Rufus

I'll take a stab at this: 1. I think this takes priority over vacant parking lots. Those lots can be sold to gain $$$ for the city. IMO, the city should be trying to help and support its citizens. If resources are so scarce, I believe it is cheaper to use existing structures to provide housing and facilities for people. The other lots can sit and wait until the time is right (which is likely not the best answer, but that's the truth). 3. CCCP is at its core, a real estate and economic development promoter. They will do whatever they can to attract businesses and development to Uptown because it'll help their financial interests. From my understanding, they are a business improvement district (BID) which acts as a steward of uptown using funds from a special tax district (I.e. Uptown and S.E.). Attracting development means more tax $$ for them to use to again attract more development. They may have some altruistic qualities and desires to better plan for pedestrians and the environment, but, all of that is meant to keep uptown attractive for development.

I wonder if there is an optics issue of openly calling Charlotte the HQ over Detroit...like, what if Ally got incentives or something to have it call Detroit home.

Charlotte has 9 companies on the F500, with Albemarle being a surprise entry at #493. The Triangle has 2 with IQVIA and Advanced Auto Parts. Triad gets one with Labcorp (which will be splitting into two companies next year). And Hickory gets one with CommScope. Overall F1000 Numbers are as follows: CLT - 16 Triangle - 7 Triad - 5 Hickory - 1 Asheville - 1

Sadly, I wonder if that means it won't break 500ft. I know that's a vanity height we all like to see, but I'd be upset to see it missed here.

Interesting compared to the numbers that CATS mentions and are sourced on Wikipedia. But it's also not surprising to see Saturday numbers higher.

Not surprised. I never thought their market fit Charlotte. Opens up a big space in the main area between Kate Spade and Lego. I wonder what could go there, or if them leaving sets up the consolidation of space for Zara.

Yes...just moved from the main entrance to the new quad between the arena and union

Yes, and that looks to be happening. Now that Burberry has reopened, their temporary space at the main entrance is ripe for the pickings. Brahmin Handbags is moving to a smaller space from next door to Louis Vuitton down a couple storefronts closer to Nordstrom. There are two large spaces in the main corridor, two spaces between Dillards and Belk, and then one corner spot next to Auntie Annes. That makes seven. Don't forget Omega is taking the old Swarovski spot next to Hive & Colony, while Swarovski is moving between Chicos and the new Brahmin space. And we still don't know where Zara is locating.

What's the demand here for Amsterdam-Schiphol? I know it's a Delta hotspot with KLM, but I've always found it interesting there hasn't been a flight there. I know the airport has seen better days since the pandemic with the majority of the line craziness we saw across Europe last year, but I wonder if there is potential for it one day soon. Then again, I bet it also being smack in the middle of LHR, CDG, and FRA really screw its potential.

Wow, Philips Place continues to bring in some great new retail. Announced today are Alice & Olivia and Jenni Kayne. Jenni Kayne is a California-based retailer found all around the LA area, and has been rapidly expanding across the country the last few years. Alice & Olivia is NYC-based (their flagship is at Bryant Park) and sells womens wear as well. I've had the chance to work with Stacey Bendet of Alice & Olivia when I was working at Bryant Park for a couple years...she's interesting, but nonetheless was open to using the store to help enhance the park attendance. These are two fabulous gets for the center. I can't wait to see what else is announced.

It just doesn't make sense that Simon purchases the hotel to prevent other competition. Southpark is filled to the brim, and there isn't much space to add new retail there. PP complements the mall so well in terms of a potential higher-end luxury market. It would be good business for Simon to make sure PP is as successful as possible so it can continue to push customers to go between the two centers. I mean, HPV and Northpark Center are much further apart in Dallas, but the symbiotic nature of the two is really well done. I can only imagine Southpark and PP being the same.

I mean...it is a major Latin America banking center. And it's rising in international banking. But I'm surprised it was mentioned with such confidence when there are others that would easily beat it out.

It should be noted that what eventually became UNC Charlotte was originally where CPCC is located. It wasn't until the 60s that the institution became an official university, and went north due to both generous land for growth, and a foresight that there would be explosive growth in that area. It's a shame University City wasn't better planned in that time. UNC Charlotte is a post-war university, which looked to expansive, suburban campuses. Look at SUNY Stony Brook, USF, UCF, UC Irvine, UCSD, and UC Riverside and you'll see similar campuses that are horribly assimilated into their cities.

Chiming in with another retail update: 1. MCM has closed -- it was just a kiosk, so it's not much of a loss. NM and Nordstrom both carry the brand, so I wonder if this was a testing ground to see if things were viable for a store. 2. I think it has been posted before, but Burberry is under renovation. When the renovation is finished, the temporary store near the "main" entrance will be vacated. That could turn into something special. 3. Finally, OMEGA will be opening a boutique in the mall according to the website. This is a good get. I wonder if it is part of the TAG HEUER space, or a separate space. Nonetheless, it's a good get in terms of retailers. I also just want to chime in and say how outrageous it is for this Altar'd State brand to have one of the largest collections of square footage in the mall. They have FOUR brands right next to each other in Tullabee, AS Revival, Arula, and Altar'd State. I don't have high hopes that all of these will last in terms of overall viability, but it is insane to have this much space taken up.

I just don't understand why the city is not taking a firmer stance on development and aesthetics. Like, I thought Raleigh was bad, but man this is just sad. This is a city of almost 300,000 people and its recent developments have been crap. Nothing is being built of quality in the city since the ballpark tower. It's really upsetting. What is the stance of the City Planning Dept.?

Posting here, but Atlrvr posted in the Southpark Projects page that Veronica Beard is opening at Philips Place. This is pretty good get as it seems like Denver is the closest metro in size that has a store location. The rest are in pretty mega retail metros. Hopefully this leads to more announcements.

A team may decide to go to Nashville, but considering they shot down their transit referendum, the saga with Nashville FC stadium, and the fact that the Titans are seeking public money for their new stadium, I doubt the city or its people will vote to give yet another sports team public funds.

I disagree entirely. Reno's looks cheap and chintzy, like it is most likely EFIS. It has weird proportions and so much going on, it's clearly made for a small gambling center like Reno. Raleigh's looks classic, and while boring, it's not ugly.

Morphe is closing all of its brick and mortar locations. This makes 6 vacant locations ripe for the taking. I've read popular retailer Aritzia is coming, which while not super luxury, it is massively popular in major cities. I am intrigued to see what comes now that the holidays are over. Is MCM still a kiosk? I wonder if they want a storefront.

Didn't someone post a model or basic massing diagram a year or two ago about a new tower at the hospital? I remember a curved building was shown.

I don't want to wade too far into this but, the prevailing rumor I've heard is this was done to prevent a Drag Story Hour or Drag Performance at a venue in the county. I am more than happy to be proven wrong, but that is what has been told to me, and across LGBTQIA+ platforms. There was even a prominent opponent of drag shows who celebrated the power outage...I'll need to find the tweet.

The eternal optimist in me is thinking this: Someone mentioned that Portman is the one who sort of began the conversations with Smith over this, and that's what has started this reporting. If one recalls, the 2020 Vision Plan had a tech corridor plan for N. Tryon, very much in line with Daniel Levine's properties (maybe a bit closer to Tryon, but still). Michael Smith has wanted this for a long time. Now, he has UNC Charlotte really trying to strengthen its presence uptown, has all this land, has all these parking deals with Levine, but clearly the university hates having just one building, and that that building sits alone in a see of vacant land. My bet is that CCCP, Smith, and UNC Charlotte have been seeing how stagnant this land is, they aren't happy with it, and they are pushing Levine to get something done. I almost wonder if this is a last gasp for Levine to get something done with a small bit of good will left. If this stalls and doesn't move forward, he loses the confidence of the downtown development booster and the major university in the area while Wake is churning dirt down near CMC. I just think this is really a press push from Smith and UNC Charlotte to hold Levine's feet to the fire to get something done.

Sure, in terms of pure metro numbers. But, if you were to include San Jose, which is most of Silicon Valley, you get those huge numbers. Both metros are 8-9.5 million and then also 9-10k sqmi.

Off topic -- I love these books. I did my Masters Thesis on these books. If CCCP or the City Planning Dept. do not have these books on their shelves and in their practice, they are making a huge mistake. The Gehl Practice is still active, and I would be so happy to see a collaboration in Charlotte.