lukedog
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Posts posted by lukedog
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According to today's O NoDa Studios will open in Sept instead of January. The building will house band rehearsal and studio space. My only question is which building is it? Also, the deal to redevelop Mecklenburg Mills is moving along.
Noda really has come a long. I can't say that I am a huge fan of the Black Crows (they have had some great songs though) but I do think it is really cool that they are coming to Charlotte in November and not playing at the Bobcats arena, not at Verizon, not at Cricket, but at the Neighborhood Theater in Noda. If they keep bands like that coming to Noda it will continue to drive business and customers to the area.
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We had our monthly Noda Neighborhood Association meeting tonight. CATS came and did a presentation on the NE extension. Mostly it was about the placement of the actual station in Noda (their first choice is behind Johnston and Mecklenburg Mills, but realistically they may have to put it on the other side of 36th as a middle-of-the-track station). A few things they told us was that there will be a flyover to cross the freight tracks at Matheson, and another flyover at Craighead to bring the Lynx back to the Tryon side of the freight line. They have made no strides as to the alignment around the Asian Mall. Like I said, this was mostly about the Noda station. ALSO: I think many of you will be excited to hear about a prototype for community involvement that is being tried out for this project - Wikiplanning.org. It's for all the armchair urban planners who want their voices to be heard. (the log-in for this project will be NODA - although the site wont be active for a week or two). But I would hope everyone on this board who has ideas to share will do so and use this for the best of my neighborhood and for future projects.
Other than that, we had a presentation from The Comedy Zone about their "megaplex" in Highland Mills. They are opening a live venue for music and comedy (if I heard correct he said 1000 person venue - and likened it to a House of Blues). There will also be a coffee shop + wifi lounge, deli, restaurant, and *NOW HEAR THIS* late-night-drank-too-much-left-the-bar-and-now-I-want-something-like-Pita-Pit-kind-of-place.
There's my report. Hope you enjoyed.
Wow....the megaplex sounds pretty cool! Any idea on when these venues will start opening...or when they will all be open? Also, is all of this going to be placed inside Highland Mills?
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I have two questions about Mercury...
1) There are now two trailers (mobile homes) on the Mercury lot...is it common for a project like this to get trailers on the lot before building begins? In other words...is this any sign that they may start building soon?
2) How will they keep investors out of this project...stop the units from being bought up by speculators...or can they stop this?
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This may have been covered in here and I just couldn't find it...but what is going on with the big project on Hawthorne between Central and 9th street...It looks like a big office building or condo project. Forgive me if it has been covered already...Im sure it has...
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. I saw Paul van Dyk at Crobar Chicago, and Sander Kleinenberg at Crobar Miami. The Club is fantastic. I can't wait for the outdoor ampitheatre, so we will actually have stuff to do in charlotte!
It is too good to be true but not b/c Noah couldn't make it happen. Noah was one of the partners and ran Crobar in Miami a few years ago (I don't believe it is open anymore...it is now Mansion if I'm not mistaken). He has connections with some big club owners in NYC and Miami and definitely has the experience and previous success of running clubs like this.
This would definitely put the NC Music factory on the map...as well as Charlotte for that matter. To open a club like this would also entail bringing in some big DJ's...but I will believe it when I see it!
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OK....so the next million dollar question....
What will be erected in the current Family Dollar's location?
I have heard that Both Starbucks and Harris Teeter have looked at the site but how close they are to doing something on this parcel or another parcel in the area I don't know.
Many of the residents in Seaversville, Biddleville are petitioning the Family Dollar project because it could de-rail the original plans for the "west trade corridor". Family Dollar is planning on making this building very nice...like a showcase store for Family dollar. I will say that many of the residents opposed to the new Family Dollar are opposed because they want a higher end store to be built instead...stores that the poorer people would not go to (like starbucks or Harris Teeter). That is gentrification for you....
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What I found interesting about that video clip was that it did not give me the feeling that they knew what they were talking about when they discussed Biddleville. The three other areas that they discussed were towns or cities (Reading PA, Farmington NM, and Austin TX). When they referred to Biddleville they stated that it was 'near' Charlotte and she calls it a 'wonderful town'.
I am not sure they knew what they were reporting on. It looks like they were reporting off of a spread sheet to me.
I agree totally. That is what I thought too...the host of the Today show started off talking about a neighborhood in Charlotte called Biddleville and then "the expert" talked about it like she had never been there and like you said...was reading about it off a sheet of paper. The theme of the piece was "how to spot the hottest neighborhoods" and for some reason the only specific neighborhood they mentioned was Biddleville in Charlotte...everywhere else they just mentioned the city.
I know Biddleville is a hot neighborhood but I wonder how they picked it...maybe they talked to some real estate agents and the agents they talked too just happend to favor Biddleville?
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I just hope it doesn't bring out the national and local investors
who don't care at all about the people there now or in the near future who will do what they did in parts of the Belmont neighborhood: buy up homes, board them up, and wait for everyone else to work and improve the area while their properties become more run down and havens for squatters, drugs, and gangs. After prices rise enough these properties finally hit the market giving huge profit for nothing but leaving eyesores in the area for a few years.I don't know about national investors, but if you talk to local investors everyone who knows the Charlotte market already knew about Biddleville. A good chunk of Biddleville is already owned by a few people (I am not one of them) and for the most part they are not just sitting on the property and waiting for others to clean up the neighborhood...they are pretty involved. As for things not happening too quickly...it is too late. A 50 x 150 lot won't sell for less that 100K and many homes have already sold for 300K with many more being built.
If you see what has happend in a short period of time around the Charlotte Ring it is common sense to think that All of these neighborhoods are going to grow together and all will be expensive.
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So intriguing - I knew the neighborhood when it was definitely not trendy - I still have an aunt who lives on State St, 3 blocks down from 5 Points. Great to see the area getting attention, though the vid clip also made me a tad nervous about what precisely this might portend for the area.
Really...what was in the vid clip that made you uncertain about what the area is now or what it might have in store?
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Check out this link to "Good Morning America"...a show from last week where they listed 4 up and coming neighborhoods in the USA that are sure to "Pop" soon. The title of the show was "How to spot the next up and coming neighborhood". One of the 4 neigborhoods they talk about is Biddleville in Charlotte, NC. Check out the link and tell me what you think:
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&...cd-e3c75fc8035f
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Thanks for the added history, davidals. I think this area really has a steep uphill trek to get to be a mixed income urban district. I think it has tremendous potential, given that it has recognizable street names, numbered streets, and a grid that could fairly easily be restored. I should say first that I am not truly hoping for 'gentrification' in that it becomes a wealthy area and pushing out the poor and the industries. But I hope that it eventually gets brought into the current economy with protections for the poor that are there, but having a place for denser living that can include a diverse set of people.
Dubone,
You bring up some good points on the area in North Charlotte...specifically the neighborhoods Greenville, Lockwood, and the neighborhoods behind Lockwood (going away from Uptown- between Graham and Tryon from 24th st. to just past 30th st.) called Tryon Hills and Graham Heights.
Just to touch on a few points brought up in this thread, gentrification is already occuring in Lockwood. New or rennovated houses in Lockwood (1500-1700 sf) are already selling for over 200K. A decently built house that needs rennovation won't sell for under 150K. "Pioneers" have been working on impoving the neighborhood for the last 2 years and most of the crime is gone (I would actually feel safer walking down Sylvania/Lockwood than I would walking down parts of Mint st./Wilmore, Summit or Grandin/Westley Heights, Trade St./Biddleville, or The Plaza or Parkwood in Noda/Villa Heights/Belmont. There is a wave of young professionals that have began fixing houses up and moving in. That said, most of the residents of Lockwood are older black people...all very nice...but it is changing. A few investors own around 20 houses in the neighborhood...so it is only a matter of time before they start selling them off.
Graham Heights and Tryon Hills basically blend together and are the next neigborhood directly behind Lockwood (going away from town). The wave of gentrificaton has already started hopping over Lockwood and houses in these neigborhoods are in the beginning stages of being fixed up.
I can appreciate your hope for the area not to gentrify but you know investors/developers take over where ever they see dollar signs...and there just aren't many areas close to uptown for them to do what they did in Noda, Willmore, Westley Heights, etc.
Here is what I think is going to happen in North Charlotte: Investors have already started buying up the houses and in some cases fixing them up to resell. It is one of the only areas near uptown that investors can buy cheap houses, fix them up, and resell for profit at prices under 200K (not in Lockwood anymore). There has to be a huge market for people that want to own a home near uptown but can't afford 200K + homes! Anyway, I think the window will be open for a few more years for this to happen before it is just like Belmont and Villa Heights, or other areas like them.
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I read in the CBJ today that Bill Diehl, who owns his law firm in the "Trump" block on S. Tryon, isn't interested in selling. He says he has had no face-to-face talks with any of the Trumps and has no interest in moving.
Could this be the holdout that stumps the Trump?
Let's Make A Diehl, Bill!!
He might not be interested in selling...but everyone has their price. That is interesting that he says he hasn't had any "face to face" talks...does that mean they have talked through lawyers or on the phone?
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In another thread, we were talking about Charlotte being a development whore... While I think it would be nice to require their participation somehow, I think that simply putting the idea on the table as one that needs private support to happen, would be highly likely to get support. It could be a fundraising drive, where the developers can feel proud of their participation, and individuals can contribute, too. I think if the county pursued 50% of the total costs from the private sector, it would find a big check from Wachovia and BofA, and possibly Duke. It would also find some money pop up from many of the developers uptown. I think then there would be smallish donations from many businesses in SouthEnd, and many individuals, too. I think that buyers in the luxury towers nearby (remember, cash buyers mean they are shelling out 500k in cash!) would easily shell out 4 or 5 figure donations knowing what it would do for the appreciation of their condos.
Requiring it would put them all off, but making it a fundraiser, where they know their values and marketability would go up very fast, would easily see participation. Then, at the end of a one or two year fundraising campaign, they can put up rest to a bond vote. I really see this as feasible now, whereas a year or two again, this was a pipe-dream.
I konw you are high on this idea Dubone but I don't agree with some of your points. First, I don't think this park does that much to appreciate these condos that already cost 1.5 to 10 million dollars. And if these already expensive condos appreciate from this park then so would all the other condos. We are growing fast but we are not New York City nor will a large number of people pay NYC prices to live uptown. Yes, there maybe some new people moving here with the new banks, but that doesn't mean they will want to buy milllion dollar condos.
I also don't think the cash buyers are going to be handing out checks to have a park built near a condo they just paid over a million dollars for. Lastly, in regards to Trump feeling proud to have helped make a park like this...he is proud of money and that is about it...oh yeah- and Ivanka.
I agree that a park here would be cool...but I don't think the money is going to come like you think it will.
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What about the Observer? Two weeks ago today they ran the Ghazi South Tryon story and alluded to the fact Ghazi wanted to wait to see what Trump's plans are. As for this forum, it's not real until we see the steel. Talk is cheap, although it's fun to speculate. Personally, I don't think anything of substance has been revealed here....rumored maybe, but nothing concrete. Even a reply to one of my posts made reference to a published (I think by CBJ) meeting to be held between the city and Trump's people. Nothing on this forum to this point would damn the proposed (rumored) project IMO.
I am sure there was a very limited number of people in the know on this project...especially early on. If the observer ran a story 2 weeks ago on Trump he has probably been working on this for many months (I would guess). In cases like this it probably isn't hard to narrow it down to the "guilty" parties. I don't know who the individuals are, or when and where they first leaked it. As everyone has said...it's not worth it to leak confidential information and people like Trump will most likely will take legal action.
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If people in the "know" are reading this thread, they're probably having a good time watch us speculate.
I have a feeling more people are watching this than everyone thinks...and I don't think they are having a good time watching. Without saying too much...there are at least a few people who are in major trouble (with the law) for spilling the beans on the Trump deal...don't know if it was someone who let out confidential information here or somewhere else...but people definitley take notice when deals this big are on the line. If anyone is wondering where I heard this...I overheard someone at a coffee shop talking about it and I have no idea who they were.
For Metro...would Urban Planet give personal information to authorities if the authorities asked...or is UP like Google and they won't do it? One other thing...have authorites ever come to UP in the past (if you can discuss)?
Bottom line...if you are one of the few in the "know" be careful with what information you share.
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WTF!!! I bought a place at the VUE several months ago and I am furious that they don't keep their purchasers informed. If they don't have this built for 3 more years it would be a complete lie from their sales staff. It is so sad. This is by far the nicest residential tower coming to Charlotte, and now it sounds like there is a possibility it won't ever see the light of day. Say goodbye to my downpayment!!!
FYI - the staff assured me in January that this would break ground in April. Looks like they were all wrong.
This may be way off base...but is there anyway this development could have been sold to Trump...he could just change the name to Trump Vue. I am not savy with how the development world works but I have been reading all of the posts in here and wondered if that could/might happen. If Trump were looking here this would be a good way for him to build something and already have a lot of the work done for him (selling units, advertising, etc.)
On another note...why does this happen and does it happen a lot? Does the original development company not lose a lot of money?
who don't care at all about the people there now or in the near future who will do what they did in parts of the Belmont neighborhood: buy up homes, board them up, and wait for everyone else to work and improve the area while their properties become more run down and havens for squatters, drugs, and gangs. After prices rise enough these properties finally hit the market giving huge profit for nothing but leaving eyesores in the area for a few years.
While I think it would be nice to require their participation somehow, I think that simply putting the idea on the table as one that needs private support to happen, would be highly likely to get support. It could be a fundraising drive, where the developers can feel proud of their participation, and individuals can contribute, too. I think if the county pursued 50% of the total costs from the private sector, it would find a big check from Wachovia and BofA, and possibly Duke. It would also find some money pop up from many of the developers uptown. I think then there would be smallish donations from many businesses in SouthEnd, and many individuals, too. I think that buyers in the luxury towers nearby (remember, cash buyers mean they are shelling out 500k in cash!) would easily shell out 4 or 5 figure donations knowing what it would do for the appreciation of their condos.
NoDa (N Davidson St Arts District) Projects
in Charlotte
Posted
I was told by the person who owns a nearby restaurant that there would be a new pizza place going in what use to be MM. The new pizza place will be owned and operated by a Noda resident of four years and this will be his first restaurant. I was told this person was retiring from one of the banks. Anyway, it should be an interesting venture...I think the lease is something like $9,000-10,000/month...better sell a lot of pizza!