SouthEnd Midrise Projects

[southslider]

Chik-Fil-A also developed after light rail and closer to a station (New Bern). But these developments are occurring under existing commercial zoning. TOD zoning not only limits auto-oriented development but also requires trail along LYNX, as well as bike lanes and wider sidewalks along South Boulevard. Maybe it's time for a Transit Supportive overlay along South Blvd to Remount or Scaleybark. Similar to PED, any development retaining existing buildings would have more flexible development standards than new buildings. However, both reuse and redevelopment would no longer have some of the underlying commercial uses by right anymore, such as drive-thrus without rezoning for that option.

Edited June 15, 2013 by southslider

[RaleighHeelsfan]

Shhhhhh you weren't supposed to see that next to Taco Bell.... 

I'm being optimistic though that aesthetically we at least get something like this:

 

 

I saw one of these in Minneapolis this week in their "uptown" district...I thought of this thread right away and started laughing. The one in Minneapolis was not this nice but not bad.

[ScottCLT]

So, at my HOA meeting this week (I live in SouthEnd) I heard mention of an Old Meck Brew Pub coming to Bland/Church (or thereabouts) in one of the old industrial buildings. Not sure if the rumors are true, but that would be awesome!

[kermit]

^it would be truely great if Charlotte's brewers would begin to open pubs around town. Portland's McMenamins offers a really nice model of how well that could work. They have a really impressive record of refurbing unused historical spaces and re-purposing (pubs, movie theaters and hotels) around locally brewed beer. Check out these properties as examples of what can be built around local beer: http://www.mcmenamins.com/Chapel http://www.mcmenamins.com/KennedySchool

 

Granted we lack Portland's endless supply of hipster labor as well as a huge supply of interesting historic properties to rehab, but think about how much better beer drinking in Charlotte would be if Old Meck, NoDa and Birdsong each opened a couple of neighborhood pubs (I suspect that Davidson, downtown Concord and downtown Gastonia could each support a neighborhood pub in addition to the usual intown neighborhood suspects). This sort of verticle integration was pretty typical back in pre-prohibition brewing (even Schlitz and Pabsts had this kind of brewer-pub setup back in the day).

Edited June 17, 2013 by kermit

[Dub_Ag]

I Googled Camden Southline to see if i could find a rendering and found they've got a website. Got a rendering of the project up on it too.

 

http://camdensouthline.com/

[tozmervo]

Incredible! It looks like everything else being built in South End. Gutsy move, Camden, what with all that thinking out of the box.

[dubone]

In the siteplan, I was really dissatisfied with the Iverson intersection, but I don't think it is too bad in this rendering, other than the fact that it does not connect across the Lynx, of course. 

 

At this point, it is getting harder to say things about these buildings when they all virtually look the same.  I am certainly happy for the basics, 3/4 mason, 1/4 other material to avoid monotony, 5-6 stories around a parking deck, and units that have front doors to the sidewalk.  

 

All of these are pretty good standards for midrise in the transit area, it just really seems like it is getting repetitive.  It is a great problem to have at this stage of our growth.  This project is actually the halfway point between the East and the New Bern Stations, maybe a 10 min walk to each. 

[Guest]

I Googled Camden Southline to see if i could find a rendering and found they've got a website. Got a rendering of the project up on it too.

 

http://camdensouthline.com/

Lol, I went looking for renderings yesterday, no website, this literally must have launched today.

I like it more now that I've seen the natural space on the corner at Iverson, looks pretty inviting, really. This however a "technicolor" rendering as Metro.M used to call it, so I'm taking it with a grain of salt. I'm sure they'll live up to it, though. Couple Negatives though; I'm sick of the EIFS, have been for 6 years, but at least 6 years ago it was done tastefully with 230 South, Trademark and Courtside. now a days it's shoddy and ugly. Lastly, from the elevations I've seen the southern exposure is going to be horrendous. Hopefully we see something developed adjacent.

[dubone]

We have been lamenting the loss of the Iverson-Dunavant connection for a while.  I do somewhat recall some talk of the owners of Spectrum being willing to contribute to a pedestrian crossing, but I can't quite remember if that was a UP fever dream or something real.  Regardless, the incentive for crossing has exponentially grown, as grocery stores are very frequent destinations for urban neighborhoods.  

 

Looking at the elevations of the siteplan, there is a very real opportunity presented by the fact that the driveway to the Publix underground parking deck decends 12-14' below grade just on the other side of the tracks from Spectrum's pedestrian path linking the rail trail to Rampart Street.   When you overlay the siteplan on Google Earth and realize that the driveway ramp decends to a depth that could be in line with a subway underpass, it makes it a decent choice for a pedestrian crossing here.

 

It would not be a long tunnel which make people concerned for safety, but rather a tunnel similar to the length of many on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and crossing under many of the Blue Line bridges already.   You would simply need to build an incline on the Spectrum side of the light rail to descent to that depth on the other side like shown below.   Pedestrians could simply walk into the parking structure and use the elevator or else the sidewalk path up the ramp to the main entrance to Publix or on to Lowes, etc.

 

It isn't only beneficial to Spectrum residents, but also to add the pedestrian connectivity to the area on Hawkins which has great potential, and the need to avoid isolating it from other growth occurring.   When you consider that there will very little new development east and north of this store in easy walking distance, but consider the great potential for all the sites between Spectrum and Ashton and on the west side of Hawkins, you start to build a business case for the underpass.  The city ought to support it, as it matches the policy goals set out, and is probably easier to do than the Poindexter crossing as it will not affect the Lynx speeds.

[southslider]

^Where the green line was drawn beside Spectrum, there already is sidewalk.  Why, it's almost as if that side of Spectrum was set up to be an extension of Rampart Street.  And really, would anyone miss the vacant building just north of Spectrum?

[dubone]

We have been lamenting the loss of the Iverson-Dunavant connection for a while.  I do somewhat recall some talk of the owners of Spectrum being willing to contribute to a pedestrian crossing, but I can't quite remember if that was a UP fever dream or something real.  Regardless, the incentive for crossing has exponentially grown, as grocery stores are very frequent destinations for urban neighborhoods.  

 

Looking at the elevations of the siteplan, there is a very real opportunity presented by the fact that the driveway to the Publix underground parking deck decends 12-14' below grade just on the other side of the tracks from Spectrum's pedestrian path linking the rail trail to Rampart Street.   When you overlay the siteplan on Google Earth and realize that the driveway ramp decends to a depth that could be in line with a subway underpass, it makes it a decent choice for a pedestrian crossing here.

 

It would not be a long tunnel which make people concerned for safety, but rather a tunnel similar to the length of many on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and crossing under many of the Blue Line bridges already.   You would simply need to build an incline on the Spectrum side of the light rail to descent to that depth on the other side like shown below.   Pedestrians could simply walk into the parking structure and use the elevator or else the sidewalk path up the ramp to the main entrance to Publix or on to Lowes, etc.

 

It isn't only beneficial to Spectrum residents, but also to add the pedestrian connectivity to the area on Hawkins which has great potential, and the need to avoid isolating it from other growth occurring.   When you consider that there will very little new development east and north of this store in easy walking distance, but consider the great potential for all the sites between Spectrum and Ashton and on the west side of Hawkins, you start to build a business case for the underpass.  The city ought to support it, as it matches the policy goals set out, and is probably easier to do than the Poindexter crossing as it will not affect the Lynx speeds.

 

 

I know it is a bit of TL;DR, but I am not drawing a sidewalk next to a sidewalk, I am drawing a ramp down from the sidewalk to Rampart with an underpass tunnel under the LRT connecting to the ramp to the lower level of the underground parking deck of Publix. 

[kermit]

A little bird told me that demo has begun at Camden and East

http://t.co/i6jmF1wrH2

[Prodev]

I believe Center City Partners and Camden are having a final demo/ground breaking party on the 9th, when they'll bulldoze the final building at Camden and West.

[atlrvr]

Quarters at Morehead (the project at 135 W Morehead between Church St and Winnifred), has officially applied for its building permits.  This has quietely moved ahead with no mention in the press or a rendering anywhere.

[Prodev]

Quarters at Morehead (the project at 135 W Morehead between Church St and Winnifred), has officially applied for its building permits.  This has quietely moved ahead with no mention in the press or a rendering anywhere.

I had written this one off all along, assuming it would never get legs. Asking price on the dirt was pretty unrealistic, but that must have changed. The walkability and views to uptown give this one a lot of potential. 

[dubone]

It is just a block away from Dollars at Morehead, too. 

 

These things are just popping up everywhere it seems.  

 

What is known about this beyond 250 units and the name at this point?  

[Guest]

I have asked everyone I know to try to get info. It's a mystery, it's pretty perplexing.

[dubone]

 http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/real_estate/2013/05/morgan-group-looking-at-south-end-site.html?page=all

 

NW corner means between South and the Lynx where Cherokee once planned what was originally to be "Southline".

 

Back to the south end of South End, with all the activity on seemingly lesser parcels in the area, it seems inevitable that this parcel at Remount and South will be developed soon enough.  

 

I didn't register at first that the Morgan Group is the owner of Spectrum, so that is also a really great sign on leasing, even with all the new activity, that these developers don't seem to worry about cannibalizing the market for their own projects there already. But looking through their portfolio, I don't think we can expect anything spectacular, but hopefully more along the line of the density of Spectrum versus Junction 1504.  

[ah59396]

Park & Kingston (in green) and the site off Tremont.

[Brad]

So, at my HOA meeting this week (I live in SouthEnd) I heard mention of an Old Meck Brew Pub coming to Bland/Church (or thereabouts) in one of the old industrial buildings. Not sure if the rumors are true, but that would be awesome!

 

I saw this today. Might be related. "New Brewery signs lease"

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/real_estate/2013/06/new-brewery-signs-lease-on-south-mint.html

[ah59396]

I saw this today. Might be related. "New Brewery signs lease"

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/real_estate/2013/06/new-brewery-signs-lease-on-south-mint.html

That's actually related to the "Unknown Brewery", which is different from the OMB Brewery. Welcome to the UP!

[kermit]

A few updates from the rail trail.

 

• Fountains looks to be about 3/4 finished and the finished portion is very occupied. I could see into a corner unit, I was impressed. The Light Rail lobby looks more like a hotel lobby than I expected (big furniture, pillows and an industrial Kureg machine). Overall Fountains looks good.
• Silos is not so far along, appears to be mostly dried in, only one or two buildings have siding.
• Nothing appears to have changed in the Triple C warehouse district -- but the sense of pending gentrification is palpable.
• Colonial is now structurally complete (all framing is complete back to the tracks). It is HUGE looking from the LRT trail (they were very slow to complete the backside)
• The LRT trail beside Silos is done, but still blocked off by fencing for construction staging.
• All the buildings in Junction are complete and the recently finished buildings look to be 1/2 to 3/4 occupied. It was a two keg day by the pool today despite the rain.
• Publix grading has made no progress over the past three weeks (no surprise given the weather)
• The new mattress store (at Worthington and South) is nearly open and looks _awful_ (just as bad as the tanning place)
• The new gym on Worthington looks really good (more windows, roll-up garage doors in front and awnings). Not open yet
• Bite Your Tongue may be gone (no signs, everything is packed up and in some disarray). I could be wrong about this, the 4th is not the best day to make this judgement.

[SouthEndCLT811]

Bite Your Tounge has been closed for about a month.  I liked the food but honestly didn't have a taste for Cajun too much.  Plus if I went for something quick in my building most my business went to Crispy Crepe which has been a great success so far.  Hopefully something else can move into that back retail spot and find similar success.

[ScottCLT]

Yes, Crispy Crepe is awesome! I was really surprised at how good it is! Never got to try Bite Your Tongue. Hopefully something else opens up here soon.

[dubone]

Bite your tongue was not that good. For example, they didn't peel the shrimp, which may be the traditional way or something but for a fast casual restaurant in a SANDWICH, that was pretty poor. The taste of the other dishes I got there were just never that impressive.

I suspect that it will turn out to be good location if a better restaurant opens there