Rufus

2024-05-09T01:39:19Z

A cursory glance at the mall map on its website shows a massive store shaping up next to Belk and Cheesecake Factory. Clearly this is Z**A.

There will also be one large space opening with the closure of Express as well.

Also at Philips Place, Orvis has left their footprint there, which opens a huge space as well. There are four available spaces there, so I am intrigued to see what comes.

April 29

Not to mention that their reasoning was to be close to the "healthcare" industry, which means HCA, which is headquartered in Nashville. And, again, this is the second "HQ" move in four years for them.

April 29

A UNC Charlotte alum posted on X that UNC Charlotte is looking to acquire a building beside the Dubois Center for something called the North Tryon Tech Initiative HUB. I am likely to believe this since 1) there's been talk for years of a second building for the school, and 2) McColl was recently discussing a North Tryon Tech Hub for UNC Charlotte as a member of the BOT.

Anyone know of any more?

April 26

Am I lost, or was BALLY announced as a new tenant? They are no longer on the website as "Coming Soon." Wonder what's up with that. That being said, BALENCIAGA does show up...exciting.

April 19

Can we move this conversation to the Off-Topic thread? It's become ad nauseam for some posters to commandeer various threads talking about homeless, but now to use the tasteless shooting vernacular in a downtown music festival? It seriously is in poor taste, and not relevant to this thread no matter how you try and spin it. Stop it. Just stop it. It's ruining this site to go to every development post and find the same posters talking about the same issues.

Some of us come to these threads to discuss merits of the individual project, not to use it as our void to shout our gripes about the city and its "safety" and yes that is in quotes bc you clearly choose to pick and see what you want instead of understanding real crime statistics and context. Like for frick's sake...there is a thread about this in the Coffehouse. Go there. Stop.

It's ruining this site.

April 16

19 hours ago, CLT Development said:

Excuse the crudeness of this drawing but This is how I'd fix this space.

1. Grey – Reduce the street to 2 lanes and give the rest back to sidewalks. The park benches are currently 12-18 inches from an active roadway, nobody is going to feel comfortable enough to use these.
2. Blue – Add in half-walls with low light vegetation that shield enlarged outdoor dining spaces, As well as covered overhangs that add dimension to the block
3. Pink – Inset the retail spaces by 5-8 feet, and put in garage doors that can open the space more to the outdoors.
4. Yellow – This needs to be all protected and activated outdoor space
5. Green – These facades need more variation. At this point, I guess paint at this point is about as good as we could do.

This should be shown to all developers. It's a drop in the bucket to make some of these changes (probably the street and facade are the most difficult). Also...why the hell is this street four lanes?

April 13

2 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Great news here!

""UNC Charlotte is poised to gain R1 status in 2025 — a classification that recognizes the ever-increasing amount of research it conducts and its roster of top-level talent. It also stands to catapult the university — and region — forward.

Just two major metropolitans in the United States — Charlotte and Portland, Oregon — don’t have an R1 university. The official 2025 classifications are expected to be released early next year, but projections show UNC Charlotte would qualify under new metrics, according to the American Council on Education.

“I believe higher education is one of those anchor institutions in a community,” says Sharon Gaber, UNC Charlotte chancellor. “I think it broadens the opportunities for us.

R1 will bring additional federal and state research dollars to the table. It will lure talented faculty and researchers to the region, while spurring enrollment growth. The status also could play a role in attracting business and industry here, building on a strong talent pipeline and the potential for research partnerships with local companies.

“Having a designation simply makes it all a little bit more credible,” says John Daniels, vice chancellor for research. “Our challenge is updating that muscle memory, to say ‘Hey look, we also have this critical mass of expertise and ability to be relevant in terms of startup companies, corporate partnerships and federal investment.’”""

UNC Charlotte poised to gain R1 status - Charlotte Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

I remember touring colleges and having a hard time accepting that I would need to go to Charlotte (as a twin, my parents were paying for two college students at the same time -- that meant public school). But I loved my time at Charlotte, and my love for the university has only grown since leaving. The research and academics at the school are so underrated. People would be surprised at how comparable it is to the major NC universities. These schools have easily 50-150+ years ahead of Charlotte, and yet here is Charlotte finally getting its due.

One more anecdote: I came to NYC for grad school and most of my colleagues went to Harvard, Penn, Columbia, NYU, Boston U., and other impressive schools of note -- and they all knew of Charlotte. Even more impressive were the international students that knew of the university. It always boggled my mind that in NC, Charlotte was an afterthought. Happy to see it get what's coming to the school.

April 8

On 4/6/2024 at 1:51 PM, KJHburg said:

Here is some information about all the biopharma manufacturing just to the east of Raleigh in 5 counties. Many headquarters and research and development operations in the RTP or Raleigh or Durham and manufacturing to the east.

North Carolina’s BioPharma Crescent: Fertile For Manufacturing (businessfacilities.com)

BioPharma Crescent

This continues to be good news for Eastern NC counties that have been suffering. Honestly, the I-587 Corridor has the potential to be a major player in connecting biopharma with high quality primary care education at ECU and major interstate connections with 95 and 40 which connect to ports and major metros. This is good news as the region continues to shift.

March 28

On 3/26/2024 at 6:11 PM, ArchiCLT said:

Myers Park United Methodist Church's new Multi-Purpose Building. Completion is a few weeks away.

Architect: WGM Design | Interior Design: Carrie Frye Interior Design | General Contractor: Barringer Construction

Off topic, but I have always loved the Carlton and also 800 Cherokee just down the road. I was fascinated with these "towers" that were built this far from Uptown when I moved to the city in 2006. And then I remember when Rosewood was built and was fascinated by that development too.

March 20

17 minutes ago, MothBeast said:

The amount of land on this block that the city traded for is only .7 acres, it is likely not enough for this configuration. They don’t have the whole block

I'd push back on that only from my own visual geometry showing that the JW Marriott and Westin could fit on this lot, but I do acknowledge my overzealousness with this idea! Happy for others to take the dream and run with it

March 20

47 minutes ago, CTiger said:

Former Duke data center lot.

Hear me out with this one:

Instead of one 1000-room hotel, why not a 700-room Hyatt or Grand Hyatt that can serve the convention center needs for large-scale bookings, and then have a smaller 300-room extended-stay Hyatt Studios (new mid-tier brand debuting this year) on the same lot. They can share the same base, which can be additional conference space, but then its two towers, one taller for the main hotel and one smaller for the extended-stay.

I've never been a big proponent of the singular 1000 room hotel because it just doesn't seem to make economic sense if its only for convention needs. This capitalizes on a couple of things: 1. the lack of full-service Hyatt properties in the city, 2. the value of extended-stay hotels for business travelers and families, and 3. maximizing the space so that it does offer a breadth of uses that can ensure viability throughout the year.

Just a thought.

March 18

12 minutes ago, videtur quam contuor said:

The other side of that is the first two years the CIAA was here in Charlotte when all uptown restaurants and attractions learned they had to reschedule their hours and attractions due to the crowds. I know a man who owned a restaurant and he rented it to a group of CIAA people for a private closed event one night of the tournament and his bartenders said they made more money in that night than in two weeks of regular work. Extra large orders of top shelf liquor for the event. And nearly no bad behavior.

edit: The first year of CIAA I went to Opera on a Saturday night uptown and viewing the situation with some perspective in time it was a humorous experience. Not at the moment it occurred.

Here's the thing though: the CIAA held its tournament at Spectrum Center (then known as Bobcats Arena), and the Women's tournament was at Bojangles, which is hardly that far from Uptown.

The Dickies Arena (not making the joke, but damn) in Fort Worth is in the area of the stockyards, with the only relevant draws being three art museums, and the Will Rogers Center. It's nowhere near downtown or any other activity center. And I can say that the CUSA Men's Tournament was held in an even worse location, Frisco, Texas, at the arena on the Cowboys Headquarters in the middle of pure suburbia. Both tournaments attracted fans in the hundreds...not the thousands like the CIAA. There are distinct differences, and it is unfortunate bc these smaller arenas could be great centers, but they are surrounded by nothingness (no offense to the Kimball and Fort Worth art museums which are glorious architecturally).

March 18

On 3/16/2024 at 1:16 PM, kermit said:

I have no idea if this is remotely accurate, but its really a shame following what was a pretty great season for the niners. IMO, national, but identityless conferences (this is happening to every conference other than the SEC and the Sunbelt) are going to be the thing that kills college sports.

Off topic, but this is a result from conferences trying to capitalize on Texas even though most conference teams are east coast based. Pretty soon it may be the ACC Basketball Championship in Dallas now that SMU is in the conference. Could you imagine?

March 18

On 3/15/2024 at 10:32 PM, KJHburg said:

The City of Wilmington bought the 12 story former PPD Thermo Fisher building downtown. There are several parcels that can be developed around it and these flyers show them and adjacent apartment complexes built nearby.

I went last year to a 4th of July shindig in the park right there and it was HOPPING. I had no idea how lively this area had become. It needs to connect to the main downtown core better - relying on the riverfront doesn't do it entirely. There is great opportunity to continue to build on the urban apartment boom in the area.

IIRC, when the PPD building was built, there was talk of two more similarly sized buildings, but this was just before the recession, so I don't think it had any teeth to survive that obstacle. Obviously I think apartments and hotels will work better than office down here. Capitalize on the fast growing tourism and retirement growth in the area. It's insane how fast this area is growing.

March 18

Not sure if this is the right thread or if the Lowe's tower thread is better, but Outdoor Voices is closing all stores to focus on their online platform. I liked their stuff, but apparently they closed through shady methods with their sales associates, so I can't share in the goodwill towards their product anymore.

Sad to see them close.

I'd be interested to see what takes over here. This is now a retail hotspot, so I would hope something like Aesop or Le Labo or Everlane. Maybe we should start a retail thread for South End?

March 13

So what's this I'm seeing about Balenciaga opening here? I mean...EXCUSE ME? Consider me intrigued by Simon to get this here in Charlotte. Although I think Ferragamo, Bottega, Hermes, Cartier make better sense, it is still huge news.

March 12

I guess one of the big reasons it still exists is that it provided a large space for conferences. IIRC, when the Marriott Convention Center was being built, the Hilton North Raleigh was the only hotel in Raleigh proper that offered conference space. With the Renaissance being the only major hotel to open since then, I'd say it still fills a void that is hard to replace until the proposed Omni opens down at the CC. Raleigh truly lacks full-service hotels.

March 9

Anymore news on the Phillips Place changes happening?

March 8

3 hours ago, Temeteron said:

•Vince Camuto is now open in their new spot next to Belk

Not to be annoying but it's just VINCE not Vince Camuto. Two separate brands. Unless I'm missing something. The wesbite lists VINCE but not Vince Camuto.

March 6

Pardon my ignorance, but, aside from the Library, what else is moving forward in permitting or being built? Correct me if I am wrong, but the office tower is no longer? What's the likelihood for hotel & residential?

March 4

Remind me again of the deck screening with this? That is an atrociously visible deck, and I would hate for it to be the focal point from this vantage point.

February 27

7 minutes ago, RANYC said:

I really like this idea. Tall buildings don't make necessarily make places stroll-worthy. Surface-level intrigue and allure do. Perhaps make it a "pedestrian-only shopping street with crafts, artisans, food, and entertainment." Big money into replacing the CTC with high-rises really isn't the way to make these uptown sub-districts vibrant at the ground and stroll-worthy. I'm convinced it's plazas and placemaking w/continuous programming.

Well one of the reasons this might work is because it's odd shaped leftovers and one large lot (Preferred Parking). The only things that would work in terms of highrises would be something the size of Moxy or Skye, which isn't the worst thing, but this at least tries to maximize the odd shapes into something useful. And then when the CTC closes and the new buildings are built, it can somewhat connect to that development and further connect with Epicenter, thus creating a natural entertainment district that doesn't rely on one big development plan.

February 27

Ok hear me out: this is good news bc it takes up another empty lot.

But I also have this idea of taking the sliver of land between Midnight Diner and that gorgeous building at Trade & Brevard, and turn that into a plaza that connects to the Moxy. Use the remaining portions on that block to set up food trucks or kiosks for food. Heck, you can even extend the plaza to cross 4th as well and go behind Skye. And then on either side where there are vacant lots, build small scale entertainment like the B Tower on 5th.

Ok here's what I am thinking :

February 26

Also, it should be noted that Jacksonville is consolidated with Duval County, whereas Austin is not with Travis County. So, the scale is different. And while communities in Duval chose to remain separate, Jacksonville not only covers a larger land (874sqmi) compared to Austin (320sqmi). Austin also got hit pretty hard during the COVID pandemic as folks moved out of cities, whereas Jacksonville, being the beach community it is and much larger in area, gained from that loss. So, I would say trust nothing until the 2030 Census numbers come out because the latter half of this decade will be a return to 2020 numbers and growth upward. Austin is still the poster child for insane growth, and I imagine it to overtake Jacksonville in the next couple years.

February 21

I always thought Levine, Brenner, and other Children's hospitals were separate, but I guess the nuance is that they are attached to the main hospital.

Sign In

Profiles

Forums

Gallery

Project Database

User Guide

Store

Events

Posts posted by Rufus

Important Information