Eastland Mall Redevelopment

[Niner National]

The zoo in Washington, DC does not have a lot of land area, but it is very well designed so that animals have a good bit of space.

 

A zoo would be cool, but I don't see it happening.

[Third Strike]

Eh, as much as I would like to see this parcel used for a movie studio, I don't think it is a wise idea to use up all that space for just one purpose. Maybe use half/quarter of the property for the movie studio, and the rest for mixed-use development. Since this would be a terminal for the streetcar in the future, I think residential and retail use should be considered for most of the property. Maybe similar ideas used in some of the concept maps used from this website:

 

http://plancharlotte.org/story/eastland-mall-whats-next-some-options

[Matthew.Brendan]

Co-op City style apartment buildings.

[Urbanity]

^While not a fan of the overall design, I would love for Charlotte to develop a scaled down Co-Op city in the Eastland mall area particularly if they follow the general guidelines of price points for purchases.

[southslider]

^I'm tired of the Eastside's elitist demands on price points.  If the streetcar line can't be lined with workforce housing, then it truly is a toy train, instead of mass transportation.

[mallguy]

Co-op City style apartment buildings.

I'd say that this is the best bet (with Urbanity's post as well).

 

The area is "the 'hood" and so retailers aren't going to come to it.  Nor will office buildings.  Lower-middle class housing may well work, though.

[Missmylab4]

Agree with mall guy. The office space that exists does bad around there. Not much works there but bodegas for the time being.

[DEnd]

Agree with mall guy. The office space that exists does bad around there. Not much works there but bodegas for the time being.

 

Untill 15ish years ago or so Charlotte East was 90% occupied.  Judging by Google maps satellite view, I'd say they are doing slightly better than when I moved out of the neighborhood 6 years ago, I'd guess 70% occupied?

 

The main problem with the office space is it is old and not up to modern standards as far as conviences and finishes go. 

 

When I was a kid Idlewild Farms was actually walkable, and really still is.  My Parents are blind and they walked to work every day to what is now Charlotte East, we walked to the Gocery store (where the Bi-Lo is), from k-3 and 7-9th grades I walked to school, I walked to the rollerskating rink, and the movie theater, and to Eastland Mall.  Many of the kids in my neighborhood did the same.

 

The problem with the area is the people who live there don't work or shop there, the problems that caused Eastland to be viewed as unsafe were from people that lived outside the area, and lax policing.  The streetcar can once again revive Eastland, if it can get a seperate right-of-way as soon as possible once it is outside the center city.  That would probably mean going to a seperate right-of-way just east of Plaza-Midwood.  That is if they can transform Eastland into a true retail oriented multi-use transit center.

Edited December 12, 2012 by DEnd

[gman430]

Description: Eastland Mall Demolition

SCOPE OF WORK: This project consists of demolition of a complex of buildings hereinafter referred to as Eastland Mall located at 5431 Central Avenue, Charlotte, N.C. 28212. The project includes seven structures to be demolished and is approximately 1.2 million sq. ft. They are: The in-line mall space proper; the former Sears; former JC Penny; former Belk; former Dillard's; former Firestone Service Center; and former Hollywood Video. All structures shall be demolished and all appurtenances thereto and all debris shall be removed. Bid date is February 26th.

[Matthew.Brendan]

Woo hoo!

As discussed a bit above, a Co-op City style super dense apartment towers would best serve the area IMHO.

Especially with the Streetcar coming! cough cough....

[tozmervo]

well, so much for rehabilitating and repurposing. 

[nonillogical]

I'm actually relieved...I wasn't that confident in any of the reuse plans and didn't see any that did much to integrate with the surrounding neighborhood. Still just a collection of ugly buildings in a sea of more parking than would ever be needed again. At least now we'll have a clean slate.

[Urbanity]

Excuse my denseness but does this mean that it's a done deal that the entire mall is coming down?

 

The reason I am confused was just this last week/weekend the city was having an open house to show the mall (specifically the buildings) to potential investors/buyers?   Does this mean that the mall has been purchased and that the new owner wants it demolished?  Or has the city decided that it will make a better sale with just the land cleared of all structures?

[Third Strike]

Excuse my denseness but does this mean that it's a done deal that the entire mall is coming down?

 

The reason I am confused was just this last week/weekend the city was having an open house to show the mall (specifically the buildings) to potential investors/buyers?   Does this mean that the mall has been purchased and that the new owner wants it demolished?  Or has the city decided that it will make a better sale with just the land cleared of all structures?

 

That's what I was wondering too. Maybe they're preparing work just in case a buyer wants to demolish the mall (the city wants work to begin on the site within two years).

 

Also, if the movie studio idea falls through, I would like to see the site become a park, with multi-sport complexes. They could also link this site with an extended Campbell/McAlpine Creek greenway.

[atlrvr]

They are just seeking bids to find out how much it would cost to demolish it.  That is not the current plan unless they don't get strong offers to re-purpose it.  They would consider demolishing it if they think a blank slate would attract higher price/better project.

[Third Strike]

More details on the proposed movie studio:

 

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/local/First-Look-At-Movie-Studio-Planned-For-Eastland-Mall-191501251.html

 

In new renderings of Central Avenue Pictures, the $150 million dollar plan includes sound stages, possibly managed by Screen Gems. Office and retails space built by a developer that has worked with NASA and Disney. An entertainment complex surrounded by a stream from an aquifer on the property. An educational complex that includes a new CMS campus. Film schools run by local universities. And room for a new non-profit called the Youthful Energy Foundation."The majority of the money, people forget about it, is behind the camera. So, we want to make sure the kids understand the  tools that are available to them behind the scenes," said Youthful Energy Foundation President Nathan Summers.

 

 

I have to say, this is a pretty ambitious project. If they manage to get this off the ground, this could be big for Charlotte (this would be the biggest movie studio/complex in NC, and possibly the Southeast). I wonder if something like this might help the surrounding area as well. With that said, I am also interested in the other proposals for this site.

[Norm2]

More details on the proposed movie studio:

 

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/local/First-Look-At-Movie-Studio-Planned-For-Eastland-Mall-191501251.html

 

 

 

I have to say, this is a pretty ambitious project. If they manage to get this off the ground, this could be big for Charlotte (this would be the biggest movie studio/complex in NC, and possibly the Southeast). I wonder if something like this might help the surrounding area as well. With that said, I am also interested in the other proposals for this site.

That looks like an amazing and VERY ambitious proposal. If this proposal is chosen I wonder if the developers could actually pull all of this off.

[Urbanity]

^just watched the report and agree that it is a very ambitious proposal.   I am glad to see that they included a public aspect to this as studio sound stages and back lots are not very neighborhood-centric environments.

 

My big fear though with this proposal is the State which is cutting back on incentives.  If they cut the film making incentives that have made NC so attractive recently for filming (movies, tv and commercials) the studio project has a huge strike against it without even discussing the logistics of the project itself.

 

That said, I do like it, and would love this to become yet another economic engine for the city in diversifying our economy.

[carolinagarnet]

The movie industry is similar to the convention center to me in that they both require big public investment and come with promises of lots of spin-off development. The problem Charlotte has is that it does not have any distinguishing geographical features to make it a natural filming location (e.g. the beach at Wilmington), nor does it have a natural acting hub in its own right as do Chicago, New York, LA, or even Miami. Film seems like such a glamorous industry to be in and certainly has the potential to draw in support companies, but the reality is that the return on investment does not appear to be there. Furthermore, the argument I have heard that hosting a filming location will impact tourism seems like a non-starter. How many people watched The Hunger Games or Leatherheads and thought, "wow, I really want to vacation in North Carolina"? Los Angeles will never really cede its dominance over the entertainment industry that it has been cultivating for over a century. The idea that places like Michigan and Louisiana can create film hubs is nice, but in addition to the competition among states, Canada has emerged as an attractive lower-cost filming location.

 

I read an article recently about how Birmingham, AL has been redeveloping a dodge area of the city by offering small retailers rent holidays. I'm not suggesting this for Eastland, but these are the kind of innovative solutions.that actually affect change in an area. Charlotte seems to push expensive redevelopment ideas (amateur sports at Bojangle's) that may or may not work and require huge public investment.

[tozmervo]

Actually, Hunger Games did provide a little spike. Dunno how much of an actual impact it had, but... http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20121203/OUTDOORS/312030023/DuPont-drawing-Hunger-Games-sized-crowds?nclick_check=1

[southslider]

Given the animosity towards Charlotte lately in Raleigh, shouldn't we be worried that the state tax credits for film industries may be at risk?

 

Granted, Wilmington also benefits, and Down East seems to be closer to Raleigh's heart.

[Third Strike]

The bids for redeveloping this site are now down to three contestants:

 

ARK Ventures (NC Music Factory): They want to develop the site for mix-use purposes, like retail, residential, entertainment, and hospitality.

 

Studio Charlotte: They want to also develop the site for mix-use purposes, but with the main focus on film.

 

Film Studios Group/Winter Properties/Frank Martin: "Creative Campus anchored by a film studio"

 

 

[nowensone]

My vote is for Film Studio Group, which bothers me a bit since it is the one developer that is not "local" according to the Observer, but being based in LA might bring weight to the project, as well as greater use, and they also would not demolish any/all of the mall which I really like.  Beyond that I think it must be one of the two studio proposals, for so many reasons.  Diversity of economy, prestige, culture, an artsy transformation of the area, etc.

[ah59396]

They were talking about this on WFAE.  Studio One is Charlotte based, obviously, and would not request any government assistance on development.  The negative is they have never done a project like this.

 

Film Studio Group has apparently developed a similar project in the past in another city, but would request heavy government subsidies...so we will see where that goes.  Imagine if they win the bid and then the city has to let everyone know that the mall we bought for $13 million requires additional funding.  Yikes.

 

The ARK group we are all familiar with. IMO they did a fantastic job with the music factory.  It is atheistically pleasing and has revitalized an area I never thought could really make the jump without first removing that concrete plant of Graham.  The city turned them down the last time around with the Carolina Theatre, hopefully they get a shot this time.

[nowensone]

The ARK plan reads like it is just more development, which is certainly not a bad thing, but against a landmark/destiny-changing opportunity it rings flat to me.  The studios may come to nothing of course, or they might also change Charlotte's history completely should we be around in 50 years to look back on it.