MATB1980

^^^ I agree completely. Whether people like it or not we have no choice but to start building more compact cities with robust mass transit infrastructure. Energy prices are going to continually climb and we can no longer afford to keep our heads in the sand about ubran sprawl. Sprawl is no longer viable and the world economy is not going to support them. I am actually pretty excited about this though because we're probably going to find our quality of lives improved greatly with greater access to the arts and entertainment, shorter commuting times, and more social interaction with more people living closer together. The Vue is helping with this push here in Charlotte and I can't wait to see it finished.

I totally agree, this is just the beginning I suspect of seeing higher development all along the Blue Line. This is really the whole purpose of rapid mass transit. Lets get building some mass! The question at this point though is when do they begin sitework? I can't wait to see to this develpoment go up, the skyline will be looking pretty amazing when these three towers make their presence felt.

I can't wait to hear the updates on this. The sooner we get decent highspeed rail into Charlotte the better. With the airline industry the way it is, I think the future of rail as a means of long distance travel is starting to look more and more appealing. Of course the N.CR is something I am waiting on too as I plan on using it from day one if it finally gets built. I dream of a day I can sell my car without replacing it!

Awesome pics ATLRVR. This is going to be a fantastic once it's all build, not only is the skyline going to get some infill, but I'm looking looking forward to the beginning of seeing some Uptown retail.

I completely agree you on that. I would much rather be part of a new skyline than look at one in the distance and having a view of 3x new towers right outside my window would be pretty exciting for me. Just my opinion though...

Some awesome news for the transit line. CBJ just posted an article regarding an extra 9mil for the blue line extension. As long as this is approved then this will be a huge help in getting the extension done on as short a time frame as possible. http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte.../14/daily4.html

Great pics Mobuchu, I can't wait to see this one go above grade.

I would think a Heathrow would be more sucessful than a Gatwick link. Being a Brit myself I fly back home regularly and have used both Heathrow and Gatwick. Gatwick is definitely the better choice for going into London but lets not forget that there are a lot of people like myself who are going to other places in England too. Flying into Heathrow is 100x easier to deal with especially if you're heading out into the West Country. As a result of this I actually fly via DC, Chicago or Phily now because I prefer the convenience of Heathrow. It would be interesting to know how many people follow the same logic as me, because my feeling is that US maybe pleasantly surprised by the response - plus since CLT is an expanding hub it would be perfect to have other people connect here (I'm probably a little biased on the last point though )

I don't think CATS is necessarily operating the blue line as a CR, but I would agree that the majority of people who are using the rail are doing so for commuting purposes from 485.

It would appear you can watch the progress of the tower crane going up on the Garrison webcam. I can't wait to see the tower start poking up above all the condo buildings around it. http://oxblue.com/pro/open/?webPath=coxschepp/garrison

The original post stated the 30 day timeframe on the 11th, so I would guess we should see some action within the next 2 weeks. Fingers are crossed.

According to Skyscraper page they have it listed at 677ft (206.3m) which wil make this the 3rd tallest tower in Charlotte after BOA and Wachovia. Hearst Tower comes in 4th at 659ft (200.9m). Not sure where they get this information but the numbers certainly look good to me. http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?cityID=536

It's official the site is now up! http://trumpcharlotte.com/

Sorry to say it's still the bright orange billboard we've all come to know and hate. I think it was just the spotlights reflecting in such a was as to blind the camera.

Living in this very corridor over in Biddleville by JCSU, I would be okay with some sort of local corridor tax that would help get the project up and running. Relying on the FTA, County wide taxes or the state to free up cash this project is only ever going to delay the thing. I agree with you ChiefJoJo that the city doing this alone would be of great benefit in lowering Cats operating budget and avoiding MTC's issues. Plus once the system is up and running then I would guess that the remaining Streetcar lines wouldn't be too far behind in consturction after the city/MTC/CATS etc see the significant benefits that this first segment would bring.

I don't know if anyone has seen this yet but there is an article on the CBJ today about bringing the Streetcar system forward. No dates are mentioned for when if it does indeed get brought forward but I am hopeful that we may be in a for a street car way before the originally planned 2018 - maybe if we're lucky we'll see something by 2012. Anyway, for anyone interested in the article here is the link: http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte...2706000^1587987

Sweet! Maybe we'll get a more sensitively designed project now. The orignally planned Dollar Store was pretty ugly looking...

Fantastic! Thanks, I've been waiting to this camera's view for a while. It's actually got a good view of the Wachovia tower too since the Observer camera doesn't have a view of the top anymore this will be a great camera to keep watch of.

I totally agree with you on that. I think that is what they plan for the future street car system here in Charlotte anyway but it can't come soon enough as far as I am concerned. These types of systems are used commonly in Europe in large towns and cities with great effect, and I think a similiar one here in Charlotte would make a great impact on the city - both economically and congestion wise. Now we just need the city planners to condense development and limit sprawl and we could create quite the model city!

To be honest I don't know if anyone has the answer to this question yet. The plan is to demolish the existing site and start something new there but as far I know there are no concrete plans yet. There is a grand master plan though for the whole W. Trade/Beaties Ford corridor though that includes new retail/residential/entertainment along that strech with plans eventually for it to go all the way out to I-85. The Street car is apparently is planed to go up to JCSU but the plan was for that to feed the entire corridor to revitalize the whole stretch. Right now I guess we'll have to wait and see but I'll post new info if I find anything more out.

They are trying to rezone it for a new Family Dollar Store.