southernnorthcarolina

Concerns over signage on Charlotte buildings is nothing new, of course. Over a century ago (c. 1907-09), the Selwyn Hotel and the Independence Trust Building (both demolished decades ago) were built almost adjacent to each other on the first block of West Trade Street, between North Tryon and North Church Streets. Independence Trust made it known that they wanted to install and illuminate the letters "IT" on top of their building. The owner of the Selwyn Hotel responded that they would place a large "SH" on top of the hotel. Needless to say, this never happened. Was it ever seriously considered? Doubtful. But the story has been around for decades.

Wow. I guess I'm immoral by the new standards of Charlotte's City Council. People in the "ring counties" are already suspicious of any sort of regional zoning or planning. UDO will sharpen the political and economic divisions between blue Mecklenburg and the red suburban counties.

It will be interesting to see how Mecklenburg County responds to this ordinance with respect to the unincorporated parts of Mecklenburg, and how the other incorporated towns in the county respond. Meanwhile, my home town of Weddington (Union County, sharing a border with Mecklenburg) will continue to welcome Charlotte escapees like me who see R-40 single-family zoning, neighborhood schools, and lower property taxes as virtues.

Does anyone have news, or a DOT leak, or a rumor, or speculation about when Providence Road (NC 16) between Weddington and Waxhaw will be widened? It's been slated for four-laning for more than a decade. Three or four years ago, the utility poles were moved away from the existing two-lane road to allow for widening. And then -- nada. Residential development, and some retail, continues to boom in Waxhaw. NC 16 is often bumper-to-bumper, not just during rush hours, but in the middle of the day. And it seems to be getting worse every day.

To return to the matter of self-congratulatory announcements over airport public address systems, it seems that many cities can't resist subjecting their captive audiences to a little civic boosterism. A few years ago -- well, a couple of decades, actually -- I landed in Portland, Oregon. Portland boosters, it seems, are very sensitive about their reputation of being a rainy city. More than once during my trip, I heard natives refer to rain as "Portland sunshine." It wasn't an announcement over the airport PA syatem, but rather a ginormous exhibit in the terminal arrival area listing all the major US cities which got more annual rainfall than Portland. I recall that Atlanta was mentioned prominently. A little defensive, maybe? I imagine the exhibit is no longer there. Portland has far bigger problems than rain.

I wish I could have heard the discussions among the original development team. I suspect it would have gone something like this: "I've got a great idea! Let's do a public/private project like CityFair, only bigger! That worked out well, amiright? And look, there's some available land right beside the bus station! What could possibly go wrong?"

I too am in Weddington, and did a bit of residential lot development a few years ago. I'm a Charlotte native, but have been in Weddington for 15+ years. Things are usually pretty quiet around here, so it was unusual to see my little town of 13,000 be in the headlines twice in a week. First, the kerfluffle over the proposed development referenced above (here's another story: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/development/article259265199.html). Weddington has had almost exclusively large-lot (1 acre) residential zoning, with the exception of a small strip center which predated the incorporation of the town. I'm in favor of the new development. It would be nice to have a good restaurant here, and not have to drive to Waverly or Ballantyne. The second big story is Weddington High School's State 4A basketball championship. I doubt many were expecting that after they won the 3A championship last year, and got bumped up to 4A. Back-to-back undefeated seasons. Congrats to them.

No, I wasn't trolling. Nor was I trying to step on anyone's nostalgia for roller coasters and snowcones. But this is, more or less, a real estate forum. As such, I repeat my question: Is an amusement park the highest and best use of 400+ acres in a location such as this? When Carowinds started, it was out in the sticks. Land in the vicinity was cheap. I-277 didn't exist. Today? Not so much. Charlotte continues to grow toward the south, and York County, SC is the fastest growing county in the Charlotte metro area. The site's access to I-77, I-277 (and the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport), US 21, NC 49, and NC 51 is outstanding. The points made upthread about a current oversupply of office park space are well taken. But that's temporary. The "if you build it, they will come" slogan applies here. In addition to a conventional office park, a portion of the land could attract a major industrial/assembly plant, for instance an auto factory. Heck, a battle between NC and SC over which state promises the most tax incentives could attract a factory or two; the Carowinds site would win either way. Retail, hotel, high density retail around the edges? Maybe. But for the most part, this strikes me as fertile ground for office and/or industrial uses. Maybe it will be a few years away. But the roller coasters will be squeezed out by more productive uses.

I've often thought that an amusement park, only open for part of the year, wasn't the highest and best use for a 407 acre site with direct access to I-77 and quick access to the Charlotte airport, in two fast-growing counties (Mecklenburg, NC and York, SC). Carowinds has changed hands several times - from an independent operation to Taft Broadcasting to Kings Entertainment to Paramount to Cedar Fair. And today it was announced that SeaWorld has offered to buy Cedar Fair. So it might be time for a reset. Seems to me that a combination office park/industrial park/distribution center might make sense. Are there any European or Asian auto manufacturers or tech businesses looking for a plant location? redeveloped. Geeze, what typing. Is there an edit function here? If not, can a moderator correct this?

My puppy, Ike (so named because President Eisenhower had a Weimaraner in the White House), at 3 months old, "confronting" (behind the glass) the friendly doe who hangs around my house. Ike was about 30 pounds at the time. Now, just after his first birthday, he's 70 pounds. The doe still comes around, sometimes with her fawn, and is utterly unconcerned about Ike when she sees that he is behind the glass or the fence.

I'd love to learn more about this. The Observer hasn't mentioned this, as far as I know, but I might well have missed it. If the areas with deed restrictions banning duplexes/triplexes in single family zones is extensive, it could be a game-changer. Someone should publish a map showing the areas where duplexes and triplexes are prohibited by deed restrictions. I'm in Weddington, Union County, just across the line from Mecklenburg. Here, single family means single family, and mostly 40,000 sf lot minimums. I expect a migration from Charlotte.

There are three planned highway projects which will affect my neck of the woods (I live off Providence Road, in Weddington, just south of where Providence narrows from four lanes to two). The three projects are 1) the extension of Rea Road across Providence to NC 84; 2) the widening of Providence from Rea Road to Waxhaw; and 3) the new Weddington Road interchange with I-485. All are badly needed, and in fact should have been done years ago. The two-lane part of Providence between Weddington and Waxhaw is a nightmare during the morning and evening rush, and it's getting that way mid-day weekdays, too. And it's going to get worse. Waxhaw is booming; Waverly (retail, office, and residential) is still growing; the 485 improvements will bring more traffic; and the new exit from I-485 onto Weddington Road will dump more traffic onto Providence. All three projects have been on the planning maps for years, nay, decades. But they all seem to be stalled. Does anyone here have any inside information, or even informed speculation, as to when these projects are likely to get underway?

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article248776350.html Looks like the Belk family got out at the right time.

So the Charlotte Observer was wrong? What a surprise! If the parking deck was not part of the sale, then of course the sellers did well. I suspect there are side deals which we're not yet seeing. If Cousins has indeed purchased the parking deck, they likely have leased a significant number of parking spaces to the new owners of the 200 South College Building (or whatever they call it after BB&T leaves). It would make no sense for someone to buy the building without having parking for their tenants. So that will cut into the total return for Arden. I look forward to a clarification or correction from the Observer.

DEVELOPMENT Development BB&T office tower in uptown Charlotte sold for $115 million to a New York firm BY DANIELLE CHEMTOB JANUARY 20, 2021 02:15 PM, UPDATED 41 MINUTES AGO The BB&T Center in uptown Charlotte sold for $115 million to a New York company, Mecklenburg County property records show. The sale included the 22-story office tower and the parking garage next door, according to a Tuesday release from JLL Capital Markets, which brokered the sale. The center, which was built in 1977, was sold to an entity called BB&T Properties LLC, based in New York. JLL’s release declined to name the buyer. Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/development/article248637945.html?ac_cid=DM368298&ac_bid=-799966545#storylink=cpy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If this ain't a canary in a coal mine, I don't know what is. This building sold for $117 million in 2007, $149 million in 2017, and now $115 million. Nobody seems to be willing to accept the fact that "Uptown" Charlotte is overbuilt, especially in the office and hotel sectors. The Class B buildings (including the subject property, and several other towers built in the '60s/'70s) are going to take it on the chin as their tenants are given deep rental discounts and lease concessions by the landlords of the new buildings.