NoDa (N Davidson St Arts District) Projects

[nowensone]

Yeah, 342 units on 10 acres next to what will be light rail is saddening, and even more so if laid out like standard apartment complexes.  But, they can tear it down in 15 years I suppose.

[kermit]

What will the access to this project look like? Just a single in/out from 33rd? My hope was that when the area near the tracks got developed that a street parallel to davidson could be built along that rail spur (which is unused right?) to establish more of a grid. 

 

The rail line is for the ACWR, its still in use (maybe 10 times per week?) but its planned to be relocated down past Craighead so it will eventually go away. Unfortunately this relocation project is still unfunded. (I may be wrong about that, I would love to be corrected)

Edited March 14, 2013 by kermit

[HopHead]

So I googled the location for Yards @ NoDa project. It looks like it's just one big swath of empty land right now (dirt and grass) and that will line up along the Light Rail line. So I guess I can see why the project is spread out. But it still would be nice if this project were something more dense. Maybe even do this in phases and have more units, but oh well. It reminds me of Junction 1504 in Southend. At least from a layout perspective. Not exactly something many of us are fond of.

[Guest]

Has anyone heard about any progress with the Mercury Project? This is the Number One Project in Charlotte that I am most excited about. I cannot wait for NoDa to be like an even better South End in 5-10 years. It has so much more going for it than any other Charlotte Neighborhood. Just because it has such a great intact urban center.

[New Name]

Don't quote me on this one but in passing I heard that Mercury will start site/grading before Summer.

 

Also, looks like pylons (or some sort of foundation piers) are going on on NoDa Studio 8 or whatever that's called on Davidson across from Faison St.

[Prodev]

Has anyone heard about any progress with the Mercury Project? This is the Number One Project in Charlotte that I am most excited about. I cannot wait for NoDa to be like an even better South End in 5-10 years. It has so much more going for it than any other Charlotte Neighborhood. Just because it has such a great intact urban center.

I believe they're on pace for early third quarter to break ground. I'm equally excited for this one as I think it will have more influence on the neighborhood than any other project in any other neighborhood. NoDa is in desperate need of apartments and given that it thrives without any density or really any easy connection to other dense neighborhoods, the retail/restaurants here should get even better as more density occurs. I wonder if there is anything planned for MPV's site directly at the 36th Street light rail station? That site certainly has the ability to be special given the location and size. 

[UrbanGossip]

I believe they're on pace for early third quarter to break ground. I'm equally excited for this one as I think it will have more influence on the neighborhood than any other project in any other neighborhood. NoDa is in desperate need of apartments and given that it thrives without any density or really any easy connection to other dense neighborhoods, the retail/restaurants here should get even better as more density occurs. I wonder if there is anything planned for MPV's site directly at the 36th Street light rail station? That site certainly has the ability to be special given the location and size. 

I've heard the same thing about the timing on Mercury.

 

My hope for the MPV site is an adaptive reuse of the warehouse portion.  Tear down that crappy addition towards N. Davidson and replace with something nicer, but renovate the warehouse for a new use.  It's really tight against 36th, so it would need to "open up" in some way with a colonnade to support the floor above maybe.  I could see shops opening up to 36th through this colonnade, with an internal atrium, maybe a grocery in there?  With close to 1,500 - 2,000 new units most likely coming on line in the neighborhood in the next 5 years (just an estimate pulled out of arse), I think the idea isn't too hair-brained is it?

[southslider]

I'm a big fan of adaptive re-use.  But unfortunately, the MPV building won't be able to "open up" to 36th Street.  The street will be lowered to go under the NCRR and BLE.  Plus, there will be a retaining wall with narrow sidewalk both along the building atop the wall, as well as down along the street.

 

Ideally, Merrifield would redevelop now, so as to be underway before BLE.  Otherwise, his site will have to work with the wall, or future development will have to cover the added cost of removing or re-configuring the wall in order to redevelop. 

[UrbanGossip]

I'm a big fan of adaptive re-use.  But unfortunately, the MPV building won't be able to "open up" to 36th Street.  The street will be lowered to go under the NCRR and BLE.  Plus, there will be a retaining wall with narrow sidewalk both along the building atop the wall, as well as down along the street.

 

Ideally, Merrifield would redevelop now, so as to be underway before BLE.  Otherwise, his site will have to work with the wall, or future development will have to cover the added cost of removing or re-configuring the wall in order to redevelop. 

Nothing is impossible, just cost-prohibitive.  But you're right, in the end the neighborhood will lose the warehouse and get about 350 wood frame apartments wrapping a deck with a token amount of commercial space in the realm of 5,000 sf.  Not the end of the world.

 

NoDa will be unrecognizable in 10 years.  I've said it before; it's going to be a tidal wave of redevelopment with the BLE stop here that will make south-end look bush league.  It'll be a great study in urban planning for years to come.  If it's done right, it'll be very exciting to watch.

[Niner National]

^which building are you talking about?

[Bikeguy]

Nothing is impossible, just cost-prohibitive.  But you're right, in the end the neighborhood will lose the warehouse and get about 350 wood frame apartments wrapping a deck with a token amount of commercial space in the realm of 5,000 sf.  Not the end of the world.

 

NoDa will be unrecognizable in 10 years.  I've said it before; it's going to be a tidal wave of redevelopment with the BLE stop here that will make south-end look bush league.  It'll be a great study in urban planning for years to come.  If it's done right, it'll be very exciting to watch.

^ Absolutely agree. But it needs to be done right. Instead of relegating bike transportation to North Davidson.. integrate it into this community.  It would be well used and would encourage residents to explore a bit further than walking distance.

[Prodev]

NoDa will be unrecognizable in 10 years.  I've said it before; it's going to be a tidal wave of redevelopment with the BLE stop here that will make south-end look bush league.  It'll be a great study in urban planning for years to come.  If it's done right, it'll be very exciting to watch.

I disagree, but only b/c it is much more land locked than South End is. There could easily be 10,000+ units in South End within the next 10 years b/c there's still a ton of land. Unfortunately, NoDa just doesn't have the land. On the west side of the RR tracks there's a floodplain that makes a lot of that land unusable. I think that gap between NoDa and the west side of the tracks will prohibit growth in that direction, at least for the forseeable future. I am pretty excited about how the optimist park area will totally transform given NoDa's land constraints. 

[nowensone]

Nothing is impossible, just cost-prohibitive.  But you're right, in the end the neighborhood will lose the warehouse and get about 350 wood frame apartments wrapping a deck with a token amount of commercial space in the realm of 5,000 sf.  Not the end of the world.

 

NoDa will be unrecognizable in 10 years.  I've said it before; it's going to be a tidal wave of redevelopment with the BLE stop here that will make south-end look bush league.  It'll be a great study in urban planning for years to come.  If it's done right, it'll be very exciting to watch.

What is there zoning/area-wise to prevent anything different happening than SouthEnd?  I hope NoDa IS unrecognizable in ten years, caveat of depending on how that is meant, but such a statement begs more than hope and/or optimism.

 

Edit - not sure if Lockwood is included in the general area, but THIS area needs, or, well, something, at least least in the lots above the new fire station, this area directly outside of uptown seems a blighted oddity, whether it really is or not.

Edited March 29, 2013 by nowensone

[Guest]

I truely feel like NoDa has the bones to become one of the coolest neighborhoods in the South once the BLE opens. Soon enough we will have a vibrant neighborhood stretching from Uptown, through Belmont and Optimist Park. Optimist Park and Belmont is where a lot of the development is going to occur. NoDa is very fairly developed already, or in a floodplain, or just isolated.

[UrbanGossip]

I disagree, but only b/c it is much more land locked than South End is. There could easily be 10,000+ units in South End within the next 10 years b/c there's still a ton of land. Unfortunately, NoDa just doesn't have the land. On the west side of the RR tracks there's a floodplain that makes a lot of that land unusable. I think that gap between NoDa and the west side of the tracks will prohibit growth in that direction, at least for the forseeable future. I am pretty excited about how the optimist park area will totally transform given NoDa's land constraints. 

If you start to think of NoDa as stretching from Parkwood at the Optimist Park / Belmont Nexus to Sugar Creek and from the LRL to Plaza, you will see what I see when I say unrecognizable.  And even within the current neighborhood "proper" there is a lot of juicy land to developers with bankrolls and ambitions to assemble current lots and properties into larger developments.

 

I don't think it is inherently a good or bad thing, the neighborhood just needs to make sure it is well organized and ready for this flood.  It needs to make sure it strikes a balance between rolling out the red carpet and obstructionism.  Elizabeth for instance (and I know I will piss off some people here) has become obstructionist and has been stuck with a dilapidated strip mall for years now (though maybe it has started to come back to center with the Winter rezoning).  On the other hand southend has no organization and it has been a free-for-all for developers.

 

NoDa is well organized with some practically minded folks and will do just fine IMO.  I agree with Ricky_Davis that it is going to be THE place to be in Charlotte in 10 years.

[kermit]

Why did I think this had happened months ago?

 

Woodfield Investments has closed on a $4.5 million purchase of 3.3 acres in Charlotte's NoDa neighborhood,

[kermit]

Fat City Lofts is going condo per CBJ

 

Brannon tells us that this is the first condo conversion in Charlotte since the real estate market collapsed here during the Great Recession.

[atlrvr]

^ Was wondering when we'd see a apartment -> condo conversion.  This project seems like a great candidate, and will be good for the neighborhood.

 

If it's successful, I wonder what other projects follow. 

[tozmervo]

heh, actually i went there with a realtor a couple of weeks ago to look at units. ultimately they weren't a good fit for me, but it appeared at the time they were expiring all the leases and had sold some number of units.

[HopHead]

I think is a good price point for condos. As an owner of rental properties in another area of town, this is of definitive interest to me. It could be an indicator of things to come. 

[QCMarketer]

If you start to think of NoDa as stretching from Parkwood at the Optimist Park / Belmont Nexus to Sugar Creek and from the LRL to Plaza, you will see what I see when I say unrecognizable.  And even within the current neighborhood "proper" there is a lot of juicy land to developers with bankrolls and ambitions to assemble current lots and properties into larger developments.

 

I don't think it is inherently a good or bad thing, the neighborhood just needs to make sure it is well organized and ready for this flood.  It needs to make sure it strikes a balance between rolling out the red carpet and obstructionism.  Elizabeth for instance (and I know I will piss off some people here) has become obstructionist and has been stuck with a dilapidated strip mall for years now (though maybe it has started to come back to center with the Winter rezoning).  On the other hand southend has no organization and it has been a free-for-all for developers.

 

NoDa is well organized with some practically minded folks and will do just fine IMO.  I agree with Ricky_Davis that it is going to be THE place to be in Charlotte in 10 years.

 

I've been lurking for 8 or so years and finally came out of the closet so nice to meet you all (many I know offline). Do you think that the general (non planning) population knows where Optimist Park is?  Your point about being well organized is definitely relevant. I did a long search for leadership in the area and there seems to be a vacuum (at least online anyway).  There is an opportunity to set the tone and be thoughtful about progress, but you need one or two zealots to lead the way as opportunity is knocking at the door. 

We're working on rebranding a community there and wanted to get feedback on name suggestions.

[New Name]

^What does "rebranding" mean? New name for the neighborhood, or new marketing of Optimist Park? I think Optimist Park is actually a very cool name; although ironic in that "optimism" isn't readily apparent on the surface right now. But that's not to say they it isn't there at all....

 

Having said that, I think if you're looking for community involvement and leadership, you need to ask Area 15 to take the lead. "Marketing" and "Rebranding" are words that the business and gov/planning community like to use (see also: "synergy" etc) but no one wants to feel like THEY are being "marketed" or "rebranded." It has to feel organic - NoDa was able to rebrand it self in the 80s and early 90s because the city planning and business community wanted nothing to do with it. So the residents, artists and the actual community were able to organically rebrand themselves.  I'd hope Optimist Park would learn from the forked tongue backlash that you still have to hear when old timers refuse to call "downtown" Uptown - and ask the active community (Area 15, Recyclery/Trips for Kids) take the lead.

[QCMarketer]

Thx Escapists. I agree there's potential with such a neat name like Optimist but ironic nonetheless. The "rebranding" is really just renaming a defunct project (not too hard to figure out which one) so singular building right now, but did want to develop relationships with Area 15, etc. but also the actual neighbors (which is what I'm stuck on).  What's interesting is that Optimist Park actually runs all the way up to Matheson so includes the breweries. I just don't think a lot of Charlotteans have awareness of Optimist Park which was something we debated in naming discussions (include Optimist in name or not) or not stake claim over the name if neighbors object (In which case it opens to the doors to other more descriptive or creative names).  

[New Name]

You've definitely got an uphill battle to go with the name Optimist Park, but it's worth it. The ongoing confusion is whether "NoDa" was intended to replace "North Charlotte" or to identify anything on the street North Davidson. I fall firmly in the group that says NoDa is North Charlotte - and to use "NoDa" to speak about Amieles, or the Breweries, or even the Rose Garden is shortchanging the community pride of their "real" neighborhoods. Villa Heights is just as established and growing as proud as NoDa, and yet they allow Amieles and their other great assets to be linked to other another neighborhood. Not fair and not the right step toward building pride in their 'hood.

 

I think you all could make a real step for building pride in Optimist Park if you would use the name prominently and proudly on your rebranding. 

[atlrvr]

Ray "Rip" Farris tried to rebrand it SoDa, but that never went anywhere.  I met a guy who worked at/with the church on Parkwood around 17th many years ago that was a really stand up guy that wanted to figure out how to start a community development corp.  Sorry, but I don't remember his name.

 

No offense to the long-time residents, but I doubt Optimist Park has any name recognition.  More people would know it as the area around Hunter's Wrecker lots.

 

Between the industrial uses and new construction, my sense the majority of residents in OP are < 10 years tenured.  While they may well support a re-brand, there is certain to be differing opinions from the long time residents of the mill houses between 16th and 19th.