carolinaboy

Congratulations Tides (and Orioles)! Didn't make a game this year. Probably why they won.

Kayman, I appreciate your knowledge of transit/transportation. Can you tell us (specifically me) what the differences are between commuter rail and regional passenger rail? I'm not sure I know the differences and am eager to learn.

Random thought after looking at the progress picture: If the transportation center were to be located elsewhere, and the other redevelopment plans don't proceed, how cool would repurposing the CTC building as a huge covered farm market be?

Man, there's a lot going on on that side of the river.

Someone forgot to get their bookshelf.

Forget the sales tax increase if you have to beg the state for permission. If officials are too afraid to "raise" taxes because of the optics, don't raise taxes but find other areas to cut costs (remove redundant positions, don't give money for stadiums, don't give money for half of a development, don't buy new this or that for a while) and allocate those savings towards transit options. If not enough money could be saved then raise local property taxes. This is why taxes are collected......to pay for items the citizenry deems important (which by reading Urban Planet seems to be transit options). Seems like the state is being used as an excuse by your local leaders to not make tough or unpopular decisions.

I've been saying for a while that Charlotte ought to build a new line from the airport to uptown and the uptown portion could be underground. Then if demand is there, extend that line to other locations. But at least connect the airport to a new Amtrak terminal to uptown. Focus on fixing the Blue Line issues also instead of building some additional line (except for the airport to uptown portion of course). If future demand is not there to extend light rail so-be-it. I read posters on here complain about not getting funding from the GOP led state legislature. Can the city "by-pass" the state and seek funds directly from the Feds or, you know, raise city taxes or find other municipal funding mechanisms? If the state is a roadblock, are there ways around them? Is approval required from the state for Charlotte's transportation needs? I ask because I don't know. If transportation via light rail is paramount to Charlotte it ought to be very high priority. If a billionaire needs public funding for a new stadium or arena.....tell them to pound sand or finance it themselves. Limited public dollars ought to be used for public needs like light-rail, commuter-rail, BRT, regular bus lines, etc. rather than aiding billionaires. Get out of expensive public/private partnership development projects. Let the market work. If it's financially feasible let private developers foot the bill and assume the risk. Use those public dollars on transportation or other important public projects (parks, bike lanes, libraries, schools, sidewalks, police, fire, EMS........)

What's funny about the first chart is there is no light rail in Virginia Beach. The light rail is in Norfolk and literally does not go into VA Beach. Doesn't make a difference but still.

I was excited when Granby Tower was proposed. I was even more excited when construction started. That tower would have made such an impact on the skyline and would have literally elevated it in more ways than one. Maybe one day Buddy can build his signature tower.

The ACC will exist.....but a few marquee football programs will bail. But that's OK, the ACC has Stanford and Cal and SMU now (read Bay Area market, DFW market). Powerhouses I tell ya.

Any sign of Stanford or Cal flags?

This is the website for the Icon in Norfolk, VA. It was previously a bank office tower but has recently been converted into apartments. Probably would have been vacant if it was still office. The developer (Marathon) is local to the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. They have done many conversions and have a few still proposed. The Icon-office to residential

I know there has been discussion about the abundance of surface parking in Uptown. Thanks to Urbanlooker on the Norfolk page for this link: Parking in downtowns/uptowns

UNC + NC State + Duke + Wake Forest + Virginia + Virginia Tech + Louisville + Pittsburgh + Syracuse + Boston College + Clemson + Georgia Tech + Florida St + Miami + 1/2 Notre Dame + Stanford + California + SMU - Clemson - Florida St + UConn = ? ???

If Charlotte got a new/expansion MLB team, maybe they could locate their new AAA team in Raleigh and AA in Rock Hill. The Knights are the AAA team of the Chicago White Sox so a new MLB team wouldn't have control over the Knights. If Charlotte got a relocated Milwaukee Brewers, their AAA team is already in Nashville.

Small downtowns in the far east also....Edenton, Washington and Tarboro approved social districts. Elizabeth City working on proposal.

Right. I know a UDO is a combination of zoning ordinance/flood hazard development ordinance/subdivision ordinance, etc. into one "unified" document. Was just curious if this was the first time these had all been put together into one document for Charlotte. I know podunk places in NC that have had a UDO for nearly 30 years. Just curious.

Dumb question. Is the newly adopted UDO the first UDO for Charlotte?

Blue font?

THere is a vacant building in my town that looks virtually exactly like the one in the first picture. I have always thought I would love to buy it and open a bar in it. In a weird twist it was only a couple of years ago I found out the building used to be a hardware store operated by my family on my dad's side many years ago. Almost poetic if I were to buy it one day.

Slow day at work. I've been Google Earthing/Street Viewing MLB parks across the country. I love most ballparks. They are very nostalgic for me and create a bit of magic tucked into their environments (most of them). It has me dreaming of a MLB park in South End. I would seriously move to Charlotte if a MLB team was there and I would buy a house as close to the ballpark as I could. My perfect day would be a warm late summer evening strolling to the ballpark passing by busy restaurants, bars full of the people going to a game. Entering the ballpark, getting a hotdog and beer, finding my seats, looking at the green outfield grass and enjoying a few hours of baseball. Then strolling home afterwards (hopefully with a good buzz and a team victory) to go to sleep and do it all over again in a few days. Sorry for the weird post but I'm just daydreaming.

Hopefully this will be part of a new mixed-use tower (residential/hospitality).

Maybe in an attempt to provide an abundance of "affordable" units, the design/materials are scaled down?

The way things are going, the ACC may not know which flags to include.

A good idea. Certainly either Waterside or Macarthur could be converted into a casino.