The Good News Report

[KJHburg]

I would suggest Bank Town thread about JP Morgan and I hope they open something up here other than branches.  

[KJHburg]

Small logistics tech company relocated their HQ to Charlotte from Atlanta.

EDRAY Announces New Charlotte, NC Headquarters – Edray

NC first in flight and first in shipping containers.

Did you know the modern shipping container used worldwide was invented right here in NC?

Malcolm McLean - The Inventor of ISO Shipping Containers | International Marine Consultancy (imcbrokers.com)

[rancenc]

News on the Charlotte metro area's hot real estate market from a national trade publication.  Article starts on page 12

39d3870e7d1fb6372be7eaded37079da945523df.3.pdf

[RANYC]

50 minutes ago, rancenc said:

News on the Charlotte metro area's hot real estate market from a national trade publication.  Article starts on page 12

39d3870e7d1fb6372be7eaded37079da945523df.3.pdf 8.57 MB · 6 downloads

Here's a line from the report that we can all celebrate:

"Charlotte is distinguished among its Southeastern counter- parts in that the city has a thriving central business district (Uptown) and a heavily used mass transit line (Lynx Blue Line). Cities like Atlanta, Orlando, Raleigh, Miami, Tampa, Nashville, Austin and Dal- las don’t have both."

[elrodvt]

"the city has a thriving central business district (Uptown).

You agree with this?

it's all relative I guess but it's sure not thriving from a "living there"  perspective (imho).

[thenewkage95]

6 hours ago, elrodvt said:

"the city has a thriving central business district (Uptown).

You agree with this?

it's all relative I guess but it's sure not thriving from a "living there"  perspective (imho).

It’s definitely thriving. I think most people would consider opening at least 1 new skyscraper per year in the CBD thriving. I don’t know why someone living uptown would not consider it thriving. It’s beautiful, clean, and busy.

[deleted account]

8 hours ago, elrodvt said:

"the city has a thriving central business district (Uptown).

You agree with this?

it's all relative I guess but it's sure not thriving from a "living there"  perspective (imho).

Unless Charlotte recreates Denver Uptown, I suspect you will always be disappointed. Nonetheless, I get your point.  Uptown is impressive in many ways and moving in the right direction but probably not yet "thriving".  South End is thriving.  

[Matthew.Brendan]

5x the amount of people actually living Uptown (inside the loop) would be a good start. 

Population feels like it has held steady (20k ish?) for the last 10 years. 

[RANYC]

3 hours ago, JBS said:

Unless Charlotte recreates Denver Uptown, I suspect you will always be disappointed. Nonetheless, I get your point.  Uptown is impressive in many ways and moving in the right direction but probably not yet "thriving".  South End is thriving.  

The article used the term "thriving" juxtaposed with "heavily used mass transit" to distinguish Charlotte from other Southeastern Cities because it has both amenities.  While Uptown isn't always teeming with crowds or with revelers, I'd call it thriving because its quality as the main corporate center for the region is still very much in place.  Unlike Raleigh and other places, we generally don't see major corporate relocations or corporate newcomers flocking to deeply forested and car-oriented environs.   They look to plant a flag in Uptown.

Also, I've noticed that Uptown is still a place where people bring their children and grandchildren just to walk around and take things in.  We should be proud of that.

It's also scenic, almost park-like, generally pleasant for walking, smells decent.  

And most of all,  IMHO, Uptown Charlotte is thriving because this city had the forethought and commitment to its center to locate its professional sports venues in Uptown, and all within a short walk from transit lines.  These sporting events are the biggest assembly of our region's people...they're the places where a sense of regional identity and regional pride are formed - it's a big deal they're uptown.  That's a major stand-out feature for a southeastern city, frankly for almost any city.  And one need not walk across oceans of surface parking to get to our stadium either.  You can walk right next to it on the sidewalk, take in its scale, but also see that scale softened by trees and shrubs and some sculpture work.  I think that's huge and shouldn't be underestimated.  

On a final note, I'd call Uptown thriving because, geolocationally, it is sort of a corporate heartbeat for increasingly bustling neighborhoods that encircle it, solidifying its place as the heartbeat of center city vitality.  We could have had a situation where South End represented an oozing of Uptown vitality southward toward the affluence of South Charlotte.  Instead, we've got some dynamite urban transformations happening to the north with Camp North End and NODA and to the east with Plaza Midwood, plus Midtown with the new medical school and a supporting urban community, and now Historic West End with its insane number of adaptive reuse projects.  I'm telling you right now, plenty of southeastern center cities lack the balanced growth that we enjoy in and around our "downtown."  All these great neighborhoods all around Uptown will act as talent feeders for corporate growth in Uptown for the foreseeable future, although I won't deny that South End and Uptown may soon be indistinguishable. 

Don't be fooled, a strip or a row of drunken revelers and other bacchanalian delights does not necessarily constitute thriving.  Thriving also doesn't mean perfect or "no longer needs major improvements and enhancements and additional draws."

 

13 minutes ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

5x the amount of people actually living Uptown (inside the loop) would be a good start. 

Population feels like it has held steady (20k ish?) for the last 10 years. 

I believe it's 35,000.  Jacksonville, FL has set a very ambitious goal of getting to 10,000 in the next few years.  Only issue is that Jacksonville isn't working with a downtown that's the bastion of corporate powerhouses like BofA, Truist, Duke, Honeywell!!!

Now if we can only get people back to the office...

Edited November 25, 2021 by RANYC

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

17 minutes ago, RANYC said:

I believe it's 35,000.  Jacksonville, FL has set a very ambitious goal of getting to 10,000 in the next few years.  Only issue is that Jacksonville isn't working with a downtown that's the bastion of corporate powerhouses like BofA, Truist, Duke, Honeywell!!!

Now if we can only get people back to the office...

If only we had a RIVER!

But seriouly, Dallas get so much press, but their Downtown doesn't feel much bigger or more thriving than ours, and South End can catch up to Dallas' uptown.

[Temeteron]

1 hour ago, CarolinaDaydreamin said:

If only we had a RIVER!

But seriouly, Dallas get so much press, but their Downtown doesn't feel much bigger or more thriving than ours, and South End can catch up to Dallas' uptown.

I love Dallas and have been there several times and will spend more time there soon for work but you’re right.  Considering how massive the DFW metroplex is their downtown is not that impressive.  

[elrodvt]

15 hours ago, JBS said:

Unless Charlotte recreates Denver Uptown, I suspect you will always be disappointed. Nonetheless, I get your point.  Uptown is impressive in many ways and moving in the right direction but probably not yet "thriving".  South End is thriving.  

Not the case re Denver. It's just I'm looking for stuff to do and a place to live, not skyscrapers. Different perspectives. I thought things were looking up until COVID hit. Hopefully we get back to it. I can't believe I'm the only one coming at it from this angle. I agree with you South End is where it's at  now. We really need places you can buy in uptown not just apartments. Until then I'm really hard pressed to say thriving.

Edited November 26, 2021 by elrodvt

[turbocraig]

I want both.  I want cool places to live but I want skyscrapers too.  Great big tall shiny skyscrapers.  I have no shame in saying this.  I love that our downtown is such a prominent and omnipresent visual, from just about anywhere you’d want to be around here.  It’s a huge part of what defines us (even if it mostly is just to ourselves), visually and egotistically and is just a plain driver of growth on its own.  I mean, just about all of these Southend towers are leapfrogging each other to get the best view of downtown.  
 

It makes us feel big city and cosmopolitan while at the same time you’ll run into 4-6 random people you know while brewery crawling on a Sunday.  I love that about this place.   If more towers constitute a level of thriving, however defined, I’ll take it.  Gimme more. 

[JRCLT]

In terms of thriving with “places” Uptown does have quite a few things. Lots of restaurants, arena events, football and other events the BofA stadium and places around uptown some people may not even know exist lol. Now could there and should there be more? Of course! The more the better. Considering everything going on in uptown I’d say it’s thriving especially the times I’ve walked through uptown there was always people. Uptown can be desolate at certain times but more often than not it has life in some shape and amount.

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

11 hours ago, Temeteron said:

I love Dallas and have been there several times and will spend more time there soon for work but you’re right.  Considering how massive the DFW metroplex is their downtown is not that impressive.  

Houston shockingly has a better downtown. Dallas really misses out having their Stadiums not in Downtown (American Airlines in Uptown). 

[RANYC]

10 hours ago, turbocraig said:

I want both.  I want cool places to live but I want skyscrapers too.  Great big tall shiny skyscrapers.  I have no shame in saying this.  I love that our downtown is such a prominent and omnipresent visual, from just about anywhere you’d want to be around here.  It’s a huge part of what defines us (even if it mostly is just to ourselves), visually and egotistically and is just a plain driver of growth on its own.  I mean, just about all of these Southend towers are leapfrogging each other to get the best view of downtown.  
 

It makes us feel big city and cosmopolitan while at the same time you’ll run into 4-6 random people you know while brewery crawling on a Sunday.  I love that about this place.   If more towers constitute a level of thriving, however defined, I’ll take it.  Gimme more. 

I totally disagree.  Maybe it's a huge part of what defines "some people."  Not all.  Skyscrapers don't make for a bustling downtown.  Countless examples in the US of gleaming towers set amidst dead downtowns.  A diversity of people on the street...and streetscapes that invite people to linger in full bi-pedalistic fashion are what make for bustling downtowns.  Sure, if you can have the high-rises and get street-level engagement, then that's great.  But a singular focus on the high-rises does little to nothing...except give mainly suburbanites something to point to, many of whom marvel at the skyscrapers from the 'burbs but don't actually live in or next to the towers they claim to love.  While I think our downtown has a lot of promise, you can look at the various dense, yet low-rise districts even here in Charlotte, to see how much people like strolling and reveling in areas that don't have towering buildings imposing on them.  Much of the most vibrant parts of South End/Gold District are set among low and mid-rise buildings.  Same in NODA.  Same in Plaza-Midwood.  Someone on here once posted the link to a study that said 5-story buildings or less which engage with the street are ideal for inviting pedestrian traffic and engagement.  So yes, I'm not against skyscrapers, but think they're over-rated if the goal is vibrancy on the ground.

Edited November 26, 2021 by RANYC

[turbocraig]

I want that too.  I said as much in my opener.  But do we really expect the large corporations coming here to set up their regional HQs and hire hundreds, if not thousands, in a 5 story building with a cheese shop on the first floor?  I want that cheese shop, sure, but this isn’t an all-or-nothing situation.  We’re gonna have tall buildings being built here and the place for that is downtown in our business district and the immediately adjacent areas.  It’s just a function of reality.  

Our skyline is pretty, it’s impressive, and yes, as superficial as it may sound to some, I really enjoy the views.  It’s why I moved to 4th Ward 20 years ago (I actually DO live next to those towers I love).  I never want to live in Charlotte where I don’t have a view of the city.  I don't have a mountain view, or a view of the ocean.  The skyline's what I got, or I could be living in Greensboro.   And today, when just about everything is designed for and judged on its Instagramability (and I headed for the exit door for all social media years ago, so I personally don’t care about that), but I think the visible image of downtown Charlotte is a huuuuge plus for not only the millennials that want to be close-in, but that goes for some of us more middle-age folks too.  It’s just plain pretty to look at.  And we walk, we take the light rail, we eat out and go to bars and breweries.  I have a thousand more retail and entertainment options at my (car-less) disposal than just about anyone living in places like strollable downtown Matthews or Mt. Airy, and skyscrapers aren't impeding that for me.  

Of course I see the value in walkable, human-scaled places, I’m not a robot, but we can have both.  A lot of times on this site, it seems that you’re in one camp, and one camp only:  You love tall buildings and come across as superficial and uninformed because of that and are looked down upon, or you want low buildings with meaningful retail and somehow that’s just higher-brow.   How many cities in this country are  exclusively one or the other?   I'm one of the people that remember SouthEnd from those photos some folks posted in the SouthEnd thread a couple weeks ago from the mid-90s and SE is a hell of a lot more vibrant and strollable now than it was then, when nothing reached higher than two floors.  I'm not saying towers are the reason for that, but their growing presence doesn't seem to be killing the vibrancy level.  Unless someone is seeing something I'm not.

I’m just saying that for me, and I THINK, a lot of others, our pretty, and tall and shiny and growing skyline holds a tangible value and is in  itself a catalyst for a LOT of the development downtown and in the surrounding environs.  I'll take it.  And then some.

Edited November 26, 2021 by turbocraig

[elrodvt]

I wonder how many who've responded to this thread live in uptown? I did and fairly quickly determined the attractions are not nearly sufficient to overcome the negatives of living in the city. There really aren't that many negatives either. 

[turbocraig]

26 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

I wonder how many who've responded to this thread live in uptown? I did and fairly quickly determined the attractions are not nearly sufficient to overcome the negatives of living in the city. There really aren't that many negatives either. 

Where did you move?  Also, before you relocated to Charlotte from Denver, did you do a lot of research as to where you wanted to be?  Site visits and things of that nature?  Did it seem like downtown checked boxes for you that then got unchecked?  I'm not being snarky with these questions, I'm truly curious.

Edited November 26, 2021 by turbocraig

[elrodvt]

7 hours ago, turbocraig said:

Where did you move?  Also, before you relocated to Charlotte from Denver, did you do a lot of research as to where you wanted to be?  Site visits and things of that nature?  Did it seem like downtown checked boxes for you that then got unchecked?  I'm not being snarky with these questions, I'm truly curious.

Didn't take it as snark.

I did do quite a bit of research and got a LOT of help here on this forum. I was pretty fixated on not needing the car often and being in a walkable area. Downtown seemed like the only place I could remotely do that. I knew downtown was sort of death valley when we moved in but it seemed like things were moving in the right direction albeit slowly - I was wrong.. So, no place checked a lot of boxes.

We moved to a generic suburb in south charlotte giving up on almost all our criteria. I was wrong. other than being close to the grandkids (which is why we moved here).

Most people seem to have the attitude that charlotte is "good enough" or  are unwilling to criticize the city many of them grew up in - which is understandable. Without a lot more criticism from within though I don't really see how things will improve from an urbanists perspective.  Maybe I'm all wet though and whatever happens we're going to stick here to be near family and there are no better choices. Survival techniques employed - don't read the paper, don't watch the local news, post less here so I don't piss off more people. ;-)

Edited November 27, 2021 by elrodvt

[turbocraig]

18 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

Didn't take it as snark.

I did do quite a bit of research and got a LOT of help here on this forum. I was pretty fixated on not needing the car often and being in a walkable area. Downtown seemed like the only place I could remotely do that. I knew downtown was sort of death valley when we moved in but it seemed like things were moving in the right direction albeit slowly - I was wrong.. So, no place checked a lot of boxes.

We moved to a generic suburb in south charlotte giving up on almost all our criteria. I was wrong. other than being close to the grandkids (which is why we moved here).

Most people seem to have the attitude that charlotte is "good enough" or  are unwilling to criticize the city many of them grew up in - which is understandable. Without a lot more criticism from within though I don't really see how things will improve from an urbanists perspective.  Maybe I'm all wet though and whatever happens we're going to stick here to be near family and there are no better choices. Survival techniques employed - don't read the paper, don't watch the local news, post less here so I don't piss off more people. ;-)

That all makes sense.  It does sadden me to hear you're only "surviving" here less the benefits of grandkid-proximity.  But you could probably be in worse places.  I appreciate the counter-narratives provided here.  It can't all be boosterism.

[RANYC]

44 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

Didn't take it as snark.

I did do quite a bit of research and got a LOT of help here on this forum. I was pretty fixated on not needing the car often and being in a walkable area. Downtown seemed like the only place I could remotely do that. I knew downtown was sort of death valley when we moved in but it seemed like things were moving in the right direction albeit slowly - I was wrong.. So, no place checked a lot of boxes.

We moved to a generic suburb in south charlotte giving up on almost all our criteria. I was wrong. other than being close to the grandkids (which is why we moved here).

Most people seem to have the attitude that charlotte is "good enough" or  are unwilling to criticize the city many of them grew up in - which is understandable. Without a lot more criticism from within though I don't really see how things will improve from an urbanists perspective.  Maybe I'm all wet though and whatever happens we're going to stick here to be near family and there are no better choices. Survival techniques employed - don't read the paper, don't watch the local news, post less here so I don't piss off more people. ;-)

Checking out downtown Denver now.  Impressive.  Larimer Square and Five Points.  Not lost on me that what appear to be the main Denver draws for urban revelers and enthusiasts are the low and mid-rise and often historic building clusters.  Even here in Charlotte, the place that gets the most interest from my out-of-town visitors is Brevard Court.  Only wish there were about 10 or so other Brevard Court type nooks.  I just don't see Uptown's path to a more engaging Uptown to be through big-box high-rises.  And while I'm happy for Uptown's corporate employment base, just would like to see Uptown diversify away a bit from the corporate, to an Uptown where people want to linger awhile and create.

Edited November 27, 2021 by RANYC

[deleted account]

12 hours ago, RANYC said:

Checking out downtown Denver now.  Impressive.  Larimer Square and Five Points.  Not lost on me that what appear to be the main Denver draws for urban revelers and enthusiasts are the low and mid-rise and often historic building clusters.  

Downtown Denver is indeed a fantastic city (and better than Uptown Charlotte today in a LOT of ways). I feel about San Diego the way Elrod appears to feel about Denver. But the progress made in Charlotte since I arrived in 2004 is extraordinary. And the financial incentives to live here and not there are huge. I LOVE Charlotte but recognize that it will never be 75 year round with beaches, mountains and great Mexican restaurants on every corner. I also revel in the many things Charlotte has that San Diego never will (including gorgeous fall weather like we've enjoyed this week). Every city has tradeoffs but I think Charlotte has a compelling package of amenities. That said, I'm all for constructive criticism of the city (that's what this board should be about).

[Hornets]

Personally, I think that an Aquarium, as well as an Family Oriented "Epic Center" would do miracles for Charlotte.  While a Great place to live, visiting, is a whole another topic.

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

If the ACC moves their HQ here, it would be cool if it was Uptown and included some sort of state of the art ACC museum or interactive exhibits. I have no idea what their current HQ looks like or entails but it being Uptown would be prime with all the events we host for them. Baseball tourney, basketball, and football at BOA.