mzweig

The problem with modern here is threefold. First, it is done poorly. Random materials used for no reason, poor detailing of the buildings in terms of roofs and water, and a lot more. I like modern but think it is done poorly here. Second, it appeals to a younger age group. 50 year olds in this part of the country don't like it. Third, the 50 year olds have the money. Modern does not sell for the same price per square foot as more traditional design. All said, though, I would love to do GOOD modern residential here. I wish Summit Place had been designed for multi-family row housing down low and I had done the buildings as rentals in a West Coast modern style. The hillside would have been ideal for that. Also--mid-century modern really seems to be taking hold. I have done a couple of those houses and love it. Would like to build new ones. They appeal to a middle-aged group and are also not expensive to build, tho do require larger lots because they need to be ranches with big roof overhangs.

Fayetteville city government is a mess. Because of our weak mayor and a city council that is obsessed with creating scooter insurance laws/mailbox parking laws/pushing their own social agenda as opposed to actually creating an environment for growth in our city, more and more investment and potential investment is heading north. Being "development friendly" is perceived as a bad thing by those who are currently controlling our local government. I'm afraid that they are all so disconnected and unfamiliar with what it means to take huge risks and make investments in real estate (and improving it) that they just don't mind running everyone off. We will be left with more empty storefronts and a declining tax base if we cannot get some more pragmatic, business-oriented people in our local government. You can only push these distracting genda items so far while at the same time ignoring business before the consequences will be felt. The barriers to redeveloping North College have got to be eliminated. The vertical height restrictions are diametrically opposed to low impact development and sustainability. We need a plan to actively attract the type of businesses that we need here. We need more high quality office space. We need to plant trees and bury power lines. We need to enforce our property maintenance standards. We just need some common sense badly. I am hoping to see a major change in city government come the next election and hope some intelligent, moderate, and reasonable leaders emerge here who can see the big picture.

I prefer Kum and Go, in spite of their wacky name! M

I once heard that hibachi steakhouses are the single most profitable type of restaurant you can have. There's little menu variety, everyone gets the same salad, soup, and sides, and the cook is the primary server. Ticket prices are high, and people don't tend to linger at the tables when they are eating wih strangers..... Could explain why so many of them! M

I have to say while I'm tickled to see something built down here the architecture is pretty bad. I don't know how people come up with such strange combinations of colors and materials as done on these buildings! M

Gee, thanks, Guys. I started a new topic on this project where i can share more info on it. I am really excited about what we'll be doing up there! M

Agreed. That is just ridiculous! Mark I agree wi you on all counts. Really dumb. We have huge vacant lots now. Build on those. This is really stupid. Bad planning. No leadership in the City. Mark

Studies have been done before on this topic. The U.S. Trust for Historic Preservation used to have something called "The Main Street USA" program. I bought the book for a town I lived in once and it was all about how to revitalize your downtown. It states right in the book that when business is bad the business owners will immediately claim lack of parking or paid parking is the problem and rarely is that the problem. Businesses have to have something that people want to buy! Seems so fundamental. If they want it, they will do anything to get it. Is there free parking in NYC or Boston? Heck no, and yet there are some very successful small businesses in those places. I have no problem with the paid parking--I'm more likely to find a spot. What I don't care for is the slow-assed machines that take five minutes of standing in the sun to process my credit card. It is like they are dialing up on a 15 year-old modem or something to relay the CC info. Slow! Not convenient. Other than that, the paid parking almost assures me of always finding a spot. M Maybe the "Reptile Museum" could co-locate with these people. Better yet, get the Tarot lady from College to put in a spot there, too. Then we could have a weird troicha of local attractions that might be worth visiting when one has an hour to kill! M

I rely on you all for the inside scoop on what's going on! The building is on North side of Trenton between College and the Park. It is about 13-14k sq feet in total. Designed by same architect who designed old library (Fulbright Building)--Warren Seagraves-- just not as neat! One problem with East Plaza--lots and lots of wasted space. Common areas are so large it kills your lease rate. Also, no parking. I have needs for a lot of spaces. Employees don't like having to pay to park.

I tried leasing about 6000 square feet on the main floor for one of my businesses--ZweigWhite (where the vault is) about two months ago and struck out. The owners weren't able to be close to competitive for office space in this market. We have instead leased a big chunk of the old FDC building on Trenton near Wilson Park from Tim Cooper. We will be getting new parking lots, improved landscaping, a new entrance, and a number of windows cut through the brick in the back of the building, as well as some interior mods to meet our needs. Mark

Thanks, good to know. We have a current lease over here at Three Sisters and I am trying to roll that into a bigger space but this building owner doesn't seem that concerned that their entire office space on second floor is vacant...soo...maybe we do need to look at other options. We need it fast, though. I really want to stay here. So convenient! M

ZweigWhite is a management consulting, research, publishing and training firm that serves the architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting "industry" (if you can call it that). We also have a new investment banking division that not only does traditional M&A services but also helps provide financing. The company was twice named to the Inc. 500 List of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. and we hope to get back on that list once again! M see http://www.zweigwhite.com Any changes in the plans are probably a result of someone complaining. Sometimes it seems like we respond to the last person who complains about something which is too bad in my opinion! M

Just an FYI--hope this is appropriate to post here. I have rejoined my old Boston-based firm, ZweigWhite, as CEO this week. We are going to relocate our headquarters to downtown Fayetteville (will still have a Boston office as well as others in DC and Durham, NC). I already opened a small office in Three Sisters on July 1 but now need more space. Trying to lease the old Rockfish space on second floor of Three Sisters so we can have more room to hire folks. We already have four people here but by making this the headquarters we will eventually bring about 15-20 new higher paying jobs to Fayetteville. No change for me in terms of my university teaching gig or my redevelopment company, Mark Zweig, Inc., other than MZ, Inc. will likely rent space in Three Sisters also so I can manage it at same time. Mark

It's wacky. I figured they were planning on changing the direction traffic flows on this street--oops! Who comes up with this stuff? Mark

That bike shop near Noodles is being opened by one of my former students, Chris Brosh, son of Patrick who owns the Romance Diamond Company on Dickson. You are correct--this will be his second store. Chris is a good entrepreneur and will be successful! Mark

I like paid parking. It assures me I can always find a space when I need it because some people won't pay it. That may sound weird but without paid parking I probably would not find parking many times. Mark

Jordan's entire criteria seems to be friendship. He seems to have no ideology or plan whatsoever. I knew his election would be a setback for the city and that's why I was doing TV commercials for Coody. M

Was one of the accomplishments listed that he has "friended" everyone on Facebook who lives in Fayetteville? Because he has......

We had a Fay Jones School of Architecture Dean's Circle dinner up there last Friday night in a top floor condo. Beautiful views. It's a really nice building. Mark

Yep--you are absolutely right about that. Not within their purview. M

It seems to me the City Council should, in general, respect the recommendations of the Planning Dept. and the Planning Commission. I think they may meddle a little too much sometimes, bowing to those who complain the loudest. That said, I don't know we need another large apartment complex in this town--it seems like so many are coming on line. But it ought to be up to the developers to take that risk. Those are my thoughts, at least! Mark

I don't think high rise condos would be too popular, either. Look at how our expensive condo projects have fared--very poorly!

I do agree that the historic designation is just another attempt to keep F-Ville just like it is. Can't happen! Change is inevitable. We need good change, done smart, with taste, and sensitivity to maintaining character. Dickson will change and evolve. If it doesn't, it will become obsolete in the future. M

Let me give you an example of how a historic district commission, with design review, could cause problems for people like me (someone who completely rebuilds residential structures, some of which are in the historic district.) I recently had someone who is very active here locally with historic preservation tell me that she "did not approve of what I do." When I asked for more details, she told me that I am destroying the "historic structures" in Fayetteville. It's a pretty outrageous and ridiculous assertion, because anyone who knows me and knows what I do is aware of the fact that I go to great lengths to do things right, i.e., only use natural materials, bring back proper window heights and sizes, keep roof ieghts and street profiles, am very sensitive to window details, and in general, try really hard to put houses bacck to what they once were in terms of materials and construction methods vs. make them look like modern characatures of something real. She told me once house I rebuilt, in particular, should have been preserved as it was. Never mind the fact that the owners I bought it from were considering tearing it down, that it had been in a fire, that it was a fire hazzard, that it was vacant and had a squatter, that it had white vinyl siding and windows replaced with smaller onces AFTER it was deemed a "contributing structure," etc. The facct that I put cedar shingles on the outside of it (it had them when built) and painted the trim olive green (the color we found it was early on) and added onto it (it was built as a two-room shack and had already been added onto at least three times) made no difference to her. I should have "preserved it." What am I to preserve? The vinyl put on in the 90s? The mill-finish aluminum windows? The window AC units cut through the exterior walls? The burned out framing on the back porch? The crumbling foundation? The unvented gas wall heaters?? This is the kind of absurdity that pervades these commissions. I rebuilt the house in a completely historic fashion with real materials. It went from an eyesore and fire hazzard to something that set a price record when sold and will be featured in Country Home Magazine this Spring/Summer. Yet this person--from an old Fayetteville family--"does not approve" of what I do! This is why I think fears about historic districts and commissions are justified in some cases.... Mark