University City Projects/News

[videtur quam contuor]

I stayed at the Carolina Inn on campus in Chapel Hill for a meeting and it is a superb location. Not large enough for the events the newer facilities allow but the location, charm, access to campus and amenities and history make it tough to beat for the small to moderate size events and participants. I loved it.

Damn, I did it again. Top of the page. SEO, BAYBEE

Edited May 18, 2020 by tarhoosier

[tozmervo]

30 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

So it’s a win-win situation for UNCC and CLT.  Cool deal.  So there’s no other Ballroom/Meeting Room/Conference type space like this available elsewhere in the city?

Im going to look up whether or not other major UNC schools (Like NC State & UNC) have a comparable facility to this one being built at UNCC.

Dang - Answered my own question.

So - NC State has the McKimmon Center.   UNC has the Friday Center.  Gonna see how this UNCC Marriott compares to both.

I hope it's a lot better than Friday. I don't know the size planned for this Marriott, but I assume it will be smaller than McKimmon, which is humongous. 

[Hushpuppy321]

2 minutes ago, tozmervo said:

I hope it's a lot better than Friday. I don't know the size planned for this Marriott, but I assume it will be smaller than McKimmon, which is humongous. 

Yes it will be (Nicer than Friday or at least closer to Campus) and yes you are correct about McKimmon (huge).

Friday Center = 39,000 sf Meeting area and 27 meeting room.

McKimmon Center = 132,000 sf & Multiple meeting rooms.

UNCC Marriott & Conference Center = 24,000 sf Meeting area, unknown meeting rooms, 226 Hotel Rooms

[kermit]

1 hour ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

So it’s a win-win situation for UNCC and CLT.  Cool deal.  So there’s no other Ballroom/Meeting Room/Conference type space like this available elsewhere in the city?

Im going to look up whether or not other major UNC schools (Like NC State & UNC) have a comparable facility to this one being built at UNCC.

Dang - Answered my own question.

So - NC State has the McKimmon Center.   UNC has the Friday Center.  Gonna see how this UNCC Marriott compares to both.

These sorts of conference center-hotels are pretty common in most large universities. They generally make economic sense for the university because they allow the University to more easily provide continuing ed programming to people outside the immediate area. These sorts of programs (certification courses, conferences, etc.) are an effective way for universities to interact with their broader communities and help them to achieve the holy-grail of universities -- national recognition. Unfortunately education, by itself, is rarely profitable, so hotel rooms are needed to  make continuing ed a profit center. 

Having said that, I am frequently involved in academic meetings and this site is a good fit (size wise) for the regional meeting I attend every year. However,  I'll be involved in planning a Charlotte meeting in the next few years and I will not recommend this site for the meeting. The lack of walkability in the area and the shockingly poor restaurant selection nearby means that we would be better off at the downtown Marriott, Hilton or Weston (or a Southend hotel if it had sufficient meeting space) even if it cost marginally more. (admittedly, other organizations are less sensitive to what is happening outside the hotel)

 

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by kermit

[Hushpuppy321]

4 minutes ago, kermit said:

They are pretty common in most large universities. Their big advantage is they allow the University to more easily provide continuing ed to people outside the immediate area. These sorts of programs (certification courses, conferences, etc.) are an effective way for universities to interact with their broader communities. Unfortunately education, by itself, is rarely profitable, hotel rooms often make the difference in the sustainability of these activities. 

Having said that, I am frequently involved in academic meetings and this site is a good fit (size wise) for the regional meeting I attend every year. I'll be involved in planning a Charlotte meeting in the next few years and I will not recommend this site for the meeting. The lack of walkability in the area and the shockingly poor restaurant selection nearby means that we would be better off at the downtown Marriott, Hilton or Weston (or a Southend hotel if it had sufficient meeting space) even if it cost more.

 

 

Dang that’s a tough assessment (not recommending this site).  Do you think in a few years that the Major Shopping Center Redevelopment (Currently planned) of the Commercial area across the street would help?

[KJHburg]

There is a lot more to walk to from this new campus hotel than there is at Stateview the Marriott hotel on the NC State campus yet that hotel is quite successful from what I hear.  Some conferences will want to be uptown but the access could not be easier with the LYNX station out the back door.  Any conference could meet there if that size works and have a "dinner meeting" uptown as well.  The demand for the McKimmon center in Raleigh is huge and I have known people go there for certifications or day classes from all kinds of professions (I have gone up there 4x myself) 

[kermit]

37 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Dang that’s a tough assessment (not recommending this site).  Do you think in a few years that the Major Shopping Center Redevelopment (Currently planned) of the Commercial area across the street would help?

The problem isn't the number of places, its the type of places in UC. There just isn't any sit-down, nice-ish (e.g. take a client) place where you can eat a relaxed dinner (Firewater serves dog food in a dog-house (I really hate that place) and Thai House is too far away). Redevelopment will help with lunch sorts of places, but the demographics of UC are not well suited to nice restaurants.  The rail right outside the hotel is nice, but its basically useless if you are trying to take more than two or three other people to dinner -- herding cats on 15-20 minute headway trains. 

I am not saying the UNCC Marriott won't work, I think it will be great for short, continuing ed things, just as McKimmon works well for that. But for professional meetings where networking is a big deal, its going to get ignored unless there are important campus linkages (which is rare).

[I have been to two different annual-ish professional events held at the McKimmon center over the past 15 years. In both cases they decided to have the following year's event in Downtown Raleigh]

Edited May 18, 2020 by kermit

[CLT>]

2 minutes ago, tozmervo said:

I hope it's a lot better than Friday. I don't know the size planned for this Marriott, but I assume it will be smaller than McKimmon, which is humongous. 

It's probably better to not compare it to the Friday or McKimmon Centers, it's towards the larger end of Peer Facilities

From the press release for the project:

He noted a full-service hotel and conference center is a common feature at major research universities. Examples include the Nittany Lion Inn at Penn State, the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center in Atlanta and the new StateView hotel on N.C. State’s millennial campus.

My quick Comparison on Meeting Spaces of 'On Campus' facilities:

Friday Center:  39,000 sq ft
McKimmon Center: 37,000 sq ft
UNC Charlotte HCC: 24,000 sq ft
Auburn University HCC: 22,000 sq ft
GA Tech Hotel:  21,000 sq ft
Nittany Lion Inn: 20,000 sq ft
Carolina Inn: 14,000 sq ft
StateView Hotel: 8,000 sq ft

 

[CLT>]

11 minutes ago, kermit said:

The problem isn't the number of places, its the type of places in UC. There just isn't any sit-down, nice-ish (e.g. take a client) place where you can eat a relaxed dinner (Firewater serves dog food in a dog-house (I really hate that place) and Thai House is too far away). Redevelopment will help with lunch sorts of places, but the demographics of UC are not well suited to nice restaurants.  The rail right outside the hotel is nice, but its basically useless if you are trying to take more than two or three other people to dinner -- herding cats on 15-20 minute headway trains. 

This is not to say the UNCC Marriott won't work, I think it will be great for short, continuing ed things, just as McKimmon works well for that. But for professional meetings where networking is a big deal its going to get ignored.

Agreed on types of places in UC. Keep in mind those people from the hotel attracts will start  to create demand. When the Ballantyne Resort opened in what was then BFE, they bankrolled a restaurant across the street (the name escapes me now but it's last incarnation was Vine) solely to give meeting attendees another option than the hotel restaurant and that started to build demand. Also current environment aside, the rents in and around Uptown will start to push up and coming restauranteurs out towards places like  UC.

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

The problem is/was that the city gave the UC the shaft for too long and it’s lagged behind now. There is absolutely no reason for the lack of development. You have ton of companies  located in the UC. It’s the second highest employment hub outside of Uptown if I’m not mistaken with the likes of Wells Fargo (CIC), IBM, Tiaa, Electrolux, I mean the list goes on and on. The money is there.  It can and should be able to support nicer And more diverse restaurants. 30k enrollment  college campus in your backyard too. Boardwalk revitalization plan can’t come to fruition soon enough. The entertainment district (top golf 2) area will be nice as well. 

Edited May 19, 2020 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[CLT>]

11 hours ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

The problem is/was that the city gave the UC the shaft for too long and it’s lagged behind now. There is absolutely no reason for the lack of development. You have ton of companies  located in the UC. It’s the second highest employment hub outside of Uptown if I’m not mistaken with the likes of Wells Fargo (CIC), IBM, Tiaa, Electrolux, I mean the list goes on and on. The money is there.  It can and should be able to support nicer And more diverse restaurants. 30k enrollment  college campus in your backyard too. Boardwalk revitalization plan can’t come to fruition soon enough. The entertainment district (top golf 2) area will be nice as well. 

It's actually because the city decided to favor new sewer lines to the North, to stop the southward march of development in the late 70s early 80s that the UC exists in its current form, sadly the zoning was never in place for high quality development but that will change in the next decade.

[KJHburg]

the Tryon side of the new Marriott hotel on UNC Charlotte campus today. 

[Nick2]

8 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

the Tryon side of the new Marriott hotel on UNC Charlotte campus today. 

Oh wow. I didn't realize that it was so close to the station.

[KJHburg]

2 minutes ago, Nick2 said:

Oh wow. I didn't realize that it was so close to the station.

out the back door across the street at the station.  That is why this hotel will do great as an overflow hotel for big conventions and events even uptown. 

[KJHburg]

Drive by shots (by my camera) of the new Marriott hotel on campus, the only hospital on light rail in Charlotte and apartments in UC today.   Oh the most transit accessible Waffle House in the Carolinas. 

[KJHburg]

The Marriott hotel on the UNC Charlotte campus as seen from N Tryon and LYNX and the new apartments at the McCullough station down Tryon.  Drive bys today. 

 

[Hushpuppy321]

Does anyone know about the Lease Up pace for new apartments in the University City area?  Just curious if things are leasing up well since there’s tremendous amount of apartment construction in Op/Villa Hts and SouthEnd.  Anyone think apartments are being overbuilt?

[Rufus]

3 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Does anyone know about the Lease Up pace for new apartments in the University City area?  Just curious if things are leasing up well since there’s tremendous amount of apartment construction in Op/Villa Hts and SouthEnd.  Anyone think apartments are being overbuilt?

I would say UC lacks apartments, at least from my knowledge as someone who used to live there. The university is approaching 30k and URP is massive in scale, and Concord Mills and the Speedway are not far. I truly expect it to be a boon for apartments. 

[Hushpuppy321]

1 minute ago, Rufus said:

I would say UC lacks apartments, at least from my knowledge as someone who used to live there. The university is approaching 30k and URP is massive in scale, and Concord Mills and the Speedway are not far. I truly expect it to be a boon for apartments. 

I would tend to agree with you but I was curious because it seems that all the UC Apartments currently built along the BlueLine don’t seem to be that much more affordable than what’s in Optimist Park right now.  NoDa & Southend Apartments Are a bit more expensive.  I guess the pricing even for University City is remaining high due to construction cost - thought being further from city center would render them more affordable.

[KJHburg]

Big rezoning news out of the new owners of Innovation Park the old IBM campus that is now a multitenant office park.

""Accesso Partners, which acquired the Innovation Park office development last year for $270 million with majority owner Partners Group, has filed a rezoning petition to allow new construction and mixed-use development around the existing buildings. Plans call for up to 3.4 million square feet of total space, including existing development and as many as 1,450 multifamily units, 175 hotel rooms and 35,000 square feet of retail space, in addition to office development. The land where new development is proposed is largely surface parking for the office park.  Provisions are included in the rezoning to allow more commercial space or apartments if a reduced amount of other uses is developed. For example, up to 350,000 square feet of additional non-retail commercial space may be developed in exchange for 350 fewer apartments, and vice versa.""

Total space at Innovation Park now 1.8 million sq ft of office and some warehouse space.  Currently 86% leased as of last year. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/06/24/innovation-park-rezoning-development.html

https://accessopartners.com/property/innovation-park-7349/

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by KJHburg

[TheOneRJ]

Does the Boardwalk redevelopment have a start date? Looks like Michael's is moving out and across the street.

[KJHburg]

1 hour ago, TheOneRJ said:

Does the Boardwalk redevelopment have a start date? Looks like Michael's is moving out and across the street.

that is good sign as demo work must be done first so Crescent can start their Novel apartments along the lake which is a far better use backing up to the lake than the backs of big box stores.   With the mega job announcement today look for a lot more residential development in the UC area.   

[KJHburg]

Here as a reminder is the plan for the New University Place called Waters Edge and with todays annoucement of massive number of jobs nearby I would think this would be accelerated and I am sure Crescent wants to start their apartments asap.

https://www.watersedge-universityplace.com/

Edited July 2, 2020 by KJHburg

[nicholas]

Am I the only one who doesn't see *that* much of an improvement? It really just seems like some existing buildings and parking lots will be torn down....and replaced by new buildings and parking lots.  Don't get me wrong, the residential is good to see, but it just looks to me like a suburban campus of some sort.

[TheOneRJ]

2 hours ago, nicholas said:

Am I the only one who doesn't see *that* much of an improvement? It really just seems like some existing buildings and parking lots will be torn down....and replaced by new buildings and parking lots.  Don't get me wrong, the residential is good to see, but it just looks to me like a suburban campus of some sort.

The main benefit is that the new development will utilize the waterfront to it’s full potential rather than have the back of a shopping center fronting it. I’m not sure what phase 2 includes, but I’m assuming it will be some sort of town center style development where the existing parking lots currently are along with some parking decks.