Learning from Other Places

[KJHburg]

This would be the 4th from my count office to residential conversion in Dallas  this past year.  Their buildings are similar in size or bigger than Charlotte office towers with low vacancies so it is a good comparison.  Rent levels are similar to Charlotte as well.

These are partial conversions where just some floors are converted to residential while leaving others office.

https://www.connectcre.com/stories/another-dallas-office-highrise-converting-to-apartment-hotel-units/

https://dallasinnovates.com/dmn-nexpoint-to-redevelop-dallas-cityplace-tower-with-hotel-apartments-by-2025/  apartments and hotel rooms in this 42 story tower. 

Edited August 24, 2023 by KJHburg

[carolinaboy]

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

[DMann]

22 minutes ago, carolinaboy said:

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 spent a great deal of time in that building when I lived in Norfolk Virginia. It would be interesting to see it now is Apartments.

[elrodvt]

Do these always convert as rentals not owned?

[KJHburg]

1 minute ago, elrodvt said:

Do these always convert as rentals not owned?

these days it seems it is all rentals as it is easier to get financing to do the conversion.   

[15895]

Seattle DOT released their priorities for even further expansions (which is on top of their already IMO impressive expansion) 

 

https://seattletransportationplan.infocommunity.org

[tozmervo]

Timely, 99 PI has a new episode that talks about converting office to residential

https://pca.st/episode/120a9b57-a0e0-4e2e-99d3-a9829117ad49

[videtur quam contuor]

https://www.ahdatalytics.com/dashboards/ytd-murder-comparison/

For my purposes I read down the list and for cities within 10 of Charlotte for this year I think how similar they are in other ways. Hard to make a connection. Note this is murder not homicide and source is as identified on right of chart. 

[rancenc]

@KJHburg looks like Charlotte has had that "social drinking" that you have been commenting on!....seriously though, the only way you are going to take care of a issue like this is crack down and make them feel unwelcomed.   I would be curious to know the percentage who are local and truly homeless.

https://www.wfae.org/politics/2023-09-10/after-city-decriminalization-uptown-residents-say-public-drinking-defecation-is-out-of-hand

[15895]

DC has a very, very extensive protected bike lane system in the city and building a lot of miles every year still. 

& this is how busy our bike lanes are most weekdays and still busy on weekends. 

 

Bike Lanes work *when* there’s a broad network, it feels safe, etc. Yeah, they’ll be empty at first but connecting more and more neighborhoods in inner-city Charlotte….. of course bike lanes are mostly empty in certain areas of Charlotte. You have to build more…. And they exponentially go up on use. 
 

I don’t know if it’s bad faith arguments from non-Charlotteans or just people have never seen a good network (it doesn’t have to be a gridded city to work. I actually think it’s MORE necessary in cities with a street network like Charlotte to have an expansive Protected Bike Lane (PBL) network. Really, I think more investments in PBL &Bike Share, programs to provide people with bikes, tax rebate for electric bikes, would be *incredible* for mobility in Charlotte. For me, if I were living in Charlotte somewhere in Plaza, or Myers Park or wherever, I’d I had a solid network of PBL. I would be wayyy more likely to use light rail, bus (ride my bike to the bus stop) or just use a bike for groceries etc but I’m personally too afraid to ride my bike in inner city Charlotte. Sidewalks can be a little to narrow but in general, I think riding in unprotected bike lanes in general is scary & intimidating for me and makes me feel like I don’t have a car because maybe I lost my license or something or hardcore into biking.

I hear Raleigh & the Triangle has at very least a good greenway system. How’s Charlottes bike infrastructure doing these days before I make assumptions. I know we have the Carolina Theead trail and some other greenway expansions. Just wish there was more progress for PBL all over the inner city neighborhoods. 

[KJHburg]

Look how the Downtown Raleigh Alliance does their annual report.  They cite property tax revenues per acre compared to other areas of the city,  (good idea to show the entire city how important the CBD is) promoting its local downtown retail with stats, their upcoming Bus Rapid Transit  and even cite their James Beard nominees.  They do a GREAT job promoting their downtown area.  What Raleigh lacks in huge tall high rises they make up for in more people scale buildings and I think even a better streetscape.    Our local Charlotte Center City Partners could learn a thing or two from the DRA.

Here is the report and judge for yourself  and this is done annually like the CCCP does. 

State of Downtown Raleigh 2023

 

Raleigh now has 120 miles of greenway trails.  Also noted they have 3.5M sq feet of state owned office space downtown and I have not seen that cited before. 

Edited September 15, 2023 by KJHburg

[elrodvt]

6 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

DC has a very, very extensive protected bike lane system in the city and building a lot of miles every year still. 

& this is how busy our bike lanes are most weekdays and still busy on weekends. 

 

Bike Lanes work *when* there’s a broad network, it feels safe, etc. Yeah, they’ll be empty at first but connecting more and more neighborhoods in inner-city Charlotte….. of course bike lanes are mostly empty in certain areas of Charlotte. You have to build more…. And they exponentially go up on use. 
 

I don’t know if it’s bad faith arguments from non-Charlotteans or just people have never seen a good network (it doesn’t have to be a gridded city to work. I actually think it’s MORE necessary in cities with a street network like Charlotte to have an expansive Protected Bike Lane (PBL) network. Really, I think more investments in PBL &Bike Share, programs to provide people with bikes, tax rebate for electric bikes, would be *incredible* for mobility in Charlotte. For me, if I were living in Charlotte somewhere in Plaza, or Myers Park or wherever, I’d I had a solid network of PBL. I would be wayyy more likely to use light rail, bus (ride my bike to the bus stop) or just use a bike for groceries etc but I’m personally too afraid to ride my bike in inner city Charlotte. Sidewalks can be a little to narrow but in general, I think riding in unprotected bike lanes in general is scary & intimidating for me and makes me feel like I don’t have a car because maybe I lost my license or something or hardcore into biking.

I hear Raleigh & the Triangle has at very least a good greenway system. How’s Charlottes bike infrastructure doing these days before I make assumptions. I know we have the Carolina Theead trail and some other greenway expansions. Just wish there was more progress for PBL all over the inner city neighborhoods. 

 

This is where I'm at - protected bike lanes and buses.  Protected bike lanes, and decent sidewalks and crossings for walkers, connecting to bus hubs with ~5m service. Plus, both a corral and a much easier way to take the bike along. I've not seen better methods than the lockers on the front of the bus but there must be some? It kind of sucks using those and they'd fill up if the line is successful. 

A bike and bus solution must be quick to implement and orders of magnitude cheaper than LRT (which I love but just isn't happening fast enough here). I'd love to put some numbers against that but have no idea where to get them. Any ideas? 

[Desert Power]

https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-united/breaking-us-soccer-moving-to-atlanta/NOAKD5HIBVFSRP4SZ4GBC2MBHM/

Arthur Blank is just a miles better sports owner than Tepper, this is big for Atlanta.

[Matthew.Brendan]

https://www.fastcompany.com/90952175/this-spanish-city-has-been-restricting-cars-for-24-years-heres-what-we-can-learn-from-it
 

A great read. 

[kayman]

On 9/16/2023 at 12:43 PM, Desert Power said:

https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-united/breaking-us-soccer-moving-to-atlanta/NOAKD5HIBVFSRP4SZ4GBC2MBHM/

Arthur Blank is just a miles better sports owner than Tepper, this is big for Atlanta.

Tell that to the longtime black property owners in the neighborhoods adjacent to the west of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.  They would beg to differ and likely prove proof of their argument that Blank is trying to push these long time black property owners out of their properties.

The leading site of the US Soccer Federation is on the Herndon Stadium on the Morris Brown College campus which is woefully neglected after the City basically stolen from the HBCU Board  when the school lost its accreditation. 

Just some food for thought...

Edited September 21, 2023 by kayman

[15895]

Wow, the proposed New York Zoning Law (“city of yes”) looks transformative even for NY and can serve as a model for other US cities.

Lots of great graphics and easy overview below: 
 

https://t.co/95Hcq0CgUK

 

Edit :

Edited September 22, 2023 by AirNostrumMAD

[KJHburg]

One day Charlotte will be like the small town of Sylva in Jackson County NC have one of these social districts.  And I have personally seen them in Greensboro, Raleigh, Greenville, Wilson, Kannapolis, Mooresville, Gastonia etc etc.  

 

[KJHburg]

was up in Winston Salem last week.  This city that has taken lots of economic hits keeps on moving on and changing.   Lost Piedmont Airlines HQ, Wachovia HQ, even Krispy Kreme HQ.   But they have a medical school in their downtown!  To see all the RJReynolds cigarette factories turned into the Wake Forest Med school, laboratories, education space, office space and apartments is a massive change.  This Innovation Quarter is now coming into its 2nd phase which is on a cleared site see the photo attached.  It is exciting to see students in scrubs walking around this district and think we will see this soon in Charlotte.   

A large car dealer in that area Flow Automotive bought an empty 18 story office building downtown 500 W 5th and turned into a community hub with coworking space and space for non profits in addition to to its corporate headquarters and other market office space.  They sold the the empty surface parking lot to Grubb for an new apartment development right downtown.  This city has reinvented itself several times already and continues to be a great place to live.  Historical preservation off the chart.  A Philadelphia based developer is now working on its 3rd historical renovation of older high rise buildings into apartments having already done the Nissen Bldg, the Residences at the Reynolds Bldb and Kimpton Hotel and now the first home of Wachovia Bank.  (the new 8 West 3rd tower) 

So much history saved right in the downtown area along with the tallest buildings in the state outside of Charlotte or Raleigh.  

To see it for yourself there will we a walking tour Saturday Dec, 16 starting in Salem and walking to Winston and then seeing what Winston Salem is all about now.  Starting at the Big Coffee Pot! More details later on exact time. 

 

About the Innovation Quarter - Innovation Quarter   oh yeah RJR Tobacco donated all these factories to Wake and the city.   

Nissen Building Apartments in Winston-Salem, NC | PMC Property Group Apartments

 

[kayman]

Charlotte can learn from other places good and bad. This is one of the bad things Charlotte can learn from the DMV on transit. 

https://ggwash.org/view/91237/to-get-the-metro-we-deserve-transform-parking-into-housing

https://wamu.org/story/23/06/21/metro-is-facing-750-million-budget-gap/

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/metro-warns-of-potential-layoffs-service-cuts-as-750m-budget-gap-looms/3430758/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/09/26/dc-metro-budget-cuts/

Everywhere in the US has its own pros and cons but it's all about what can a place learn from the other. 

 

[15895]

[Yes, this is an intentionally cheeky post]
 

Not sure WMATA funding has many lessons to learn from for CLT. With currently around 900,000/People/Day using rail & bus in the area, I don’t think anyone expects it to be difficult to fund the shortfall between the stakeholders (Federal Government, DC, MD & VA.) & then some. It’s way more likely the US defaults during a protracted shutdown. Maybe the lesson could be, vote for NC Democrats & drop the y’allqaeda legislature & you too could fund mass transit over the equally/exceedingly ballooning road construction and maintenance cost. 

There are some exciting announcements that CATS could learn from though from WMATA in 2023.
 

Announced earlier this week, Effective December 17th, DC’s Metrobus will finally have 24/7 routes. Over night frequencies will be every 20 minutes. 

There are now also more trains and service than at any point in WMATA’s history 

 

Metrorail expansion is also credited to Dulles Airport hitting record international passengers, international destinations and international airlines. 

https://wjla.com/amp/news/local/dulles-airport-fastest-growing-international-flights-silver-line-metro-station-airline-weekly-article-planes-passengers-trains-stop-virginia-dc-dmv-public-transit-destination-kuwait-airways-swiss-international-air-lines

Definitely don’t do Public-Private Partnerships. They suck. Wes Moore just infused a ton of money a couple months in the Purple Line light rail and vowed to complete the project by 2027. 

Wes Moore also announced recently that MDOT has partnered with Delaware DOT to extend MARC train to Newark Delaware connecting to SEPTA. 

https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/commuterregional/marc-eyes-two-state-expansion-project/

Also, maybe CATS can model its new crossing for Publix in SouthEnd like the $350 Million infill station that recently opened in Alexandria this summer.

 

Also, it’d be cool if the Lynx CLT Station looks like Wmata’s IAD Station that opened less than a year ago

 

 

[kayman]

City-funded 24-hour bus system within the District doesn't help the region as a whole.

Also, TOD is nice,  but isn't in the places where the users don't park-and-ride (meaning driving to the service) to use transit as verified by this article.  The District isn't the region. 

https://ggwash.org/view/91237/to-get-the-metro-we-deserve-transform-parking-into-housing

It will not helpful if there are mass layoffs, overall service reduction throughout the region, etc. to a 3/4 of a billion budgetary shortfall in the upcoming fiscal year of WMATA. 

[15895]

3 hours ago, kayman said:

City-funded 24-hour bus system within the District doesn't help the region as a whole.

Also, TOD is nice,  but isn't in the places where the users don't park-and-ride (meaning driving to the service) to use transit as verified by this article.  The District isn't the region. 

https://ggwash.org/view/91237/to-get-the-metro-we-deserve-transform-parking-into-housing

It will not helpful if there are mass layoffs, overall service reduction throughout the region, etc. to a 3/4 of a billion budgetary shortfall in the upcoming fiscal year of WMATA. 

I don’t know why you’re making yourself look so small. 
 

Are you unaware of how you’re coming across? 
 

 

[15895]

This is something I haven’t saw but I’ve seen posters here ask why Charlotte can’t be a passenger rail hub similar to the airport. 
 

Massachusetts is looking at a new passenger rail service they’re dubbing “Compass Rail”. Basically using Springfield as a hub and optimizing it for connections. 

 

“At Wednesday's MassDOT Board of Directors meeting, Rail and Transit Administrator Meredith Slesinger delivered a brief presentation about MassDOT's plans for an overlapping network of new and existing intercity passenger rail services through a new hub in downtown Springfield. 

Where MassDOT had previously been focused on east-west rail connections, the agency is now looking at linking more destinations – inside and outside of the state's borders – to the north and south as well. 

Slesinger called the new vision "compass rail" – a vision for new intercity passenger rail routes that connect north-south routes through the Connecticut River Valley with east-west routes that connect Albany to Boston, with Springfield as the hub of the compass.”

https://mass.streetsblog.org/2023/10/18/massdot-outlines-compass-rail-vision-for-new-passenger-services-to-western-mass-albany

 

 I’m not sure Charlotte is well positioned to be some sort of connecting rail hub but it’s cool to see a proposal based upon connections. 

[kayman]

https://enotrans.org/article/wmata-reveals-plans-for-fiscal-cliff-doomsday-budget-one-year-from-now/

Eno Institute of Transportation, which I am member of,  exposing the reason why WMATA is in a unique situation even with its HRT peers. I was in a session this past summer, and it basically said WMATA has no local  funding sources rather state funding matches for operations which caps at 53% said match. The rest of that operations local matches from ridership revenue. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by kayman

[kayman]

On 10/19/2023 at 11:45 PM, AirNostrumMAD said:

I don’t know why you’re making yourself look so small. 
 

Are you unaware of how you’re coming across? 
 

 

Sorry, but lack of self-awareness is not one of my own shortcomings. Instead, I'm well aware of myself being observant, assertive, and just plain blunt about things.

Ironically, are you unaware of how your posting style makes you come across as a condescending, passive aggressive individual with several perspective blind spots of one's own personal bias? If you did, you already would know how ironic your quoted post & the prior post in this thread are microaggressions, & truly revealing about your own posting behavior not mine...

Edited October 26, 2023 by kayman