Misc. Uptown Projects/News

[tiblerbrit]

Was there anything new in the article about office development from this weeks CBJ?

[CLTProductions]

Well this is a breath of fresh air and hopefully will get some life going in this area of uptown. Discuss....

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2013/12/charlottes-north-tryon-street-just-like-starting.html?page=all

[15895]

Retail, Expansion of Discovery Place, Aquarium are the first things that come to mind to be game changer. I'm not sure what else could regain momentum from the South side at this point. Though I haven't really put much thought into it. And besides retail or an aquarium, not really sure what could be done to make a stamp of Charlotte for 50-100 years.

Convention center, Big Park, Football, Basketball, Baseball stadiums, Hall of Fame, Mint/Gantt/Arts museums have all been done... It's not a bus station or gateway station, not a light rail stop. The Gold District idea has been taken.

Can't wait to hear the ideas as I never thought about it.

Edited December 19, 2013 by AirNostrumMAD

[kermit]

It has not yet been adequately articulated but the Innovation Corridor that CCCP has outlined has some potential to anchor the area.

[ah59396]

Run a minor spur off the BLE extension into the Hal Marshall parking lot, plop a bad-ass, fully interactive train museum there.  All kinds of trains...trams, old streetcars, big diesel freight, old steam engines.  Incorporate Charlotte's history as a train hub but certainly focus on how trains drove development of the American west as a whole.  Have a WORLD section where you focus on Chinese & Japanese HSR or the Trans-Siberian Express.  Include a "future" area with conceptual ideas on future train transit to generate interest in things like HSR, or even go as far as to have small scale work ups of future transit like HYPERLOOP, or something just as rad.

 

I'd live in that place and it would be something unique for the southeast as opposed to us likely building an aquarium or ferris wheel like ATL.

[Urbanity]

I think the Aquarium fits in the "have all been done" considering the Discovery Place mini-Aquarium and the new one at Concord.   i just don't see the point in money/resources being spent on that particular project particularly since it will likely require taxpayer assistance to be of any worthwhile size - and Charlotte has bigger and more worthy taxpayer funded/contribution battles in my mind.

 

I do agree with the Retail and expansion of Discovery Place (I would love to see a planetarium as part of that), I would also love to see a proper Museum of Natural History, but ultimately what is going to change North Tryon (above 7th street) Levine getting off his butt with his First Ward Project, and development of the parking lot/Hal Marshall parcels.

 

I Also think the Days Inn has got to go.   I don't care what anyone says about the decent prices or perceived need of the hotel - the very shape and structure of the building screams the perception of a drug/prostitute motel regardless of the reality.  I know a few people who use that building as their boundary marker when walking North Tryon.  

[nowensone]

Maybe a tall spire with a rotating observation deck so we can see the metro from above.  Don't think another museum will make any difference.  A major university, built densely?  This area just needs plain old office, res and retail (in that order) IMO.  A large outdoor farmers market would also be very cool.

[CLTProductions]

Maybe a tall spire with a rotating observation deck so we can see the metro from above.  Don't think another museum will make any difference.  A major university, built densely?  This area just needs plain old office, res and retail (in that order) IMO.  A large outdoor farmers market would also be very cool.

Couldn't agree with you more. What does uptown need most? It is most certainly not a aquarium. In the reality of uptown, we need retail, hotel rooms and office space. There is a TON of land here that could most certainly accommodate all those needs. Expanding the nightlife scene as well as the M-F 9-5 scene down this way on tryon would be great for the city really expand the feel of uptown...

 

and a side note: yes that days inn has GOT to go. Don't know if anyone watches Homeland, but this season it was used to depict a shady run down motel where a terrorist was hiding out....case in point

Edited December 19, 2013 by Jayvee

[Urbanity]

Maybe a tall spire with a rotating observation deck so we can see the metro from above.

I actually would love something like that at the NC Music Factory.

[vassago]

I love the train museum idea!  Obviously just my opinion but putting more at the music factory would be mistake, it just feels way to disconnected to the rest of uptown.  I wouldn't walk all that way if I was a tourist just to get to an observation deck.

[CLTProductions]

 I wouldn't walk all that way if I was a tourist just to get to an observation deck.

Agreed. 

 

Also, again. Uptown already has 3 museums (all rather underwhelming), I would see it as a waste of space to put another one in this area (away from the center for the arts anyways). 

[ah59396]

Agreed. 

 

Also, again. Uptown already has 3 museums (all rather underwhelming), I would see it as a waste of space to put another one in this area (away from the center for the arts anyways). 

 

I agree that we need more retail and office space.  But if we are talking about plans for the CITY to develop something, then it will need to be something like a museum or attraction.  Private develop is a must-have in uptown but that just comes with time and interest, not city involvement.

[Urbanity]

In regards to aversion to NCMF what if the city took advantage of the issue of connectivity by using the parcel of derelict buildings at 9th/N.Johnson/NCMF Blvd for a sleek observation tower with a pedestrian bridge over the rail tracks and connecting to 10th Street.  In that idea take the greenway median of tenth street (currently from Pine to N. Church) and expand it East to Tryon and west to the proposed pedestrian bridge to the tower.    

 

This expanded greenway would also give some weight to/take advantage of the Historic Fourth Ward selling point for the city

 

If you had a raised platform/base for the Observation tower with architecturally cool pedestrian bridges connecting to 4th Ward Proper and NCMF you not only solve the connectivity issue, but utilize a dead parcel for an attraction which would have an incredible skyline vantage point. 

Edited December 19, 2013 by Urbanity

[kermit]

While I am still a fan of thoughtfully curated museums, they [meaning all museums] are facing an existential crises thanks to the rise of the interwebs and the declining attention spans of kids.

 

IMO South Tryon has become Charlotte's visitor corridor, North Tryon, given its limitations, should be built around something more substantial (and lasting) than tourism and recreation.

[ScottCLT]

I wouldn't necessarily call the Mint and Bechtler underwhelming. I was impressed! It's not the High Museum in Atlanta or MoMa or anything, but I think they are pretty impressive for a city of our size.

[CLTProductions]

The fact that they haven't done that already is rather mind-blowing... Those old factory looking buildings over there on Johnson, none of those are active right???? I feel like that whole area could be a huge opportunity for green space and really bridging the gap between NCMF and uptown. That area on 10th and Smith st can be a bit sketchy but its nothing that some good development can't cure!

 

And yes, I will say, Mint is nice, but the modern art was blah. It's basically ONE floor!

[Madison Parkitect]

It would also be cool to see a spattering of entertainment venues, built in a multistory entertainment complex. Some ideas would be Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe it or Not, WonderWorks, an indoor go cart/arcade space designed to compliment our ties to racing, ziplines, Legend's in Concert, restaurants, etc. A 10-20 Story hotel could anchor it, then a Charlotte version of the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas could rise from the center of the complex, complete with rides and a rotating restaurant. I do realize that this probably isn't very realistic or practical lol.

 

Nononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononono

[49er]

I would disagree and say an aquarium would be a great fit for Charlotte. If you don't have kids you may not get it, but Charlotte is lacking in good attractions for the young. There's no zoo (which I get why), not even a carousel other than at Concord Mills or behind a huge pay wall called Carowinds.  It's a shame we spent so much on the Nascar hall because it caters to such a narrow demographic and isn't very good at attracting repeat visitors.

 

I like the train museum idea but it would be tough to compete with the one in Spencer.  

[vassago]

not even a carousel

 

How hard or expensive would it be to plop down something like this in any of our uptown parks (current or proposed)?

 

[CLTProductions]

How hard or expensive would it be to plop down something like this in any of our uptown parks (current or proposed)?

 

That is Columbus right?? Seeing as how we copied their baseball stadium we might as well keep going and import more stuff from there! I do like Columbus, it's nice and has a lot of cool stuff Charlotte lacks 

Edited December 19, 2013 by Jayvee

[Urbanity]

 If you don't have kids you may not get it, but Charlotte is lacking in good attractions for the young. 

Charlotte:  Keep your kids away so the rest of us can play 

 

In all seriousness though isn't Ray's Splash Planet, Discovery Center, Imaginon,The Children's Theatre of Charlotte, the children's area of Romare Bearden, and I would also consider a minor league ballpark enough inside the 277 loop for people with young kids?   

 

To me (and I don't have kids so I admit my perspective is very different from yours) the CBD of a city should be more focused on business, young professionals,  arts, shopping and adult attractions.  

Edited December 19, 2013 by Urbanity

[CLTProductions]

Exactly. There are other areas where children can be. I've never heard of many cities be too focused on catering to children (are there any??). Most are geared toward young money and business professionals. We have a lot of opportunity with young professionals (the life blood of uptown outside of M-F, 9-5) so we need to keep building upon that.

[49er]

Yeah, lets send families with kids (and disposable income) elsewhere and reserve downtown for the bar crowd? Think of it this way - Downtowns in the 21st century are evolving into entertainment hubs whether that entertainment is Discovery Place or Bank of America Stadium or simply having a good selection of restaurants and retail. In fact, there's always a big push to attract people of all ages to downtown from throughout the region. I think it's short sighted to narrow your focus to "young money and business professionals". 

 

^ Great carousel pic by the way - and about $299 million cheaper than an aquarium to boot. 

[Urbanity]

Yeah, lets send families with kids (and disposable income) elsewhere and reserve downtown for the bar crowd?

I think that's an unfair statement.  

 

The Center CIty already has significant attractions as I mentioned.  Add things like the movie theatre, the bowling alley and kids focused events (day time children dedicated  First night activities, the Holidays on Ice skating rink).  Heck - I would throw in NASCAR HOF as most kids I know love cars.   You also have the circus when it comes.  Have you ever taken your kids to a CHeckers Game?  Everytime I go they focus on family things.

 

You'll just have a hard time convincing me that Center City doesn't already offer a lot for families and people with kids.  Is it enough?  Apparently not,  but let's face it - Center City is not huge. It can't be all things to all people.   

 

Charlotte in general is a driving city, so why can't families drive to Carowinds? Drive to the Speedway park?  Drive to all the places in the city that have options for kids? Why does it have to be inside the 277 (in addition to all that is already there for families) without the city being labeled un-friendly to families or driving families away?

 

I appreciate your sentiment of wanting to spend more time with your kids inside the 277 loop, but I don't think an aquarium is the answer simply because it is something to do with kids.  

 

BTW for the record - I do think an aquarium is a cool idea and one that should happen - but I would rather see it out by the River near the Whitewater Center than crammed into Uptown when we desperately need retail, offices and apartments in the core over just another attraction.

 

Just my 2 cents which I do offer respectfully.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Urbanity

[CLTProductions]

Never said lets just cater to the bar crowd. Just stating there are plenty of options uptown for children. I would prefer the future focus be on retail, office space and living space. Also, Columbus Commons (where that carousel is) is a nice open green space. And while we have Romare Bearden and a few others, if we are speaking from a strictly city provided perspective, more green space is never a bad thing.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Jayvee