SouthEnd Midrise Projects

[nonillogical]

^ partied up there that very night, it was fantastic

let me tell you this building is just amazing in every way (yeah i know, we all wish there were some retail, but after visiting there i find it hard to even complain about that. there is plenty around it at least). the outside of the building, although really nice, does not come close to describing the quality of the inside.

[WonderWoman]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask but I'm really concerned about this and I don't know who could help me. I'm hoping someone here has some advice! I live at the Block at Church St. and the new luxury apartment building that's being built on Lincoln and Church St. has decided that the entrance to the parking garage is going to be on Lincoln St. For anyone who is familiar with this street, it is currently a private street, quite narrow, and apart from Winnifred St. which fills up with non-Block residents, it is the only street parking available to the residents of this complex for several blocks. Our HOA is responsible for 50% of the road maintenance and the new apartment building management company will be responsible for the other 50%. Our neighborhood has 19 houses worth of people that use Lincoln St. every day. The new apartment complex will have 200 units worth who will use it. I am VERY concerned because #1: we are paying WAY more than our fair share of the road maintenance costs, #2: the entrance on the street will eliminate some and probably all of our street parking, #3: a tiny road will now have a TON of traffic on it. For the driveways by the parking garage, I have a feeling that getting out of the driveway in the morning will be Hell due to all the people trying to leave the garage to go to work. I can picture a lot of accidents by the garage.

Do we have any rights? Is it possible to get the entrance flipped 90 degrees so that the entrance is on Church St. (a much larger road that can handle the traffic)? Who would we need to talk to to figure this out? Construction is well under way so we have to do something immediately. I'm really upset about this and I feel like my hands are tied. Basically, if the parking gets eliminated because of this, I'll have to move out of my house (among my roommates, we have four cars so no one would be able to park anywhere reasonably close). Losing all of our street parking will also really hurt our house values.

I feel like we were taken advantage of 1 1/2 years ago. We all signed documents allowing the street to be turned into a private street. We were told that this was so we could get parking that the public couldn't use. I think this was a ploy by the developer so that there wouldn't be any obstacles for future building plans.

Please help--thanks!!!

[ScottCLT]

^^

I also live at The Block (over near Church and Summit). Who has the right to negotiate which party is paying what percentage of the dues for the road? I have a feeling that all Block residents are paying for the use and upkeep of that road, even if we don't live on that particular street. Are you more concerned about the parking actually being eliminated or just that guests of the new apartment complex will occupy it all the time? Either way, valid complaint - you don't want to have to walk 5 blocks from a parking space to your house. I think the next step is to bring this up with the HOA for The Block.

I am honestly a little upset about our HOA management firm, Abbott Enterprises - multiple calls, multiple times that I have been ignored. Nothing major that I've reported, but I just get no response when I do, and even though there have been no urgent calls, it's just frustrating.

[johnpro318]

View from atop the Ashton -

:Drools:

This is exactly how I picture Charlotte in my head all the time.

[InitialD]

:Drools:

This is exactly how I picture Charlotte in my head all the time.

I wonder how much of an impact the design center tower would have on this view? I don't think it would block as much of the view as the Harris development would do to the Arlington, though.

[palmetto75]

Do we have any rights? Is it possible to get the entrance flipped 90 degrees so that the entrance is on Church St. (a much larger road that can handle the traffic)? Who would we need to talk to to figure this out? Construction is well under way so we have to do something immediately. I'm really upset about this and I feel like my hands are tied. Basically, if the parking gets eliminated because of this, I'll have to move out of my house (among my roommates, we have four cars so no one would be able to park anywhere reasonably close). Losing all of our street parking will also really hurt our house values.

Please help--thanks!!!

You can attack this from several different ways. I'd be worried about the sheer voume of traffic more so than the 50% maintenance at least for now. Not mention the construction traffic on "your private road". Are there any deeded rights for this road to your HOA as common area??? I assume not, but worth a look. I'd make sure CDOT is aware of the trafiic volume they plan to put on this road. Eventough it is a private road that doesn't mean they can simply use it to any capacity they wish. Not familar with this layout at all, but also might talk to Fire Dept. to see what they think in terms of access and turnarounds for eqmt.

Bottomline is make your voice heard. At the very least make the developer know you will make things so difficult for them that it might be a cheaper alternative in the end to use the public street.

[WonderWoman]

I also live at The Block (over near Church and Summit). Who has the right to negotiate which party is paying what percentage of the dues for the road? I have a feeling that all Block residents are paying for the use and upkeep of that road, even if we don't live on that particular street. Are you more concerned about the parking actually being eliminated or just that guests of the new apartment complex will occupy it all the time? Either way, valid complaint - you don't want to have to walk 5 blocks from a parking space to your house. I think the next step is to bring this up with the HOA for The Block.

There has been some talk from the developer that makes it sound like all of the Lincoln St. parking will be eliminated. At least 10 spots will be gone because of the garage but it is very possible that every spot on the street will be eliminated so that there would be room for all the hundreds of cars who would be traveling that street every day. If Lincoln St. loses all parking, the only place left to park would be Winnifred and that would be shared by people parking there to go to bars, a ton of people who will be going to the new apartment building, and Block residents. Parking would become a disaster.

[tozmervo]

You may be vastly overestimating the impact of a 200 car parking garage on the Lincoln St. traffic. Most of those cars, especially that close to uptown, probably won't move during the day. But let's assume worst case, that all 200 cars leave (or return) at once over the course of an hour. That's also assuming the garage is at maximum capacity. That's still just 3.3 cars a minute, and there are two different directions they can go, potentially halving even that number.

[WonderWoman]

You may be vastly overestimating the impact of a 200 car parking garage on the Lincoln St. traffic. Most of those cars, especially that close to uptown, probably won't move during the day. But let's assume worst case, that all 200 cars leave (or return) at once over the course of an hour. That's also assuming the garage is at maximum capacity. That's still just 3.3 cars a minute, and there are two different directions they can go, potentially halving even that number.

There will be 200 units and more than 1 person living in most units. Even at 1.5 people per unit, that's 300 cars. 3.3 cars per minute would be a lot on such a small street. Keep in mind that 19 houses have driveways that back out onto this street and there are some young kids and a ton of dogs in the neighborhood so more cars increase the chances of an accident.

However, my greater concern is still the parking issue. If the parking went away, it would be a nightmare.

[southslider]

The 3 cars extra a minute from 200 units would be the maximum expected only during peak hour. Plus, that's a conventional formula, assuming the home-based work trip is made via personal vehicle, when these units are near transit, if not also walking distance to many jobs.

And 3 cars a minute translates into an additional car every 20 seconds. Car passes, then start counting 1,001, 1,002, 1,003, ... all the way to 1,020. Clearly, enough gaps for existing residents to get out of their driveways.

In my opinion, the greater planning failure here was the single-family development. It has front-loaded garages with frequent driveways that creates a hostile environment for pedestrians, all on a site within a quarter-mile of transit. No wonder then that these residents are worried about traffic, when their own development already encourages driving.

[Charlotte_native]

It is also safe to assume that at least some of these residents will either walk to work or take rail (and would choose this location specifically because of that). You also have to be ready for higher and denser development when you live in this particular environment. You can't assume that a low use warehouse or empty lot near you will remain that way. There is a lot more coming.

[Commoner]

In my opinion, the greater planning failure here was the single-family development. It has front-loaded garages with frequent driveways that creates a hostile environment for pedestrians, all on a site within a quarter-mile of transit. No wonder then that these residents are worried about traffic, when their own development already encourages driving.

How does the single family development encourage driving any more than the multi family developments? You have a parking spot for your car and access to and from secondary roads with each project. Depending on the number of guest spots available at each multi family project, the single family project might discourage driving. It doesn't have any spots for guests.

I think the most obvious problem is the lack of on-street parking on Bland, Winnifred and Church Streets.

Edited June 5, 2009 by Commoner

[southslider]

^The single-family development has frequent driveways interrupting the sidewalk, the multi-family development will not. Plus, the driveways constructed are so short that vehicles parked in them often block what little sidewalk there is between frequent driveways. Of course, there is another name for what this "street" really is, and that's an alley.

[HopHead]

Drove by the Southhaus site tonight... They finally took the banners down that were hanging over the fence there. So, you can probably officially add this to the canceled list. Now of course it's just a lot with weeds growing every which way. This looks god awful. I'm not a fan of surface lots like most, but this is one place that could probably warrant one for Mac's. That place is always packed and parking is always a hassle. I usually walk since it's less than a half mile from my place, but still the parking situation isn't that good, even with the open lot across the street.

[New Name]

Drove by the Southhaus site tonight... They finally took the banners down that were hanging over the fence there. So, you can probably officially add this to the canceled list. Now of course it's just a lot with weeds growing every which way. This looks god awful. I'm not a fan of surface lots like most, but this is one place that could probably warrant one for Mac's. That place is always packed and parking is always a hassle. I usually walk since it's less than a half mile from my place, but still the parking situation isn't that good, even with the open lot across the street.

Did they demolish something from that site?

I've noticed this to be a maddening trend in this city, and a big culprit for why we have so many vacant lots. They go in and demo whatever may be there, try to sell a project, cancel it, and whats left? Vacant lots. I would rather look at an old falling down empty building than a weedy, junk lot surrounded by fencing.

[HopHead]

Did they demolish something from that site?

I've noticed this to be a maddening trend in this city, and a big culprit for why we have so many vacant lots. They go in and demo whatever may be there, try to sell a project, cancel it, and whats left? Vacant lots. I would rather look at an old falling down empty building than a weedy, junk lot surrounded by fencing.

I can't remember b/c it's been so long... The banners have been there since 2007 I believe. I agree it's starting to be a bad trend, especially down South Blvd. Right across from the South End Lowe's and next to Auto Bell is a lot filled with weeds... You drive further down South for a mile and see many more lots with the same issue. It's terrible... Didn't Mecklenberg (or the city) pass a measure recently that would fine property owners for this sort of unsightliness?

Edited June 10, 2009 by dbull75

[atlrvr]

I believe a massage parlor and an auto repair shop in the 1960's era were demolished. They had poor urban presence, so no big loss in my opinion.

[New Name]

I believe a massage parlor and an auto repair shop in the 1960's era were demolished. They had poor urban presence, so no big loss in my opinion.

WOW! What a concept. Service while you get your car serviced!

(be glad I didn't go with the "lube" pun)

Edited June 10, 2009 by The Escapists

[tozmervo]

Did they demolish something from that site?

I've noticed this to be a maddening trend in this city, and a big culprit for why we have so many vacant lots. They go in and demo whatever may be there, try to sell a project, cancel it, and whats left? Vacant lots. I would rather look at an old falling down empty building than a weedy, junk lot surrounded by fencing.

It doesn't help that the sidewalk along both sides is in miserable shape, especially for how many people use it. You practically need a mountain bike or off-road wheelchair just to navigate it.

[Norm2]

I think it is funny how there isn't any affordable apartments being built along the rail line. I suppose it is nice that they are building expensive apartments for people who can choose whether to drive or ride the train, but for people who cant afford a car, there isn't too many places that I am aware of along the rail line where one can live.

[atlrvr]

Perhaps not much in South End, except maybe some older homes in Wilmore to rent, but certainly there is plenty affordable south of there. In the true sense of "affordable housing", South Oak Crossing adjacent to the Arrowood station is a tax-credit project catering exclusively to people making less than 60% of the area average income (which means less than about $35K/year for a family).

Other than that, there are lots of older homes and condos for rent, for instance I own a rental house less than 1/4 mile from Archdale station and the rent for the 4 bedroom home is less than the cost of a studio unit at Ashton. It's not glamorous, though it is certainly affordable and convenient.

[Charlotte_native]

I think it is funny how there isn't any affordable apartments being built along the rail line. I suppose it is nice that they are building expensive apartments for people who can choose whether to drive or ride the train, but for people who cant afford a car, there isn't too many places that I am aware of along the rail line where one can live.

Get past Clanton on the rail line and you'll find low priced homes and low priced rentals of all types -- homes, condos, apartments. This was one of the funny things brought up by the anti-rail folks during the campaigns against the sales tax -- that the trains run through 'rich' areas. They certainly do uptown and through part of Southend and Dilworth, but after than 2 mile stretch you can find homes at or under $100,000 and condos as low as $20,000. Rents range from $350 - $800.

[HopHead]

In my quest to not drive at least one day a week, I went for a run past a number of these projects today (Millenium, Circle, etc) near the Arlington. It's been quite some time since I actually went down Bland and a few of these roads and I will say I'm quite impressed by the amount of density that's happening here b/c of these new projects. Millenium is getting a nice brick exterior and the Circle has actually exceeded my expectations (which were pretty low to be honest) in terms of it's exterior and some of the gardens they are adding in between the units. Once these are completed and they start filling in with residents there will be tons of foot traffic in the area. I can already see the extended lines at Price's Chicken Coup and Phat Burrito! Mmm, think I just made myself hungry!

[New Name]

In my quest to not drive at least one day a week, I went for a run past a number of these projects today (Millenium, Circle, etc) near the Arlington. It's been quite some time since I actually went down Bland and a few of these roads and I will say I'm quite impressed by the amount of density that's happening here b/c of these new projects. Millenium is getting a nice brick exterior and the Circle has actually exceeded my expectations (which were pretty low to be honest) in terms of it's exterior and some of the gardens they are adding in between the units. Once these are completed and they start filling in with residents there will be tons of foot traffic in the area. I can already see the extended lines at Price's Chicken Coup and Phat Burrito! Mmm, think I just made myself hungry!

Way to go! I ditch the car on the weekends - it really makes you notice small things in the city you wouldn't otherwise see at 50mph.

[tozmervo]

And you didn't even run past Spectrum or 1225 Church!

Actually you touched on something else that's going to need addressed: foot traffic. Bland street is already a pretty lousy pedestrian street (you may have noticed a certain lack of sidewalks...) I know the apartments will be correcting that to an extent, but I also hope the intersection of Bland and South gets some major TLC as Circle wraps up. A protected crossing light at Rensselaer Ave wouldn't be a bad idea, either.