Charlotte area "ring cities"

[Cadi40]

I’ve heard that Irish Pub is very good. I like Union County in general, Anyone know if they are planning on revitalizing Downtown Monroe? 

[jtmonk]

I know it's a stretch for a ring city, but @KJHburg , if you're ever in the Lexington NC area let me know.  I work for the City and can show you around.  Plus I can recommend some good BBQ.

[KJHburg]

^^^I am everywhere and have been to 95 of NC's 100 counties so I might take  you up on it.   Eggers that new wood products company is going to be big for your town and all of the surrounding counties.  

[KJHburg]

I will let y'all come up with a headline for this story about a chicken waste to energy plant to be built in Anson County.  

""A Finnish company wants to build a $15 million plant in Anson County to convert poultry waste into natural gas that will eventually be used to create electricity.  “Anson County is home to more than 940 poultry houses and produces 5.5 million birds annually,” he says. Those birds produce so much waste that the local row-crop farmers can’t handle it all. The standard use for poultry waste is applying it to crops as a fertilizer.  The biogas plant will employ between eight and 10 workers, paying them wages above the $32,584 average annual salary for Anson County.  Catawba Biogas won't receive local corporate incentives for bringing the plant to Anson County. The Anson County plant will be the first U.S. operation for Ductor Corp., a Finnish company that operates a similar biogas plant in Tuorla, Finland. Catawba Biogas is owned by Ductor North America Inc., a unit of Ductor.""

Subscriber article which somehow I missed https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/05/10/charlotte-area-county-picked-for-15m-chicken-waste.html

 

[KJHburg]

Huntersville and Birkdale Golf club news from subscriber article.   Key points:

"""This $45 million mixed-use project looks to breathe new life into Birkdale Golf Club in Huntersville.  Expect specialty retail, restaurants, apartments and a hotel to occupy a roughly 15-acre parcel where the current driving range sits. The existing clubhouse — dated and functionally obsolete after 25+ years — will be replaced as well. """    around 200 apartments are proposed in addition to a hotel and some retail. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/05/17/golf-club-eyes-45m-project-with-retail-restaurants.html

[nicholas]

Took the scenic route back from Charlotte a couple days ago and rode through Salisbury.  I've always been able to see the top of one or two buildings from 85, but this was the first time I had actually been through downtown.  I've always wondered what happened with Salisbury; it grew steadily prior to WW2, but for some reason the post-war economy didn't seem to catch on there, and growth absolutely stalled from that point on (between 1940 and 1990, Salisbury only added around 4,000 residents).  Because of the complete lack of growth for so long, downtown looks practically untouched since the '40s, so it feels like you hit a time warp when you enter the center of the city.  Once you get out of the core, though, it looked pretty rough.  It would be cool if Salisbury could find a way to get out of neutral and into gear because its downtown looks amazing, and even the sketchy parts still have plenty of beautiful (albeit abandoned/neglected) large old homes lining the streets.

[NCMike1990]

A new 270-acre business park breaks ground in Hickory. https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/05/18/hickory-area-business-park-breaks-ground-aims-to.html

 

Trivium Corporate Center will be between Robinwood and Startown Rds., just south of I-40. http://www.catawbaedc.org/properties/triviumcorporatecenter

[rancenc]

New mixed used development coming to the Cabarrus County town of Mt Pleasant

http://www.independenttribune.com/news/old-mt-pleasant-middle-school-could-be-mixed-use-development/article_dd700ffc-5a9d-11e8-89f4-274ae7be68c0.html

[KJHburg]

Davidson was very bustling today people eating outside, traffic bumper to bumper through downtown. great little town.   Prospective students taking tours it looked like to me. 

[KJHburg]

Downtown Concord today and Concord has its own luxury View apartments the View at Hotel Concord now leasing.  Hotel Concord is the Tallest building in downtown Concord. 

http://www.theviewhc.com/   The View website 

[KJHburg]

Manufacturing is thriving in the Charlotte ring cities like Mooresville.  New $24 million German auto parts manufacturer under way now.  300 new jobs for Mooresville. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/05/21/german-company-begins-construction-of-24m-auto.html

[CLT2014]

RoundPoint Mortgage is doing the border shuffle and building a larger HQ campus in the new Southbridge development in Fort Mill. The company will have 1,100 jobs at the office. Texas was also in the running for the HQ and is the current home to RoundPoint's CEO. 

RoundPoint is currently in an older dated office park off Billy Graham Parkway as you head out towards the airport. SC and York County are supporting them in the construction of their new suburban campus. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/05/22/charlotte-mortgage-company-jumps-carolinas-border.html

[KJHburg]

^^ These mortgage companies like to jump to state lines because for every job, not just those added to their existing force they get job incentives.  Movement, and years ago Wells Fargo did this however mortgage banking jobs expand then contract and sometimes they don't meet their new job targets.   Parkway Plaza where they are leaving is an older office park built in the 1980s however it is very cheap office space in a convenient location to the airport, southpark and uptown.  Cheap decent office space is appealing to companies. glad they are staying in the region but I guess I just dont like firms jumping the state line like that.   SC business taxes are actually higher than NC's now. 

[CLT2014]

50 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

^^ These mortgage companies like to jump to state lines because for every job, not just those added to their existing force they get job incentives.  Movement, and years ago Wells Fargo did this however mortgage banking jobs expand then contract and sometimes they don't meet their new job targets.   Parkway Plaza where they are leaving is an older office park built in the 1980s however it is very cheap office space in a convenient location to the airport, southpark and uptown.  Cheap decent office space is appealing to companies. glad they are staying in the region but I guess I just dont like firms jumping the state line like that.   SC business taxes are actually higher than NC's now. 

I think incentives are part of it, as well as finding suitable land for client specific new suburban office campuses. Meck doesn't have a lot of big plots of land left where a suburban campus like this makes sense. Since they are located off Billy Graham currently, I am guessing many of the employees with families live in Fort Mill / York County and Ballantyne anyhow. Lots of SC license plates getting on I-77 southbound at 5PM from the Billy Graham office parks. The horrible location they are currently in probably didn't help vs . Yorkmount Road has 1 lane in each direction, is completely car dependent, and dumps commuters into the odd Tryon / Nation Ford/ Yorkmount / Billy Graham intersection causing mile long traffic backups. 

Edited May 22, 2018 by CLT2014

[rancenc]

Article on the continuing growth of Kannapolis

http://www.independenttribune.com/news/tidal-wave-of-growth-rolling-into-kannapolis/article_8cbe51aa-6410-11e8-b89b-4bca7289b9a6.html

[rancenc]

The wealthiest town in NC according to the Census Bureau

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/06/05/this-charlotte-area-town-named-the-richest-in.html

[SgtCampsalot]

Not close enough to be a ring city, but perhaps 2nd Ring City? Chester, SC

Has anyone ever been to Chester? I went through it on my way back from Greenville one time, and I was floored at how beautiful it was.

It had its standard suburban strip development outside the downtown, but it also has one of those "Red Carpet" main streets as I call them where there is a nice .5-to-1.0 mile of beautiful old victorians, duplexes, and fourplexes (a few of which I saw being renovated, which was neat).

The downtown has a couple amazing corner-oriented strips of old buildings, and the hills in downtown make for a really amazing effect in person. 

I'm always seeking out which small Carolina town I'll retire to 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2018 by SgtCampsalot

[KJHburg]

Chester has been in several movies especially their downtown.

[cjd5050]

2 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

Not close enough to be a ring city, but perhaps 2nd Ring City? Chester, SC

Has anyone ever been to Chester? I went through it on my way back from Greenville one time, and I was floored at how beautiful it was.

It had its standard suburban strip development outside the downtown, but it also has one of those "Red Carpet" main streets as I call them where there is a nice .5-to-1.0 mile of beautiful old victorians, duplexes, and fourplexes (a few of which I saw being renovated, which was neat).

The downtown has a couple amazing corner-oriented strips of old buildings, and the hills in downtown make for a really amazing effect in person. 

I'm always seeking out which small Carolina town I'll retire to

1

That downtown looks amazing.    Empty but amazing potential.  

Wonder how long before it starts to flip.

[videtur quam contuor]

Well whaddaya know? Little Chester buried its lines and installed historic replica street lights. But the buried lines. Chester.  C'mon, SouthEnd!

[Exile]

25 minutes ago, cjd5050 said:

That downtown looks amazing.    Empty but amazing potential.  

Wonder how long before it starts to flip.

Chester's (sole?) claim to fame is that it was the filming location of the 1983 miniseries "Chiefs," with Charlton Heston, Wayne Rogers, Keith Carradine, Tess Harper and a bunch of others. I recognized that uphill shot from the show immediately, and I haven't seen it in at least 30 years. Memory's not gone yet.

[nicholas]

Don't get many opportunities to drive through downtown Concord.  Nice to see some of the other downtowns in the Clt metro doing well.  Still some room for additional growth if the parking lots could be redeveloped.

 

[KJHburg]

2nd biggest city in the metro area Concord and its downtown today.  

1. parking garage on W Cabarrus Ave  solar panels on top    2. Hotel Concord now the View apartments ground floor retail  3./4.  Lofts 29 another apartment complex   5. Yes even downtown Concord has infill housing 6. Locke Mill Plaza restored as apartments and office space on N Church. 

[KJHburg]

Davidson opens its new college backed innovation and entrepreneurship hub across from campus.  https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/07/11/photos-inside-davidson-college-s-6m-innovation.html

Edited July 12, 2018 by KJHburg

[KJHburg]

Up in Hickory today walked around and ate lunch downtown.  Lots of businesses seem to be thriving.  Their Carolina Theater is open and seems to be thriving with first run films.  Olde Hickory Brewing is the last photo also downtown.  Union Square is a big public open space for concerts, farmers markets etc.