Legacy Union (former Charlotte Observer redevelopment)

[edmundblackadder1999]

Thanks.  That's good news.

[deleted]

2 hours ago, edmundblackadder1999 said:

I was hoping that the Observer site would be like a mini Hudson Yards.

 

 

 

 

Those are some beautiful buildings.  Maybe someday in Charlotte...

[Dale]

1 hour ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Uptown has 2.1M sq feet of retail as of Jan 2016. Not sure how much has been added. I think there is 700k+ under construction or planned. 

Wow! Much more than I thought.

[elrodvt]

19 minutes ago, Dale said:

Wow! Much more than I thought.

Yes, but how much of that is in overstreet and/or closed weekends and nights? That number is what makes it feel like there is so little retail to me.

[KJHburg]

Most of uptown's retail space is in restaurants and bars so that is why it is feels smaller. Think of all the restaurants, food shops, coffee shops, bars uptown. We need soft good retailers but only a few would work. Hudson Yards is a fantastic project but unrealistic for Charlotte. I think any soft good retailers uptown can add would be great even pretty basic ones like a mini Target, H&M, or even a mini Belks. 

[elrodvt]

4 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Most of uptown's retail space is in restaurants and bars so that is why it is feels smaller. Think of all the restaurants, food shops, coffee shops, bars uptown. We need soft good retailers but only a few would work. Hudson Yards is a fantastic project but unrealistic for Charlotte. I think any soft good retailers uptown can add would be great even pretty basic ones like a mini Target, H&M, or even a mini Belks. 

My mistake, I was thinking retail meant only soft goods. Are Grocery stores soft goods?

So, Anyone care to guess how many soft goods Sq Ft we have especially if you subtract the shops in overstreet or that close on weekends? 

Plus how much of the new 250K would be soft goods. That difference is what would make uptown change for me. 

Edited January 24, 2017 by elrodvt

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

I think some sort of retailer that can provide range of goods, like a target, would do great Uptown.  A place where people can go to buy whatever they are in need of, that cannot be provided by the grocery stores (and not have to get in a car to drive to).  I've always like the idea of an Uptown Barnes & Noble too.  I think an athletic store, maybe not an Academy, but  maybe a running store for shoes or something.  PPL that live uptown/southend tend to be pretty active/outdoorsy.  H&M/Forever/Fransecas or something like it would do well I think.  But people are just hungry for soft good retailers.  Those that say box retailers are on the decline, perhaps, but I would like to see the statistics of only the ones located in downtowns.  From the cities I've been to, they appear to thrive in those environments.  Unlike traditional box store retailers in a middle of a parking lot, it becomes an event and sometimes all day event depending upon how much you do Uptown.  Shop, Eat, Play.

*Also, I think once we see the master plan of what and how the retail is laid out, will not only ease our uncertainties, but I think we will like the project better once we know the missing piece. 

Edited January 24, 2017 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[KJHburg]

Forgot to mention these too an Apple store would kill it anywhere uptown as would some cosmetic stores and yes even a TJ Maxx/Ross/Stein Mart and a mixture of high end and more middle market stores would be great too. H&M is building urban stores and so is Forever 21. 

Edited January 24, 2017 by KJHburg

[nakers2]

I cannot provide much detail, but I can say that at least one of the aforementioned retailers is looking into an uptown location. 

[Guest]

I cannot provide much detail, but I can say that at least one of the aforementioned retailers is looking into an uptown location. 

Rules of Urban Planet:
1. Don't talk about urban planet outside of urban planet
2. Don't talk about urban planet outside of urban planet
3. Don't dangle carrots in front of urban planet posters and yank it away.
Jk
I know of a couple places going to southend, and three more uptown, but none of them are mentioned above so that's a good sign.


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[15895]

1 minute ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Rules of Urban Planet:
1. Don't talk about urban planet outside of urban planet
2. Don't talk about urban planet outside of urban planet
3. Don't dangle carrots in front of urban planet posters and yank it away.
Jk
I know of a couple places going to southend, and three more uptown, but none of them are mentioned above so that's a good sign.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know there's little you can say. But can you at least say if they're somewhat clustered or not? The uptown locations 

[nyxmike]

44 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Rules of Urban Planet:
1. Don't talk about urban planet outside of urban planet
2. Don't talk about urban planet outside of urban planet
3. Don't dangle carrots in front of urban planet posters and yank it away.
Jk
I know of a couple places going to southend, and three more uptown, but none of them are mentioned above so that's a good sign.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Are they new to the Charlotte market, existing retailers or a mix of both?

[Guest]

Are they new to the Charlotte market, existing retailers or a mix of both?

Existing. Two of the uptown ones are pretty far off unfortunately.


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[nakers2]

5 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Rules of Urban Planet:
1. Don't talk about urban planet outside of urban planet
2. Don't talk about urban planet outside of urban planet
3. Don't dangle carrots in front of urban planet posters and yank it away.
Jk
I know of a couple places going to southend, and three more uptown, but none of them are mentioned above so that's a good sign.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When I say I can't provide much detail I mean that only the upper of the upper echelon of those involved really know the details. I can say that this retailer does exist in the Charlotte market already, they do have concepts like this in other major cities, and the location will be central, likely a corner location, I have heard, but cannot confirm Trade and Tryon though I can't imagine where they would put it unless it will be a new style layout altogether for them. Even if that specific tidbit of information was incorrect, Uptown is rather expansive with plenty of residents, hotel guests, and employees to patronize it regardless of location (within reason of course, somewhat central, not on the fringes) 

With that being said, I can say that Walmart has been looking into more urban locations for their Neighborhood Market stores, dense areas have historically been off limits for big box Walmarts with their massive parking lots, but the neighborhood market, especially if slightly modified to carry some limited home goods in areas where there is no full size Walmart nearby, could help the company break into areas they've never been. 

[go_vertical]

^^ Wasn't there some space for soft goods in the Independence Center renovation? Depending on the space requirements for this retailer that would be right on the square.

[AuLukey]

My best guess: an Apple Store. Although judging by the "newest" rendering of Tyron place, my guess would be that's where we'd see Apple pop up (given there's a big glass box in the middle of the hypothetical plaza.) Think subterranean store with above ground entryway.

Given Midtown's proximity and the very low concentration of homes in Uptown proper, I'd put Target at unlikely. Although I wouldn't mind being wrong. An urban concept store would be nice, I love the multistory ones I've been to around D.C.

It's too bad IKEA didn't build their location inside the loop (but closer to 77 for visibility.) That would've generated a ton of tourism for Uptown. And could've jumpstarted retail in Uptown much earlier.

I think what Uptown needs is true destination shopping before more boutique retailers would be able to survive.

[edmundblackadder1999]

Does anyone know:

(1) what else will be built on this site (e.g., just retail, apartments, and a hotel or more offices too); and

(2) when the other buildings are expected to rise?

Thanks

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, edmundblackadder1999 said:

Does anyone know:

(1) what else will be built on this site (e.g., just retail, apartments, and a hotel or more offices too); and

(2) when the other buildings are expected to rise?

Thanks

Officially. Nobody on this board can answer any of these questions

Unofficially. I wrote a possible breakdown a few pages back, but my intel is from 9 months ago, so tons could have changed, and it was told to me in a very unofficial capacity. Like I said in my article I wrote (http://www.charlottefive.com/charlotte-deserves-better-than-the-planned-office-tower-at-the-former-observer-site/), there has been no masterplan, nobody outside of Lincoln Harris/Goldman Sachs knows the plans for the rest of the land or when the other buildings will rise.

[edmundblackadder1999]

39 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Officially. Nobody on this board can answer any of these questions

Unofficially. I wrote a possible breakdown a few pages back, but my intel is from 9 months ago, so tons could have changed, and it was told to me in a very unofficial capacity. Like I said in my article I wrote (http://www.charlottefive.com/charlotte-deserves-better-than-the-planned-office-tower-at-the-former-observer-site/), there has been no masterplan, nobody outside of Lincoln Harris/Goldman Sachs knows the plans for the rest of the land or when the other buildings will rise.

Thanks, Rick.

PS: I didn't know that you wrote that article.  Personally, I think I'm one of the few people who likes this tower.  Also, while granite or limestone would have been nice.  Polished concrete looks good too.  Consider 99 Church Street or 432 Park in NY.  Isn't this tower's shorter twin, Odell Plaza, polished concrete as well?

 

Edited January 25, 2017 by edmundblackadder1999

[nakers2]

I could believe the subterranean apple store, though I would think they'd want a dead center location, there's plenty of room (assuming the underground utilities aren't restrictive) on the entry to BofA Plaza or the Corporate Center plaza between the building and the step fountain. 

In terms of stores from Midtown and South Boulevard having a second location Uptown, don't count them out, I'm probably already saying too much. 

[CLT704]

7 minutes ago, edmundblackadder1999 said:

Polished concrete

It's not polished concrete, it's sandblasted prefab panels...

[edmundblackadder1999]

11 minutes ago, CLT704 said:

It's not polished concrete, it's sandblasted prefab panels...

Odell, the Observer tower, or both?

[CLT704]

5 minutes ago, edmundblackadder1999 said:

Odell, the Observer tower, or both?

Observer. Polished concrete may have looked better but concrete isn't a great choice 

[deleted]

2 hours ago, CLT704 said:

It's not polished concrete, it's sandblasted prefab panels...

Polished turd is more like it...

[nakers2]

2 hours ago, CLT704 said:

It's not polished concrete, it's sandblasted prefab panels...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but those prefab panels are those panels that get scuffed, cracked, and bent very easily by perhaps patio chairs or an errant weed-eater come in contact with them? (hence the wall of the food court patio at Charlotte premium outlets, looks good but shows their cheapness when put under stress)