Ballantyne

[Cadi40]

Wish Ballantyne got a little more height. One thing I don’t like about Ballantyne is the office park aspect, I get it but it’s pointless at the same time. Ballantyne is already decently appealing to young workers and workers with families. If office buildings were built right on the road with retail on the bottom, Perferabbly in a row much like the towers in Uptown, It’d be a much more lively neighborhood. Shopping and restaurants wouldn’t be confined to shopping centers, They could sprawl throughout the neighborhood and make it more walkable yet still be functional for workers.

[deleted]

10 hours ago, Cadi40 said:

Wish Ballantyne got a little more height. One thing I don’t like about Ballantyne is the office park aspect, I get it but it’s pointless at the same time. Ballantyne is already decently appealing to young workers and workers with families. If office buildings were built right on the road with retail on the bottom, Perferabbly in a row much like the towers in Uptown, It’d be a much more lively neighborhood. Shopping and restaurants wouldn’t be confined to shopping centers, They could sprawl throughout the neighborhood and make it more walkable yet still be functional for workers.

I don't love Ballantyne but it was never going to be what you describe.  EVERY city I visit has suburban office parks like Ballantyne.  Believe it or not, a lot of people love working and living in Ballantyne.  My issue is when suburban type buildings are built in the heart of Uptown (there are several, including the recently opened Embassy Suites).  Let the suburbs be suburban and the city be urban.

[KJHburg]

actually for the type of office park Ballantyne is a few years back it was voted the Best Office Park in the world by some property manager group.  Ballantyne will change over time but it will never be extremely dense.  

[Hushpuppy321]

One thing I'm rooting for in Ballantyne is for Northwood to come up with a good redevelopment plan for a portion of the Office Park.  Trying to possibly make more of an Urban Core for the area.  Not changing all of the surburban layout but maybe just in a portion of the Park having Mixed Uses.  And definitely more building heights absolutely.  Certain areas could easily support 15 or more floors.  Most of the residential subdivision areas are shrouded in mature trees and spread far and wide across Ballantyne and wouldn't even be imposed upon much if at all by taller Office/Hospitality construction.

[Hushpuppy321]

On 6/12/2018 at 8:24 AM, J-Rob said:

Across 485 from the heart of Ballantyne, Trinity Capital is about to start on a new speculative building in the Toringdon Office Park.  While there is some risk involved, I find speculative offices particularly exciting for Charlotte because they sometimes land HQ relocations when companies are looking for large amounts of contiguous space.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/06/12/charlotte-developer-going-speculative-on-office.html

I love the height of Toringdon 7 and the view it'll have from I-485.

[grodney]

Huh. Hadn't seen this yet. Blakeney. Old Bravo space. Deeply disappointing.

 

[CLT2014]

Blakeney is crawling is displaced New Yorkers who will be delighted.

[videtur quam contuor]

The Blakeney House, the centerpiece of a thriving and well known farm for many years, was home to the Blakeney family and famous in its time as one of the finest cotton farms in the region. The Charlotte News reported the first bale of cotton was delivered by Mr. Blakeney, as had been true for some years prior. The platform mentioned in the article below was likely the wharf between Third and Fourth streets along the rail line. The rail line was on grade then with no underpasses. Cotton factors worked there and had offices. Elsewhere it is reported that the peak of cotton growing in Mecklenburg was 1910 which associates to the rise of automobiles, development of rural land for other uses and the increase of urban population and decline of rural population.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7371707/james_blakeney_brings_in_first_bale_of/

Edited September 1, 2018 by tarhoosier

[Cadi40]

3 hours ago, grodney said:

Huh. Hadn't seen this yet. Blakeney. Old Bravo space. Deeply disappointing.

 

Just glad they’re expanding but dear lord now I must avoid Blakney at all costs.

[Temeteron]

3 minutes ago, Cadi40 said:

Just glad they’re expanding but dear lord now I must avoid Blakney at all costs.

Why would they do that to poor 5 guys. Damn that’s not cool

[SgtCampsalot]

When I was a kid "The Suburbs" was everything south of Uptown, extending to the newly-planned Ballantyne. My family's St Matthew's Catholic Church (who had mass in their gym, pre-amphitheater style building) had cows grazing across the street, on what is now Stonecrest shopping center.

I never imagined the mire of suburban hellscape, where a teenager couldn't walk anywhere in shade, where no youth could bike anywhere comfortably or in safety, would keep expanding southward with such intensity. In my naivety I assumed we were learning our lesson and would slowly wean out this method of community building that was so cut-off from natural human needs. I also didn't think New Yorkers would keep coming here to fill up these neighborhoods, that they'd see these places and think "why are they still building this way?"

Blakney, and what's happening down Lancaster Hwy, and in Waxhaw, blew my mind as I saw them happening. Even as a youth I always wondered why we kept building new instead of changing how we do it in existing areas. Kids need to bike places without their parents! But I didn't yet know about financing, land use policy, and cultural relativism.

I was young and stupid, as they say. 

Edited September 1, 2018 by SgtCampsalot

[Hushpuppy321]

Speaking of all the growth - Have you checked out Waverly and Rea Farms?  I think those areas now qualify as 'infill' and have a lot of planning behind it.  Hopefully more growth will take place moving back towards the City Center as Charlotte is quite sprawling.

[grodney]

5 hours ago, Temeteron said:

Why would they do that to poor 5 guys. Damn that’s not cool

Literally 3 doors down.

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

On 9/1/2018 at 6:26 PM, grodney said:

Literally 3 doors down.

5 Guys' fault. They should have had a non compete clause on their lease. 

[KJHburg]

These 300 new jobs are going to to SPX Building where they offered some space for lease in their 9 story building.  This job announcement with its training academy will create many hotel nights for south Charlotte and from what I hear occupancy in the Ballantyne area is very high right now.  

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/09/25/photos-dental-manufacturer-unveils-3-3m-expansion.html

[KJHburg]

8 story now under construction Toringdon 7 building that is rising across from Ballantyne has an anchor tenant that seems to be expanding here in Charlotte.

""A payment-technology company will move into Toringdon 7 after the eight-story office building in south Charlotte delivers next year.  Global Payment Systems, a third-party payment processing provider that's part of Atlanta-based Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN), will take 75,743 square feet across three floors at Toringdon 7. Global Payments Systems' office will be on floors six to eight at Toringdon 7, which totals 198,195 square feet.""

a subsidiary Heartland Payment systems has an office here in Charlotte leasing around 24K of space.  

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/09/26/anchor-tenant-signed-at-toringdons-last-office.html     subscriber article 

[Scribe]

On 9/27/2018 at 4:54 PM, KJHburg said:

8 story now under construction Toringdon 7 building

And just found out that a new mid-rise apartment complex is starting site work across North Community House Rd -- at the traffic light.

There's already an apartment complex on right behind EarthFare, but apparently that is not enough.

[atlrvr]

Also mixed use office hotel high-rise planned for behind the Ballantyne Village movie theater.

[Cadi40]

Keep us updated on the high-rise!

[JorgiPorgi]

Do any of these new projects (besides Toringdon) have designs or renderings? Mid rise apartments- how many floors?

[Hushpuppy321]

I just read a site detailing planning for future phases of Ballantyne Village which may answer some questions but not totally sure if it's accurate or viable.  I'll upload shortly.  

Uploaded the article.  Supposedly could be phases as high as 12 stories (built atop existing deck) and or other buildings high as 25 stories.  Not sure where the footprint(s) would be as there's not much space in Ballantyne Village.

[KJHburg]

This is a parking lot surface lot adjacent to the theater that could be the site of hotel according to its ownership name.  It is .63 acres  Zoned CC  It was purchased in July 2017 for $3.5 million.   The address below is affiliated with Carolina States Regional Center who developed the Blu apartments in University city area. 

Parcel ID	GIS ID
22354106	22354106

Address located on Property (Postal City)
14819 BALLANTYNE VILLAGE WY CHARLOTTE NC 28277

Owner Name	Mailing Address
BALLANTNE VILLAGE HOTELS LLC	6101 CARNEGIE BV STE 103 CHARLOTTE NC 28209

Edited September 29, 2018 by KJHburg

[atlrvr]

Yes.  This is the parcel, and Carolina States is the developer.

I believe it is mix of office on lower 3-4 floors and then hotel above.

[KJHburg]

On my way around Charlotte drove through Ballantyne for some updated photos.  Here are some from Ballantyne Village today. 

Photo 1 is the lot purchased by Ballantyne Village Hotel LLC I reference above.   2. is the parking garage that has a separate ownership from the shopping and office complex  3. another parking lot owned by the owner of the parking garage that is being torn up for some reason see photo 4 (maybe something is starting here too or it is another parking dispute between the retail center owner and the parking deck owner)  Photo 5 is the lot owned by Ballantyne Village hotel LLC another angle. 

[KJHburg]

Some shots of Toringdon and the new 8 story Toringdon 7 Building that is 1/3 preleased. 

1.2. new Toringdon 7 building from Community House Rd 3. New Hampton Inn at Toringdon 4. another view of Toringdon 7 rising 5. newly open apartments at Toringdon and the new ones across Community House Rd are starting land development work 6. view from I-485 and the tower 7 will rise way above the tree line.