SgtCampsalot

Hey, so can someone just tell me real quick: are tri-plexes by-right now (or three units per parcel)? I'm having trouble sorting through the available info online.

So this was news to me today: "Johnston YMCA will close after selling iconic NoDa property" https://charlotte.axios.com/328023/johnston-y-will-close-after-selling-iconic-noda-property/ By Katie Peralta Soloff | May 2, 2023 The YMCA of Greater Charlotte is selling the Johnston YMCA property to a developer, and the Y will no longer maintain a presence in NoDa as previously planned, the organization said via a statement Tuesday. Details: The decision was made after consideration of the branch’s limitations, plus the association’s “overall financial needs.” Why it matters: The Johnston Y is a community institution, serving for decades not only as a gym but also as a child care facility, gathering place and host of all sorts of local functions and classes. The iconic brick building was built in 1951. The Johnston Y currently has about 1,500 members, according to Y spokesperson Heather Briganti. Context: The Y has engaged with the community for the last several years to determine a plan for the redevelopment of the 5.8 acres the Johnston Y occupies on North Davidson. The organization worked with broker partner CBRE to review several proposals and select a developer for the property. “Our current building … does not serve current market expectations for flow and function, and has a growing list of deferred maintenance needs,” Briganti told Axios in 2021. The Y had said that the NoDa area’s growth reinforced the need for the Y to maintain a presence in the neighborhood. Yes, but: The pandemic crushed the local YMCA, one of the largest gym networks in the region. At one point, more than half of Y members had either canceled or frozen their memberships, resulting in millions in lost revenue, I reported in 2021. In 2021, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte announced it received its largest gift — a “transformational” sum of $18 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The other side: In a statement, the NoDa Neighborhood & Business Association said they’ve been “ignored and pushed aside” when it comes to collaborating with the Y on the redevelopment plans. “We can only hope that whatever developer that has purchased their lot will be more willing to work with the NoDa community and will work to uphold some of the very valuable community amenities that are so desperately needed in our neighborhood,” the statement read in part. Of note: There’s a giant willow oak in front of the Johnston Y that textile magnate Horace Johnston planted years ago, back when the building was a community center for the mill families who lived and worked in the area. It’s unclear what will happen to the tree. What’s next: The current facility will continue to operate through the end of 2023. It’s unclear who the developer is or what their plans are. Briganti said they’ll make their own announcement at another time. What they’re saying: “This decision, while in the best interest of our Y, was extremely difficult for us to make, and we know that many community members will share in our disappointment,” the Y’s statement read. "

It's a great addition, and CLT needs WAY more kid-friendly places that aren't public parks or libraries... ... BUT... it is an awful experience if you have any of the following: Sensory-sensitivity issues (loud Korean hip-hop playing very loud at all times) Social anxiety (peak times are extremely busy, packed, and loud) Social-class anxiety (demographic is so far always an extremely affluent and/or stereotypically middle-class nuclear family brewery scene crowd) Don't drink alcohol or like greasy/heavy food (though this is common everywhere that isn't a library or public park) I've enjoyed going on their off hours w my little one. But on weekends it has not been our cup of tea for many of those reasons. All more reason why things like this should be ubiquitous so it's more diffuse and something exists for all family styles. That said, it's the easiest place to get to on bike and kid-trailer, so as always it is a give-and-take

Even as a Charlotte native, it's always been hard for me to understand the geography of this part of this neighborhood. I'll have to come peak at it now that this work is being done!

The poster is upset at several VERY VALID social, political, and economic issues that are baked into our society. I don't think, however, they've managed to name those root issues for themselves, so they're expressing their anger at people who, to be fair, may not see those root issues, either (or if they do, may not see them as a problem/a very big problem). The struggle is: I) finding an environment/community where those frustrations are heard within their proper context, II) understanding those root issues enough to understand what's causing the things that bother you, rather than getting angry at the surface reasons, which are the byproduct (and often valid for frustrations, as well, but not when addressed as *THE* problem).

I remember when North Charlotte/NoDa was an unofficial social district, aka: people would carry their beers from one bar, to another, to art gallery, to coffee shop, and nobody cared.

It seems like this may have been breezed over just a bit since it was posted in the "First Ward" thread:

^Omg a billboard building! That that's something I've never seen before

Here is the (mind-numbingly comprehensive, for my brain) full report: https://www.matthewsnc.gov/files/documents/13A-CompBikePedplanrevisionsMDL1315050817040622PM.pdf

So, while i think this is super cool, my understanding of the nature of our municipal/economic systems makes me not understand the purpose of this, to the end of their motives. Is it intended to be an ED thing for hospitality/etc corporations? Is there an established demographic I'm not familiar with? I can't seem to find much context about it online other than as a fun thing - which isn't our system's style.

Can we just agree that every American president is automatically a scourge on human dignity the moment they take office because the system our nation operates under relies on the exploitation and death of millions around the globe and at home, which is facilitated by two parties that act as two factions of one Duopoloy party that *long ago* squashed any real movement of popular citizen sentiment? I feel like once we can all have that as our baseline we can all focus our energies properly together. But maybe I'm an idealist

Whoever subsequently wrote the graffiti is actually hilarious, hate to say it

While this specific site was not inhabited once Euros arrived, this mound and land is part of the Peedee nation. Though by current colonial law it is owned by the state of NC. Most of what you will find online about this site implies the Peedee do not exist anymore, or that there is mystery around their culture. The Peedee nation peoples now dwell around McColl, SC. Check out their tribal website: http://www.peedeetribe.org/about.html

So... Two years later, I was wrong about Optimist Hall. It is a blight upon the neighborhood in a "wealthy blight" kind of way. Just a sinkhole of excessive crowds, commercialism, and nothing meaningful. A waste of a beautiful building. I live a stones throw from it (just enough to not live around the crowds) but every time I try to get food from there I have a panic attack. Reminds me of similar places I went to in Boston and Atlanta years ago. It feels like there's no purpose to go there.

Oh it's definitely the docking bay from any Death Star/space station in Star Wars