Charlotte area "ring cities"

[Cadi40]

Today Shake Shack opened its second Charlotte location in South Charlotte, In the Blakeney Shopping Center. With a rumor of a third location somewhere in Southend, Shake Shack is extremely popular in Charlotte. While their prices are a little high, Their food is filling and delicious. Article from the Charlotte Observer..

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/food-drink/article221528870.html

[KJHburg]

downtown Concord now has 2 apartment buildings the View in the old Hotel Concord and Lofts 29 in another historical building.  Some photos of new and old houses in town. Today.  and the first downtown parking garage another one is under way now. 

[nicholas]

Couple of pics from a cold and rainy Gastonia last Tuesday night.  Looks like the Carriage Company apartments are coming along.  If Gastonia can get some people living along Main Ave I think it will heat up really quickly, lots of very nice older buildings everywhere which are all the rage right now.

[KJHburg]

Actually the Carriage Company condos are sold out that sign is advertising some commercial space on the ground floor.  But they are occupied and nice as I know someone who lives there. 

[KJHburg]

This is your reminder to shop local at stores like this one Renfrow Hardware in downtown Matthews since 1900.   Small business Saturday is this weekend.  Support your local small shops.   (and a fall shot in downtown Matthews)

[KJHburg]

New I-Fly indoor skydiving place under construction today by Concord Mills and I-85.  

[KJHburg]

G'day mates this Australia based company will located its first plant in Gaston County in the town of Stanley.

From the Biz Journal subscriber article

""An Australian company will open its first U.S. production facility in an existing building in the Gaston County town of Stanley, spending $9.2 million and bringing 20 jobs to the advanced-manufacturing operation.  Sydney-based Era Polymers Pty Ltd has been doing business in the United States for 15 years and now plans a polyurethane operation in a 140,000-square-foot building at 1101 N.C. Highway 27 in Stanley.""

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/11/26/aussie-company-will-make-polymers-in-9-2m-gaston.html?ana=e_du_prem&s=article_du&ed=2018-11-26&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1543263749&j=85197291

[nicholas]

A few recent pics from Kannapolis.  The streetscape project is full speed ahead, and the ballpark isn't far behind.  I think this is the next suburb to really pop, especially if the proposed apartments are built downtown.

China Grove....

Downtown Salisbury looks really good.  I think it'll only be a matter of time before it heats up as well.  I wonder what the feasibility of a commuter rail to uptown would be.

[Nick2]

3 hours ago, nicholas said:

A few recent pics from Kannapolis.  The streetscape project is full speed ahead, and the ballpark isn't far behind.  I think this is the next suburb to really pop, especially if the proposed apartments are built downtown.

Downtown Salisbury looks really good.  I think it'll only be a matter of time before it heats up as well.  I wonder what the feasibility of a commuter rail to uptown would be.

I don't think it's feasible on it's own. Salisbury is a little far out and the area isn't experiencing as much growth as other areas in the metro. Also, the surrounding area is almost all rural.

Maybe 20-30 years down the road or sooner if the growth shifts to be much more aggressive.

[nicholas]

11 hours ago, Nick2 said:

I don't think it's feasible on it's own. Salisbury is a little far out and the area isn't experiencing as much growth as other areas in the metro. Also, the surrounding area is almost all rural.

Maybe 20-30 years down the road or sooner if the growth shifts to be much more aggressive.

I think the I-85 bottleneck has somewhat contributed to its lack of growth.  I definitely don't disagree that it's a little ways away from Charlotte, but I think it's inevitable that growth will continue in that direction once 85 is widened, especially if a commuter rail is ever worked out.

[SgtCampsalot]

What I wonder is at what point a small town around the metro of a big city will stop being called a "suburb."

I get that people use "suburb" to mean an area from which people commute to a city. And even that, once an area is deemed worthy of a commuter community - small town or not - the subdivision/strip mall development shifts into full gear, which then can indeed be called "suburban" style development.

But Matthews, Gastonia, Davidson, Mooresville, Kannapolis, Salisbury, you name it, they're all quaint towns with an urban fabric. So this leads to the question: How will we ever build "commuter communities" without building the suburban tripe, and how can we give an economic boost to any of these areas without a city's metro "gobbling it up" with strip malls, subdivisions, and choked rural roads not optimized for much of anything?

[rancenc]

NC Research Center in Kannapolis has an addition coming next year.  Hopefully this could be a catalyst for additional development including manufacturing in the area.

https://www.independenttribune.com/news/n-c-food-innovation-lab-expected-to-open-in-july/article_5738effc-f8d7-11e8-893d-9b02b6fa12f5.html

 

[KJHburg]

This week I traveled to 6 of the 7 largest cities in North Carolina for various reasons and I want to tell you the state of their downtowns across the state like ours in Charlotte is very strong.

Of course the huge growth taking place in Charlotte's uptown is in a different league than the other cities in the state.  But the revitalization of the state's downtowns is very strong.  Here is a recap with some photos:

#2 Raleigh downtown Raleigh has a new 22 story FNB mixed use tower under construction.  Plus 10 story One Glenwood building with hotel wrapping a deck.  A new 10 story apartment tower with Publix on the ground floor underway called Peace.   On the heels on the Dillon an office building, apartment complex and retail now open.  Lots of street level restaurants in downtown, Glenwood south (like our South End but closer to downtown)    More office towers at least 3 more proposals well underway

Photos 1 FNB tower, 2. One Glnewood  3. Peace apartment tower with ground floor Publix 4. Raleigh skyline shot from Dillon open air sky plaza 5. the recently completed Dillon

#3 Greensboro   Under way in the Gate City is the new Stephen Tanger Center for the Arts (yes of locally based Tanger Outlets fame) a huge new apartment complex and Hyatt House hotel across from the ballpark where the Gboro Grasshoppers play ball. Called Carroll at Bellemeade.  New hotel and recently opened new park downtown. Plus a office tower overlooking the ballpark is heavily preleased.    Photos 6  and 7  the Bellemeade complex with Hyatt hotel and apartments  Photo 8 Greensboro skyline Photo 9 the new Tanger Center for the Performing Arts        Lots of small shops and restaurants along South Elm St you need to check out it.  

# 4  Durham  (basically just drove by but was there in October downtown) Very fast growing downtown recently opened 27 story mixed used tower One City Center  with offices, then apartments then condos stacked plus 555 Magnum office building http://www.555mangumst.com/ and adjacent apartment tower near the Ballpark by Northwood Ravin, north of downtown the Durham ID district 2 office buildings one totally leased to Duke Univ. http://durhamid.com/  Lots of growth around the edges of downtown.   Plus the American Tobacco Campus quite possibly the best adaptive reuse project in the south.  Photos 9 skyline from NC 147 freeway 10.  555 Magnum building with crane apartments adjacent  Photo 11 the new One City Center building from Oct.  

#5 Winston Salem    Lots going on here.  Innovation Quarter is a collection of old cigarette factories RJR donated to the city and Wake Forest.  Now an urban campus but offices for other companies and includes 100s of apartments and more coming.  Old Pepper Bldg downtown being converted to Hotel Indigo with adjacent new apartment complex.   Good amount of street level retail and shops along W 4th St.   Plus the old RJR Building that was the MODEL for the taller Empire State Building is now the Kimpton Cardinal hotel and apartments.    Photo 13 Pepper Bldg being turned into Hotel Indigo   Photos 14 15 16 Innovation Quarter and new Bailey Plant new office tower by the existing old power plant Photos 17-19 iconic downtown Winston buildings 

#7 Cary   Yes Cary is the 7th largest city in the state some would say just a suburb.   Well a suburb that has Thousands of jobs like SAS, Metlife, Epic Games (yes the maker of Fortnite is here and is expanding its offices!) They have a little downtown smaller than Concords but it has lots of shops and restaurants, a hotel, a new library new performing arts center.     Look for a big job announcement soon in this town!  last photo MetLife campus along lake crabtree.  

[rancenc]

New industrial spec building finishing up at Kannapolis Parkway and Highway 73

https://www.independenttribune.com/news/million-spec-building-under-construction-in-kannapolis/article_9f9486be-fd76-11e8-b71d-a733eea44c99.html

 

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by rancenc

[SpiritOf76]

"Downtown Rock Hill development eyes apartments, parking deck, new business"

https://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/article222952135.html

Location in Google maps:

[KJHburg]

Gastonia and Gaston get 500 job call center with average wage of $53K for Sonic Automotive.  Great news for Gaston county and a huge white collar operation.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2018/12/13/another-automotive-retailer-picks-north-carolina.html?ana=e_ae_set3&s=article_du&ed=2018-12-13&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1544734956&j=85530211

Business Journal story https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/12/13/gaston-county-lands-500-job-call-center.html?ana=e_clt_bn_breakingnews&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1544742372&j=85536171

Edited December 13, 2018 by KJHburg

[704Dimitri]

Harrisburg is a long way from being a city but it is located outside of Charlotte and man they have a plan for the “Town Center” area of the town. Town center was Harrisburg’s “downtown” area but.. for the most part is vacant and has many vacant lots. But this new plan has brought it back to life! I really love it because it reminds me of Birkdale and I truly truly love Birkdale! 

[SgtCampsalot]

Harrisburg seems to be one of the only Charlotte-region towns that doesn't have a conventional "downtown", meaning it was a very rural, agricultural-centric township. Very cool this is happening, their Town center area has lots of potential! I hope commuter rail happens one day along this rail line.

On 11/26/2018 at 9:12 PM, nicholas said:

 

 

[KJHburg]

^^^^here is the site plan for new Harrisburg Town Center.  There is some retail in there now, the town hall, a huge townhomes and for sale condo community to immediately to the north and the Food Lion anchored strip center the oldest in town to the south. Across Hwy 49 is the new Publix.  The big vacant piece in the middle is owned by Novant Health I think. 

 

[704Dimitri]

This was posted on the official Harrisburg Instagram, and this site plan includes infrastructure on that vacant lot in front of Town Hall!?

[rancenc]

Improvements at the train station in Kannapolis have recently been completed.

https://www.independenttribune.com/news/kannapolis-train-station-improvement-project-completed/article_c277cb60-ffd7-11e8-8e3d-079028bf7894.html

[KJHburg]

Check out this photo of the IFly indoor skydiving center coming to Concord across 85  from Concord Mills.   https://www.independenttribune.com/news/friday-five-crazy-building-something-in-an-old-building/article_ee959896-ff12-11e8-a723-b3809a655756.html

[KJHburg]

downtown and the surrounding area of Concord.  Today.   1.  Concord Police Dept. 2.  Concord city parking deck #1  3. S Union St main retail street  4. Old Locke Mill turned into apartments and office building.  5. old Cabarrus Creamery now offices and retail.  6. Barber Scotia College historically black college

[videtur quam contuor]

That parking deck with decorative quoins, cornices all around, awnings, brick to the top level, stone look formal entry. Well done.

[KJHburg]

Little Norwood in Stanly County is getting a downtown tortilla factory.   Bueno! 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/12/17/tortilla-chip-maker-plans-manufacturing-operation.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-12-17&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1545082749&j=85589591