Armchair Developer/Planner

[Guest]

30 minutes ago, DMann said:

Anyone else know about The West Side Market in Cleveland?  It is a really great place to shop for food.

Its the absolutely best. Pierogies there are amazing. When I moved to NYC 10 years ago I came thinking thered be something similar to West Side Market. There isn't. I was stunned. Essex Market is the closest but even it is nothing like West Side Market. I would love for this building to be something like that, but with my idea for a mezzanine and spots for vendors on the mezz as well.

[DMann]

So right.  The building itself is similar to a cathedral.  There is also an outstanding marketplace in Vancouver, Granville Island, and of course, Pikes Market in Amazon's home town

[Bikeguy]

29 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Its the absolutely best. Pierogies there are amazing. When I moved to NYC 10 years ago I came thinking thered be something similar to West Side Market. There isn't. I was stunned. Essex Market is the closest but even it is nothing like West Side Market. I would love for this building to be something like that, but with my idea for a mezzanine and spots for vendors on the mezz as well.

http://westsidemarket.org/vendors/

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Bikeguy said:

http://westsidemarket.org/vendors/

oh yea, I know. So awesome. This programming but Charlotte :-). 

[Cadi40]

I’m lost, Is there a proposed market here or we just think it’s a good space for one. 

[SgtCampsalot]

21 minutes ago, Cadi40 said:

I’m lost, Is there a proposed market here or we just think it’s a good space for one. 

Great space got bones

[Hunted]

I've mentioned my "top 5" surface lots a couple times recently and just realized I didn't actually have a top 5, so I made one. If I had 5 skyscrapers of 500+ft presented to me and could personally select where they were to be built, here're the locations I would choose. Excuse the outdated Google Earth pics.

In no particular order:

1 - The lot next to the NASCAR Plaza - A building here could duplicate the imposing "gateway" feeling you get from arriving from South End into Uptown via Tryon. 

2 - The radio tower lot next to 7th St. Station - Aside from the radio tower being a total eyesore, this lot could help make the light rail corridor look a hell of a lot better as well as fill in the spareness of the north side.

3 - The massive trapezoid lot next to The Vue - It's probably the most crucial piece into bridging the gap between the cluster of buildings around Trade & Tryon with The Vue. Tons of real estate here.

4 - The lot at Brevard next to CTC - It was tough to pick one out of the 174 surface lots around Spectrum, but I feel like a tall skyscraper here could help balance out the overall skyline between DEC and Bank of America's HQ. Something along Tryon would be ideal, but there really isn't space on Tryon for a tall centerpiece building. This is probably the next best option. The whole area would need a do-over, though, to make it appealing for a big corp.

5 - The oblong lot at the northern end - It's out there with nothing much surrounding it other than the puny Skyhouses, but I'd eventually like to see imposing structures abutting the northern end just like we're seeing now at the southern end.

 

[deleted]

27 minutes ago, Hunted said:

2 - The radio tower lot next to 7th St. Station - Aside from the radio tower being a total eyesore, this lot could help make the light rail corridor look a hell of a lot better as well as fill in the spareness of the north side.

I know you disagree but not everyone hates that radio tower.  Some view it as a historical part of Charlotte (like some of the buildings that were demolished and the JFG Coffee sign, which I still really miss):

We don't have to agree but I don't think it's an eyesore.  I would like them to light it up though...

[tozmervo]

They could try disguising it as a tree, which never makes utility towers look stupider.  ^/s

[Cadi40]

The Eiffel Tower of Charlotte.

[Hunted]

16 hours ago, Cadi40 said:

The Eiffel Tower of Charlotte.

 

And, no, that's not me. lol

[QClifer]

thats definitely you! 

[Third Strike]

I found a pretty neat tool for redesigning streets for transit and for pedestrians:

https://streetmix.net/

Note: it only works on desktops and tablets. 

 

[deleted]

On 9/9/2018 at 8:17 AM, Third Strike said:

I found a pretty neat tool for redesigning streets for transit and for pedestrians:

https://streetmix.net/

Note: it only works on desktops and tablets. 

 

Check this out...very cool:

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/sep/18/paradise-life-spanish-city-banned-cars-pontevedra

If we closed even one east/west street through Uptown (excluding when crossing Tryon) it would be so awesome.  Love the open plazas, would think retail and residential would flourish on a street like this...

[CTiger]

On 11/16/2017 at 6:43 PM, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

M

Man. I wish I had $15-20M burning a hole in my pocket. I'd give these guys an offer they can't refuse. After that I'd tear out everything on the inside. Floors and all. Make it one floor height to the ceiling with Mezzanine Levels on both sides for small Latta Arcade style shops. On the bottom Floor I'd blow out the wall facing the railtrail and the parking lot and line this puppy with roll-up glass doors and a massive patio facing the parking lot. Restaurants and shops will line a central corridor that looks up through the mezzanine and into newly installed skylights and soaring industrial modern chandeliers.  Who has money for me?

Has anyone heard if there has been any interest in the Miller Services building?  About a month ago they had a crew digging along the rail trail and doing some work around the foundation of the building.  I figured it was just maintenance or something to do with the plumbing, but you never know and it looks like they are still working on it.   I walk past this builiding every single day, and just like RDF in the above post, I fantasize about the potential for this prime location.  I would love it if someone could at the very least commission some murals or some type of art along the blank white walls facing the rail trail.  I also think that the parking lot would be an awesome spot for a hotel/office mixed use building.   It just makes too much sense for this building to be redeveloped eventually.