emansius

This is perhaps a silly question, but does anyone know whether the City is considering/has considered connecting Herrin Ave under the railroad tracks and bringing N McDowell all the way to Herrin? Seems like a potentially smart way to improve connectivity in the area as part of the Northeast Corridor Improvement initiative, though not sure if there’s a history I’m missing as to why these streets were all disconnected.

Really interesting that Hoffman & Associates responded to this. If my memory serves me correctly, this would be one of their first projects outside of Greater Washington. I know I read in the WBJ that they were looking to open an office in Raleigh, but has anyone heard that that actually happened? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Small infill project with a pending rezoning application at the NE corner of Providence and Wendover. With the land sale across the street on the SW corner, something tells me this intersection is going to look very different in the next 5-10 years. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Didn't see this one on the Development Map, so thought I'd post to see if anyone had heard anything else on the project. It's by-right, so not sure this flashed across many radars. Fast Facts 830 Providence Rd between Middleton and Perrin. Narmour Wright is the architect of record; LandDesign is the LA and Civil; Marsh Properties is the owner 16 multifamily units on a former surface parking lot. Inter-parcel access with Queens at Granville apartments (which is also owned by Marsh) http://ww.charmeck.org/Planning/Subdivision/Approvals/2018/830ProvidenceRd(MF).pdf

Because those are one of the few remaining users that are making deals pencil these days Though I suppose Edens could "buy" a hard/soft good anchor if it thought it'd drive a better merchandising mix /placemaking thesis. But you're right - I forgot how oversaturated South End is with boutique fitness lol.

That would be awesome! Alas, Alamo and other small-format theaters usually have footprints that are 30k-45k GSF. Fingers crossed for some sort of soft good or boutique fitness concept

Correct - you pay per ride (no membership required), but it's not a flat fee. The total cost is still based on how long you use it. With LimeBike and Ofo, the ride ends when you lock the back wheel; leave it unlocked and you'll continue to rack up a bill

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-tax-law-will-help-some-housing-markets-1514116801 Interesting potential upside of the tax cut and reform bill. Not that the migration from high-cost to low-cost states is anything new, but the author posits that the overhaul has the potential to accelerate the trend insofar as the housing market is concerned.

FWIW on the prospect of Boston being the lead contender, there are over 250,000 college students in Greater Boston - giving any company that locates there an incredibly deep talent pool from which to draw. This, combined with the prestige and quantity of the research institutions that dot the landscape, makes Boston an (if not the) undisputed "Eds and Meds" powerhouse, full of the innovative ethos that a company like Amazon would thrive on. I would be thrilled to see HQ2 land in the QC, but am tempering my excitement with the reality that Boston has the raw product Amazon needs to succeed. Anecdotally, speaking as someone who just graduated, I think there's also something to be said about the "network effect" pulling talent to places that might not land at the top of any "most affordable places to live" lists. Most people I knew ended up in NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, or DC because that's where everyone else went (and where firms who recruited the hardest are located) - not because it made the most economic sense. Definitely a subjective analysis, but I don't think I knew anyone in my graduating class of 1,500 who moved to Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Austin, or Charlotte - all affordable cities with a growing amount of cultural capital. Cost of living is definitely important factor, broadly speaking, but there are certainly other variables that factor in, especially when it comes to a company with the cachet of Amazon.

My guess is that it won't get developed because of the interests of the civic association that owns it. They'd prefer its continued use as a neighborhood park over anything else. FWIW, my parents walk their dog there frequently and contend that it's a popular spot, particularly in the warmer months.

Apologies if the comment came off as directed at any one person; it definitely was not meant to be. I only wanted to emphasize the dramatic irony provided by 10 years of historical perspective. As far as I understand it, the clawback only goes into effect if CATS eliminates light rail service altogether. Draconian cuts to bus service wouldn't trigger that, but would render the bus system effectively useless and place added strain on congestion without income from a different funding mechanism. For example, CATS' operating income for FY2015 was $149.3M, with $59M coming from the portion of the sales tax allocated to operations. Elimination of the tax would thus reduce operating income by almost 40%, and reduce bus service by some figure more than 40% to offset the (assumed) continued level of rail operation. In 2015 there were 56 local and express bus routes; that figure would likely drop below 30 in order to keep bus ridership at the 20 person-per-hour threshold mandated by the state. Additionally, bus ridership from the same year was 20.6M, so draconian cuts to bus service would place at least 8.24M more trips on area roadways. So even for people who don't ride the bus, there would still be a a negative effect felt universally across all strata of the population. People definitely vote based on emotion, as you said, but that doesn't make the dissemination of facts and logical argumentation useless. The "Stop The Train" group that placed the repeal on the ballot in 2007 ended up with fewer votes than they had petition signatures (38,179 on election day vs. the 48,669 they collected door-to-door), in no small part due to the flurry of numbers-oriented media coverage and the $700,000 ad campaign against the repeal. There was certainly some value in that effort in directing voters away from the anti-government, emotional argument presented by Stop The Train and The John Locke Foundation.

If 2007's repeal effort is any indicator of present conditions, something like 68% of the half-cent sales tax goes toward operating the bus system. Comparatively little goes to building out other forms of transit (e.g. light rail and commuter rail), so undoing the tax would do more damage to lines/routes currently in operation (including the express routes to North Meck that came about because of the passage of the tax in 1998). People often forget that the tax wasn't designed to only fund the construction of the LYNX system; eliminating the tax won't have the effect these people intend, as any "savings" residents gain by doing away with the tax will likely result in paying more property taxes to keep CATS and the existing LYNX running (even at reduced service). Below is the Observer's 2007 analysis of a repeal: "The city estimates that a family with the area's median income - just under $60,000 - pays about $40 a year for the half-cent sales tax for mass transit. Should that tax be repealed, the city predicts four possible scenarios. Two are unlikely. One would involve cutting bus service and not running the light-rail line. That isn't likely because CATS would have to repay the state and federal government $306 million used to build the south corridor rail line. Another unlikely scenario would replace the sales tax with a steep property tax to build rapid transit corridors. Here are the two most likely scenarios: Stop all future rail construction. Operate the south corridor light-rail line, though service would be reduced. Cut bus service, including dropping Sunday service, cutting 41 of 76 routes, and increasing fares. This would spur a property tax hike that would add roughly $58 a year on a house with a taxable value of $159,900. Stop all future rail construction but fully operate the south corridor light-rail line. Keep the bus system as it is today with no expansion plans. This would cost $171 a year in new property taxes for that same house. CATS could also choose a level of service somewhere in between. The city could also raise property taxes and make budget cuts, though officials have said there is little room in the budget." Amazing how quickly people forget....

I actually got to try out my friend's drone today and snag a few nice shots... https://vimeo.com/198613310

Any thoughts on the approval by city council to raze 0.6 acres of homes and build a surface lot next to Highland Mill? Assuming I'm reading this right, it's annoying that the parcels have been rezoned as TOD-MO and will be used to park cars so close to the Blue Line. http://charlottenc.gov/planning/Rezoning/RezoningPetitions/2016Petitions/Pages/2016-130.aspx

Not sure if this was posted before, but here's a decent retail conversion of an aging pair of industrial buildings at N. Davidson and 24th. Doesn't really engage the street at all, but should help in bringing more activity to this stretch of N. Davidson. http://ww.charmeck.org/Planning/Rezoning/2017/017-031/2017-031 site plan.pdf