Ballantyne

[Miesian Corners]

It's funny how some developers think that the mere existence of sidewalks makes a place walkable. The difference between being "able to walk" versus "walkable" is that in a walkable place, you want to walk (which relates to the urban design/layout of buildings). When developers in this city finally get that, then true progress will be made.

Perhaps the planning department could force their hands...oh no, this is Charlotte.  Form-based zoning codes?! Why be progressive when we can still use archaic Euclidian zoning?    God forbid we tell developers what to do.

[Norm2]

Perhaps the planning department could force their hands...oh no, this is Charlotte.  Form-based zoning codes?! Why be progressive when we can still use archaic Euclidian zoning?    God forbid we tell developers what to do.

We should have an Urban Planeteer run for city council one year and help change city zoning code!

[Guest]

How do we get Miesian Corners, Dubone and ATLRVR all on the Charlotte City Council? #MyDream. But they have run as their avatarrs.

[HopHead]

How do we get Miesian Corners, Dubone and ATLRVR all on the Charlotte City Council? #MyDream. But they have run as their avatarrs.

 

If you ever move back down here RD, you'd get my vote to be on the city council... 

 

I think you ought to call it Harrisville. My point is missed. We must consider quality of life issues, and mowing down 5,000 acres of trees is, not only redundant since we already have Wilkinson Blvd (that we keep talking about investing money to improve), but kind of irresponsible in this day and time when such places are disappearing.  I just don't get it. (Actually, I do from Johnny Harris' point of view)

SHUDDER!!!!!!!

 

 

This is one instance where I would not argue against parking decks. What an absolute disgraceful waste of land. #Ballantyne

[AuLukey]

Even better, think about how all of that pictured above easily could have created one single building uptown (sans gas station.)  No deforestation, no sprawl, no need for everyone complaining about traffic on 485!

[Guest]

If you ever move back down here RD, you'd get my vote to be on the city council... 

I think monsoon would have disagreed ;-). But seriously, thanks, I'm blushing, lol...

 

Even better, think about how all of that pictured above easily could have created one single building uptown (sans gas station.)  No deforestation, no sprawl, no need for everyone complaining about traffic on 485!

There is less office and retail space in this picture than is housed in 3 Wells Fargo.

[Matthew.Brendan]

How did that happen? Who said "Yes this all fine, go ahead and build it."

[RVA2CLT]

How did that happen? Who said "Yes this all fine, go ahead and build it."

Johnny Harris and Terry Knotts developed Ballantyne Community Master Plan pre 1996 (circa 93-95?)

In 1996 Smokey Bissell acquired the rest of the commercial acreage from Harris and ground breaking for Ballantyne One office building and clearing for the golf course began.

Just some good ole boys, never meaning no harm, beats nothing you ever saw, been suburban office sprawl since the day it was born.

 

And the rest folks.. is history.

 

Edited February 6, 2014 by RVA2CLT

[Guest]

When I first took my wife (from Cleveland) to Ballantyne, she could not believe that it was not a city in itself. She couldn't believe it was more or less a subdivision on steroids.

[Matthew.Brendan]

Is there not perhaps some merit to encourage its development into a city unto itself?

[Guest]

Is there not perhaps some merit to encourage its development into a city unto itself?

The loss of the tax base would be damaging to Charlotte.

[dcharlotte]

The loss of the tax base would be damaging to Charlotte.

 

Beyond that: Imagine Ballantye competing for tenants from Uptown, University, South Park, and the airport.  We would see the city giving away tax incentives for things that should not be done!

[Matthew.Brendan]

Well Charlotte is growing at a pretty healthy clip from what I understand. Even if the current talk of Btyne secession is largely groundless it might not be as crazy an idea in 20 years?

[AuLukey]

There is less office and retail space in this picture than is housed in 3 Wells Fargo.

Exactly!

[RVA2CLT]

I believe this is discussed in another thread 'Battle of Ballantyne', or something like that, when it got media attention back in 2012.

Ballantyne has been quiet about de-annexation since then, but there is still a grass-roots push down there to do so and conversion into a much larger area of south Mecklenburg called 'Town of Providence' which, funny enough, embraces it's history when the area was referred to as Providence Township circa 1860s.

The group for de-annexation is called SMART 'South Mecklenburg Alliance for Responsible Taxpayers'. Their website is HERE


On a side note..

When I moved to CLT and began working in Btyne in 2011 I couldn't help but wonder how this place came about.
I found this pdf of Ballantyne from 96-06 which has some arial pics of the area when only the road were laid page 11, (page 22 also shows 485 being laid) and the original master site plan page 15 if anyone is interested in taking a look.


 

[Windsurfer]

Good link. Disgusting (to me) but fascinating.

 

Those pesky trees:

 

"Recalls Knotts, “In 1992, this area was all woods.

Soon, 2,000-plus acres would be open land left in

the hands of a cadre of engineers, consultants and

planners to implement one of the most ambitious

developments in Charlotte. Was it daunting?..."

[Urbanity]

Seas of asphalt with occasional buildings by any other name...  Ballantyne is a glorified and expensive office park - nothing more.

[dcharlotte]

 

There is less office and retail space in this picture than is housed in 3 Wells Fargo.

 

In that side of the photo: no. There is 2 million SF.  Ballantyne Corp Park total: 4.38 million SF. 

 

Three Wells Fargo is 930,000 SF total.  This is nearly 5 more skyscrapers in Uptown. 

[nonillogical]

...there is still a grass-roots push down there to do so and conversion into a much larger area of south Mecklenburg called 'Town of Providence'...

That's the most wasp-y town name I can think of, haha.

[rjp212]

This is more the Providence area than Ballantyne, but Lincoln Harris is planning a massive Mixed-Used village for the Golf Links Course.  188 acres to be developed into 650,000 sf of office, 250,000 sf of Retail, 265,000 sf of civic use, 250,000 sf of recreational use and up to 500 residential units.  This will be almost directly across from the Waverly Project.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/real_estate/2014/12/lincoln-harris-seeks-rezoning-for-mixed-use.html

[Dale]

Seas of asphalt with occasional buildings by any other name...  Ballantyne is a glorified and expensive office park - nothing more.

 

Yes, it's an office park. Lots of people prefer them. So ? And ?

[Miesian Corners]

Yes, it's an office park. Lots of people prefer them. So ? And ?

Ugh.  Who?  Where?  Why?

[Temeteron]

I detest Ballantyne.  As fancy and upscale as people think it is, it is lame.  One of the main reasons is because that area is extremely against locally owned businesses.  90% of those restaurants/stores are chains.  As a matter of fact, a newcomer to Charlotte from New York City opened a gelato place in Park Road Shopping Center. He wanted to originally open in Ballantyne, but after the shopping center landlord told him that they preferred franchise business plans, he opted PR Shopping Center instead.  Goes to show you how plastic and cookie-cutter South Charlotte is.  

Edited December 3, 2014 by Temeteron

[Niner National]

This is more the Providence area than Ballantyne, but Lincoln Harris is planning a massive Mixed-Used village for the Golf Links Course.  188 acres to be developed into 650,000 sf of office, 250,000 sf of Retail, 265,000 sf of civic use, 250,000 sf of recreational use and up to 500 residential units.  This will be almost directly across from the Waverly Project.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/real_estate/2014/12/lincoln-harris-seeks-rezoning-for-mixed-use.html

Traffic is giong to be terrible on Providence again between that project and Waverly.

[Madison Parkitect]

As a matter of fact, a newcomer to Charlotte from New York City opened a gelato place in Park Road Shopping Center. He wanted to originally open in Ballantyne, but after the shopping center landlord told him that they preferred franchise business plans, he opted PR Shopping Center instead.  Goes to show you how plastic and cookie-cutter South Charlotte is.  

 

PR Shopping Center got a real gem in that place, too. The gelato is great and the little shop itself is a great little jewel box of a building. Ballantyne really missed out.