Eightane

I realize your approach on this forum is usually pessimism, but this makes sense given the extremely tight parcel and the complexity of the project. I'll admit the construction company itself is known for slowness but in this case it would be near-impossible to be built on the same schedule or pace as towers of comparable height on larger land pieces. I'm fine with being patient for the new tallest hotel in the state *and* a great save of one of the few historic gems we have left.

Honestly, some times of the day even 27 at Mt. Holly is an easier cross of the Catawba. But getting to that bridge if you come from 485 and not Brookshire/Mt. Holly-Huntersville is even worse than that. One-lane and far past capacity. Neither aids the southern reaches that much. I think only the new road would truly help the region not choke at rushes, otherwise one traffic snarl / accident makes a new lane or wider bridge moot.

A few years back, getting this kind of comment myself would make me downright-angry, as it was all too common and even half a decade ago rather baseless, but nowadays I realize that's a pretty standard complaint for tourists who don't know where to be in a new city to find the best it offers. I went to Denver (CO) for vacation earlier this summer, and walking around their downtown I was SHOCKED at the lack of street activity. And this was on Colorado Day (according to locals there I talked to) when state park facilities were supposed to be discounted or free, and it still felt like the least-walked city of that size I've ever been to. Later on though, I thought about it and realized there was no way I was going to be in exactly the right hotspots at the right time to see the peak of activity or offerings. Some people never have that presence of mind, and honestly, I don't expect them to. We're all stupid when we're tourists anywhere.

Durhamite, 1020 and others bring up valid points and I hope they don't get shouted down in this discussion. No matter how any of us see the baseline issues, it's bad faith to act like racial tensions, racism and stereotypes don't figure into a great many decisions that affluent people (mostly whites, I say as one myself) make where it concerns other people. I know for a fact that Epicentre is not as busy or vibrant as it COULD be were it not for the fact that a sizeable segment of revelers think of crime, the transit center and the ethnic mix nearby and lump them all together as carelessly and biased as possible. Like I said, I'm white... But my husband is not. So the sooner we recognize and tackle these divides, the better off we'll all be for it. I will speak on something different however, that's more relevant to tenant mix and what *that* has to do with the state of the Epicentre. A lot have asked for more dry-goods retailers, or just anywhere that isn't about food, drink or entertainment, and not just for this complex but for uptown as a whole. I agree fully, but we should be mindful of something too: Charlotte has had the incredible misfortune of "coming into its own" and reaching critical mass at the exact same time brick-and-mortar retail is being beaten down by online buying. Every month that Uptown gains an office building, or an apartment tower, or any other people-draw, is also a month that more retailers that have walk-in footprints are either folding or drastically scaling back their expansions into markets or new locations. This is not to say that walk-in dry-goods places can't still thrive, or that we shouldn't be allowed to ask for them. But I see the future as nearly ALL local places that have dedicated customer bases and a lot of luck on their side. National chains and well-known brands are likely entering their last days. I hope for the best, but I doubt I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Absolutely agreed, Epicenter has more than its share of access issues. It almost took a map for me to locate the entrance to Lucky Strikes when I took a friend from Greensboro out bowling. I'll echo/paraphrase what was said earlier, Epicentre provides some things that are just too valuable to let go right now, I.E. the theater and bowling and a pretty decent 24/7 diner in the Red Eye. I don't wanna see Uptown lose any of that, but I also don't want that used an excuse to keep things as-is with a complex that's very visibly aging and creating its own problems for the surroundings. I think it'll be a multi-step process to get the weeds pulled (so to speak) with this block, and make it more purely a net win for the city and the locale. But one way or another something's got to give.

I meant to ask this earlier, but what is the progress of the resurfacing of 85 above China Grove? I remember there being one-lane closures promised in the stretches leading up towards the Triad.

Not only that, but - tinfoil hat alert - I feel it also indicates how politicians at state level are all ruled by the mindset that what works at the rural and/or outer suburban level will work everywhere. People from Metrolina have long held bitterness towards Raleigh's politicians saying that they overwhelmingly serve rural interests and have only contempt for cities that aren't in the Triangle, and seeing how agencies controlled by the state behave it's sort of hard to argue with those sentiments.

I wonder how much more expensive a fix that accounts for *all* traffic, including pedestrians, would have been to implement. Anything from adding a pedestrian bridge over 16 to burying one of the roads in a 'tunnel' under the other would have been exponentially more money- and time-consuming, but would show the powers that be understanding the nature of a city's needs better. We live in an era of speed and low cost being king, and all other considerations pale. It's pretty unfortunate.

Can I just say, the fact these fill an under-served niche in the market (smaller units) pushes this complex up to A++ for me. It may very well be my favourite project in SouthEnd save for maybe the Childress Klein tower.

Here in northern Gaston it's been just as hot but even drier, I think we missed out the last time there was a rain event. Lawns are about as dead as they get, and I'd sell my left leg for a good healthy dousing. I guess we all knew last year/this year's wet period had to end sometime or another.

I'm sorry, but every time I hear newer "hip" names for what's meant to be trendy nightspots or entertainment in the past 5 years, this is all I can think of. That said, if this takes off I'll be ecstatic, assuming it *does* collect only destination-type businesses. I'm skeptical but hopeful.

I haven't done much business travel or other types that would require/utilize other cities' convention centers, so how much does this expansion help our standing with other competing places? It's great that it's getting a remodel and a bridge to the Westin and station, but for some reason the increased space figure seems low to me. I'm sure a larger convention draw/event would swallow up that moderate increase in space like I do a plate of cocktail shrimp.

I was born and raised in that tiny town! The star attraction there was always the Jones Bros. "Galaxy" food store. All kidding aside, God I miss that place, it was shuttered years ago. [/off-topic]

I don't take offense to it, as it's not about size/importance of the city but instead is about how Charlotte has the bad luck of sounding like several other U.S. burgs that are both significant and not all that far away, such as Charleston SC *and* WV, Charlottesville VA, etc. whereas there's no other city in America that sounds quite like Raleigh/Durham.

Y'all love donuts like some people love Jesus. Lol. I'm more of a cheesecake guy myself. That being said, I'm glad an NC-based company does this well and gains this sort of cult following while keeping so much tax money inside our fair state. I continue to be happy for their success and hope KK does gangbuster business for many decades to come!

I hate to be the devil's advocate here, but in the article above it said they've "identified other funding that will allow all those projects to move forward". So is that implying none of the projects that were raided for this temp-fix are actually being killed by it? (And that's not to say they wouldn't still be delayed by this re-funneling of fed $ , which in a lot of cases isn't much better.)

So they resurrected the flatiron building along with the new plans? That's outstanding! I was so certain it was killed off. That alone will be a game changer in Elizabeth, architecturally anyway. Looking forward to it all taking shape!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the image of Central's new lanes are 'flipped', that is to say, the sidewalk that functions as Greenway abuts the (protected) bike Lanes and not the car lanes.

Question that I can't seem to answer from the picture provided: since this utilizes more than one "type" of path, and is an important connector, will there be any sort of signage or purposeful art that indicates the sidewalk over Central and the Prospect portion are more than just sidewalks? I mostly ask since when it's finished, newcomers to Charlotte that don't know better may benefit from something that points to how the two segments aren't interrupted. Maybe painted pavers if there's not enough room for signs at those turns?

Even if we don't get the ped bridge, I'm stoked about the linking of the two segments. I admit that though I've never taken the Greenway on the other side of Independence, I love the urban section that winds past Metropolitan and down past CMC. I would love an excuse to get my lazy non-bike-owning butt on longer walking trips, hahaha. Besides, crossing Independence in any way shape or form will be quite a boon for the overall experience, merging pleasant creekside hikes with an overlook from an always-busy artery and a great view of the skyline.

Not only that, but can we just have ONE year already where there's no major narrowing between Charlotte and the Triad/Triangle? As someone who has to travel to Richmond several times a year by road (visiting in-laws) I've waited so long just to not have to be held up before I even get to Greensboro. I really don't think 85 in northern Rowan is in such bad shape that they couldn't give us a one-annum grace period. Even 321's planned widening from Hickory north didn't piggyback on the widening up the Blue Ridge Escarpment to Blowing Rock.

True, true. I suppose I'll have more to wrap my brain around when those are open, park space is the kind of thing whose impact can be tough for me to pin down until it's done and walkable.

May just be personal opinion, but once the 4 are all complete it's going to feel like a second square. The Trade/Tryon intersection still has that wonderful pocket park and will soon have a Streetcar presence, but this one has The Green and a Whole Foods both nearby as bragging rights. This is such a tremendous time for this city.

Yes, I thought it went without saying that 321 doesn't function like a freeway within those last few miles towards 85. But it does bear mentioning that the left turn onto 85 North is part of what will help, so that part of your post wasn't redundant. I wonder at what point will growth near 321/85 outpace these fixes though, and I mean that without bias... It's hard to know, since Gastonia is the county seat of Gaston and attracts outmigrants in its own right due to jobs and established neighbourhoods, but also lacks the raw proximity of towns like Belmont and Mount Holly (where commute time decides a LOT of why those towns exploded in the past 10 years and also upfitted their downtown areas greatly). Time and the economic health of this metro will tell as we age.

While I'm disappointed that this is another case of "what can we cut corners on" with a major intersection, I am very glad to see that no longer will southbound 321 have to keep right to get on BOTH directions of 85. That was among the stupidest things the state has ever done in the Metrolina region and whomever cemented that as the original design should have been pink-slipped that very day.