DigitalSky

RICHARD RUBIN www.charlotte.com Staff Writer Beatties Ford Road could be the next frontier for Charlotte's urban redevelopment, a walkable corridor lined with stores, sit-down restaurants, a streetcar and perhaps a movie theater. That's the blooming vision of a group of community leaders who are developing a master plan for this sliver of west Charlotte. They call it New Brooklyn, a name that looks forward but also evokes the history of the uptown black business and residential district that was razed during the 1960s as part of an urban renewal project. Kelly Alexander Jr., who is chairing the group, said Beatties Ford Road needs organized boosters to change the public mind-set about the area and persuade potential investors to follow the vision. "In reality, anything can be here," he said. "Just because an area hasn't had amenities to the same extent as other parts of the city in the past does not mean that that condition is going to march on indefinitely." To pay for the professional plan, the group collected $50,000 in donations and received a $25,000 city grant. It will hold public meetings in early 2005 and release a plan in the spring. The study area spans less than four miles from Oaklawn Avenue up to Sunset Road. The group wants to focus more attention on a crucial stretch between Lasalle Street and Cindy Lane. The corridor borders some established neighborhoods, as well as some that the city lists as "threatened" or "fragile" because of crime or other problems. It is home to many successful small businesses but has not attracted the kinds of restaurants and chain stores that populate the suburbs. James Mitchell, who represents the area on the Charlotte City Council, said one of the most important parts of the plan is talking with property owners. "Don't sell your land to a highest bidder," he will tell them. "Sell your land to someone who will fulfill (the) vision." Mitchell has a personal stake in the area, too. Earlier this year, he moved from an apartment in the University City section of his district to a house near Beatties Ford and Sunset roads. Mitchell said he hopes the revitalized corridor can become the next South End. Like South End, Beatties Ford Road could benefit from the city's investment in public transit. The Charlotte Area Transit System is planning a streetcar that would connect uptown's West Trade Street to Interstate 85, past Johnson C. Smith University and right through the heart of New Brooklyn. That streetcar will pass by church after church, many of which have been involved in the New Brooklyn planning effort. Before this, "there was not really a forum for all of us to come together and share our plans," said Mary Wilson, executive director of a community development corporation at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, just north of I-85. Friendship is developing a huge complex across from its current site, starting with a new sanctuary but eventually including affordable housing and a center for Alzheimer's patients, Wilson said, adding that the church wants to make sure its project conforms with the vision for the corridor. Alexander talks about attracting a movie theater, a new police substation, more parks and about bringing development to some vacant land in the area. But the first task is finishing the plan. "The potential," he said, "is definitely there."

LOL @ Walmart_vomits for the picture name I guess this is what its gonna be looking like on Mt-Holly Huntersville at Brookshire pretty soon... is that one open yet?

Wow... Super Target Well, look at Raleigh. I'm glad we're NOT at where they are with their pace on Super Targets and Super Wal-Marts... Its just an infest. I think they have 4 or 5 Super Targets in the Triangle and maybe more super Wal-Marts. Charlotte has less and i'm glad that we're staying with Regular Targets (except Moresville)... but wow yeah 2 new possible Super Targets on top of the midtown Target.

From the Charlotte ObserverCharlotte.com DIANNE WHITACRE Staff Writer The massive facelift of midtown Charlotte begins next year, with the extension of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and the construction of millions of dollars of shops, restaurants and homes. The final piece: a better way to get there. Next summer, the city begins an ambitious package of road and sidewalk changes to improve traffic flow and make walking and cycling safer through the area. Next fall, Pappas Properties begins its $143 million replacement of Midtown Square, creating a retail-and-dining destination from the ruins of the city's oldest mall. Visitors to the site southeast of uptown will find creekside restaurants, a designer home-improvement store, and a handsome, tree-lined promenade with fountains and benches. Cyclists on the greenway can buy an ice cream cone at the end of their ride and people-watch in a shady place. Drivers will find it easier getting to and from the development, while new sidewalks and bike lanes will allow visitors to leave their cars at home. The publicly financed greenway and roadwork have been planned for years but were shelved until the economy improved and developer Peter Pappas was ready to begin work on the old mall. A separate redevelopment that has started three blocks away on Elizabeth Avenue will benefit from Midtown's roadwork and greenway. Grubb Properties' $240 million plan includes a Whole Foods grocery, movie theaters, residences and a parking deck. Midtown Square will be replaced by shops, restaurants, parking decks and a 15-story condo tower. Pappas, who developed the upscale Phillips Place and Birkdale Village, plans a similarly walkable shopping and dining district. His design includes broad sidewalks, streetlights and a traditional Main Street appeal. Work starts next fall on a Home Depot EXPO Design Center with a second-floor Target store on the old cinema site. Midtown's parking lot, which now covers the creek, will be demolished and the creek landscaped and sidewalks built alongside it. That work is part of Mecklenburg County's $10-million plan to build a 4.5-mile stretch of the greenway to Cordelia Park, north of uptown. The city's road, bridge, freeway, sidewalk and bike lane work will cost $6.9 million. All of the work is expected to be done by 2008, producing what planners hope will be a strong draw for uptown workers, conventioneers and residents of nearby Dilworth, Cherry and Elizabeth neighborhoods. The greenway, road and sidewalk improvements will make it much easier for them to get there. Two Texas women and their teenage daughters visiting uptown Charlotte for an Irish dance competition found out Friday how tough it can be to walk there now. They had to cross Stonewall Street because the north side of the busy four-lane had only a dirt path and two freeway ramps. The opposite side had overgrown bushes and a narrow sidewalk. "I felt like a hobo," said Caitlin O'Callaghan, 16, of Corpus Christi. They ran back across Stonewall to reach Midtown. "If I had known what it was like, we wouldn't have walked down here," said Caitlin's mother Katy as the group lunched at Wendy's, the last Midtown Square business still open. Easier walking, driving Pedestrians and drivers will find plenty of help in the area that now has awkward traffic patterns.A new intersection will be built by extending South Independence to Stonewall Street/Kenilworth Avenue. The city also will replace the South Independence bridge over the creek. An I-277 exit ramp will be shifted to line up with that new intersection, allowing two moves that are now impossible. Cars leaving the freeway will be able to turn left on Stonewall toward uptown. And with South Independence reconnected, drivers will easily reach Midtown, Central Piedmont Community College, Elizabeth Avenue and Presbyterian Hospital. Two I-277 entrance ramps on Stonewall will be rebuilt so they line up with that street at a 90-degree angle. Drivers will have to slow to make those sharper turns, a change that should make it easier for pedestrians to cross, says Leon Howe, design section manager of Charlotte Department of Transportation. Sidewalks, planting strips and bike lanes will be built on Kings Drive, Kenilworth and South Independence. Howe says South Independence will be reduced in width, trees planted and on-street parking allowed, all to slow traffic and encourage pedestrians. Those changes will make South Independence less like fast-moving Independence Boulevard. So the city is looking for a new name for the stretch of the road that will run from Stonewall to Seventh Street. Another change may be coming. Late this decade, the Charlotte Area Transit System hopes to build two streetcar tracks along Trade Street and Elizabeth Avenue, through Central Piedmont and on to Presbyterian Hospital. Help from taxpayers In addition to the roadwork and greenway, taxpayers are giving Midtown and Elizabeth a kick start. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have approved about $13.5 million in property tax rebates over 20 years to redevelop Elizabeth Avenue, while Midtown is getting a $17 million break over 10 years. That extra help will be repaid in higher tax collections from the sites, city officials say. The greenway will connect the developments. Cyclists and walkers will be able to take the path to Freedom Park, Midtown and Central Piedmont, with a detour to the rejuvenated Elizabeth Avenue. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation has spent $17.3 million to buy and knock down businesses along a quarter-mile of Kings Drive, including a bank, small shopping center and fast-food restaurants. That's where the county is preparing to build the most important greenway section yet, with a 15-foot wide sidewalk lined with a double row of trees. Fountains where kids can splash and play are coming, too.

Yay or Nay for the Outdoor Village.. or will it be coming in the future after the mall is built?

Yeah, I remember when SouthPark had that original white brick facade. Personally, even though many people see it as dated, I loved the way Belk and Sears' white brick facade architecture was, and how Belk had those chandaliers and the windows on their storefront. Dillard's is now the only store that has retained its facade, but i'm sure will give into the pressure to remodel their store soon. I also liked Hecht's facade even though it was different, i like how it curved out. I remember when SouthPark had Woolworth's, Morrison's Cafeteria and Barclay's... frequented often by my and my family in those days. Will be missed so... And remember the convience center? With the Cinemas 3 and the Harris-Teeter? And yeah, it doesn't seem like Gucci, Chanel and Armani stores are going to be at SouthPark... unless they make more room somehow. Possiblity though is wherever Saks ends up, Midtown or Elizabeth, these stores could be there too!

Updated w/ 3 more pics

Midtown Square, originally Charlotte's first indoor mall (Charlottetown) built opened in 1960 i think, is at the corner of S Independence and S Kings. Now, whats left of the theater is being demolished for a Home Depot Expo Design Center and Target on top of it. Then, the mall i believe is planned to be demolished as well and an outside village of sorts should be created with shops restaurants and all that good stuff. (Meck Tax Site) (groceteria.net)

Doesn't Northlake Mall have that additional anchor pad next to Dillard's... thats a possibility. Considering they were going about 8 miles south of uptown in the first place, 8 miles north of uptown won't be bad. Theres a lot of wealth up there around Lake Norman anyway... plus south Charlotte already has a Nordstrom and will be getting a Neiman Marcus. This would spread out the wealth better... Seeing it at somewhere like Midtown Square or Elizabeth i guess would be cool also. EDIT: obviously I didn't see the line "Carolina Place mall manager Mike Payton said Saks is unlikely to choose either his Pineville location or the north Mecklenburg site of Northlake mall. Local retail analyst Frank Warren said neither of the two malls offers ideal demographics for Saks."

(Meck Tax Site) (groceteria.net)

And also in Northlake area news: hhgregg store to anchor center across I-77 from new Northlake mall DOUG SMITH/Charlotte Observer An Indianapolis-based appliance and electronics chain will anchor a shopping center planned across Interstate 77 from Northlake mall. H.H. Gregg Appliance Inc., whose stores operate under the name hhgregg, will occupy 30,000 square feet in Northlake Village, to be developed within Smith Corners, a hotel-retail-restaurant project at I-77 and W.T. Harris Boulevard. CENTDEV Properties will seek to rezone about 14 acres for the estimated $20 million development, said Dale Tweedy, a partner in the Cornelius-based firm. The Northlake Village store, which would open by December 2005 if the City Council approves the zoning change, will be H.H. Gregg's first in the Carolinas. The privately held chain operates more than 50 stores in five states: Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia. Its chief competitors are Best Buy, Circuit City and Sears. Tweedy said the company also is looking at Concord Mills, Matthews and Pineville as sites for additional hhgregg stores. The chain, which touts same-day delivery and other customer-friendly service, caters to female shoppers between the ages of 28 and 52, he said. Tweedy sees hhgregg as a good fit at the intersection, because it will complement the major furniture retailers clustered in Smith Corners. The remaining shopping center space in 130,000-square-foot Northlake Village likely will attract household furnishings, furniture accessories and related retailers, he said. Tweedy said the developers have talked with potential tenants interested in about 20,000 square feet each. Northlake Village, which includes two restaurant development parcels, would be about half the size of Cotswold Village Shops in south Charlotte. The planned center's site is zoned for industrial use but is surrounded by retail at 90-acre Smith Corners, Tweedy said. Charlotte real estate experts believe the area around Northlake mall will become the shopping hub of north Mecklenburg. The 1.1-million-square-foot mall is under construction and due to open in September 2005 at I-77 and Reames Road. Last week, the owners of Perimeter Woods business park, opposite the mall on Reames Road, disclosed plans to develop 68 vacant acres as a 610,000-square-foot mix of stores, homes and offices. That project also would be across Reames from NorthCrest, a 250,000-square- foot shopping center beside Northlake mall. "The whole area is booming -- it's sort of ground zero for retail," Tweedy said. "Interstate 485 is going to drop in just north of Smith Corners, making it easy to get there from eastern and western locations." CENTDEV has the shopping center site under contract for purchase at an undisclosed price. Tweedy said it expects to use Charlotte's DMR Architecture as project architect. Core Properties is handling leasing for the developers. No general contractor has been named. H.H. Gregg, founded in 1955, is a fourth-generation family-owned company. Its stores sell, deliver and install major name-brand home appliances, large-tube and wide-screen digital TVs and home theatre audio systems. Officials couldn't be reached Monday for specifics about the planned Charlotte area stores. A 35,000-square-foot Columbus, Ga., store, to open this month, is expected to employ 40 to 50 people, a spokesperson told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

Northlake Mall to open Sept. 15 That's when Northlake Mall will open, general manager says LEIGH DYER Drivers along Interstate 77 in north Mecklenburg have grown curious about the steel form taking shape at Exit 18. It's the skeleton of Northlake Mall, which is due to open Sept. 15. Just over a year after the groundbreaking, it's about time for an update on what will be Mecklenburg County's fourth regional mall after Eastland, SouthPark and Carolina Place. Don't hesitate to write that opening date on your calendar in pen, says the mall's recently appointed general manager, Phil Morosco. Owner Taubman Centers Inc. has a history of opening on time, even if a hurricane is raging as it was during a Taubman mall opening in Richmond, Va. "We've been in business 55 years, and we've never missed an opening yet," he said. The mall's big anchors will be Belk, Hecht's, Dillard's, Dick's Sporting Goods and a 14-screen AMC Theatre. The mall has also announced about 40 other specialty stores, including Pottery Barn, Brooks Brothers and Abercrombie & Fitch. That's less than a third of the 150 stores the mall expects. Another big batch should be announced soon after Jan. 1, said Meredith Burris Keeler, Northlake's marketing director. Taubman officials say 70 percent of the mall is leased or out for signatures, and inquiries have been made about nearly all of its 1.1 million square feet. With the steel frame complete, work has begun on the roof. Paving has begun on the mall's parking lot and ring road, and each of the four department stores has started construction. The movie theater begins this week. Improvements to Reames Road are about 85 percent complete, Morosco said. Developers have slowed down on plans to make the mall a hybrid center -- a traditional enclosed mall combined with a pedestrian-friendly "village" of outdoor shops and restaurants reminiscent of Phillips Place. Morosco said the outdoor component is still in the works, but not until after the enclosed center opens. "We want to make sure the center is perfect first before we go on to the next challenge," he said. Keeping with a national trend in newer mall construction, the center will have architecture that's customized to this area, said Keeler. Brick and steel structures and textiles will be used to evoke the area's manufacturing heritage, and the mall will include porches with rocking chairs. "We want to make sure we really speak to Charlotte's history," she said. For more on the mall, including periodically updated construction photos: www.shopnorthlake.com.

Are you serious? They all work for me..

The reason Galyan's opened as a Dick's Sporting Goods is b/c Dick's acquired Galyan's - ALL stores - so eventually all Galyan's will become Dick's... be it upscale as they are, not like regular Dick's stores. The new Dick's at SouthPark is quite nice nonetheless. And yes, Needless Markups (i mean Neiman Marcus) will be joining SouthPark in Fall 2006.

***IF YOU CAN'T SEE THE PICS**** http://community.webshots.com/user/outisthrough I'll try to fix it this weekend and upload them all to a dedicated server. not all the pics are on that webshots page. Sorry about the trouble. give the pics a few minutes to load -SouthPark- SEARS R.I.P. New main entry at 4400 Sharon Rd Belk - Fairview Road Enterance (new) Belk - Fairview Road Enterance (old) Belk - Enterance on side leading into parking garage (now where new Belk to Neiman/Nordstrom wing is) Belk's underground parking garage enterance Hecht's front enterance (old) (originally Thalhaimer's) Hecht's front enterance (new) Underground Hecht's Enterance Inside Hecht's Entry Dillard's - not changed since 1970 - originally Ivey's department store flagship. Dillard's enterance from the underground deck Dillard's most beautiful facade Cheesecake the Beautiful Nordstrom's Entry facing lower Belk deck Nordstrom's Fairview Entrance Nordstrom wing Galyan's (now Dick's) being built New SouthPark food court Outside the new food court ENJOY!