Elizabeth Projects (7th St, Elizabeth Ave, etc)

[southslider]

The Elizabeth Area Plan supports the most height on the Philosopher's Stone site, largely due to it being the one parcel on 7th Street farthest from residential zoning.

[rjp212]

Noticed workers today at the Roy's Flower site. Looks like construction is immenent

[Guest]

Apparently the owner of the strip center with Roy Flowers and Visart, and Dollar General slapped "FOR RENT" Stickers on the VISART and Dollar General Spaces today. I thought all of these stores were getting Demo'd anyways?

[Carolina Ron]

Visart will be moving to the shopping center at the corner of Eastway and Central near the end of August.

[atlrvr]

Apparently the owner of the strip center with Roy Flowers and Visart, and Dollar General slapped "FOR RENT" Stickers on the VISART and Dollar General Spaces today. I thought all of these stores were getting Demo'd anyways?

maybe they will only rents short term 1-3 years, and those tenants wanted longer commitments.

[rjp212]

Apparently the owner of the strip center with Roy Flowers and Visart, and Dollar General slapped "FOR RENT" Stickers on the VISART and Dollar General Spaces today. I thought all of these stores were getting Demo'd anyways?

 

No, that part of the shopping center is a different owner.  Really only the Roy's Flowers is being torn down.

 

 

[Guest]

maybe they will only rents short term 1-3 years, and those tenants wanted longer commitments.

Apparently the building has been falling into disrepair, and the tenants have been mistreated, and didn't even have heat this winter. Sounds like they are happy to go.

[CLTProductions]

Not sure how much credibility this twitter has, but they're saying Philosophers Stone will become a dog bar that wont have food but will be serviced by Peculiar Rabbit's food truck. I am definitely okay with this.

 

https://twitter.com/...256123489853440

[Midwoodian]

 

Not sure how much credibility this twitter has, but they're saying Philosophers Stone will become a dog bar that wont have food but will be serviced by Peculiar Rabbit's food truck. I am definitely okay with this.

 

https://twitter.com/...256123489853440

 

 

I drove by two days ago and did notice new fencing and some other structural work being done...make sense as the fencing is a type that would keep dogs in...

[Spartan]

 

Not sure how much credibility this twitter has, but they're saying Philosophers Stone will become a dog bar that wont have food but will be serviced by Peculiar Rabbit's food truck. I am definitely okay with this.

 

https://twitter.com/...256123489853440

 

 

A lot of credibility: http://www.charlottefive.com/philosophers-stone-will-become-a-dog-bar-and-other-development-news/

[CLTProductions]

A lot of credibility: http://www.charlottefive.com/philosophers-stone-will-become-a-dog-bar-and-other-development-news/

Tons  http://www.charlotteagenda.com/4131/defunct-philosophers-stone-will-reopen-as-a-dog-bar-in-2-weeks/

[ah59396]

http://www.charlotteagenda.com/7920/big-changes-coming-to-7th-street-in-elizabeth/

 

Nice little write up from the Agenda on the Roy's Flowers project.  Pretty sad to see retail get replaced with more soul sucking apartments and no retail.  #Charlotte.

[Niner National]

All units are apartments but will be built to condo specifications and thus could be converted in the future.

 

Well, at least that is a positive.

[southslider]

And more of the same planned for Jack's and Philosopher Stone's as well.

[ah59396]

I lived in Elizabeth for two years and simply loved it.  That little area is a real gem for the city.  I'm real excited about the prospect of it getting torn to shreds for more $1800 apartments with no retail or semblance of community.  Hopefully they just tear down Jacks, dead Pstones and heck, while their at it, get rid of the Hero's building too.  Replace it with a big project by Colonial Reserve.  Actually, they should just build blocks of the replica of Colonial Reserve South End so Charlotte looks like some crappy Soviet Era Industrial city.  Just line 7th street from Uptown to Monroe with Colonial Reserve brick and beige crap.  ARGH it pisses me off.  Sorry, /rant.

 

 

Edit, it wouldn't let me swear enough.

Edited June 30, 2015 by ah59396

[Niner National]

And more of the same planned for Jack's and Philosopher Stone's as well.

At that point, they'll be no reason to even want to live there. 7th street is really only attractive IMO because it has a mini-entertainment district. With P-Stone gone and Jack's possibly facing the same, two of the major draws of the neighborhood to me are gone.

 

I'd ultimately never live somewhere because of two bars, but if I'm going to pay the prices apartments are commanding these days, I want an easy walk to some watering holes.

[ah59396]

At that point, they'll be no reason to even want to live there. 7th street is really only attractive IMO because it has a mini-entertainment district. With P-Stone gone and Jack's possibly facing the same, two of the major draws of the neighborhood to me are gone.

 

I'd ultimately never live somewhere because of two bars, but if I'm going to pay the prices apartments are commanding these days, I want an easy walk to some watering holes.

 

 

Yes, but can you imagine how many ASIAN FUSION restaurants they can cram into the bottom of these new construction projects.  I can't wait.  /sarcasm

[archiham04]

And more of the same planned for Jack's and Philosopher Stone's as well.

Do you have information other than what was published in the BizJ?...cause that article had no comment from the developer, and (from what I understand) was a completely speculative article.  We have not heard publicly about the most recent plans for the site yet... from my understanding.

[atlrvr]

Terrible for the neighborhood, or terrible for the people that like to come to the neighborhood to drink/hang out?  I used to live less than 2 blocks away.  I can't say that the noise or occasional person parking in front of my house to walk to one of these places really bothered me, but I also didn't feel like they were a real neighborhood amenity, or that really any of my neighbors walked up there on a regular basis.  I can say that Vizart, Dollar General, Starbucks, Crisp, the drycleaners, Cherry House, Friendly Mart, Shomars, Jersey Mikes, and Sunflower Baking all provided much more amenity to the people that live near there.

 

The project indicates it would have some ground floor retail.  A small mexican place, vet, and place like Good Bottle with both beer and wine would be far more useful.  Again, not really advocating for their demise or even that I had a problem with them there, just don't think they really added to the neighborhood so much as added to Charlotte overall social/drinking scene.

 

^ Quoting myself regarding P-Stone.

...

 

As far as Roy White's....maybe good riddance is too harsh, but I'll be generous and say that they seemed disinterested in helping me as a walk-in retail customer.  It's pretty much all delivery business, with less than 10% of shelf space occupied by product, and no desire to actually let you build a custom bouquet if you want to surprise your better half.  It exsits because of it's proximity to the hospital, and considering the suburban parking/building set-back, I, for one, am estatic to see it replaced by 95 residential units, with stoops   Barrel-tile roof too...mmmmm.

 

All the lamenting over lack of retail, ignores the obvious reality, which is there is still a lack of roof-tops to support anywhere hear the utopian vision of retail on the ground floor of every single building.  > 80% of the residential units within 1/4 of this site are single-family homes on 0.2 acre lots.

 

In my above quote, I mention all the existing business that still remain at this intersection.  There is plenty of neighborhood retail, that losing a flower warehouse isn't the inflection point in neighborhood vitality.

[Spartan]

Do you have information other than what was published in the BizJ?...cause that article had no comment from the developer, and (from what I understand) was a completely speculative article.  We have not heard publicly about the most recent plans for the site yet... from my understanding.

 

There's a rezoning in for the three parcels that comprise Jack's, P-stone and the house inbetween. The proposal is for 200 apartments and 15,000 sqft of street retail concentrated along Caswell and 7th closer to the intersection. While I hate to see Jack's go, if there was a way to get a little retail in the Roy's Flowers location I think it would be great for Elizabeth.

[archiham04]

Thank you^  It is not all apartments people.

[ah59396]

^ Quoting myself regarding P-Stone.

...

 

As far as Roy White's....maybe good riddance is too harsh, but I'll be generous and say that they seemed disinterested in helping me as a walk-in retail customer.  It's pretty much all delivery business, with less than 10% of shelf space occupied by product, and no desire to actually let you build a custom bouquet if you want to surprise your better half.  It exsits because of it's proximity to the hospital, and considering the suburban parking/building set-back, I, for one, am estatic to see it replaced by 95 residential units, with stoops   Barrel-tile roof too...mmmmm.

 

All the lamenting over lack of retail, ignores the obvious reality, which is there is still a lack of roof-tops to support anywhere hear the utopian vision of retail on the ground floor of every single building.  > 80% of the residential units within 1/4 of this site are single-family homes on 0.2 acre lots.

 

In my above quote, I mention all the existing business that still remain at this intersection.  There is plenty of neighborhood retail, that losing a flower warehouse isn't the inflection point in neighborhood vitality.

 

 

The problem I have is that this is right at the "epicenter" so to speak, of the neighborhood.  You want to build 95 luxury apartments with barrel tile roofing, go for it. But put it around the corner in a slightly less visible location.  Or, by all means, replace Roy's with something that has both 95 luxury barrel tile roofed apartments and incorporate some retail into it.  I'm fine with either.  But the fabric of what made that neighborhood what it is will be dismantled if places like Jack's or Pstones are replaced with some more glass/concrete retail/apartment boxes that end up housing floating yoga studios and CROSSFIT ELIZABETH.  I want building and progress as much as anyone, but not at the expense of what makes our neighborhoods unique.

[dubone]

I think I'm comfortable with the retail in this 7th St area being reduced slightly with the idea that retail and the 'epicenter' of Elizabeth should shift to the Elizabeth Ave area on the transit line.  I think the strip mall that this replaces was a bit much for the tiny 7th St with no street retail, and awkward 3rd lane.  There are larger streets in Elizabeth that are better suited to that.  

[hinsp0]

I grew up on Greenway avenue in Elizabeth in the 1980s. While I miss some of the old character of the neighborhood (Stanley drugs, Cajun Cowboys bayou kitchen (predecessor to p-stones), spoons, Lottie's antiques, etc.), I'm happy to see some of the changes on 7th street. I just wish that someone would climb the water tower at 8th and pecan and spray-paint "gonad the ballbarian" back on the top where it properly belongs. I have many fond memories of that culturally significant artwork. It made Elizabeth hip even before it was "hip to be square."

[UrbanGossip]

Ha!  I also remember "Yuppies go Home" mid 90's.  Now it's those yuppies decrying the changing character of the neighborhood.  Cycles everyone, it's the way it goes.  After all this "crap" get's built up and we are in in the ground, the next generation will be saying "I lived in a quaint little 5 story apartment building right where that damned high rise is slated to go".

 

Either that or they'll be living underground and Bruce Willis will be trying to find the cure while those damned dirty apes battle with Charlton Heston up top.