Dilworth Projects (Kenilworth, Morehead, East)

[voyager12]

I noticed this week that the long abandoned and boarded up apt house along DRW near East is up for auction. It made have already been sold, did not catch the date on the banner when I drove by. I have long been surprised about how long the place was allowed to sit neglected cconsidering the pricey houses surrounding the lot. I assume there was a lot of drama from the owners and interested parties. I wonder if it will be demolished or renovated.

Edited June 18, 2008 by voyager12

[Andyc545]

700 E. Morehead St across from where Royal Court is, has a new concept drawing... This is on the site where they previously were staging construction parking and sales center parking for Royal Court.

I don't know if this has ever been posted, but Harris has had this on their website for a little time now:

[cltheel.sdl]

^ Is that office or residential?

[Raintree21]

^ Is that office or residential?

It is a mixed use retail site.

Edited June 19, 2008 by Raintree21

[dubone]

I want to like those traditional features that they included in the facade, but then I just imagine what it will look like using plastic materials, and it just never pulls it off. I'd say if they are going to build it like they used to, then just skip the traditional designs. It just seems so shallow. I'm not saying they will definitely use cheap materials, but it seems like such a common practice in this city lately, it is hard to imagine that they won't.

[Raintree21]

I want to like those traditional features that they included in the facade, but then I just imagine what it will look like using plastic materials, and it just never pulls it off. I'd say if they are going to build it like they used to, then just skip the traditional designs. It just seems so shallow. I'm not saying they will definitely use cheap materials, but it seems like such a common practice in this city lately, it is hard to imagine that they won't.

It's not a very good picture, but my guess is stucco, concrete, and iron railings...

[atlrvr]

It's hard-coat stucco for the most part, but it wouldn't surpise me (sadly) if the cornices are EIFS....feel fee to surprise me

[atlrvr]

The Tremont is turning out better than I suspected....not crazy about the Cape Cod Bungalow look, but the scale seems more appropriate in person than in the renderings. Plus, I like that there is ground-floor commercial space.

[Andyc545]

It is a mixed use retail site.

Yup- it's 5k sq ft off retail on the ground and I believe the rest of the top floors are office. The retail will help serve those around the YMCA, Royal Court, and the new office building going up across from RC.

Edit:

I've been meaning to post something about this for weeks now and I apologize if this has already been discussed, but the old City Tavern on E. Blvd with the outdoor dining on the roof is back open but is a new restaurant called Plan B... Yes- Plan B.... It sounds like a type of birth control, how appetizing. I thought this was suppose to reopen still as City Tavern but was undergoing a remodel- guess that didn't happen.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Andyc545

[Andyc545]

A new rezoning petition went up in Dilworth for the 'Dilworth Inn', a 68k sq foot hotel. It is bounded by S. Blvd, E. Blvd, and Cleveland Ave. I indicated its location in Google Maps here. Its site plan is located here.

Edited July 1, 2008 by Andyc545

[atlrvr]

Looks like the HDC is on a denial kick. Is there new board members, or have they become more concerned with neighborhood protest?

Dilworth Inn on East Blvd. was denied for being too big. Personally, I can't fathom what constitutes too big for a location so close to South Blvd and the LRT station. Would the Baptist and Greek churches be denied if they were proposed today? They are certainly more out of scale with other buildings along East than this would have been.

Also, CentroCityworks was denied their request to use HardiPlank shingles on TreHouse. I assume they will go forward with real wood shingles. This decision seems quite hypocritical because HDC approves modern materials all the time in single family buildings....such as double pane windows, fiberglass asphalt shingles, etc... Seems like a certain neighborhood group is upset that city council approved this project....if fact, they were emailing residents asking them to oppose HardiPlank to HDC. To me, this seems derived from spite as opposed to commen sense, as HardiPlank would look attractive far longer than wood without maintenance. Of course, no one has ever accused them of common sense.

[rockhilljames]

Yeah, I have no idea why this was turned down. Seems like they're saying no just to say no.

[ArtCritic]

The Tremont is turning out better than I suspected....not crazy about the Cape Cod Bungalow look, but the scale seems more appropriate in person than in the renderings. Plus, I like that there is ground-floor commercial space.

THAR' SHE BLOWS!! This really is something right off of Cape Cod. What will they sell in the street-level shops? Scrimshaw necklaces? Saltwater taffy? Bayberry candles? Chowder? Once the yellow Komatsu in the photo is gone (and the ground floor is painted the same New England gray?), everyone who's ever lived within a hundred miles of a whaling town will have flashbacks on overcast days. It's our version of the House of the Seven Gables.

In a funny way I do appreciate the variety, but purely for variety's sake. And at least there seems to be no EFIS. Having just ONE of these is fun (and who knows, some neighbor with a sense of wit might also paint his/her house gray!), but I hope the Cape Cod style does not become a local trend. IMHO Charlotte has its own "native" variations on the bungalow style that, if adapted to a Tremont-sized project, would harmonize much better with the surroundings.

[Charlotte_native]

THAR' SHE BLOWS!! This really is something right off of Cape Cod. What will they sell in the street-level shops? Scrimshaw necklaces? Saltwater taffy? Bayberry candles? Chowder? Once the yellow Komatsu in the photo is gone (and the ground floor is painted the same New England gray?), everyone who's ever lived within a hundred miles of a whaling town will have flashbacks on overcast days. It's our version of the House of the Seven Gables.

In a funny way I do appreciate the variety, but purely for variety's sake. And at least there seems to be no EFIS. Having just ONE of these is fun (and who knows, some neighbor with a sense of wit might also paint his/her house gray!), but I hope the Cape Cod style does not become a local trend. IMHO Charlotte has its own "native" variations on the bungalow style that, if adapted to a Tremont-sized project, would harmonize much better with the surroundings.

Always make sure to thank the Dilworth Association and the Historic District Commission for any designs and styles you find within the Historic Districts.

[atlrvr]

To be fair, DCDA didn't raise one peep about the design on this one (though the architect has been around long enough to know what will and won't pass). Their primary concern was over the parking ratio, and how there weren't enough spaces per bedroom. The neighborhood was very fearful that the public streets that they wanted traffic calming on, would actually have cars parked on them.

[ArtCritic]

Any ideas about what the stores in the Tremont will actually be? If the retail is geared toward everyday use by neighborhood residents, then in a small way it could have a "village center" feel, augmenting the sense of community. I'd like to see a lot more of that. Just a thought by a non-Dilworth resident.

As Atlrvr said, the scale seems nicely handled, and the retail space is great. I just wish that in this case the Historic District Commission and/or the architect had sought a style more redolent of Charlotte's history instead of New England's. All I would hope for now is that the ground floor stays light-colored, which would save the building from looking entirely Massachusetts, as well as lessening its potential dreariness.

[tiblerbrit]

The Bizjournal said today that their parent company, also based in Charlotte, is looking for room on Morehead street for a large expansion. They want 150,000 square feet with room for future needs. This could mean the office building on Royal Court or some other large building could go up sooner than expected.

[atlrvr]

Noticed a crew doing soil samples on the Corner of Morehad and Kenilworth today. I guess it would be the SE corner of the intersection, diagonal from the bed & breakfast (the lot with the 2 story parking deck). Anyone heard of anything slated for this property?

Doug Smith actually mentioned this property last week. The family trust seems to have come to a consensus, and are selling to a developer out of Florida who wants to do office/medical office with the site. They are going to seek a rezoning for 100k+ sq. ft., which would be more than double the existing building.

Hopefully they will include some token ground floor retail, and address the Kenilworth frontage, which is slightly hazardous in its current form to say the least.

The developer's website leads me to be a bit concerned about whatever they propose. I would take a neo-Georgian box over most of their existing properties, but hopefully planning will be proactive in getting a strong design for this high-profile site.

http://planet5llc.com/portfolio/ourprojects.html

[RiverwoodCLT]

I will be glad to see something going on at that site. It has looked like it it was in it death march for a long time.

[voyager12]

This week CL 's party column mentioned a rumor that Alpine Ski and Cantina have been bought out. Heard something more concrete? I wonder if this is just more CMC purchases being done on the DL.

[atlrvr]

^ Don't know about that, but it wouldn't surprise me if its the hospital.

However, I do know that Heath Partners (the developer of 3030 South) closed on the land at the corner of Worthington and Cleveland a couple of weeks ago. This is where they proposed East Worthington Court several years ago. It looks like it is finally moving forward. This is one of the more attractive infill proposals in my opinion.

[Charlotte_native]

This week CL 's party column mentioned a rumor that Alpine Ski and Cantina have been bought out. Heard something more concrete? I wonder if this is just more CMC purchases being done on the DL.

If they've been purchased it isn't recorded yet on tax records -- that doesn't mean they don't have them under contract or that the deed office hasn't changed the records yet. Interestly, though, while searching, the Caribou / Brugger's sites have been purchased or changed hands as of last month to a group that has been purchasing for either doctor groups or CMC.

[voyager12]

^ Caribou/Brueggers dissapearing would totally suck.

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

This week CL 's party column mentioned a rumor that Alpine Ski and Cantina have been bought out. Heard something more concrete? I wonder if this is just more CMC purchases being done on the DL.

If, God forbid, it's true that CMC is buying up this parcel of land in addition to what they've already acquired on East Boulevard, what do they plan to do with it? Is it going to be turned into hospital office space? If so, and the city and DCDA is approving all this, just what was the point of spending the money to narrow East Blvd. and put in the medians and bike lanes? Is East Blvd. going to become one giant CMC office park?!

[voyager12]

I am trying to stay optimistic but CMC plays their cards close to the vest by using outside holding groups to buy so their fingerprints won't be traced back to the source. Or so they think I thought an informal truce had been declared between CMC and Dilworth. With CMC not encroaching on East. I guess informal was the operative word. The latest from the CL article is all rumor as of now. The plans for East Blvd Bar and Grill and the vacant buildings south of it have been put into abeyance. The apt building next to those parcels is still offering leases. Tearing out commercial space in such a popular pedestrian area would be horrible. Let's hope for the best. With today's uncertain market I think substantial changes are still far out.

Edited July 29, 2008 by voyager12