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I ate at Newk's today. Not bad at all - the menu is pretty much Jason's Deli + pizza for the same price. I never went into Grand Central (this is what Newk's replaced, right?) so I don't know if the renovations are new or not...but there is an interior glass wall that looks into the next entryway off Tryon St and you can see clear though to the sidewalks, BOA theaters and a great view of the Hearst Tower through the skylights. Love that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

There are 2 new restaurants coming to The Duke Energy/Arts complex.

1) Halcyon Center of the Earth - Run by the people who own Something Classic. The head chef is the former head chef of Lulu's, the French place on Central. They will focus on locally grown and seasonal foods.

2) I forget the name, something like Manzari. It will be a fairly upscale Mediterranean place.

Also, the Panera Bread at street level at Charlotte Plaza should be beginning construction soon. Carolina Ale House I believe begins in a couple of months.

BTW, I like the new facade for Newks. It really livens up that dead facade. If Starbucks would add something as well, then it could look really nice.

That's a lot of new restaurants.

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I was unaware of a new pseudo overstreet (actually understreet) mall addition connecting the power tower with the remainder of the overstreet complex.

While Wells promises that it will be nothing other than a passageway (no retail) its still (IMO) a pox upon an otherwise very nice addition to Charlotte.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/17/1917522/cold-sends-more-workers-underground.html

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I apologize if this was already posted, but I haven't seen it, nor can I find a thread on the ballpark. It looks like Reese is out for the count re the ballpark downtown: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/27046426/detail.html

Even if the Knights can't move in the near future, does this mean that Bearden Park could move? Or do I remember the bonds for the park were not passed (or deferred at least?)

Also - separately - does anyone know if the conversion of S. Tryon over The Belk to single lanes will move forward before DNC?

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  • 2 months later...

I'm going to put this here though wonder if we should start a Higher Education thread in its own right,

The Observer has an article about Northeastern's plans for a city center campus that had two items of which I was unaware. The first is that the licensing process began last September and that the school could begin offering classes as early as August though it looks like January is the likely start date. This is a lot quicker than I imagined!

The second piece is what really grabbed my intention. I'll just quote, but I had no idea about the Federal Courthouse and Queens University.

"Norris Frederick, Queens vice president for academic affairs, said he met with the Northeastern team and was assured that the Boston school won't duplicate programs offered at Queens.

"I certainly take them at their word," Frederick said. "We always welcome more educational opportunities for everyone. But the reality is that the graduate school market is very competitive in Charlotte already."

He said Northeastern's arrival might force
Queens to look more closely at exercising its option to buy the federal courthouse on West Trade Street. Queens has plans to move graduate programs to the building once the federal government is finished with it.
"

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I'm going to put this here though wonder if we should start a Higher Education thread in its own right,

The Observer has an article about Northeastern's plans for a city center campus that had two items of which I was unaware. The first is that the licensing process began last September and that the school could begin offering classes as early as August though it looks like January is the likely start date. This is a lot quicker than I imagined!

The second piece is what really grabbed my intention. I'll just quote, but I had no idea about the Federal Courthouse and Queens University.

"Norris Frederick, Queens vice president for academic affairs, said he met with the Northeastern team and was assured that the Boston school won't duplicate programs offered at Queens.

"I certainly take them at their word," Frederick said. "We always welcome more educational opportunities for everyone. But the reality is that the graduate school market is very competitive in Charlotte already."

He said Northeastern's arrival might force
Queens to look more closely at exercising its option to buy the federal courthouse on West Trade Street. Queens has plans to move graduate programs to the building once the federal government is finished with it.
"

two observations here...

when I initially read about Northeastern opening a graduate school here I made two mistakes in my thinking...

1. I read it as Northwestern instead of Northeastern. I'd be much more excited about Northwestern putting a campus here. That might just be my ignorance...but I've never heard of Northeastern (unless I've repeatedly mistook it for Northwestern.

2. I initially thought...great...new school, new space, new students....etc. Now that I've reflected on this news...this sounds to me like they will rent some space downtown (or somewhere) and market to the current downtown professional crowd. Initially I was thinking this school might draw full-time students from across the region, but that's just clearly not the case.

While I'll take this new investment...it's not nearly the big deal I initially thought. I'm sure someone is reading this and is thinking, "I knew all this from the beginning and I was/am still excited...why's this guy disparaging the project"? But. I'll also bet I'm not the only one who initially didn't see this announcement in proper terms.

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I'm going to put this here though wonder if we should start a Higher Education thread in its own right,

The Observer has an article about Northeastern's plans for a city center campus that had two items of which I was unaware. The first is that the licensing process began last September and that the school could begin offering classes as early as August though it looks like January is the likely start date. This is a lot quicker than I imagined!

The second piece is what really grabbed my intention. I'll just quote, but I had no idea about the Federal Courthouse and Queens University.

"Norris Frederick, Queens vice president for academic affairs, said he met with the Northeastern team and was assured that the Boston school won't duplicate programs offered at Queens.

"I certainly take them at their word," Frederick said. "We always welcome more educational opportunities for everyone. But the reality is that the graduate school market is very competitive in Charlotte already."

He said Northeastern's arrival might force
Queens to look more closely at exercising its option to buy the federal courthouse on West Trade Street. Queens has plans to move graduate programs to the building once the federal government is finished with it.
"

two observations here...

when I initially read about Northeastern opening a graduate school here I made two mistakes in my thinking...

1. I read it as Northwestern instead of Northeastern. I'd be much more excited about Northwestern putting a campus here. That might just be my ignorance...but I've never heard of Northeastern (unless I've repeatedly mistook it for Northwestern.

2. I initially thought...great...new school, new space, new students....etc. Now that I've reflected on this news...this sounds to me like they will rent some space downtown (or somewhere) and market to the current downtown professional crowd. Initially I was thinking this school might draw full-time students from across the region, but that's just clearly not the case.

While I'll take this new investment...it's not nearly the big deal I initially thought. I'm sure someone is reading this and is thinking, "I knew all this from the beginning and I was/am still excited...why's this guy disparaging the project"? But. I'll also bet I'm not the only one who initially didn't see this announcement in proper terms.

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two observations here...

when I initially read about Northeastern opening a graduate school here I made two mistakes in my thinking...

1. I read it as Northwestern instead of Northeastern. I'd be much more excited about Northwestern putting a campus here. That might just be my ignorance...but I've never heard of Northeastern (unless I've repeatedly mistook it for Northwestern.

2. I initially thought...great...new school, new space, new students....etc. Now that I've reflected on this news...this sounds to me like they will rent some space downtown (or somewhere) and market to the current downtown professional crowd. Initially I was thinking this school might draw full-time students from across the region, but that's just clearly not the case.

While I'll take this new investment...it's not nearly the big deal I initially thought. I'm sure someone is reading this and is thinking, "I knew all this from the beginning and I was/am still excited...why's this guy disparaging the project"? But. I'll also bet I'm not the only one who initially didn't see this announcement in proper terms.

Obviously Northwestern is more well-known and higher ranked, but Northeastern is certainly a well-known and respected University. It's number 69 in U.S. News' latest ranking tied with Virgina Tech and ahead of Michigan State - just for comparison. In short, this is no small coup for Charlotte.

I agree that you mistook the context of this project (regardless of it being Northeastern or Northwestern btw) just as people may also mistake what the Wake Forest business school in city center or even (to a smaller degree) what the UNC Charlotte new building/campus in First Ward is really about.

Frankly it has nothing to do with huge splash or big change so much as solidifying Charlotte's place as a desirable destination to live and work. It's a more subtle change similar to a new business (outside of banking) opening in city center as it adds to the diversity of the people and activity you will find here and the subsequent ancillary businesses that crop up to support that clientele.

One of the important things to remember about Northeastern is their pledge to not duplicate the existing Graduate programs offered already in Charlotte. While I know business degrees will be front and center, it does offer me hope that there will be other disciplines as well - and this is key.

To me, if you look at Charlotte from 10 years ago to ten years from now, such things will be seen as monumental in their role of the overall change of the city, but the individual developments themselves are but the steps that get us there.

I won't be surprised to see RSID or similar design school resurected and I believe the new Johnson and Wales business school will be happening in the near future as well. Add the Queens University talks of opening an Uptown campus and you got a pretty remarkable change in the day-time population within city center. Overall each one of these developments are vital to us growing beyond "banktown"

Edited by Urbanity
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Charlotte has long been missing what other Carolina cities have in or close to their urban cores: a significantly-sized college/university. But with these smaller, more specialized campuses cropping up in Uptown, it will have the next best thing to that. It's another great example of Charlotte maximizing its potential given the circumstances.

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Charlotte has long been missing what other Carolina cities have in or close to their urban cores: a significantly-sized college/university.

When I am "in charge" my first order of business will be to:

1) have UNCC and CPCC to swap campuses.

2) Build new dorms in the no mans land between the new UNCC (existing CPCC) and 277

3) Relocate the Charlotte medical school to presby.

and on my second day in charge.....

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As irony would have it kermit, the predecessor to UNC Charlotte was located at what is now CPCC. And if that doesn't ruffle some feathers, the Charlotte medical school at CMC is not actually a UNC Charlotte medical school but a UNC-Chapel Hill medical school for 3rd & 4th year students. There's been some lobbying by the president of Presby to actually allow UNC Charlotte to open a medical school at Presby, but the UNC Board of Governors denied that request in favor of UNC Chapel Hill's desire to open at CMC.

But there is a worry that the Northeastern campus would limit the ability of the region's universities to create new grad programs. Graduate programs cost a lot of money and require a large amount of hoops to jump through in order to be created. Northeastern's decision to locate here puts another hoop in the way. With that said, I think each university here is hoping that the new location would help create an educational corridor within Uptown that fosters collaboration...much like the CCCP 2020 Vision plan calls for. But also it will be key for the BLE to be created in order to connect the region's largest university (UNCC) to Uptown and the new educational centers opening up.

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But there is a worry that the Northeastern campus would limit the ability of the region's universities to create new grad programs. Graduate programs cost a lot of money and require a large amount of hoops to jump through in order to be created. Northeastern's decision to locate here puts another hoop in the way. With that said, I think each university here is hoping that the new location would help create an educational corridor within Uptown that fosters collaboration...much like the CCCP 2020 Vision plan calls for. But also it will be key for the BLE to be created in order to connect the region's largest university (UNCC) to Uptown and the new educational centers opening up.

Agreed. However the presence of the new graduate programs, which I think will be heavily concentrated in the 'business professions' like management, accounting and law may benefit UNCC. By making it more difficult for UNCC to start these programs UNCC can focus its resources on the development of grad programs in the sciences where there is already some critical mass. In essence the new schools downtown may free UNCC from the expensive need to be all things to all people and to focus on what it is already good at (and the things that create the largest opportunities for economic development).

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^^^It was actually that Presby wanted to partner with CMC and Gaston Memorial to bring a medical school to Charlotte rather than the UNCCH campus that is here. Phil Dubois was gunning for the UNCC to get the med school, and according to the powers that be in the UNC system, the goal is to eventually open up the med school as a program at UNCC. I do not know if the plan for UNCC is to open up a full teaching hospital and full medical school or just to transfer the current program, which, in my opinion, does not really count as a "med school".

I personally was fond of the idea of opening up an independent med school based on the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk or the Uniformed College of Health Sciences at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. I think it would have worked well if CMC, Presby, and Gaston Memorial would have collaborated on a medical school similar to the ones mentioned and built a new teaching hospital in downtown or turned CMC-Mercy into a teaching hospital.

Also as a side note I think it would be cool for UNCC to get a Veterinary program rather than a med school since there is only one other Vet program in the state. Having both an Independent med school near uptown and a veterinary school at UNCC would be better than just having a med school at UNCC I think, but then again, that's just me wishing.

Edited by cltbwimob
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  • 1 month later...

Carolina Ale House seems to have cleared whatever issue was holding up their setting up shop on College Street.

On a related note to below linked blog article - I pass Vapino on a regular basis going to the Y and it is moving forward pretty rapidly now after what seemed like a really weird delay. If you get a chance to pass the door when it is opened you can see that they have done some pretty massive work inside. I hope when they open they will have a spillover effect in making the Dean and DeLuce stay open on weekends!

http://uptownrealtor...treetscape.html

Edited by Urbanity
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