jtmonk

September 11, 2019

Might want to clarify that it's a trolley bus, not a trolley on tracks. Still great to have a service that is there to help support small businesses and to bring more people into town.

September 5, 2019

New courthouse addition too. There's a lot of other stuff going on uptown as well. New brewery beside Bull City Ciderworks, old buildings being renovated into apartments and commercial space, still working on the train station, etc.

August 28, 2019

The rendering always showed 9 floors above ground, not sure where we got 10 from. And the bottom floor has no street presence at all along West 4th Street, which is understandable giving the use of the building but it still kinda sucks.

August 27, 2019

1 hour ago, Dale said:

What’s going on with the ski slope church ? Drove by yesterday and can’t tell that anything’s happening.

I thought the church was demolished last year. This is being built in its place. https://www.apexsouthpark.com/

August 26, 2019

To everyone upset about the parking situation on N Brevard Street, please understand that the City can't just let people park whenever and wherever they want to on public streets. There are rules and procedures the City must implement in order to allow parking on Brevard and I am certain that the City is looking into this but it takes time. Trust me, as a city planning I wish we could get things done quicker but there are always a lot more things to take into account than people realize when doing things as simple as adding on street parking to an area. Additionally, if the City isn't planning to add on street parking here, reach out to your council member or the City's Planning Department and talk to them about it, maybe you can help move things along.

August 23, 2019

2007 and 2019. Big difference

August 22, 2019

One silver lining to the hospital taking over this development is that it may give us hope for East Blvd. I know a few years ago the hospital was purchasing properties left and right along East Blvd for future expansion. It would be great if the hospital would concentrate on developing more in Midtown and let East Blvd develop more retail and residential options.

August 20, 2019

1 minute ago, NOLA2CLT said:

Is the high rise portion of this project on college st or the light rail?

It's on College Street. It's Building C in the site plan below

August 5, 2019

1 minute ago, Old Carolinian said:

"This parking garage makes me sad."

Exactly. The utter thoughtlessness and indifference of the hospital...building a convenient parking deck for patients needing chemotherapy, radiation and surgery for cancer and patients receiving treatment and rehab for heart and vascular disease.

I think we can all agree that parking is needed for hospitals, especially convenient parking for patients. I also think we can all agree that parking decks can be eye sores and should be designed in a way to be hidden or at least encourage more activity at street level. At least for this parking deck, they did leave space fronting Queens Road so maybe something such as retail can be built there in the not so distant future.

July 26, 2019

12 hours ago, LKN704 said:

One thing I never realized when I lived in CLT (because I was always looking at CLT as an origin/destination rather than a connecting point) is how much more AA charges as a premium to connect in its other hubs over CLT, which I guess further shows how low-yield CLT is.

I was looking at flights tonight to fly to Austin next August to visit a friend and then to Cancun in November. I could fly UA non-stop but I refuse to take part in their silly Basic Economy shenanigans. On the AA website, a round-trip flight DC-AUS connecting through CLT is $211. Connecting through ORD would make the cost go up to $372, and connecting through DFW it would jump to $422.

I performed the same experiment on AA to Cancun. The cheapest flight to CUN was $437 through CLT, and flights via MIA or DFW were at least $530. I substituted SFO/SAN/SLC/DEN/SEA/PDX and every time the cheapest option always connected via CLT.

I personally would prefer to connect through DFW or MIA as the facilities are a lot nicer (and both have Centurion Lounges) and AA is clearly charging a premium to connect in both of those cities.

I think it's all relative to where you are flying out of too. If you are using the DC area as your starting point then you are going to find that connecting in CLT is going to be cheaper than most other AA hubs. But if your starting point is Detroit or some other airport not in close proximity to CLT then you will find the opposite is true, it cost $289 to connect at DFW from DTW but cost $696 to connect at CLT. Now this is all relative to times and dates too, i'm sure we're looking at different times and dates. I'll also point out that if you are originating in CLT and flying direct to AUS or CUN, the flights cost more than connecting, so rest assured CLT isn't as low yielding as some might think.

July 26, 2019

15 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Noble Smoke finally open for full menu and I like how he pays homage to people who have great BBQ joints around the state including the Monks in Lexington.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2019/07/25/photos-charlotte-restaurateur-jim-noble-dishes-on.html

Thanks again for pointing this out, I'll take my family down to try the place out. We actually have had a few people from the Charlotte area come to our restaurant and work in the pits for a few days to learn how to smoke BBQ before opening their own restaurants. It's always a pleasure seeing new BBQ restaurants open up in the area, especially when they want to cook the old fashion way using real pits and wood to smoke the BBQ.

July 24, 2019

Wow, so by looking at the article they want to build a 32 story building on North Smith Street, on a portion of the block bounded by smith, 10th and Graham Streets in Fourth Ward. The site is behind Garrison at Graham Lofts. As stated in the article "an elevation depicts several levels of structured parking serving as a podium to the tower with the residence, with the amenity floor on top of the parking." Would be pleasantly surprised if this happens but highly doubt it.

July 22, 2019

On 7/21/2019 at 12:44 AM, SlackJack said:

What does Po-boy mean ? Do you have "WHITE PRIVILEGE" ?

By looking at his picture I would assume that it refers to a po boy sandwich. Might want to give a little more thought before posting, it's easy to take things out of context on these forums.

July 5, 2019

20 hours ago, easzman said:

That's what I thought. The stretch between Nations Ford Rd and 277 is very narrow in some sections with businesses close on each side.

Would there be a benefit in limiting access to the road by closing off ramps at Nations Ford Rd, Clanton, Remount, and West Blvd? I know it sounds crazy to do this but can you imagine how bad this road will be in another 5 years as more folks choose to live in SC and work in Charlotte. Perhaps it just needs to become too painful of a choice to make and in the end it will be difficult for employers to hire people for jobs located in uptown if it's not suited for a young college grad willing to live in NoDa or SouthEnd.

I don't think shutting down those ramps is a good idea. Yes, it may help alleviate some traffic but at the expense of those who live in NC, mainly off those exits and pay NC taxes to maintain and expand 77 all the while benefiting people in SC who do not pay these same taxes. I believe that after 77 is widen as planed, along with a mix of express buses and the blue line, there should be plenty of options for those people who live in SC to make it to Uptown. No, I do not believe it is not going to become too painful and employers are not going to find it difficult to hire people for all the jobs located in Uptown. All major, fast growing cities have traffic issues, many worse than Charlotte, and employers continue to build and add jobs in those downtowns.

June 13, 2019

Yes, they know they wield such power. And yes, we make recommendations to them as well. There is always dialogue between staff and the Mayor and City Council. But then things get political and that is where many things get lost. For instance, staff presents a text amendment to City Council for increased design standards for apartment building that states "EFIS and hardie board are no long allowed on new apartment buildings in the City". We give our reasoning for this amendment and everyone seems to be on board until affordable housing is brought up. It is mentioned that this requirement will lead to higher construction cost therefore higher rent. Studies are provided to back this up and now staff cannot get a majority vote to adopt the text amendment. This is just a very shortened hypothetical situation but it gives you an idea of what we deal with.

June 13, 2019

4 minutes ago, Scribe said:

I've learned a piece of cool Charlotte history and want to share...

First Baptist Church when building their new building (now McGlohon Theatre) was asked by Andrew Carnegie to match the architectural style of the new church to the library...

Not only was First Baptist Church originally named Beulah Baptist Church, but it also makes the original library more real, when I pass by McGlohon Theatre.

Also, he donated 10% of the entire construction budget (for the organ but still) just because he cared how the building would work with the other buildings on the block (mainly the library)! He knew what's what... Wish the city planners would care half as much... then maybe we would have less beige/grey boxes...

source: https://www.charlottefbc.org/our-history

Do not blame City Planners!! The blame should be placed on developers and those who hold office such as City Council, Mayor, State Senate, etc. As a City Planner myself, there's nothing more I would love to do than take these proposed developments that are submitted and change them drastically. Unfortunately, City Planners are bound by local, state and federal laws. If a development meets the development standards laid out in our ordinance then I have to sign off on the development. I can make recommendations, but the developer is not required to make changes based off my recommendations. If you want better development standards then tell your City Council Member and the Mayor. Also vote in state elections because the people in Raleigh have a lot of say in what we can and cannot regulate. So let me state this again because I see many people mention this often, DO NOT BLAME CITY PLANNERS! Thank you.

May 29, 2019

1 hour ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Hey guys, so my wife and I are working on moving back to Charlotte this summer, and I was wondering if anyone knew that rules about urban farming in Charlotte. Specifically keeping chickens, bees, etc.

In this thread you can also share any experiences past or present you might have with growing food, or urban Farming in Charlotte.

Fellow Urban Planeteer @Charlotte_native, who no longer posts here, used to have a hell of an urban farm in NoDa

http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Home-Garden/September-2015/Linwell-Farms-A-Paved-Paradise/

Sec. 3-102. - City permits.

Required. It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, have, or maintain any equine animals, cloven-hoofed animals or other livestock or any chickens, turkeys, ducks, guineas, geese, pheasants, pigeons or other domestic fowl in the city without first receiving from the bureau a permit to do so or to continue to have any of such animals or fowl after a permit has been denied.

This section shall not apply to, and no permit shall be required for, any agricultural operation within G.S. 106-700, which pertains to nuisance liability of agricultural operation, or to any rabbit that is kept exclusively inside its owner's residence. The permit shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance and shall be renewed annually. The annual fee for such permit shall be $40.00 per household. The application shall list all such animals and fowl on the premises. Before a permit is issued an employee of the bureau shall inspect the premises to determine if the keeping of the animals or fowl on the premises will endanger or is likely to endanger the health, safety, peace, quiet, comfort, enjoyment of or otherwise become a public nuisance to nearby residents or occupants or places of business.

Denial. When a permit is denied for any reason, the applicant shall be given a written explanation of the reason for denial.

Compliance required prior to issuance. An owner or possessor of such animals or fowl shall comply with the following applicable subsections before a permit is issued. Compliance with the following applicable subsections will create a rebuttable presumption that a permit shall be issued. That presumption may only be rebutted by specific findings supported by competent evidence that, despite compliance with the following, the presence of such animals or fowl is still likely to endanger the health, safety, peace, quiet, comfort, enjoyment of or otherwise become a public nuisance to nearby residents or occupants or places of business:

Fowl and other specifically identified animals. The keeping of chickens, turkeys, ducks, guineas, geese, pheasants or other domestic fowl or rabbits shall be in compliance with the following:

Such animals must be confined in a coop, fowl house or rabbit hutch not less than 18 inches in height. The fowl must be kept within the coop or fowl house and the rabbits in the hutch at all times.

The coop or fowl house must be used for fowl only and the hutch for rabbits only, and both must be well ventilated.

The coop, fowl house or hutch shall have a minimum of four square feet of floor area for each fowl or rabbit.

The run must be well drained so there is no accumulation of moisture.

The coop, fowl house or hutch shall be kept clean, sanitary and free from accumulation of animal excrement and objectionable odors. It shall be cleaned daily, and all droppings and body excretion shall be placed in a flyproof container and double-bagged in plastic bags.

The coop, fowl house or hutch shall be a minimum of 25 feet from any property line.

No more than 20 such fowl or rabbits shall be kept or maintained per acre. The number of fowl or rabbits should be proportionate to the acreage.

May 29, 2019

All they're doing it testing the lighting. They did the same thing at DEC and 300 South Tryon when they were wrapping up construction. Chill people!!

May 16, 2019

On 5/14/2019 at 10:24 PM, TheOneRJ said:

NC law requires new parking lots to have trees, where they stop is the state line. Hopefully they do continue redoing the parking lot, though.

I don't believe that NC law requires this, all the general statute does is give municipalities and counties the option to require landscaping.

May 10, 2019

9 minutes ago, 704Dimitri said:

I would love to know what restricted them from putting the lights further down, maybe where the ledge wraps around? But the lighting looks great! Just not a big fan of seeing them protrude out of the building like they do.

Looks like the lights are just above the door that leads out to that area. I would assume they didn't want the lights any lower where people could potentially be blinded by them and/or interfere with the lights.

May 10, 2019

I almost forgot what this thread was about... Here's a reminder for those who have forgotten.

May 9, 2019

18 hours ago, NcSc74 said:

Just completed a road trip from RDU to Boca Raton and back. Couple of comments and observations about road construction that may pertain to Charlotte. RDU new terminal or renovation looks great. We flew in from OKC and were surprised how the airport had changed from years ago. Next observation; TREES and more TREES. The drive from RDU to 95 we literally saw 10 buildings....Trees block all sight. Just like 85 and 77, folks driving thru have no idea you are supposed to be in an area with millions of people. Now I am not advocating the destruction of habitat for vain reasons but allowing drivers to see your city could possibly be free advertisement and also let folks know your region has energy. Especially when they see cranes. Just my opinion. Last observation in regards to the construction pic above; is that all Charlotte gets? Because from my eyes Jacksonville and Orlando are pouring prbably billions in to road infrastructure. Its impressive to see. Again one of those perception things. I do realize Charlotte has chosen to invest in mass transit and I applaud that but I would like to think a comprehensive plan for transit an roads could happen. I dont know maybe someone can answer that.

Oh, I still dont get I-74. Will that connect to Charlotte metro cause I don't get why the signage does not mention Charlotte at the 95/74 interchange in Roberson county?

The trees are a blessing and a curse. On one hand they provide screening for many of the neighborhoods along the interstates and highways, they provide numerous environmental benefits, they can be aesthetically pleasing, the list goes on and on. On the other hand they do block a lot of the development around the City which makes many cities in NC seem smaller than they really are and they can be a maintenance headache for NCDOT and other transportation departments. I think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. I think another issue with many cities in the Piedmont and coastal area is their topography. There are no vistas or hills to crest when coming into many cities to give you that "wow" factor nor are our cities located on rivers that also provide great vantage points when driving around. The only drive in Charlotte I can think of that gives you that "wow" factor is heading west on Independence Blvd. right before you reach 277, nothing else really compares except maybe 77 south at the 85 interchange.

Regarding infrastructure, many people believe that Charlotte doesn't get its fair share of funds from Raleigh. There is some truth to this but there has also been a lot of improvements over the last several years including widening 85 and 77, completing 485, plus a few other things here and there. Again, I think our topography plays a roll in how our infrastructure is designed, a lot of our infrastructure improvements do not require extravagantly designed interchanges and such so they may not seem as impressive as other cities but they function just the same.

Finally, I-74 will not connect to Charlotte. There are talks about upgrading US-74 to interstate standards and numbering it as an interstate spur but there is no telling when and if that will actually happen.

May 7, 2019

2 minutes ago, Hunted said:

That sounds awful. Imagine the frustration your barber faces when you can't keep your head still because you keep leaning back for a sip. When you're not sipping and your barber is cutting, now you're getting hair in your beer. How do you even hold your beer? Under the cape? Sounds tricky. Over the cape? Now your arm is covered in hair.

Yeah, no thanks.

The barber shop I go to offers beer as well. You drink the beer while you wait to have your haircut, not during your haircut.

May 1, 2019

It's not the same picture as Monday, not much has changed though. I enjoy every picture update, even if there hasn't been much change from the previous pictures taken. Thanks @KJHburg for all your updates.

May 1, 2019

Anyone have anymore information on the hotel? Curious to know the brand and to see what it will look like.

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