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Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment


uptownliving

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It looks like most of the Best Buys being closed are in suburban or rural areas. I wonder if their strategy is to focus on urban areas where there is higher density and more foot traffic. I don't know if that's the best strategy, but it might make sense if they plan to downsize. If so, the Metropolitan Best Buy might be in a good position, especially since that areas seems to be building up.

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Went to hickory tavern Friday night....their service was horrible. It took them 15 minutes to get our drink orders. Then, the food took almost an hour, and it wasn't even tasty. Cold and gross. The people there were also gross. Sports bars always seem to draw in trash. Somehow those people is how that place stays afloat....

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LaPaz service was really bad too. I have to suspect it is just a matter of growing pains for new restaurants. I hope they all sort it out.

LaPaz at its old location quickly earned the title of worst mexican restaurant for me, but I'm still kind of surprised to be hearing the same complaints from friends about the new location. If service was the only issue then I guess some improvements have been made though!

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La Paz is by far the most bland and uninspiring Mexican food in Charlotte. If they last another year there I would be surprised, unless they change their menu and/or management. I haven't been to Hickory Tavern yet, though some of my friend have and didn't have any problems with it. Though I have no idea how busy they were either. It would be a shame if that place didn't do well because a sports bar at the Met should be a slam dunk.

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In related news, with online shopping taking most of the electronics market and a lot otherwise, including most of my shopping dollars. I hope national policy can eventually catch up and allow some sales tax to be collected online. It would hurt, but I think we have to have some way to make sure we fund our local governments. It actually makes the already regressive sales tax even more regressive, as people buying larger ticket items have an incentive to buy online and the poor often don't have the ability to shop online (internet service/credit or debit cards).

Stay tuned...this is on the way. Even Amazon is reluctantly behind this idea as it would simplify their collection of sales taxes since more and more states are insisting they start collecting them.

Sadly I think La Paz has gotten worse at their Met location - both in service and food quality.

That's really a shame. I actually really liked the food at their old location (at least the standard things I always ordered). I don't like the new menu at the Met location. I miss the old place...

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Well, remember that they said that, but then played games with SC about the distro center to make sure they start collecting sales taxes.

It shouldn't just be on amazon, but on all sales. What is the difference between a chinese plastic widget crossing the ocean and being sent by train and truck to a distribution center and then to a retail store picked up by a person in the tax district compared to a chinese plastic widget crossing the ocean and being sent by train and truck to a distribution center and then to UPS to be picked by the person on their porch. In fact, the local store already pays property taxes and income taxes.

So hopefully policy catches up. I sure as heck love the tax avoidance personally, but it is still a very bad policy that hurts us in the long run.

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Well, remember that they said that, but then played games with SC about the distro center to make sure they start collecting sales taxes.

It shouldn't just be on amazon, but on all sales. What is the difference between a chinese plastic widget crossing the ocean and being sent by train and truck to a distribution center and then to a retail store picked up by a person in the tax district compared to a chinese plastic widget crossing the ocean and being sent by train and truck to a distribution center and then to UPS to be picked by the person on their porch. In fact, the local store already pays property taxes and income taxes.

So hopefully policy catches up. I sure as heck love the tax avoidance personally, but it is still a very bad policy that hurts us in the long run.

Oh yes, I agree. I just mentioned Amazon as one of the big players who seem to be on board with the idea of a national solution to the sales tax problem. I certainly think it should apply to all internet sales and I believe that is the plan.

I also agree with you that it's nice personally not to have to pay that sales tax when I order something, but in the long run we will all benefit from the additional taxes collected.

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  • 2 weeks later...

With all the talk of La Paz being not so great, I was a bit on the fence when my neighbors asked us to go out with them for some Mexican tonight at La Paz. But I must say I was impressed. Contrary to the other opinions expressed here, I thought the atmosphere was great, our service was excellent, food delivered quickly, tasty margaritas, and the food was quite good! I actually was impressed with their new menu. It seemed to offer the American version of Mexican as well as some more authentic options, I think it is a big improvement over their Southend location. I'll be back.

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  • 2 weeks later...

http://www.bizjourna...own.html?page=2

We have known about this for a while now, but here is an article with some extra details on the Lennar Group apartments going in around midtown. They want ground level retail with 5-6 floors of apartments, yay! Its exciting to be getting development again, even though its not high rise.

This project is out to bid. Architecture is very modernish though not particularly exciting....sort of matching the Metropolitan theme of bland contemporary. A total of 255 units.

5 stories of apartments over retail and parking. 11k sf of retail at Kings/3rd and maybe a little more retail at the corner of Charlottetown and Cherry. This building is massive....it will L-Share from around everything currently on the site. It actually is very urban, which is a surprise.

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That is awesome news. Does 'out to bid' mean it is definitely being built and they are looking for builders?

To be honest, an urban and modern 6 story building cover the remainder of the block more than makes up for the Chipotle-Vitamin Shoppe-Mattress Firm ignoring Kings. Although modest, that amount of retail included will help expand on the retail growth in that area and might actually have hope of getting something more than the bodega or dry cleaners since they are already represented at Met.

At 0.2mi from Elizabeth Ave, this is also transit supportive for the streetcar line.

Midtown is shaping up to be a decent urban neighborhood.

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Yes, they are currently taking bids from builders and the rest of the project team is already in place. I think financing is already lined up on this one as well. Developer is LNR Multi-Family and they are very well capitalized. I suspect this one really happens and should break ground by the end of summer or early fall.

Honestly, this building footpring on this is very creative to accomodate the existing buildings on the block and that huge cell tower that will remain, plus might be the only new apartment project in this cycle to actually include ground floor retail.

On top of that, it is hopefully a start to a more urban streetscape along 3rd and the south/east side of Kings.

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Looking at the design, I find it disappointing. Just like Chipoltle and Vitamin World, all the retail will be on the inner side of that stupid parking lot. Cherry street is just going to be a big long wall with some residential apartments above it. Only some stores at the corner of Providence and Kings will be on the outside of the complex. But oh well, as I've said before, some construction is better than no construction.

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Looking at the design, I find it disappointing. Just like Chipoltle and Vitamin World, all the retail will be on the inner side of that stupid parking lot. Cherry street is just going to be a big long wall with some residential apartments above it. Only some stores at the corner of Providence and Kings will be on the outside of the complex. But oh well, as I've said before, some construction is better than no construction.

I'm disappointed with the Cherry side too, since I see no reason they couldn't have turned those retail spaces around and given them back doors to the parking lot. However this whole thing is much better than I expected, and there are what, 12 retail spaces in this thing? Pretty impressive even if only half of them are street-facing.

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I really like that this is 6 or 7 stories tall and has street retail at the most important corner (Kings and 3rd) which appears to be able to be either one larger store or a bunch of boutiques. The architecture is more or less run of the mill contemporary but seems attractive enough to be a positive influence on the area. I hope this is the scale of buildings we get to cover some of Cherry and on towards Elizabeth Avenue.

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