Ally Charlotte Center (f/k/a Tryon Place) - 26 floors - 427'

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

Oh, that explains why they didn't put any retail at the bottom of their parking deck (developers knew it was a goner) lol jk...

That deck was just built guys...it ain't going anywhere anytime soon.  I just take his comment as South End continues to boom and the buildout along Morehead and Uptown Cab sites develop/mature  etc (plus the addition of a cap over 277)...the land will be so valuable/coveted that there will eventually be a better use for that land than the current parking deck.  Honestly, you could say the same sentiment about any parking deck Uptown (it may be eventually torn down for redevelopment). 

Edited November 30, 2021 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[CLT2014]

I wonder if Ally's lease agreement requires there to be that amount of parking and if that would impact redevelopment. Ally provides free monthly parking passes to all 2,000+ employees in Charlotte and the new building allowed them to consolidate being spread over 6 parking decks down to 1.

Edited November 30, 2021 by CLT2014

[Blue_Devil]

26 minutes ago, CLT2014 said:

I wonder if Ally's lease agreement requires there to be that amount of parking that would impact redevelopment. Ally provides free monthly parking passes to all 2,000+ employees in Charlotte and the new building allowed them to consolidate being spread over 6 parking decks down to 1.

I am assuming, if Ally wants to expand (They do, they are already projected to be over capacity in the new building, and are growing in Charlotte), they will look at the Garage is a development site. 

[TheRealClayton]

2 hours ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

Oh, that explains why they didn't put any retail at the bottom of their parking deck (developers knew it was a goner) lol jk...

That deck was just built guys...it ain't going anywhere anytime soon.  I just take his comment as South End continues to boom and the buildout along Morehead and Uptown Cab sites develop/mature  etc (plus the addition of a cap over 277)...the land will be so valuable/coveted that there will eventually be a better use for that land than the current parking deck.  Honestly, you could say the same sentiment about any parking deck Uptown (it may be eventually torn down for redevelopment). 

Not what I'm saying at all. That actually is exactly why they didn't put retail in the bottom of the deck, because they do expect it to one day be a goner. is it tomorrow no, is it 5 years from now, probably no but could be, 10, I would not be at all surprised. They wanted to be prepared for a time when we are less reliant on cars for travel, what better way than by building something that could be easily dismantled. By god's lips to your ears.

Edited November 30, 2021 by TheRealClayton

[JHart]

16 hours ago, TheRealClayton said:

Not what I'm saying at all. That actually is exactly why they didn't put retail in the bottom of the deck, because they do expect it to one day be a goner. is it tomorrow no, is it 5 years from now, probably no but could be, 10, I would not be at all surprised. They wanted to be prepared for a time when we are less reliant on cars for travel, what better way than by building something that could be easily dismantled. By god's lips to your ears.

That's the most creative way I've heard of saying prefab parking decks are the cheapest to build... Easy to dismantle LOL

Edited December 1, 2021 by JHart

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

Not disagreeing with you or the developer's plan but it seems slightly like a cop out reason not to put any retail down there.  A decade+ is a long time.  Considering a lot of these parking decks are trying to reverse their past mistakes by retrofitting retail into their decks...it just really shocked me when I heard this deck had zero retail, especially being right across from our largest hotel & convention center.  That's why I said the same sentiment could be said about any parking deck Uptown...that within 10+ years, I would hope many of the parking decks (prefab or not) are redeveloped...whether that's bc we are less reliant on cars (LU parking deck begs to differ lol) or that the land is valuable and there's a better use for it.  I would like to add though, despite the parking deck and crown (which doesn't bother me as much as others), the project as a whole has been one of the best built in Uptown in awhile (pedestrian wise).  I'm excited to see what fills in the retail slots facing the plaza and if that food hall is still in the works?  I have been to Jinya and it was good, cool environment inside as well.

Edited December 1, 2021 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[KJHburg]

speaking of retail in the Ally Center new announcement today. 

""Brown Bag Seafood Co. expects to open its first Charlotte restaurants in 2022.  The Chicago-based, fast-casual seafood chain has snapped up two locations. It is known for dishing up quick, fresh and sustainably sourced seafood.  Brown Bag will open a 2,542-square-foot establishment at the Lowe’s Global Technology Center in South End. A second, 2,756-square-foot restaurant will be located at the Ally Charlotte Center in uptown. Both locations will have in-store and patio dining, as well as take-out, pickup and delivery service.""

Brown Bag Seafood Co. to add South End, uptown restaurants - Charlotte Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

 

[JRCLT]

Unless Hill St. Becomes a pedestrian haven there’s no reason for retail at that parking deck and this project already has quite a bit of retail already. Isn’t Legacy having some trouble even filling up their retail spaces? I guess it would be good to have whenever there’s actually depend for retail space but if you think about it Hill St. isn’t that busy and at least the parking deck doesn’t front stonewall. (Not saying it’s a good looking and useful parking deck but I don’t think it needs retail at least not now or in the near future imo. It’s just not necessary).

[rancenc]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

speaking of retail in the Ally Center new announcement today. 

""Brown Bag Seafood Co. expects to open its first Charlotte restaurants in 2022.  The Chicago-based, fast-casual seafood chain has snapped up two locations. It is known for dishing up quick, fresh and sustainably sourced seafood.  Brown Bag will open a 2,542-square-foot establishment at the Lowe’s Global Technology Center in South End. A second, 2,756-square-foot restaurant will be located at the Ally Charlotte Center in uptown. Both locations will have in-store and patio dining, as well as take-out, pickup and delivery service.""

Brown Bag Seafood Co. to add South End, uptown restaurants - Charlotte Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

 

Reviewing their website, the menu looks delicious.  I noticed that 3 of their restaurants are closed indefinitely in the Chicago market (all within the city limits) and all their restaurants which are only in Chicago and 2 in Atlanta are cashless...only credit or debit cards accepted!

[CLT Development]

24 minutes ago, JeanClt said:

Unless Hill St. Becomes a pedestrian haven there’s no reason for retail at that parking deck and this project already has quite a bit of retail already. Isn’t Legacy having some trouble even filling up their retail spaces? I guess it would be good to have whenever there’s actually depend for retail space but if you think about it Hill St. isn’t that busy and at least the parking deck doesn’t front stonewall. (Not saying it’s a good looking and useful parking deck but I don’t think it needs retail at least not now or in the near future imo. It’s just not necessary).

Theres definitely demand for retail, but theres also a demand for outdoor spaces around retail. Walk around Legacy Union and count the places for seating, just one potential patio, heck their plaza's grass has a metal chain around it. Vantage South End on the other hand, likes to say they have seating for 750+ just around their plaza alone, and every retail space (55,000 sq feet of it) is either leased, in LOI or in serious talks.  

[RANYC]

On 11/30/2021 at 1:14 PM, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

Oh, that explains why they didn't put any retail at the bottom of their parking deck (developers knew it was a goner) lol jk...

That deck was just built guys...it ain't going anywhere anytime soon.  I just take his comment as South End continues to boom and the buildout along Morehead and Uptown Cab sites develop/mature  etc (plus the addition of a cap over 277)...the land will be so valuable/coveted that there will eventually be a better use for that land than the current parking deck.  Honestly, you could say the same sentiment about any parking deck Uptown (it may be eventually torn down for redevelopment). 

I'd like to think there's Demand for Pedestrian-oriented Retail as long as Place-Making is incorporated and an enticing environment is there to capture walkers.

Retail just a sidewalk away from cars zooming one-way down Church Street, well maybe not so much.

Did see today that Green City Foods in South End on East Park Avenue closed, and quite a few empty spaces along that stretch.  Was bummed about that.

[jordan704]

[SpiritOf76]

Took a walk by the new ally building. Was impressed with the street level especially with the brickwork along Tryon. The bricks gave an added warmth to the street level as opposed to, say, bare concrete. Definitely an inviting feel...  The Italian steakhouse on the other side had a good crowd of customers and activated the street nicely. I walked to Whole foods from here and couldn't help feel the lack of street level activity in front of Westin. Quite a difference between the two hotels. Also nice to see the guests here for the ACC roaming about taking in the new development.

[Madison Parkitect]

The success of the Ally pedestrian experience really highlights how bad Legacy Union did in that department. People are activating Ally anytime the retail spaces are open, and there's never ANYONE hanging around outside of Legacy Union.

[704Dimitri]

1 hour ago, Madison Parkitect said:

The success of the Ally pedestrian experience really highlights how bad Legacy Union did in that department. People are activating Ally anytime the retail spaces are open, and there's never ANYONE hanging around outside of Legacy Union.

I feel like if more people knew about how cool looking Legacy Unions stairs were at night, that would be a huge photo-op. And now with nightswim  coffee there in the lobby, door traffic should go up.

[atlrvr]

I THINK I heard that Westin will be getting an all new Ground level facade/streetscape along Stonewall

 

[Mgelbach]

On 12/4/2021 at 10:14 PM, 704Dimitri said:

I feel like if more people knew about how cool looking Legacy Unions stairs were at night, that would be a huge photo-op. And now with nightswim  coffee there in the lobby, door traffic should go up.

Between the stairs and the video wall in BOA that whole courtyard is gorgeous!

Once the retail in Deloitte is filled out in Deloitte, it should be much more active

[RANYC]

Earlier tonight, guy in a sport jacket and jeans was leaving the Ally Center courtyard - perhaps leaving dinner - with a brisk pace, and was being tracked by a slovenly guy who happened to be wearing a hoodie.  Sport jacket guy was accelerating as hoodie guy followed.  I decided to listen carefully to hear what was happening.  Here's what I hear:

Hoodie:  C'mon man, you ain't got 2 dollars?  It's just 2 dollars.  I know you got that.

Sport Jacket Guy: Sorry, I don't have it.  

Sport Jacket approaches his mercedes on the curbside of South Tryon and you hear the chirp of unlocking doors.

Hoodie:  Oh, look at that, you got a mercedes too!  I know you got 2 dollars...really?

Sport Jacket:  Have a nice day.

Hoodie let out a very audible huff and walked toward a young guy in a collared shirt coming out of the Duke Energy building after a workday that appeared to extend well into the evening.  

[TheOneRJ]

10 hours ago, RANYC said:

Earlier tonight, guy in a sport jacket and jeans was leaving the Ally Center courtyard - perhaps leaving dinner - with a brisk pace, and was being tracked by a slovenly guy who happened to be wearing a hoodie.  Sport jacket guy was accelerating as hoodie guy followed.  I decided to listen carefully to hear what was happening.  Here's what I hear:

Hoodie:  C'mon man, you ain't got 2 dollars?  It's just 2 dollars.  I know you got that.

Sport Jacket Guy: Sorry, I don't have it.  

Sport Jacket approaches his mercedes on the curbside of South Tryon and you hear the chirp of unlocking doors.

Hoodie:  Oh, look at that, you got a mercedes too!  I know you got 2 dollars...really?

Sport Jacket:  Have a nice day.

Hoodie let out a very audible huff and walked toward a young guy in a collared shirt coming out of the Duke Energy building after a workday that appeared to extend well into the evening.  

This sounds like the same guy who approached me on Sunday night in front of Golden Cow asking for my food and jacket as I was in the middle of eating. He stands on the corner of Stonewall and Tryon yelling at people. 

[CLT2014]

^  The dynamic described above is why many people stay outside of Uptown if they don't work there and it is struggling to be the true heart of the metro outside of special events. Everybody has had an encounter Uptown where you are trying to just go to dinner and somebody comes up and asks for money while you are walking down the sidewalk. Usually, due to a lack of foot traffic, nobody else is around while you are asked for money so you don't have a "safety in numbers" effect. It can be especially upsetting for women walking alone to be approached by a man twice their size on an empty street demanding money and following them.

 

I've never had the level of direct contact with panhandlers happen in South End personally (curious if others notice a difference) and I also see many more women comfortable walking alone or in groups in South End, Dilworth, Montford, Elizabeth, Midwood, et... compared to Uptown. In turn, South End is developing more retail, shopping, restaurants, et... because men AND women (who are under-represented on this board) feel safer. 

Edited December 7, 2021 by CLT2014

[DonkeyKong]

[atlrvr]

^^^ I'm so confused

That address (546 W 8th) is not close to Spirit Square (or at least relative to many other landmarks), and the picture is of "The Square", not Spirit Square, and def not near the address.

[TheRealClayton]

15 minutes ago, atlrvr said:

^^^ I'm so confused

That address (546 W 8th) is not close to Spirit Square (or at least relative to many other landmarks), and the picture is of "The Square", not Spirit Square, and def not near the address.

That's where the shooting happened, he was apprehended at spirit square but I think they gave chase at "the square."

[RANYC]

5 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

^  The dynamic described above is why many people stay outside of Uptown if they don't work there and it is struggling to be the true heart of the metro outside of special events. Everybody has had an encounter Uptown where you are trying to just go to dinner and somebody comes up and asks for money while you are walking down the sidewalk. Usually, due to a lack of foot traffic, nobody else is around while you are asked for money so you don't have a "safety in numbers" effect. It can be especially upsetting for women walking alone to be approached by a man twice their size on an empty street demanding money and following them.

 

I've never had the level of direct contact with panhandlers happen in South End personally (curious if others notice a difference) and I also see many more women comfortable walking alone or in groups in South End, Dilworth, Montford, Elizabeth, Midwood, et... compared to Uptown. In turn, South End is developing more retail, shopping, restaurants, et... because men AND women (who are under-represented on this board) feel safer. 

5 hours ago, TheOneRJ said:

This sounds like the same guy who approached me on Sunday night in front of Golden Cow asking for my food and jacket as I was in the middle of eating. He stands on the corner of Stonewall and Tryon yelling at people. 

What struck me last night was that during the entire length of my drive through Uptown, I didn't see a single police officer on foot.  Not even a police vehicle on this particular night.

If we want a downtown where growing numbers of people stroll and linger, I do think the city will need to do a bit more than it currently does.  Some downtowns have experimented with ambassador programs, where trained personnel walk the streets in conspicuous dress to provide assistance and direction to visitors, to ensure the surrounding environment is hospitable, and to serve as symbols of security, of surveillance and as deterrents to would-be scofflaws and menaces.

Edited December 7, 2021 by RANYC

[49er]

There used to be "Uptown Ambassadors" like 20 years ago. They had police radios assigned to them. I think Center City Partners ran the program.