Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment

[UrbanCharlotte]

I heard a Trader Joes was coming to "Midtown" Charlotte around the middle of next year. Not sure if it would be part of this development, but that seems like a possibility.

[Raintree21]

The only two announced Trader Joe's that I'm aware of are in Piper Glen and on Mallard Creek Church Road.

[Guest]

I heard this as well. I hope that is the case. Anyone have a chance to take a picture of the New Dominion Bank Tower? I haven't had a chance to make it much outside to loop lately, except when I was driving and couldn't look.

Edited May 16, 2007 by Guest

[Mobuchu]

Anyone have a chance to take a picture of the New Dominion Bank Tower? I haven't had a chance to make it much outside to loop lately, except when I was driving and couldn't look.

Here's one from the Kings Dr. side. Parking deck is progressing and you can see steel is rising on the left side of the pic as well. 4 cranes now too.

5-16-07

Edited May 17, 2007 by Mobuchu

[Guest]

So I'm trying to figure out what exactly they are doing to make this LEED, anyone know?

[UrbanCharlotte]

[Andyc545]

Hello everyone, I am new here. Anyway...

1) There is a Trader Joes that has just opened up at the University area in the Grand Prominade, I believe it is now open.

2) Maybe I over-read it, but does anyone know anymore information about the Condo tower being built in with the Midtown Redevelopment, more particularly prices? Thanks

-Andrew

[kennethlin]

Andrew:

The condo project you are referring to is called "Metropolitan." Do a google search for it with Charlotte, NC included and you will be led to their website. There are two styles of living you can choose from: studios called MetLofts or 2/3 bedrooms called MetTerraces. Both of those are in excess of $350/sq. ft, which puts it right on par with Uptown Charlotte pricing. Those prices were about a year ago, when I went in during their ground breaking ceremony. You can bet they are higher now, given the rise in construction and transportation costs due to the rise in gasoline prices. I think, if I remember correctly, that the lofts were around 700 sq. ft - 1000 sq. ft, starting around $250k, the terraces were over $500k for 1500 sq. ft. You can expect prices to be higher by anywhere from $30-50k today from a year ago.

[Raintree21]

Got this in an email today from Mecklenburg County Parks and Rec:

Mecklenburg County celebrates the "uncapping" of Little Sugar Creek in the old MidTown Square area June 13, when construction equipment will demolish the concrete cap which paved over the creek for parking and business development. This section, between 7th and Morehead Streets is part of the rapidly expanding Little Sugar Creek Greenway and Creek Restoration Project. This section of greenway isscheduled for completion in fall of 2009. Overall, Little Sugar Creek Greenway will eventually run more than 16 miles from North Charlotte to the South Carolina line. The creek restoration will provide improved water quality wildlife habitat.

[moving uptown]

so when driving by the met midtown, i see signs for target and home depot expo (i think that sign is new at least). Question is whether or not there is a best buy going in. Is the best buy going in on the second phase or is it coming at all?

[UrbanCharlotte]

BestBuy will be part of the Metropolitan dev. which is currently underway. It will also include Marshalls, Staples, and a lot of stores.

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

The parking garage and the exterior of the Target are obviously nearing completion, with opening scheduled for October 14. But what about the Home Depot Expo? What's the latest timeline for it?

[fulcrumsf]

Hello everyone, I am new here. Anyway...

1) There is a Trader Joes that has just opened up at the University area in the Grand Prominade, I believe it is now open.

-Andrew

I think you may have overhear wrong, unless I'm totally blind, I drive by were the proposed Trader Joe's in the University is supposed to be built, of coarse I haven't driven by it today, but I don't recall seeing any structures go up within the last 2 days. Also it is not located in the Promenade, but rather the Arbors Development next to Hickory Tavern on Mallard Creek Church.

[voyager12]

Too much of Met is dominated by those fugly garages. Their hulking presence directly along Kings saps all the urban or "metropolitan" vitality from the busy corridor. What a waste. Maybe they should have named the place"Suburbia" instead of Metropolitan.

[ScottCLT]

They have been busy the last couple of days tearing up the Midtown Square parking lot to expose the creek below. The new bridge over by the Target actually looks very nice.

[Raintree21]

Anybody know the opening date for Independence and when they are going to close Baxter Street to redo it?

[fulcrumsf]

Anybody know the opening date for Independence and when they are going to close Baxter Street to redo it?

Not sure of the exact date, but the news reported today that the uncapping of the 1/2 mile portion of Sugar Creek will start in about a week. So I am assuming part of that uncapping includes Baxter St.

[Raintree21]

Not sure of the exact date, but the news reported today that the uncapping of the 1/2 mile portion of Sugar Creek will start in about a week. So I am assuming part of that uncapping includes Baxter St.

Uncapping was scheduled for the 21st I believe but there's plenty they can do prior to tearing up Baxter St.

[uptownliving]

Anybody know the opening date for Independence and when they are going to close Baxter Street to redo it?

Last I heard was that it would occur sometime in July. I don't think a exact date has been published yet.

[voyager12]

Doug's column in the O mentioned a rumor of Trader Joes going into Met....

[atlrvr]

Hmmmm...we'll see how successful they are. I think its a great store, but it's sort of an odd location. They are really like an uber-cornerstore, and I'm not sure that a location with decked parking will work overly well.....of course Dean & Deluca at PP does well.

[pazzo83]

Doug's column in the O mentioned a rumor of Trader Joes going into Met....

I actually heard that rumor a while back in the Charlotte forum on the city-data boards. Someone mentioned it was going in 2Q or 3Q of 2008. I think it would be a perfect location, TJs is a hit with the 20 & 30 somethings. In DC they opened one up right in Foggy Bottom and you cannot move around it is so packed in there.

I think the center part of the city needs more of these types of shops, as the people who are moving there are the type that would demand them.

[dubone]

It is also rumored in this thread. As to the specific retail parameters, like decked parking and demographics, I have no idea. But it seems to me with Fhole Woods going to South Park, Trader Joes might do well to swoop in and take some of whatever market the other guys were eyeing for the past few years.

I know that I'd be a customer if they located somewhere near downtown.

What size do TJs tend to be? Could Grubb woo them to Elizabeth Ave for the shell that was destined to Whole Foods? Or do you think Grubb screwed it up and signed some non-compete contract. I think he is still bound by the build-as-little-as-possible contract he must have signed a few years ago.

[fulcrumsf]

What size do TJs tend to be? Could Grubb woo them to Elizabeth Ave for the shell that was destined to Whole Foods? Or do you think Grubb screwed it up and signed some non-compete contract. I think he is still bound by the build-as-little-as-possible contract he must have signed a few years ago.

I highly doubt Trader Joe's would go to the Grubb development. If it did it would most likely not operate in the same proposed space that the Whole Foods was going to be in. If it was though the size would have to be scaled down. Trader Joe's from what I am gathering are roughly 10,00 square feet. Aldi's are somewhere between 15,000 to 18,000 in comparison, and Whole Foods anywhere from 30,00-70,000. Most of the Trader Joe's in San Francisco where placed in strip mall retail, or former small grocery stores, pet food stores or drug stores that went defunct, probably due to high property prices. The closest Trader Joe's to the center most part of the city in SF was off 9th St inside a shopping center with a Bed Bath & Beyond, a Toys R Us, and a couple of other stores with the parking deck in the middle. This particular project was similar to the Midtown development but way smaller in scale, as terms of bringing Big Box type stores somewhat close to the center of SF anyway. This part of SF was mostly warehouse industrial, but a lot of the warehouses were being converted into lofts/condos and live/work dwellings. The new Pacbell Stadium where the Giants played was built about a year before I left SF. I believe there are two other TJ's that were opened with close proximity to the center business district of SF more recently.

Trader Joe's tend to convert older building's or build new ones that are a minimal cost to them. They tend to stay away from the bells and whistles that Whole Foods tend to have architecturally wise. At least from what I have seen comparing the Trader Joe's & Whole Foods I have seen in SF and in Cary/Raleigh.

I personally hope that Trader Joe's announces a store to be built in the Midtown development, sparking Whole Foods to revisit it plans to build in the Grubbs project. Which would actually make sense as they both compliment each other and serve/compete for similar customers. The two Whole Foods in SF are in close proximity to Trader Joe's.

Edited June 13, 2007 by fulcrumsf

[voyager12]

Although WF and TJ's are different in scale I too hope that perhaps they will reconsider Liz. Although for all we know it's too late and someone else is lined up in their place. With all the retail and residential growth popping up around this corridor it's hard to fathom why Whole Foods pulled out. Maybe they just want to see how well SouthPark does before committing anything else to the Charlotte market. From a layman's perspective it would seem like a sure thing. I patronize organic markets all around Charlotte very often and just from anectdotal observations Fresh Market and Earthfare are always packed and do great business Ooops, perhaps I clicked too fast and should have placed this on the Liz Ave thread... to tie it back in..has anyone heard that Marshall's is a sure thing for Met?

Edited June 13, 2007 by voyager12