Misc. Uptown Projects/News

[KJHburg]

^^^^ think those are Midtown shots maybe of atrium expansion?

[atlrvr]

Yes...the top 2 are the new Levine Cancer center expansion on Morehead.  The 3rd is a new 30k sq ft office building  on Lexington Ave behind the new 500 E Morehead office building.

[KJHburg]

Miscellaneous uptown shots and the Vue stands like a sentinel watching over the skyline.  

[TheOneRJ]

The Vue needs some company, it gets left out of most skyline shots 

[j-man]

I think that that empty rectangular parking lot right between Ascent and the ballpark should be turned into a unique hotel with underground parking only (please) that will cover the entire rectangular block. Maybe around 300 to 400 rooms and lots of retail for more foot traffic around Romare Bearden Park . And  then forget about the one they had proposed for the side of the ballpark. It would come in handy if the BB&T ballpark were to be transformed in the future into a major league stadium. 

[j-man]

And I know that there will be a hotel on the parking lot in front of the Spectrum Center, but wouldn't that be the perfect place for a park like  Romare Bearden?  Like that entire square lot between East Trade, and East 4th st? And just put the hotel facing 4th street where those once proposed condos were supposed to go...

[SgtCampsalot]

17 minutes ago, j-man said:

And I know that there will be a hotel on the parking lot in front of the Spectrum Center, but wouldn't that be the perfect place for a park like  Romare Bearden?  Like that entire square lot between East Trade, and East 4th st? And just put the hotel facing 4th street where those once proposed condos were supposed to go...

Agreed, although Green's Lunch and the building currently housing Loft & Cellar need to stay (I don't have high optimism for those cute buildings on this block facing the Ballpark on Mint... it seems like a land-banking situation... but these first two have a shot).

[CLT2014]

25 minutes ago, j-man said:

And I know that there will be a hotel on the parking lot in front of the Spectrum Center, but wouldn't that be the perfect place for a park like  Romare Bearden?  Like that entire square lot between East Trade, and East 4th st? And just put the hotel facing 4th street where those once proposed condos were supposed to go...

The county/city just built First Ward Park, which is just 528 feet away from the Spectrum Center. With a dire need for parks across the county, the parks capital budget will likely need to be spread throughout where constituents live as Uptown just got First Ward Park and will be getting outdoor space at Brooklyn Village in Second Ward. I think more parks everywhere would be great, but realistically I don't see Uptown getting another park outside Brooklyn Village anytime soon unless it was privately funded. 

Edited January 2, 2019 by CLT2014

[j-man]

6 minutes ago, SgtCampsalot said:

Agreed, although Green's Lunch and the building currently housing Loft & Cellar need to stay (I don't have high optimism for those cute buildings on this block facing the Ballpark on Mint... it seems like a land-banking situation... but these first two have a shot).

Im glad somebody sees lol.

[SgtCampsalot]

1 hour ago, j-man said:

Im glad somebody sees lol.

I see all lonely structures and their potential 

One funny thing about old buildings is that the less there is around them, the less people see their value.

Old building types like these were built to be seen from the street. But when most of what you see is their humble backsides and... sides... Then they won't seem as attractive. But you're not supposed to see those sides.

Those white painted brick buildings I referred to, I always hear people saying "why are those still there? Why haven't they built something on that parking lot?" But they are gorgeous, and even have some beautiful tile work on the sidewalk! My dream for this block is for towers to be built around every squat brick building.

[j-man]

2 minutes ago, SgtCampsalot said:

I see all lonely structures and their potential 

One funny thing about old buildings is that the less there is around them, the less people see their value.

Old building types like these were built to be seen from the street. But when most of what you see is their humble backsides and... sides... Then they won't seem as attractive. But you're not supposed to see those sides.

Those white painted brick buildings I referred to, I always hear people saying "why are those still there? Why haven't they built something on that parking lot?" But they are gorgeous, and even have some beautiful tile work on the sidewalk! My dream for this block is for towers to be built around every squat brick building.

I see beauty in older buildings too. I looooove renovations and restoration? BUT.  for this area of town, I dont see much use for these. These ones arent that noticable, though I do not know their history.

 

 

[DMann]

Has anyone heard that Le Meridian is in jeopardy of losing their flag?

 

[CLT2014]

57 minutes ago, DMann said:

Has anyone heard that Le Meridian is in jeopardy of losing their flag?

I'm honestly shocked they ever let their flag go in that building. The location isn't good for business travelers either. 

With the Marriott renovation, Ritz Carlton renovation, Kimpton now open, etc... all in the heart of Uptown + future hotels like the JW Marriott, Grand Bohemian, etc. opening... the Le Meridian is going to have to offer lower room rates to be competitive with that location.

Edited January 3, 2019 by CLT2014

[j-man]

I couldn't find the discussion forum to complain, lol so I'll just leave it here. Could yall imagine if the Aquatic Center was to be moved?. Like why is it even in uptown. It should have been placed outside of it like how the YMCA is. I feel like the Aquatic Center is the biggest waste of space in Uptown. No retail, with surface parking, and no components that benefit too much of anybody......and its on so many acres that could have benefited Brooklyn Village, instead of building around it. Ugh. Maybe that spot could have gone to that cluster of buildings that are going to be placed where Marshall Park currently sits on Brooklyn Village's vision plan. And the park could have been saved and just gone through a major face-lift. Just a thought lol. 

[J-Rob]

IMO the biggest waste of space in Uptown is Levinland and the large unused parking deck that sits on Levineland.  I don't mind the Aquatic Center.  Keep in mind that until two years ago there was nothing on Stonewall and the Aquatic Center was somewhat isolated.  In due time the Aquatic Center may move when they get the right offer, but until then lets hope more of the Uptown surface lots are infilled.   I think you mentioned the surface lots across from Spectrum in a different post.  There is a already First Ward Park and Marshall Park within a stone's throw of those surface lots near Spectrum.  I am more interested in adding density  in areas such as that than I am with the Aquatic Center.  I would like to see an office building and some condos pop up around the Moxy Hotel location.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2019 by J-Rob

[CLT2014]

I consider the Aquatics Center a public amenity available to all citizens of the county and is centrally located near transit options. For those that do not have access to swimming pools in an HOA or apartment complex, the Aquatics Center is an excellent amenity for affordable access to a pool. In addition, it brings residents from across the county into Uptown, who otherwise would might not find a reason to explore the city center.  Large swim meets like Charlotte UltraSwim also benefit hotel reservations on the weekends in Uptown. It also contributes to livability in Uptown by allowing serious swimmers to not have to drive to use the pool and is a selling point for some Uptown residents.

Taking a public amenity like this that benefits Uptown residents as well as county residents and converting it to something like apartments that are closed off to the public would be a loss IMO while we still have so many lots with uses like parking lots and bail bonds. Putting the parking underground at the Aquatics Center and opening that part of the land up to development would be a wise move though. 

Edited January 3, 2019 by CLT2014

[j-man]

35 minutes ago, CLT2014 said:

I consider the Aquatics Center a public amenity available to all citizens of the county and is centrally located near transit options. For those that do not have access to swimming pools in an HOA or apartment complex, the Aquatics Center is an excellent amenity for affordable access to a pool. In addition, it brings residents from across the county into Uptown, who otherwise would might not find a reason to explore the city center.  Large swim meets like Charlotte UltraSwim also benefit hotel reservations on the weekends in Uptown. It also contributes to livability in Uptown by allowing serious swimmers to not have to drive to use the pool and is a selling point for some Uptown residents.

Taking a public amenity like this that benefits Uptown residents as well as county residents and converting it to something like apartments that are closed off to the public would be a loss IMO while we still have so many lots with uses like parking lots and bail bonds. Putting the parking underground at the Aquatics Center and opening that part of the land up to development would be a wise move though. 

ok.....but wouldn't it be cheaper and get more attention if it was actually near transit like you said it was but isn't. . Like I initially said. the YMCA got it right. and that area uptown barely has any residence compared to the other wards of Uptown, so I don't know how beneficial that spot really is. And centrally located?? ok. just put it just outside of Uptown, possibly but the North End that is seeing some attention and has more residence. 

[sakami]

30 minutes ago, j-man said:

ok.....but wouldn't it be cheaper and get more attention if it was actually near transit like you said it was but isn't. . Like I initially said. the YMCA got it right. and that area uptown barely has any residence compared to the other wards of Uptown, so I don't know how beneficial that spot really is. And centrally located?? ok. just put it just outside of Uptown, possibly but the North End that is seeing some attention and has more residence. 

Well the Y on Morehead was originally a military institute built in 1859 so it’s not really a fair comparison to the MCAC. 

But as someone who lives near Uptown I appreciate that it is one of the few remotely accessible recreational sports venues in town. I spend most of my time driving to the far-reaches of Mecklenburg County for the rest of the activities. And sure, once alllll the other lots are built on you could make a compelling argument to relocate it but it would be a tough sell to justify pulling an established and well-utilized amenity from Uptown. 

[j-man]

10 minutes ago, sakami said:

Well the Y on Morehead was originally a military institute built in 1859 so it’s not really a fair comparison to the MCAC. 

But as someone who lives near Uptown I appreciate that it is one of the few remotely accessible recreational sports venues in town. I spend most of my time driving to the far-reaches of Mecklenburg County for the rest of the activities. And sure, once alllll the other lots are built on you could make a compelling argument to relocate it but it would be a tough sell to justify pulling an established and well-utilized amenity from Uptown. 

Yall are overly dramatic on these threads....I literally said just outside of uptown.....like less than 2 minutes away in a more residential area. Maybe even Midtown.  If the Aquatic Center sign wasn't on the side of this building i would think it was a part of the near high school. Its just so many developments that are taking place in uptown, that this already outdated looking building would just be an eye sore in the way of a very green, less surface parking lot filled urban center city. its like putting a fast food drive thru restaurant right by a high rise like you would see in Houston, TX....like why are yall so defensive of this? 

Edited January 3, 2019 by j-man

[DMann]

1 minute ago, j-man said:

Yall are overly dramatic on these threads....I literally said just outside of uptown.....like less than 2 minutes away in a more residential area. Maybe even Midtown.  If the Aquatic Center sign wasn't on the side of this building i would think it was a part of the near high school. Its just so many developments that are taking place in uptown, that this already outdated looking building would just be an eye sore in the way of a very green, less surface parking lot filled urban center city. its like putting a fast food drive thru restaurant right by a high rise like you would see in Houston, TX....like why are yall so defensive of this? 

Have you ever been in the Aquatic Center?

 

[j-man]

2 minutes ago, DMann said:

Have you ever been in the Aquatic Center?

 

Nope, but I've seen pictures. Why?

[DMann]

Perhaps you should go see what it is like.

[j-man]

2 minutes ago, DMann said:

Perhaps you should go see what it is like.

I'm not knocking its purpose, or how nice it is. I'm just saying.....was that building necessary to put in that prime location uptown?

[atlrvr]

Fwiw, there was a plan pre-recession to relocate it adjacent to CPCC, where the Grady Cole center is.

[navigator319]

7 minutes ago, j-man said:

I'm not knocking its purpose, or how nice it is. I'm just saying.....was that building necessary to put in that prime location uptown?

I agree with you.  In time it should move. They just reno it ~2 years back and bump the walls out.  Does nothing for the urban environment.  In time I'm sure it will, but now with the recent reno prob talking 15+ years, idk.