SouthEnd Projects

[Charlotte_native]

Somehow this project never got a mention.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stori...10/daily29.html

There is a rendering of the new project by Merrifield

Charlotte is finally exploring its architectual pallet, and buildings like this show how modern design and material can fit in the existing environment.

I think Merrifield (and their affiliates) has been doing a good job of not repeating the same architecture over and over. They have solicited input from neighbors on a number of their projects across the city and made those projects fit the location and existing environment quite well. The Tremont on Tremont and Cleveland is being done by one of their partners and fits the character of Arts & Crafts of Dilworth well. Lofts34 and Nevitt in NoDa (and soon to be built Fat City Building) were designed and concepted by a local design group in the neighborhood and mesh easily with the existing storefronts. Village Lofts in SouthEnd are true to the surrounding townhouse/storefront style of the rest of the project, and now this in a once industrial area...

I wish a few more Charlotte developers would pay attention to mixing up design rather than building different versions of the same buildings around town.

[lewy2000]

Alas, wrong corner for now...this is on the other side of Tryon and Phase 1 won't be on the corner of Tryon and Kingston, but Park and Kingston.

Do you mean Park and Tryon? Where that large white house is? Park and Kingston don't intersect.

[Charlotte_native]

Do you mean Park and Tryon? Where that large white house is? Park and Kingston don't intersect.

My bad -- park and tryon -- right now the big white house is not part of the project but they are trying to add that to the overall project site. They have been doing core samples and surveys over the past week or two, so announcement time isn't far away.

[atlrvr]

In my opinion......dense mid-rise development in South End is one of the most critical components to Charlotte's urban future.

I'm glad the time is finally now for this to occur, because it is one of the relatively few places in the city that has a lot of developable land and good existing urban infrastucture......the South End could really become Charlotte's famous urban 'hood.

[Charlotte_native]

In my opinion......dense mid-rise development in South End is one of the most critical components to Charlotte's urban future.

I'm glad the time is finally now for this to occur, because it is one of the relatively few places in the city that has a lot of developable land and good existing urban infrastucture......the South End could really become Charlotte's famous urban 'hood.

I agree completely. Unlike a lot of the close-in neighborhoods, Wilmore and SouthEnd residents are welcoming these projects (Dilworth gets the projects, but not after often bitter battles). The Tryon, Camden, and Mint corridors are ripe with buildings and land that are underused. There are acres and acres between Wilmore and 277 that are being redeveloped, this area is about to explode. The developer for this Park / Tryon project has 3 more up their sleeve, Blvd Company has around 7 acres they are planning for townhouses, we all know about "C". One of the reasons the pedestrian bridge is desired so much by locals in SouthEnd will be for connectivity for all of this coming development and what is planned for Third and Second Wards...the Trolley and Light Rail obviously add a tremendous benefit as well.

Add to that a push by SouthEnders and CCCP for a small neighborhood park and one or two boutique hotels...

[atlrvr]

Just to add one bit more......Mint St. between Carson and Park Ave is an area that has unlimited potential.... Good historic buildings, good road network, great skyline angle, and 3 blocks from 2 light rail stations.

[atlrvr]

I think Cooperdawg was referring to the site across South....next to Mac's, but I believe that might be scrapped because it is too close to single family residential for it to get the height allowance needed under TOD.

Well.....this project (at the corner of Ideal Way and South) has been creatively saved.

Blue Sky Partners (they are doing Lofts Dilworth at Euclid/McDonald) is buying adjacent property along Ideal Way to build townhouses, which then allows them to go higher up at the corner of South and Ideal, due to them being far enough away from single-family, per our zoning ordinance.

The will build 22 townhouses between Marshall and Euclid, and then two midrises between Euclid and South, totalling 160 units with ground floor retail.

From the site plans, this looks like an excellent project to me.

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Planni...ns/2006-128.htm

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Planni...ns/2006-129.htm

[Charlotte_native]

Well.....this project (at the corner of Ideal Way and South) has been creatively saved.

Blue Sky Partners (they are doing Lofts Dilworth at Euclid/McDonald) is buying adjacent property along Ideal Way to build townhouses, which then allows them to go higher up at the corner of South and Ideal, due to them being far enough away from single-family, per our zoning ordinance.

The will build 22 townhouses between Marshall and Euclid, and then two midrises between Euclid and South, totalling 160 units with ground floor retail.

From the site plans, this looks like an excellent project to me.

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Planni...ns/2006-128.htm

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Planni...ns/2006-129.htm

Someone please call the John Locke Foundation and see what they have to say. They are still saying they have studies that show that development won't follow the rail lines as "predicted" by rail supporters. Somehow they keep ignoring these projects that are sprouting up everywhere.

This is great news, hopefully more of the ugly development of South Blvd will give way to projects like this.

[GamecockEngineer]

Someone please call the John Locke Foundation and see what they have to say. They are still saying they have studies that show that development won't follow the rail lines as "predicted" by rail supporters. Somehow they keep ignoring these projects that are sprouting up everywhere.

This is great news, hopefully more of the ugly development of South Blvd will give way to projects like this.

I have no clue what type of study the John Locke Foundation did or what the JLF is, but in reality, you can pretty much make a study show whatever results you want, esp. when it comes to predicting development patterns.

[atlrvr]

The John Locke Foundation believes in having as little government involvement as possible. They believe that governement shouldn't invest in anything.......period........except for roads to the suburbs, more schools in the suburbs, more police in the suburbs.....and that's it.....

[Charlotte_native]

I have no clue what type of study the John Locke Foundation did or what the JLF is, but in reality, you can pretty much make a study show whatever results you want, esp. when it comes to predicting development patterns.

I know, that really was my point -- they disappear when the stats don't support what they want them to. In this case it is overwhelmingly obvious that development has followed the rail lines at an even faster pace than was hoped! Vive la light-rail!

[reverbandwhiskey]

Holy crap! That is directly across the street from me!

Good to see something nice being built on my street. Should do wonders for my property value! Drinks on me when this project breaks ground!

[49er]

wait, is this on the site of the fairly new mcdonalds at ideal and south?

[reverbandwhiskey]

Other side of Ideal. There is a Keller Transmissions and bording house for junkies and ex-whores behind that.

I cannot wait for those to go away.

Although I wish it was the gas station and McDonald's that was getting torn down as well.

[RiverwoodCLT]

I was in San Francisco this pass week. They have buses, electric over head wire buses, street cars, cable cars, LRT, and BART. They were all full

If the Blue Line (South Blvd.) does half as good as SF, they will be a big success. When this line starts up, delvelopment will go wild on South Blvd. area.

South End is already becoming a show place for LRT and trolley.

[49er]

duh, now i know the spot, near that fake biker bar

what a great development, really does begin to extend the urban design standards in southend further out on south blvd

[voyager12]

I attended the DCDA meeting last night and the Blue Sky proposal was brought up. There are scant details as of now but the reaction was generally positive.

[reverbandwhiskey]

That fake biker bar is going to have problems now that more people will be living next to it. I imagine a flood of noise complaints within weeks of resident move-in.

Never understood why they built a bar that seats 200 but only has parking for 12 cars.

[dubone]

Never understood why they built a bar that seats 200 but only has parking for 12 cars

Get used to it. That is the zoning standard for transit areas.

I'll be honest, I'm not quite sympathetic about the noise complaints about Mac's. It is the first successful new business on that stretch in a long time. I'm not sure what the problem is with the fact that this restaurant's customers ride loud bikes. I guess uptown I hear so many loud motorcycles, trains, busses, trucks, fire engines, helicopters, jetplanes, jazzies, ricers, hoopties, and automobiles.

[reverbandwhiskey]

Get used to it. That is the zoning standard for transit areas.

I'll be honest, I'm not quite sympathetic about the noise complaints about Mac's. It is the first successful new business on that stretch in a long time. I'm not sure what the problem is with the fact that this restaurant's customers ride loud bikes. I guess uptown I hear so many loud motorcycles, trains, busses, trucks, fire engines, helicopters, jetplanes, jazzies, ricers, hoopties, and automobiles.

You are welcome to spend a night sitting on my porch. They have contests to see who ahs the loudest motorcycle in their parking lot on the weekends. Throughout the night bankers rev up their motorcycles to try and regain what littel verility they have left. They will seriously rev their motorcycles for minutes at a time.

Luckily that place will have to crack down after the condos go up.

[dubone]

I think maybe I should have said the opposite, that I do actually empathize with you about jerks who ruin other people's quality of life trying to be noisy for no good reason. But at the same time, I have been to that restaurant a number of times, and I am not sure I agree with you that it is their fault. It is one thing for a restaurant to cater to bikers in order to make a successful business out of an otherwise difficult site. It is a whole other thing for some of those bikers to do everything they can to maximize their decibels.

I'm sure, though, that the more residents that complain, the more that Mac's will try to post signs and such to discourage their patrons from being jerks.

[Charlotte_native]

Why is it the law that you will get a ticket for no muffler on your car because of the pollution and the noise, but you can have a motorcycle as loud as you want it? Is there a double standard? Is there some loophole in the law that allows it? I think bikes are OK, just OK, nothing to get excited about, but i definitely hate it when they cruise around blasting sound that no one else wants to hear...

Other than that i LOVE Mac's. Great food, they did begin a trend on that ugly part of South, and hopefully more will follow.

[ElricSeven]

Why is it the law that you will get a ticket for no muffler on your car because of the pollution and the noise, but you can have a motorcycle as loud as you want it? Is there a double standard? Is there some loophole in the law that allows it? I think bikes are OK, just OK, nothing to get excited about, but i definitely hate it when they cruise around blasting sound that no one else wants to hear...

Other than that i LOVE Mac's. Great food, they did begin a trend on that ugly part of South, and hopefully more will follow.

Loud pipes for motorcycles are legal I believe. Their rationale is that it protects them by making them more noticable in traffic. Of course the same group rallies against helmet-laws. I'm pretty sure they just think it is masculine and cool to be loud. Like pistols and guns, it is a form of juvenile penis-enhancement.

[soccer1guy_99]

Not to get too far off topic, but the police could do something about the loud motorcycles. It is illegal in North Carolina to not have a muffler on ANY motor vehicle:

http://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/St...Chapter_20.html

20‑128. Exhaust system and emissions control devices.

(a) No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a muffler, or other exhaust system of the type installed at the time of manufacture, in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, annoying smoke and smoke screens.

(b) It shall be unlawful to use a "muffler cut‑out" on any motor vehicle upon a highway.

I think the problem for Mac's is that if they try to enforce this law, the bikers will find another bar where they can have their reving competitions.

[reverbandwhiskey]

Not to get too far off topic, but the police could do something about the loud motorcycles. It is illegal in North Carolina to not have a muffler on ANY motor vehicle:

http://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/St...Chapter_20.html

20‑128. Exhaust system and emissions control devices.

(a) No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a muffler, or other exhaust system of the type installed at the time of manufacture, in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, annoying smoke and smoke screens.

(b) It shall be unlawful to use a "muffler cut‑out" on any motor vehicle upon a highway.

I think the problem for Mac's is that if they try to enforce this law, the bikers will find another bar where they can have their reving competitions.

OH no, the 12 people a night who rides their motorcycles will have to go somewhere else. I am sure that Mac's would rather have the 200+ people next door eat/drink there. Mac's is positioned to be a VERY popular corner bar with all of the new condos/apartments coming in the next two years