 loop.   I would describe them all Uptown but when you are looking at them they are different neighborhoods just like "SouthPark" covers many neighborhoods including those very near the mall and those further out. 

[elrodvt]

The most people must live in 3rd ward now though right?

I think a lot of people who live in Charlotte have no idea nor care about the wards either.  It's a special breed on this site.

I do agree that 4th ward is very distinct from the other 3 though.

[DMann]

Second Ward has The Ratcliffe, The Trust, SKYE Condos and The Madison.  

[KJHburg]

^^^ Not sure of population of 3rd and 4th Wards but there are more high rises condos and apartments in 3rd Ward so maybe they are the most populated now

Soon 2nd Ward will be the biggest due to all the growth along Stonewall and yes I forgot the Trust, Madison and Skye.  Plus Brooklyn Village will add many residents more balancing it out among the 4 .original wards. 

[kermit]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

^^^ Not sure of population of 3rd and 4th Wards but there are more high rises condos and apartments in 3rd Ward so maybe they are the most populated now

Soon 2nd Ward will be the biggest due to all the growth along Stonewall and yes I forgot the Trust, Madison and Skye.  Plus Brooklyn Village will add many residents more balancing it out among the 4 .original wards. 

Using Tryon, Trade and 277, 77 as boundaries this is what Popstats (Synergos) reports for each Ward (Q1 2016 estimates)

            POP                MHI

1st:  3,956       $70,600
2nd: 1,187       $85,700  [a significant number of these people are in jail (aka residents of 'group quarters') EDIT -- I am not sure of this now, jail capacity is 1,900 so it appears they are omitted]
3rd:  2,915      $79,000
4th:  6,217      $81,500

(for the nerds out there there are retrieval errors in these figures since census geography does not exactly match what we consider Ward boundaries to be. In addition there is sampling (and modeling) error since the data are for Q1 2016 rather than a decenial census year -- these data are not equivalent to ACS figures)

 

 

Edited October 20, 2017 by kermit

[elrodvt]

 

Interesting.

How can MHI in 2'nd  be so high then? The group homes are counted in pop but not income averaging?

3rd ward count can't be right can it? If we assume 80% occupancy across the Mint plus the 3 high rises and  2 low rises that alone would be over 3K wouldn't it?