Pearl District - Atrium/Wake Forest School of Medicine

[Reverie39]

3 minutes ago, CLT2014 said:

At the very least it wouldn't be that hard to have a decent electric bus running down Morehead every 5-10 minutes with some benches added at stops so people could connect from Carson Station to the Hospital area. 

Definitely. It is a corridor just begging for some serious transit. Start with an electric bus, then upgrade to a streetcar when possible in the next decade or something. Connections to Blue Line at Carson station and eventually Silver Line at the Panthers stadium. Charlotte will benefit greatly.

[carolinaboy]

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

[KJHburg]

This is interesting and what is UE Uptow  Edge zoning?  Duncan Parnell owns this tract for their business and did not want to sell I heard to Atrium Wake Forest but I have not heard of this zoning. 

from the Ledger zoning requests:

2023-127. Duncan-Parnell. 1.29 acres at 900 S. McDowell St. from NC to UE Uptown Edge. Conventional rezoning. Rezoning agent: Alexander Ricks.

[Prodev]

33 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

This is interesting and what is UE Uptow  Edge zoning?  Duncan Parnell owns this tract for their business and did not want to sell I heard to Atrium Wake Forest but I have not heard of this zoning. 

from the Ledger zoning requests:

2023-127. Duncan-Parnell. 1.29 acres at 900 S. McDowell St. from NC to UE Uptown Edge. Conventional rezoning. Rezoning agent: Alexander Ricks.

They were marketing this for sale last summer and went under contract with a national apartment developer but the deal got dropped and they're marketing it again. It looks like Duncan is leading the rezoning, likely to save them some time when they do get a buyer. 

[DJ8hep]

These buildings are huge up close!

[QCxpat]

Today 10:15 a.m.

Edited October 9, 2023 by QCxpat

[DJ8hep]

We got quite a bit of glass now!

[Hushpuppy321]

Coming together quite nicely!!  Hopefully phase II and III start soon after this opens.  Seems like they’ll be large enough interest in additional institutional investment once the Pearl is Operational.

[KJHburg]

My photos from today. Only a couple more floors to go on the Levine Education building the taller one.   Like the look of the glass and vertical banding. 

[QCxpat]

Today 10:10 a.m. - work underway on 8th floor of med. research bldg. + 13th floor of med. classroom bldg.

Edited October 29, 2023 by QCxpat

[JorgiPorgi]

Does anyone have the official final plans they are going with?  I am confused as to Which one they decided. The actual taller building being built, looks like the proposed taller building in the initial plans- and in my opinion, does not look like the plans that were released later. 

[JRCLT]

23 minutes ago, JorgiPorgi said:

Does anyone have the official final plans they are going with?  I am confused as to Which one they decided. The actual taller building being built, looks like the proposed taller building in the initial plans- and in my opinion, does not look like the plans that were released later. 

This one.

[BJKM]

Apologies for the hyper filtration. These windows are really hard to take pictures through. 

[CLT Development]

Sat on my second Pearl District area adjacent rezoning this year last night and approved it. This area is poised to explode yall. We approved being able to build up to 300' right here.

[ArchiCLT]

801 E Morehead was renovated back in 2014-2015, and the 2 large oaks were removed in 2021. Is there any plan to connect Royal Ct and Baxter St?

[RANYC]

3 minutes ago, ArchiCLT said:

801 E Morehead was renovated back in 2014-2015, and the 2 large oaks were removed in 2021. Is there any plan to connect Royal Ct and Baxter St?

The oaks were lovely.  This simply isn’t the same City I moved to in 2018.  Very ambivalent.

[AltNative]

i know at least one oak fell on the building causing some significant damage

[Guest]

I work with the people responsible for taking care of our city’s tree canopy and they aren’t even as overly protective as some of y’all. Trees get old and if they aren’t properly trimmed they fall over prematurely. It’s better to cut them down at a point, and as we can all agree, the bigger the tree the more beautiful, which makes it all the more sad. Losing a tree can feel like losing a friend, but like people they have to go at some point. Better to not take out any buildings, infrastructure, or people along the way. New trees will become big trees, and in 20 years we will have attachments to a new host of trees in currently developing areas. Some good news is we are trimming our new street trees properly so they should last even longer than our current batch.

Edit: And I have a feeling the owners knew it would be redeveloped soon so opted not to replant 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Guest

[KJHburg]

Exactly and well said above.  We have to be always planting new trees as they do have a life cycle like humans do and I do believe Charlotte has a strong tree ordinance much better than other cities like one that is west of us that grabs lots of attention.  I miss our tree canopy when I go to other cities.  

Tree Management - City of Charlotte (charlottenc.gov)

[Guest]

Our protection of trees will only get better but unfortunately as a growing city urbanism will have to come first. The two aren’t mutually exclusive but we will keep losing trees. We will always have more trees than other similarly urbanized areas due to our policies though, and the experience should feel much the same as now as trees will be in as many places as they can be in the urban environment. Just see all the trees in new developments in south end and imagine the area in twenty years. A canopy of branches, glass and steel just like uptown.

P.S. Our Landscape team is phenomenal. Unsung heroes in this city. They are all legitimate plant fiends, many of them spend all day tending to greenery and then go home and tend to their own, all with joy. It’s not just a job but a passion for them.

[RANYC]

2 hours ago, MothBeast said:

I work with the people responsible for taking care of our city’s tree canopy and they aren’t even as overly protective as some of y’all. Trees get old and if they aren’t properly trimmed they fall over prematurely. It’s better to cut them down at a point, and as we can all agree, the bigger the tree the more beautiful, which makes it all the more sad. Losing a tree can feel like losing a friend, but like people they have to go at some point. Better to not take out any buildings, infrastructure, or people along the way. New trees will become big trees, and in 20 years we will have attachments to a new host of trees in currently developing areas. Some good news is we are trimming our new street trees properly so they should last even longer than our current batch.

Edit: And I have a feeling the owners knew it would be redeveloped soon so opted not to replant 

haha, i understand your point.  Well you let them know that the work they're doing is vital because even though the city is growing and some may want to think there are new priorities on our radar, the people here old and new are fiercely concerned about the trees and hold them in the highest of esteem, so don't let us down.  A city growing and urbanizing the way we are requires an even higher premium on landscape management.  In other words, the threats to what we value require even more response than historical norms.

And I know we have lots of folks on here worshipping at the altar of the density Gods, but density that compels more litter or makes it harder for trees to stay healthy & flourish or that generates more car-obsessed inhabitants clogging up streets and driving like maniacs making conditions inhospitable for those who would otherwise walk but don't out of fear for their lives at precarious intersections and ignored crosswalks, isn't any sort of density or urbanity I desire.  When I lament the city changing above, it wasn't really just the trees vanishing, but my concerns about how poorly we seem to be managing aspects of our rapid growth.

Edited November 4, 2023 by RANYC

[Guest]

18 hours ago, RANYC said:

haha, i understand your point.  Well you let them know that the work they're doing is vital because even though the city is growing and some may want to think there are new priorities on our radar, the people here old and new are fiercely concerned about the trees and hold them in the highest of esteem, so don't let us down.  A city growing and urbanizing the way we are requires an even higher premium on landscape management.  In other words, the threats to what we value require even more response than historical norms.

And I know we have lots of folks on here worshipping at the altar of the density Gods, but density that compels more litter or makes it harder for trees to stay healthy & flourish or that generates more car-obsessed inhabitants clogging up streets and driving like maniacs making conditions inhospitable for those who would otherwise walk but don't out of fear for their lives at precarious intersections and ignored crosswalks, isn't any sort of density or urbanity I desire.  When I lament the city changing above, it wasn't really just the trees vanishing, but my concerns about how poorly we seem to be managing aspects of our rapid growth.

We can all understand how you feel, just being here 5 years you’ve seen a lot change I’m sure. As an added note, policy decisions happen in the council chamber and the city managers office. Let’s not put any pressure on our city’s operational staff, they go above and beyond with what they are given and don’t create the policy they follow. 

[RANYC]

2 hours ago, MothBeast said:

We can all understand how you feel, just being here 5 years you’ve seen a lot change I’m sure. As an added note, policy decisions happen in the council chamber and the city managers office. Let’s not put any pressure on our city’s operational staff, they go above and beyond with what they are given and don’t create the policy they follow. 

Operational staff?  Are you kidding?  Tim Porter, chief urban forester, worked hand in hand with Trees Charlotte and UDO team to craft policy on green space area, heritage tree designation, etc.  In fact, he's the specialist, as are the folks in Landscape Management looking after trees in public right of way and deciding what species should be planted where and how far apart and under power lines, etc, and not the City Manager or the Council.  They're definitely a major input into policy, as are their preferred consultants, etc.  I'm not saying they're not doing a good job, but they should absolutely be lobbied along with Council members.  Let's just hope our "Tree executives and Leadership" remain committed to trees and are never "compromised" or "conflicted" by private development interests.  Let's also hope they feel empowered to notify Tree interests and to escalate to Council when they feel they lack the resources for the scale of what's required.  As it is, there's a backlog in replantings, a backlog in enforcing replanting policies, and a recent Observer article indicated that the city had been quite slow in acquiring greenspace with mitigation funds.  The article went on to state that a new hire was made to focus on spending the mitigation dollars expeditiously.  

Edited November 4, 2023 by RANYC

[Guest]

1 hour ago, RANYC said:

Operational staff?  Are you kidding?  Tim Porter, chief urban forester, worked hand in hand with Trees Charlotte and UDO team to craft policy on green space area, heritage tree designation, etc.  In fact, he's the specialist, as are the folks in Landscape Management looking after trees in public right of way and deciding what species should be planted where and how far apart and under power lines, etc, and not the City Manager or the Council.  They're definitely a major input into policy, as are their preferred consultants, etc.  I'm not saying they're not doing a good job, but they should absolutely be lobbied along with Council members.  Let's just hope our "Tree executives and Leadership" remain committed to trees and are never "compromised" or "conflicted" by private development interests.  Let's also hope they feel empowered to notify Tree interests and to escalate to Council when they feel they lack the resources for the scale of what's required.  As it is, there's a backlog in replantings, a backlog in enforcing replanting policies, and a recent Observer article indicated that the city had been quite slow in acquiring greenspace with mitigation funds but a person was hired to focus on spending the mitigation dollars expeditiously.  

First off I don’t appreciate your hostile tone. I feel like I’m being willfully misinterpreted here. I am talking about our operational staff members (I’m pretty sure I said that), these are people digging graves, mowing grass, trimming trees. The landscape management division along with Trees Charlotte are responsible for actually enacting our tree management policies, but have nothing to do with making them.  I didn’t  even say anything about Tim Porter or the planning department. Even if I did, do you know who voted on the UDO and massaged it into its current form? City council, local stakeholders, and city executives. Planning staff members (other than perhaps the Director) aren’t deciding the big picture for our land use policies, only the fine details. Where do you get that idea? Try yelling all of what you’ve said above at the city employee trimming a street tree and see what they can do about it. See how successful they are “escalating it” to council. Also who are you quoting throughout your post? Certainly not me. You seem to not understand how much power the average civil servant actually has. We know about the backlog, we literally have all of our staff members working full schedule and spending every dollar we have budgeted (and often more) towards taking care of our trees. If you want to make some noise about this don’t complain on this forum, get involved in local politics, volunteer with TreesCharlotte. It’s hard getting people to work for the government and this is why. So much negativity directed towards the people who are just doing their jobs, and so much apathy surrounding local politics and holding actual decision makers accountable.

https://www.charlottenc.gov/City-Government/Departments/General-Services/Tree-Management
 

“Operative employees are those employees who directly produce goods and services for a business and do not supervise others' work”

Now that you’re done tearing down your straw man I hope you take some time to think about how to channel what is so clearly a strong passion for your community in a productive way. We need more people like you paying attention.

Edited November 4, 2023 by Guest

[RANYC]

1 hour ago, MothBeast said:

First off I don’t appreciate your hostile tone. I feel like I’m being willfully misinterpreted here. I am talking about our operational staff members (I’m pretty sure I said that), these are people digging graves, mowing grass, trimming trees. The landscape management division along with Trees Charlotte are responsible for actually enacting our tree management policies, but have nothing to do with making them.  I didn’t  even say anything about Tim Porter or the planning department. Even if I did, do you know who voted on the UDO and massaged it into its current form? City council, local stakeholders, and city executives. Planning staff members (other than perhaps the Director) aren’t deciding the big picture for our land use policies, only the fine details. Where do you get that idea? Try yelling all of what you’ve said above at the city employee trimming a street tree and see what they can do about it. See how successful they are “escalating it” to council. Also who are you quoting throughout your post? Certainly not me. You seem to not understand how much power the average civil servant actually has. We know about the backlog, we literally have all of our staff members working full schedule and spending every dollar we have budgeted (and often more) towards taking care of our trees. If you want to make some noise about this don’t complain on this forum, get involved in local politics, volunteer with TreesCharlotte. It’s hard getting people to work for the government and this is why. So much negativity directed towards the people who are just doing their jobs, and so much apathy surrounding local politics and holding actual decision makers accountable.

https://www.charlottenc.gov/City-Government/Departments/General-Services/Tree-Management
 

“Operative employees are those employees who directly produce goods and services for a business and do not supervise others' work”

Now that you’re done tearing down your straw man I hope you take some time to think about how to channel what is so clearly a strong passion for your community in a productive way. We need more people like you paying attention.

I don't consider "are you kidding" scribed as font on a webpage to be any sort of real hostility but if you felt attacked/threatened, well then that's unfortunate as it wasn't my intention.

You suggested policy was the province of City Council and City Manager, and I was merely sharing my view that the Tree Executive Team are critical to policy as well.  If you think I was referring to the guy up in the tree pruning as the responsible party for how we balance density policies and canopy preservation, then the communication gulf between us is quite possibly irreconcilable.

Of course council votes on what they're given by management fed by executive staff, but council rarely comes up with or drives the technicalities on their own.  Our city council is in many ways like a board of directors reviewing the CEO/COO and executive committee problem analysis/problem statements, solutions and implementation programs.  Trust me, my complaints aren't restricted to this Forum.  Councilpersons and staff hear from me or hear from nonprofits to which I contribute quite often.

Edited November 4, 2023 by RANYC