Skyybutter

85N at Mallard Creek Ch and at the exit to get off 85 and to enter the 485 inner loop is a nightmare at rush hour. I believe people are given just one lane to get off 85 and merge onto inner 485. Otherwise if your on 485 outer and want to get on 85S it is pretty good. You have to deal with some traffic from people traveling from 485S onto 85 but it's not so bad. Get ready though, Cabarrus is about to explode with growth like never before. Apartments are going up in places I would have never dreamed and 2017 and 2018 will see some huge announcements in the way of housing developments. I wouldnt be surprised to see something along the lines of Birkdale announced, and a housing development as large as Highland Creek is very likely. The county recently passed 200,000 in terms of population and has announced a new High School in the city limits as opposed to the county which I find very interesting. It is not replacing Concord High , it is just an additional High School. Interesting times up North

Great resource. Personally I say go ahead and widen 77 from Statesville to Charlotte with 5 lanes in each direction. It's either now or later. Go ahead and take care of it. The same goes for 485. 5 lanes each way inner and outer. Enough of pretending the growth isn;t going to happen. IT IS and we have to plan out 30 years.

Charlotte has reached a new plateau and it;s awesome to see happen. The thing I have always loved about Charlotte is that it continues to surprise us. The architecture isn't always the best , but I must say The Garrison and the new hotel across from it are superb. I think we can all agree that the North End of Uptown desperately needs more activity. I love the twin apartment towers so to speak, but I had hoped for something more in the 40 floor range especially since it's right at inner 277 and it would have made such a bigger statement. The good news is that there is plenty of other tracts to be developed nearby.

I live in Concord and for anyone who lives or travels to the Northeast part of the metro you can hopefully agree that the Construction on 85 is going to be the last it sees for decade upon decade. \I have to say they did a great job on the first leg...now they are working on the part from exit 55 to Rowan county. It will be widened from Gastonia all the way to Raleigh. Finally. Its only 20 years late. I swear sometimes it fee;s like 85 is already at capacity from Poplar Tent{exit 52} a;; the way into the city.....Its amazing how its changed. There was talk at one time for Cats to work with Cabarrus County to try and extend the Blue Line Ext all the way to at least the speedway. I think it will happen , but theres no talk to my knowledge anymore. I think it will more like 2030..Once we hopefully see the extension have record ridership, I think they(the state, Cabarrus and Charlotte} will see that transit can work in Cabarrus. For now Ill just take 29(N.Tryon) to the first park and ride and ride uptown. Im actually super excited. BTW dont bother referring to the Interstates in NC and around Charlotte with "the" in front of them. Its not like California. We just say ..."77,85,26........etc" The true nightmare is what to do about the nightmare that is the Southern leg of 485 and 77 around the Lake

I would love to zee them all but I would have to go with the Comcast Building in Philly. Being a bit biased as I lived in philly , in my defense the Comcast building is a sexy tower. Its like an Alpha tower. Its tall , big, and in charge. It would be seen from so many parts of the city that currently cant see any of the uptown towers. My 2 cents.

Oh the places I could take you in Philadelphia that would make your toes curl.

Ascent Tower is sickening in the best way possible. The perfect location. I love how imposing it looks on the skyline. Its perfect!

My life would be complete if Charlotte finally landed its MLB team!!!!!!!!

Great news all around. I didnt realize it had already been there for 17 years. It is for sure time for reno.....I consider Concord Mills a Hybrid Mall. It's not a NL or SP but it's certailnly not the traditional Concord Mills model either. I think the renovation will literally feel like Northlake and the current Concord Mills have had a baby. Im good with that.

Ascent will very striking when people first look at it. It's sexy, It will have the planters in the front for about 5 floor, and the more that gets built the better the views are for anyone living uptown. I read something in the paper today about 2016 being perhaps the peak year for development ( Vitner among others were quoted), Never ,imd the 25.000 apartments under construction or planned to built. Im in Concord. And we are seeing tons Of Charlotte style apartments out here. I would say about 1-2,000 under construction. Its exciting but basically I can almost hear Charlotte saying " knock, knock...we're here"...lol I personally think we are going to continue strong for years to come. Charlotte is becoming a " Dont F;&% with us" kind of city. I kinda feel liker nothing can stop us anymore.

YES!. So glad to see this in the UC area instead of Ballantyne. I think there will be a more experienced pool of people to choose from for a call center type setting. Plus there's UNCC, full of students. Much better fit in UC then anywhere in the city IMO

If you havent been to The Last Word, you gotta go. It is a true gem for Charlotte and especially the UC area. I LOVE this place. Ive traded books and they have been very fair with price. At the time they would give cash, or credit and of course you got more in credit if you chose that option. Its a great alternative to The Used Book Store in Plaza/MW. plus I feel The Last Word is cozier. Though I think the store in Plaza/MW has a little bit of a better selection. It really comes down to how far I wanna drive or where I already am in town. I frequent the Junior League Thrift Store so I probably go to the bookstore there more. I was also very surprised at the bookstore at habitat for humanity on Wendover. Coffee, little tables and a great selection. The furniture there is super overpriced but fun to look at.

Is Winter returning to the Charlotte area? As a winter weather lover ( I LOVE snow) I can truly say this winter season has sucked pretty much in every area. There is a ray of hope coming up next week according to WCNC 36. Two days next week include a 40% chance of Snow /Rain. If nothing comes of it I'm throwing in the towel.

The only time I go to NL is when my Aunt is visiting from JAX. She loves the mall and the Brighton store especially. NL is just fine. Its not going anywhere. There's crime everywhere. Wasn't is SP where like some people broke into the Coach store and stole hundreds of pocket books? I never go to CP because I live in Concord and I only go to Concord Mills to catch a movie. I may walk the complete circle at the mall but just to see what new stores are there and what has left.

If Trump ever decides to revive his project from years back, if it included a hotel or hotels would they bear his name only or could he include boutique or big names? Im not familiar too much with his developments and personally don't look for him to revive anything of the scale he was looking at before. I also would love to see at least one 30-40 floor hotel in Charlotte. I guess our tallest is the Hilton?

What type of development should we expect the closer one gets to UC , meaning closer to Harris/N.Tryon . I figure since you guys arent mentioning anything that nothing specific has been announced, but what do you all expect? are we looking at development similar to Southend?

Im so in love with this building. It fills a gap. I love that its being built on top of another structure and I love that it is making such a statement on the skyline. It just seems like such a bold, fearless design. Great job! Someone take some pics once it tops out! Thanks

Would prefer that whatever is being built there be much taller considering how close the square is. I just like the idea of taller buildings being close to the actual center of town. I'll take it though considering its supposed to be four diamond and part of the Marriot Brand of hotels. The Grand Bohemian name is a bit quirky but from the pictures I've see of the Asheville and Orlando hotels it will be a gorgeous hotel and event facility. I see tons of weddings in the future...... Also when did we all stop hoping for the super big names in Charlotte like Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, St.Regis etc. Austin has a Four Seasons of which Im super jealous. Im very happy that uptown is getting the new rooms were getting but I really wish we could up the ante.

I live in SW Concord about a mile from Harrisburg and the 2 or 3 times I might go to the LKN are in a year I dont use 77. I use Poplar Tent up to 73 and to Exit 25. I don't know anything about the commute at all. What I do know is people love living there and more and more are. It's probably time for more Birkdale type development even if it's not near transit trains. Maybe Charlotte could offer more express trains during the commute times. I think 4 or even 5 lanes each way is a no brainer and about 20 years too late. I think they should all be free and that the NCDOT should accept that it is their responsibility to build them regardless of the cost. I cringe when I think of how long it's going to be before the people between Charlotte and Mooresville Will have to wait for this to happen. If the tolls are voted down. I hope for the best for the area.

What delicious photos. I love how imposing it looks right now without electricity. It's nice to see this built, my current fav building., and even nicer to see the incredible speed it is taking shape. Now wheres that new 80 floor tower were all waiting to here announced?

I have never been as excited about a project as I am this one. Love how truly urban it will make Charlotte look from so many directions. S.Tryon is just amazing and something that the Carolinas can truly brag about now, and more so going forward.

Considering Im a Concord resident I am little concerned with the population of Charlotte. I am much more interested in Mecks population and the entire CSA. For those that seldom if ever leave the Great State of Mecklenburg you should take a drive up 85 and take Poplar Tent rd west all the way to 73. Its such an interesting drive. No only do you get the opportunity to enjoy the new quirky interchanges popping up around Charlotte, you will see a great view to your left of uptown (pick a clear day). You will pass the Carolina International School located on 82 acres up on a big hill after you pass Cox Mill Rd.( The new Cox Mill High School is on that rd and it will also take you all the way back to Concord Mills bypassing the interstate). As you continue up Poplar Tent Rd you may notice you are climbing and rounding curve after curve. That's because you are. The highest elevation in the county is nearby at just under 900ft. Of course there are tons of Subdivisions and new Grocery anchored shopping centers to fill your sprawling crave. You may notice or feel some history around the Cannon Cross roads area. Harris Teeter will be on your right. The Renaissance Festival will be on the right eventually and then you would reach State Highway 73. BTW from what I understand plans are well underway for 73 to be widened to two lanes each way. This project is of course about 20 yrs too late but we all know how the NCDOT works. I recommend this little outing so the urban dwellers can see why its so great to see the Charlotte becoming more urban so that sprawl can be somewhat contained. However sprawl isnt going away. We need to come up with some way to allow people to live in the suburbs but still in an urban environment with the amenities they are looking for. This drive will also show you why the express busses are so important and eventually the blue line extension needs to come into Cabarrus county and the train to lake Norman should already be in development. Hope I havent bored you too much , but Im one of those people that most likely will not visit uptown until the BLE is finished. I don't want to worry about parking, driving or my vehicle in any way. However having been a former Philly resident, once PT is an option for me, Ill be at as many Knights games as possible, visit the Mint and Bechtler and just generally enjoy the city with friends and family. toodles!@

Drove through Atlanta last week and past the Beast theat is the Atlanta Marriot Marquis.......I would love to just pick it up and move it to Charlotte. Its such an incredible hotel, design and that atrium is to die for!

Charlotte i becoming the city of cranes again. What are we at currently uptown.....4?

My life will be complete when Charlotte gets an MLB team. It will happen. MIght be 5 years or 20 yrs./...but it will happen!