Charlotte area "ring cities"

[KJHburg]

Salisbury will be the location of Hallmark Channel filming next week.   Be on the lookout for fake snow and then we will know if it is a Christmas movie.  They loved to film these during the summer.

https://www.wbtv.com/2022/06/23/hallmark-movie-be-filmed-salisbury-next-week/

[Hushpuppy321]

On 6/24/2022 at 2:18 PM, KJHburg said:

Salisbury will be the location of Hallmark Channel filming next week.   Be on the lookout for fake snow and then we will know if it is a Christmas movie.  They loved to film these during the summer.

https://www.wbtv.com/2022/06/23/hallmark-movie-be-filmed-salisbury-next-week/

The film is called ‘To Her with Love’ I Believe is what the News just reported.

[rancenc]

Rehab project for old mill in Mount Holly

Muddy River Distillery to transform historic Mount Holly mill

Jul 6, 2022, 7:10am EDT

http://media.bizj.us/view/img/10556947/muddy-river-mk026*304xx3393-2268-0-1919.jpg

MELISSA KEY

Muddy River Distillery

Muddy River Distillery co-founder Robbie Delaney never thought he’d be able to quit his day job. Now, his rum distillery — the oldest in the Carolinas — is set to more than triple its footprint with a move to Mount Holly.

Delaney and wife Caroline recently purchased the Mount Holly Cotton Mill for $1.3 million. The mill, built in 1875, is the oldest surviving textile mill in Gaston County. It sits on a roughly 4.5-acre parcel at 250 N. Main St. in Mount Holly.

“We got a piece of North Carolina that is just irreplaceable,” he says. “We’ve got the building the town of Mount Holly was named after.”

The couple began saving with expansion in mind in 2019, after changes in North Carolina’s liquor laws allowed for the sale of unlimited bottles and mixed drinks on site. It took 18 months to lock down a property.

Norris Lamb with Premier South represented Muddy River. Taylor Barnes with The Nichols Co. represented the seller.

“We were a store and an educational experience, and now we’re a whole Saturday,” Delaney says. “We just want to hold on to that customer longer.”

They plan to invest roughly $2 million into the first phase of preserving and transforming the historic, 17,000-square-foot building. A separate, 3,000-square-foot building will be added for barrel-aging storage. The goal is to have the facility fully functional by spring 2024 — though Delaney says it could open in phases. That could mean events and festivals on site as early as this fall, for example.

Expect operations to span three floors. There’s a walk-in basement level where the three production stills — named Liberty, Independence and Democracy — will be located. Those stills can produce about 800 gallons, or 1,200 bottles, per operating day.

“We already have all of the equipment we need as far as manufacturing goes,” Delaney says.

One floor up will be a 5,000-square-foot cocktail bar that overlooks the production space. Two private event spaces on the second and third floors will overlook Dutchman’s Creek.

The 3,000-square-foot barrel house will hold around 800 barrels, aged from a week to 8 years old. That’s more than triple the distillery's current capacity. It will double as a wedding venue as well.

The property has over 700 feet of frontage on Dutchman’s Creek. Plans call for events, festivals, markets and concerts — with capacity of up to 4,000, Delaney says.

"It’s way above expectations. Now, I don’t know what’s next,” he says. “To know that space is now ours and I’ve got the rest of our lives to figure it out is huge.”

The Delaneys founded Muddy River in 2011, launching operations in a 500-square-foot space the couple found on Craigslist. By 2013, they had expanded into a 6,100-square-foot space in Belmont. They were sleeping in a tent and operating the still — Freedom — around the clock to keep up with demand. They could produce 35 bottles of rum a day.

This year, Muddy River is on track to produce 5,000 cases — or 60,000 bottles — of its silver, Queen Charlotte’s Reserve, spiced, coconut, coffee and basil rums. Delaney never thought they would outgrow the Belmont space; his ultimate goal is to become the first choice in rum for people in the Carolinas.

“It’s not just a following. It’s a loyal following that knows we make consistently good product. You couldn’t ask for more," he says.

Plans call for the Belmont location to remain open. It's about 10 minutes from the new Mount Holly site.

“I can’t foresee, with the growth trajectory we have, giving it up,” Delaney says. “This is a good spot for us, too.”

[CLT2014]

Truly not trying to be confrontational, but I'm not sure if UrbanPlanet should be a place to post full copyrighted articles from the Business Journal. They choose to charge a premium subscription for articles like this one in order to fund providing the higher quality articles they produce than non-paywalled news sources such as WSOC-TV. There is a lot of copying and pasting going on now on UP in pretty clear violation of the Copyright Act.... to the point the Business Journal has a lot of valid evidence to pursue a lawsuit against UrbanPlanet for not monitoring. 

A simple summary of the article in one's own words with a link to the source would not violate the Copyright Act, similar to the standards one has in university. It should be a best practice to avoid C+V of articles on this website out of respect of a news source's copyright and the work of their team trying to survive in a tough era for journalism.

Just my two cents. Feel free to disregard. 

Edited July 7, 2022 by CLT2014

[rancenc]

Jobs and investment coming to Stanfield and Stanly County.

https://www.thesnaponline.com/2022/07/13/american-racing-headers-breaks-ground-on-new-stanfield-plant/

[Bikeguy]

Stanly County is certainly a happening place... Reviews, since opening, have been enticing.  

https://www.thesnaponline.com/2022/06/28/lantern-sushi-norwoods-new-asian-restaurant-set-to-open-friday/

[KJHburg]

Out in Albemarle on business so I walked around a bit downtown.  2 new apartment conversion projects underway downtown one in an old hotel.  Too bad we don't have any empty  hotels uptown that could have been converted.   But at least here in Albemarle they are saving their old hotel downtown.  New Pfeiffer building downtown looks good.  

Downtown Albemarle is a clean as a whistle for a downtown area.   The right ingredients are in place for this downtown to thrive in the future as this county grows and I think it will be growing faster in the future.  I think Stanly County should come up with a megasite somewhere.  

[videtur quam contuor]

I featured Albemarle on my county seat tour in early 2021 (I think). It is here somewhere. Adaptive reuse was a major feature of downtown Albemarle. Sensitive, appropriate, a variation of styles and economically viable. Good on 'em. That courthouse though...

[KJHburg]

Downtown is booming with 3 new apartment buildings going on all by the same developer but with different looks.  

https://www.lmgroup.us/portfolio   Novi Flats, Novi Rise, Novi Lofts 

Today.   UP walking tour coming this Fall here in downtown Concord.  

 

Edited July 30, 2022 by KJHburg

[rancenc]

Black Lion will soon be closing up shop in Pineville, but a new tenant is slated for the site.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article264175656.html

[jednc]

On 7/6/2022 at 7:22 PM, CLT2014 said:

Truly not trying to be confrontational, but I'm not sure if UrbanPlanet should be a place to post full copyrighted articles from the Business Journal. They choose to charge a premium subscription for articles like this one in order to fund providing the higher quality articles they produce than non-paywalled news sources such as WSOC-TV. There is a lot of copying and pasting going on now on UP in pretty clear violation of the Copyright Act.... to the point the Business Journal has a lot of valid evidence to pursue a lawsuit against UrbanPlanet for not monitoring. 

A simple summary of the article in one's own words with a link to the source would not violate the Copyright Act, similar to the standards one has in university. It should be a best practice to avoid C+V of articles on this website out of respect of a news source's copyright and the work of their team trying to survive in a tough era for journalism.

Just my two cents. Feel free to disregard. 

Totally agree. There used to be an enforced rule against this on UP and also against just posting a link with no commentary. I see both practices now pretty regularly. 

[KJHburg]

Town of Cornelius will gain the regions first HomeSense which is TJX owned retailer that is like Homegoods but more furniture.  It seems to be the first store in NC and will go in where the SteinMart was at Torrence Chapel and Catawba Ave exit 28 I-77.   Source Biz Journal building permits.

https://us.homesense.com/

This store will do great in this location. 

[rancenc]

Growth in Huntersville!

https://www.wbtv.com/2022/08/09/development-exploding-huntersville-fastest-growing-town-mecklenburg-county/

[rancenc]

Explore Pineville for $50 a day!!

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/charlottefive/c5-things-to-do/article263617243.html

[KJHburg]

after walking the Buffalo Creek Preserve Carolina Thread trail and lunch in Mt Pleasant headed over to downtown Concord to check things out.  The new Cabarrus County courthouse for the next 50 years is looking really good.  Plus 3 new apartment buildings downtown with 382 units all under construction.   Plus the 3 story building on Union St is being renovated with apartments on the top 2 floors and ground floor retail.  (building with plywood on the windows and red awning) 

Concord the 10th largest city in NC and with over 100K people. 

[videtur quam contuor]

Made a Sunday drive to Rock Hill today. Big difference since 20+ months ago during Covid posted here some time back. This time to explore the former Springs complex at the meeting of two rail lines just off downtown. This manufacturing complex was enormous. There have been tremendous changes here and reuse and adaptation with more coming.

Recall: Rock Hill was so named due to the first rail line through the area and the grade improvement for the locomotives of the era required a large amount of rock split and carried, much by hand. Those involved in the work remember the effort with everlasting memory and to the exclusion of any other landscape feature (see also: High Point)

Here is the limit of the property along one of the lines. New apartments downtown, several projects of this size, all within the past few years and more under construction.

First main building away from rail line above. This building is a full city block and under renovation. Another rail line behind this building.

 

Below is next building showing second rail line. Power plant in next block.

 

Another block, another building. Note the business identified by previous use in the building: The Bleachery. I think it is a hair salon which is appropriate

 

Further down the rail line is a new activity and competition center from former mill and mill adjacent buildings. American Cornhole League tournament here today and numerous groups of people around the area.

At the competition center there is a new Cambria hotel

 

Swedish pump manufacturer has taken another building. Picture this building with traditional mill windows.

I drove through the downtown and there were many cars and people and businesses were open, bookstore, coffee shops and dining. Clean and inviting environment.

Come See Me in Rock Hill was a traditional civic festival. Is it still happening?

[Madison Parkitect]

2 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

Come See Me in Rock Hill was a traditional civic festival. Is it still happening?

It does still happen. Rock Hill has a little bit going for it, but for some reason it still lags behind Gastonia/Kannapolis/Concord/Belmont. Don't know if it's leadership problems or what but I don't see why it shouldn't be on the level of those other cities.

[kayman]

On 8/14/2022 at 8:41 PM, Madison Parkitect said:

It does still happen. Rock Hill has a little bit going for it, but for some reason it still lags behind Gastonia/Kannapolis/Concord/Belmont. Don't know if it's leadership problems or what but I don't see why it shouldn't be on the level of those other cities.

Because it's the only Charlotte metro area anchor city that is not in North Carolina.  South Carolina has weird effects on Rock Hill's ability to evolve into what has happened in Concord, Gastonia, and Kannapolis.  Right now its activity level is more akin to Salisbury, Huntersville, and Mooresville although its population much larger than either of those jurisdictions.  I believe the shell of the former proposed Panthers HQ campus being developed as a major recreational, events, and mixed use development could help with this evolution to its anchor city peers' activity center level.

Edited August 19, 2022 by kayman

[videtur quam contuor]

Also yesterday 3.47$ top tier gasoline at a station on Oakland across the street from Winthrop U.

[JRNYP2C]

Love Rock Hill!  Tons of cool places to eat/drink downtown and Knowledge Perk makes some good coffee!

Distillery just off the beaten path is also amazing and has room to grow.

[rancenc]

Main Street road project continues in Huntersville!
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2022/08/19/road-project-aims-to-alleviate-congestion-in-huntersville-

[KJHburg]

Of the larger ring cities downtowns here is one of my favorites.  Downtown  Statesville now the 2nd largest city in Iredell County but still the important hub.  Mid day lunch and the downtown was packed I had to do a parking search like in Southend.  Lots of renovated buildings many from 1890s early 1900s still standing and being used.  2 bike shops for you bike enthusiasts.  Beautiful community college campus Mitchell Community College.   Would be great area to take  a bike ride around their historic neighborhoods that surround their downtown.  Love the widen sidewalks on Center St giving restaurants much needed outdoor dining space.   Worth a visit!  and check out Fort Dobbs nearby which I will post about in the history thread.  

Historic Vance Hotel to become hotel again.  5 story tan brick building you will see I took a photo of the plaque. 

https://www.iredellfreenews.com/news-features/2022/statesville-council-approves-sale-of-historic-vance-hotel-for-47000/

[KJHburg]

another ring city downtown this time downtown Monroe today.  Love their stock of buildings and this downtown is getting there.  In my opinion in such an affluent county this downtown should be full.  But it is slowly renovating and adding new businesses including the new Americana Beer.  That is downtown's 2nd brewery.  Saw some renovations promising apartments in the upper stories of the buildings which would be great.   anybody know the story on the Sinclair station off Main St downtown?  upon further research I think it is an antique store called a A Hidden Treasure. 

https://americanabeer.com/

[rancenc]

New businesses and investment over the last year in downtown Albemarle.

https://www.thesnaponline.com/2022/09/02/addc-reports-17-million-invested-in-downtown-albemarle-in-2021-22/

[rancenc]

New residential developments coming to Kings Mountain and Albemarle!

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2022/08/31/cannon-35-avion-clovis-point-rd-harrell-co.html