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Charlotte's Urban Lowe's Home Improvement


monsoon

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Home Depot also has a store in Manhatten. Lowe's is really behind the 8 Ball when it comes to urban stores. The Charlotte store is their first attempt at this. Hopefully it will be a succussful one.

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Lowe's has built a store in Richmond, 1 mile from city hall which is definitely in downtown. It has been there for a few years.

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From what I understand, they aren't going to build anymore Expo stores anywhere, it just wasn't an overly successful venture. They might still try to carry more upscale appliances/fixtures etc at the Midtown store though.

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Lowe's has built a store in Richmond, 1 mile from city hall which is definitely in downtown. It has been there for a few years.

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It's a suburban store in an urban setting. Not at all the same thing.

As a side note, Mr Ukrop runs a fine grocery store. Too bad you can't get a bottle of wine in his supermarket to go with the great dinner. Harris Teeter would kick his butt here. I guess that's where we make up for having no soul.

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I don't think anyone is saying that Eastway and Woodlawn are very dense urban areas. However according to Home Depot they classify both stores as "urban" So you will have to have the demographics discussion with them.

For reference from Meck Co Tax Records:

The shopping center land at Exit 25 where the Home Depot and Lowe's is located is valued at about $18K per acre.

The land at the Wendover Home Depot is valued at $36K per acre.

The land at the Woodlawn Home Depot is valued at $22K per acre.

The land at the future Midtown Home Depot EXPO is valued at $871K per acre.

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As we all know, real estate values and tax values have little bearing to each other in this county. In areas of rapid increases in value they are way off. :whistling:

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HD's foray into Charlotte urban is the Midtown store.  This will be a full HD now, and not just and Expo.  It is less than 2 miles from the Lowe's site, so they would be considered direct competitors.

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Well since that is the case no wonder Lowe's is clamoring to build a store close into town. IF the Lowe's project gets approved we could see these stores opening about the same time.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm new to this board. Was just on the internet looking up other communities that might be having difficulty with loading dock noise and other issues associated with a Lowes store. I live in a Southern California community called Ventura and moved into a condominium complex that is right behind the Lowes. We had no idea that the loading dock hours were from 7am

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http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte.../02/story6.html

It appears that some changes are already being made to the site plan based on the neighborhood comments.

I hope they really do make the end product better, (as there is no doubt there was room for improvement) rather than to restrict connectivity so dilworth can pretend it isn't there. The neighborhood actually loses if the traffic signal is dedicated to lowes, rather than magnolia.

I'm interested to see what changes they made.

i love pressley's quote:

"We are a 150-year-old neighborhood with the highest concentration of historic buildings remaining in the county," he says. "We don't want to look suburban. Everyone is welcome. They just have to pay attention and demonstrate an ability to adapt."

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I like Keith McVean's quotation: "They needed more of a mixed-use development to fit into our plans." That makes me think that perhaps they'll do something more with the South Blvd. streetfront (like a second entrance or other tenants). While that part of South Blvd supposedly doesn't look like much right now, if Lowe's makes a big investment in a pedestrian-friendly development, perhaps some areas across the street or next door might follow suit.

It's interesting to hear the comments made by VenturaLowes; obviously, with deliveries coming in and out so frequently, any area where deliveries are accepted should be heavily screened. Perhaps the city could pursue limits on hours for deliveries and a stipulation for indoor storage of recieved goods in the conditional use permit.

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i agree. i wonder what can be done to improve truck noise impacts. However, the deliveries are to be on iverson, and the only part of dilworth to be affected, Olmstead Park, already has a tall thick brick wall along iverson. I can't image the noise would be much more than is already on south blvd.

The only exception to that would be the AWFUL beeping of backing up, but maybe they can get a permit to not have that backup noise if they have a worker directing their back ups.

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If I lived in Olmstead Park I would be most concerned about the noise generated by 18 wheelers and also the light pollution generated by the lights in the parking lot.

I would make sure that Lowe's does everything to mitigate these factors.

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the light pollution will be easy to fix with simple street lights, but i agree that the trucks will need some work. Perhaps they can arrange to buy some hybrid trucks from GM, so they can be on electric mode in the neighborhoods (this is a bit of a fantasy).... more likely, they can probably work out schedule limits for deliveries, beep and idle restrictions, and perhaps some sound proofing walls or windows for some specific houses. Overall, i'd guess they aren't too far from fixing those issues.

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I didn't make the meeting last night for the new deisng to the DCDA, but apparantly the people were a lot calmer and more receptive of this design. The ingress/egress for both customers and delieveries are now off of Iverson Way (the city refuses to allow a mid-block traffic light)

Lowe's has also promised to the condition that they cannot apply for a C.O. until the footings for the residential component has been poured and a building permit issued......also, there is apparantly now about 6,000 sq. ft. of "other" retail at the corner of Magnolia and South.

These changes address most of the concerns, though I think it would be a nice gesture on Lowe's part of install sidewalks on both sides of Magnolia between South and Park.

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I'm glad to hear that the mystery changes were to the liking of the neighborhood, and those changes all sound positive. I'm also relieved that that the traffic light will still be at Magnolia (that is what you said, right?).

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the light pollution will be easy to fix with simple street lights, but i agree that the trucks  will need some work.  Perhaps they can arrange to buy some hybrid trucks from GM, so they can be on electric mode in the neighborhoods (this is a bit of a fantasy).... more likely, they can probably work out schedule limits for deliveries, beep and idle restrictions, and perhaps some sound proofing walls or windows for some specific houses.  Overall, i'd guess they aren't too far from fixing those issues.

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I agree about the hybrid thing. It won't happen.

My thought on this is if you are going to live in a city you have to expect a little noise. The people in Dilworth have to realize its not going to be like the country.

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the funny thing about the noise, is that the neighborhood already has a sound barrier brick wall all around it on iverson. And south boulvard already has its noisy trucks, cars, horns, and sirens. Idling trucks and customer's cars will not be a tremendous change, when a sound barrier is already in place.

That said, i'm glad lowes appears to have made some changes that address/appease the neighborhood. I wish there had been some announcements of street network enhancements throughout that part of dilworth. They could have paid for more sidewalks, repaved streets and bumps, etc.

I'm surprised the changes haven't been reported on yet in the observer. I guess they'll wait until all the facts are already public through U/P :).

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I think everything about it is better, though something needs to be done with the South Blvd. elevation.....it still looks too suburban, though the Garden Center there is a nice addition. What isn't made clear on this is that traffic circles would be added to the intersections of Lyndhurst/ Magnolia and Lynd/Iverson)

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I really like it. At first, i hated some elements of it. I wish they didn't have to completely rely on Iverson (the only one had entrances on multiple sides).

But after looking at it a bit, i think this is a much much better design. Iverson is good because it connects between south and ideal way (which is remount road), so some traffic can come by 77 and jump on iverson without adding traffic to either dilworth or south.

I really like that the landscaping area will face south. At first i didn't like it, but it will be nice because it is inviting for pedestrians, and is attractive with all the plants and flowers for sale. It is both commercial on the street, and a bit of a setback with landscaping, too.

I wish there were more trees in the parking lot, so that in a decade or two, the whole lot would be a lot more shaded.

Do you know if there will be any more rounds of improvements? I'd bet the city will get them to do some things.

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What isn't made clear on this is that traffic circles would be added to the intersections of Lyndhurst/ Magnolia and Lynd/Iverson)

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elizabeth-style traffic circles, where a little 8' diameter flower bed and a tree sits in the middle of the intersection? or first ward style traffic circle, where there is a larger effect on the corner lots?

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There will be a ped. access from South, but that's it. Lowe's is forking over the cash for the traffic circles, so I would imagine small.

There will be sidewalks on both sides of Iverson, and the Lowe's side of Magnolia and Lynd.....though only adjacent to the site....I would really like the sidewalks extended beyond there because it is inevitable that there will be more traffic on those roads, plus the majority of the neighborhood already has sidewalks.

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