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But you were the one who mentioned Brooklyn & “anywhere in the US”. So. I am serious with that. & I don’t care who you mute, so. You quoted me. You replied to me. Numerous times. It only seems fitting you be the one to mute me, so. Edit: in response to the profanity below, I did not bring up my personal habits, I did not allude to anywhere else and picked the most basic routine things that already exist in Charlotte in response to your list to me listing off urgent cares and dentist that I don’t consider to be every day errands. You mentioned NY. You quoted me up & down. And Instead of just muting like you said you were, you use profanity (something I don’t do, so you won’t get profanity back in kind from me.)

I’m not sensitive, I’m just responding to what you said to me. Sometimes I think You respond to my post with wrong information like the below & act surprised when I still dont agree In fact, I think I tried to be respectful and say it works for you. But you’re more interested in talking about NYC and the entire country. I also said I think this development is great the way it is and probably couldn’t do a better job. The office component provides business diversified business and revenue with the residents at night.

So you think I’m lying? Do you want a list? From B&N it was a French to English visual dictionary. From Macy’s, it was a hoodie, a little Kuerig coffee machine, and a queen size comforter that was vacuum sealed the size of a small briefcase. From the weed store, it was two packs of THC infused Ocean-Breeze Gummies. The dog was dropped off at camp. I used that bookbag to carry smaller things. The post office was to drop off cards From Pottery Barn it was a picture frame as a gift and I accidentally bought myself something I have no idea what it is but it was cute and I want it for a new table. CVS it was wrapping paper which yes was a struggle with the tubes because I had 5 but it was across the street from my place and my last stop so I figured I could hobble. in 1 trip… If I was getting more, I would have brought my little cart thing. Or just went later or the next day… Edit: The Krispy Kreme was the small box of 3. Because the bigger box is too inconvenient.

And I said I literally just did it so I don’t know why you keep repeating its not possible anywhere? And I regularly make those type of errands. It wasn’t some special trip… it’s normal, regular stuff people need in Charlotte too. IKEA… really anything. Normal stuff… And it’s the same thing I did in Charlotte. Same places. And if the bus to SouthPark was Better, I’d do it again (I’ve tried it twice. Once From uptown. Once from I think Scaleybark. Time… consuming…) DC is not the most urban city in the U.S., so I have a hard time believing NY, San Francisco, Chicago it’s not possible but somehow in DC it is…

Those are the *same* places I went while I was in Charlotte…. The same habits… You don’t think other Charlotteans are going to B&N, Macy’s, Pottery Barn, pick up their kids, post office all in one swoop? I didn’t say “this cute little local book store in a charming row home and the cute little toy store beside it”. I said the post office. The doggy daycare. Macy’s. B&N. Krispy Kreme. I like Pottery Barn. The same stuff…. If the buses to SouthPark were more reliable, that starts to become possible. You’re still trying to drag other areas into it. It’s not necessary. We can leave NYC out of it and keep this focused on Charlotte unless it’s somehow relevant….

Well I literally just did it so. I just left off Barnes & Noble & Macy’s… (Edit: and the weed store & Krispy Kreme, lol) Im not really interested in talking about NY or elsewhere, tbh. I’m not interested in getting into discussions about elsewhere, I’m just strictly talking about Charlotte within context of Charlotte so. It’d be great if we could not drift bringing other places into the equation.

I “hearted” your post. I have a hard time imagining people walking from SouthEnd to WholeFoods for groceries in significant numbers (Ive walked several times from a friends house that lived in 550 Uptown to SouthEnd when we missed a train)and it wasn’t great nor much foot traffic any of the times). And it was cold. And dark. And seemed longer than it probably was. I liked your post because, it works for you. And I can appreciate your experience. I value access, getting to wherever I want, the freedom of mobility and I feel like there’s more freedom in car ownership in Charlotte. If I need to run to CVS, run to Target, drop something off at the post office, get Christmas stuff or check out new furniture, drop off my dog at doggy daycare, it just seems easier and have the options to go to the specific gym I like, the specific restaurant. I felt confined in Catalyst trying to not use a car. It just doesn’t work for me nor enjoyable to rely nearly exclusively on transit in its current form in Charlotte. I think the answer is better transit than wishing Queens Bridge was all residential. Im also surprised how so few here live in Multifamily housing nor live in center city.

6 Figure Salary walking from QueensBridge to WholeFoods several x a week? Doesn’t seem like something high income earners would want to do. Light Rail with 10 minute frequencies? Yeah. To WholeFoods & CVS. Better, rapid bus service throughout center city to get to Freedom Park, churches, TJ Maxxx, various restaurants, etc. I’m just saying I think the project is as good as it can get to adding vibrancy but mobility is what will be the driving force behind more vibrancy, people out etc. I think the mixed-use is better than just pure residential, actually. But there’s so many other reasons why people need to drive a vehicle very regularly if transit isn’t improved. It sounds like a nice house arrest to rely on that list you provided assuming transit doesn’t get revamped. Meanwhile, given how walkable and such it is, maybe people should stop taking pics while driving a vehicle and rely on transit for picture updates.

I wonder where BRT would even go in Charlotte. All the routes I think of seem geared towards commuters and at that point, would it only be BRT during the work hours? Or would suburbs get fast frequent and heavily invested in bus infrastructure before the inner city… and is there much demand for that service (relative to the investment) that the Express buses don’t already accomplish? I’d love to see Freedom have a bus only lane + protected bike lanes and government $ to flow into it to bring more affordable & low income housing (with Market Rate components). I think that corridor has a tonnnn of potential, but I think only intentional action (laws) by the city can make that successful. Light Rail down Wilkinson, ~12 bus with bus lanes on Freedom, already have the Gold Line and densify the neighborhoods between Brookshire down to Wilkinson. That’d be so awesome IMO. From Morehead around Wesley Heights and along Berryhill Road, it looks like it has strong bones to be a future SouthEnd (not in character or anything but in scale of development)

Hello Miami, I mean Austin https://www.flickr.com/photos/gabetakesphotos/53422546883/

Nice analysis by Kermit indeed. The one thing about Richmond’s BRT is I don’t quite recall the fanfare of it being BRT. It seemed like an emphasis on the overall bus network, bus lane and optimizing the network to be overall frequent, simple and focus on stations and eyeing a new facility downtown. BRT seemed to me like, I dunno, just a part of an overall revamp whereas cities clamoring for federal dollars for it that I’ve seen seem to be treating it like “build BRT and the rest will follow” similar to how LRT can encourage development, revitalize areas, etc. But I think BRT is only a piece of the puzzle. The GGWash actually has a lot of great articles about Richmond’s transit (for anyone interested in reading. There’s a ton of great analysis for those not interested in Richmond. I’m not interested in Richmond, but the articles have great discussions and links) Future BRT discussions: https://ggwash.org/view/91794/richmond-releases-alignment-of-second-pulse-bus-rapid-transit-route High Level of the transformation (from Aug 2022) https://ggwash.org/view/85856/richmond-has-made-monumental-progress-on-public-transit-we-must-keep-moving-forward With this interesting bit about a transportation authority (which is very relevant to Charlotte as I know some here are big champions) Finally, the establishment of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority in 2020 has created GRTC’s first dedicated revenue stream and established a regional body to foster cooperation amongst localities. 2022 could be the most exciting year for transit since the great redesign of 2018 with a historic 20% increase in bus service in the works. Plus, the city has painted the Pulse lanes red from 3rd Street to I-195, thanks in part to a state grant. Theres a ton more of in-depth analysis (a ton that are recent) here with lots of sources to other articles https://ggwash.org/search/908344757bc875e4ad97bb93cbca94a5 Also as DownEast notes, Richmond does have historically dense neighborhoods and the BRT essentially runs down the middle (pretty much Highway 250, which is a straight line.) In the DC area, we have two BRT’s. I’m most familiar with MetroWay (below) which is *slower* than sin despite having mostly dedicated bus lanes, grand shelters, etc. in Arlington. I’d call it a failure. Or at least not something to emulate. I think what makes it awful is that it isn’t a straight line. Partly due to highway 1 up north where it’s an elevated highway, and the turns, etc. Which is how I imagine it would be for Charlotte (having detours to hit higher densities of movement as opposed to staying mostly on one main road) In DC, we have normal bus service that is more frequent (and 24 hour) routes. But they mostly go in straight lines. So I just get the feeling rapid bus works best in straight lines of dense areas. I don’t think Charlotte should pursue BRT in the way Houston or I guess Wake are. I mean, sure pursue it but I don’t think it’ll do much. Not in growth. Not in development. Not in improved transit much. I think just increases frequencies on certain bus routes are better uses of resources and I think the eye should be on LRT & we shouldn’t be pressed with Houston or Raleigh getting federal dollars. I’m just not sure it’s going to pan out. But. That’s my opinion on BRT. I think Charlotte isn’t missing out. And I don’t think it’d encourage much dev. I think it’s a fad and the Silver Line in the form of LRT will be by far superior to BRT, as hard as it is to ignore the fanfare surrounding these grants.

The BRT trend gives me “Obama-era” streetcar vibes. It also seems the areas getting BRT are places that have less optimal transit & less state support for mass transit. Sort of like how Streetcars were pursued due to seeming that was the only transit that was viable to pursue from a funding standpoint. Looking at Houston where they’re spending a ton on BRT, it looks like some portions are in the middle of giantttt roads. For me, I’m always a split between… no transit improvements vs. bad transit improvements. I’m still not sure which is better. Because bad transit seems to be future justification of less investment in the future. Are there any good examples of BRT in the U.S.?

Downtown Portland is on a completely different league than uptown Charlotte. From Louis Vuitton, Apple, Nike (which is moving into a larger two-level space) to local Retailers, local book stores, downtown Portland has a ton of offerings. No Legacy Union, but that can be Charlotte’s hidden gem. (And when I say Uptown Charlotte, I’m narrowing it to mean the area between College & Graham) MAGA lies & anti-urban tropes aside, I don’t think any city is immune to not losing their team. Maybe a few like the Yankees where they seem like an overall brand staple to the league. LA didn’t have a football team several years ago and now it has 2, lol. So anything is possible. I think it’s going to be right place / right time of a scenario moreso than anything. It has all the goods in terms of the merit, as do other places.

Atherton Mill gives me Ballantyne Village vibes. (I love the way it looks though)

All else equal & specific to Charlotte, 5-Plus Matchstick maybe. - The Tallest residential I’ve lived in was Catalyst in uptown and the elevators were so freakin slow (and it was detached parking.) it was so hard to get motivated to leave, wait in the elevator, go to the parking garage, drive down the maze of parking. Every time I needed something that was directly nearby which was often. - 5-floor matchbox, I feel like they come with more amenities. You still get good views, usually nice rooftops and good amenities that you’d find in the high rise but a bit more amenity space and elevators don’t take as long and the parking situation isn’t as intense. I currently live in an 11 floor building and it’s best if both worlds imo. Restaurants in the bottom is another nice amenity. - walk-up is cute. I’ve lived in one, it was very nice to be able to immediately pop outside. But there were less amenities and not as great views, less sunlight.