Mixed Use Spirit Square and Main Library Redevelopment

[TheRealClayton]

32 minutes ago, tarhoosier said:

What I hope will occur is that the usual and too common excuse that "the client wanted a cheaper project" does not apply so much to SOM. I hope they are chosen so they can deliver a distinctive, useful and efficient project with a budget that the client will accept and SOM will resist important changes for reasons that are solely based on budget. An important question to ask in ANY professional relationship is "Who is the client?" Not so easy to answer sometimes.

I mean the clients are a big purple bank, an IHG or Hilton Property, Mill Creek, Blumenthal and Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library

[Madison Parkitect]

1 hour ago, tarhoosier said:

What I hope will occur is that the usual and too common excuse that "the client wanted a cheaper project" does not apply so much to SOM. I hope they are chosen so they can deliver a distinctive, useful and efficient project with a budget that the client will accept and SOM will resist important changes for reasons that are solely based on budget. An important question to ask in ANY professional relationship is "Who is the client?" Not so easy to answer sometimes.

It also depends on how much decision-making SOM gets as the master plan architect. I've seen it where the master firm sets general conceptual requirements and then the individual design architects have a lot of leeway, and I've seen it where the master firm makes decisions all the way down to the granular level of, like, storefront mullion layout.

One would hope that if they've brought in SOM they didn't do it just to get a hands-off concept from them. Other than Cesar Pelli, SOM would be the most important architectural firm to ever have work in Charlotte. 

[videtur quam contuor]

This is what I mean by the client comment. Conventional projects have the money as the client and the architect as the hired help. There are some uncommonly talented architects and world renowned firms that bring a halo to a project and they do not plan to produce a "phantom" or lost project. The power does not move in one direction. As you say it depends on how the relationships are structured. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by tarhoosier

[tozmervo]

1 hour ago, Madison Parkitect said:

One would hope that if they've brought in SOM they didn't do it just to get a hands-off concept from them. Other than Cesar Pelli, SOM would be the most important architectural firm to ever have work in Charlotte. 

You're making Mario Botta and Machado Silvetti very sad. 

[Bikeguy]

https://www.som.com/expertise/commercial/

[Madison Parkitect]

3 hours ago, tozmervo said:

You're making Mario Botta and Machado Silvetti very sad. 

Those are two great architects, but SOM literally invented the modern skyscraper. They're the only firm to win Firm of the Year from the AIA twice. It's hard to overstate how big their influence has been on urban architecture.

[CLT Development]

6 hours ago, Madison Parkitect said:

It also depends on how much decision-making SOM gets as the master plan architect. I've seen it where the master firm sets general conceptual requirements and then the individual design architects have a lot of leeway, and I've seen it where the master firm makes decisions all the way down to the granular level of, like, storefront mullion layout.

And it seems like they have a lot of say. Theres also the matter of the developer Metropolitan Partnership. I've gotten to know a bit about them, and originally I was a little dismissive, purely because of their website. But from what I've gleaned over the past year, they only do work they know they can get right, and that they really want to make a show-stopping project, that had the opportunity to be even more awesome had the Inlivian debacle not happened. 

[Bikeguy]

Was not aware of "CommonSpark" and the significant amount of money they have raised,...

 

https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/commonspark/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=page-future-main-library&utm_campaign=commonspark&utm_term=mc&utm_content=link-to-commonspark-page

[KJHburg]

Great news on the fundraising for the library.  Mr Tepper donates $10 M

https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/news/tepper-foundation-gift/

[Reverie39]

2 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Great news on the fundraising for the library.  Mr Tepper donates $10 M

https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/news/tepper-foundation-gift/

Love to see him investing in the city. Hopefully he can be one of those businessmen who helps push the city into the future. I also get excited thinking about what he could do with an entertainment district like some people have been saying.

Now if only he could get the Panthers back on track 

[RANYC]

2 hours ago, Reverie39 said:

Love to see him investing in the city. Hopefully he can be one of those businessmen who helps push the city into the future. I also get excited thinking about what he could do with an entertainment district like some people have been saying.

Now if only he could get the Panthers back on track 

I wonder if entertainment district talk is just further positioning in order to ask the city for money for a new stadium

[TheRealClayton]

8 hours ago, RANYC said:

I wonder if entertainment district talk is just further positioning in order to ask the city for money for a new stadium

position? the ask has already been made a long while ago.

[Madison Parkitect]

9 hours ago, RANYC said:

I wonder if entertainment district talk is just further positioning in order to ask the city for money for a new stadium

The new stadium and the entertainment district are both going to happen, 100%.

[kayman]

Honestly, I'm just glad to see other philanthropic donations from someone other than the Levine family for regional entities. I will be looking forward to the new development surrounding the main library branch. 

Edited February 5, 2022 by kayman

[RANYC]

1 hour ago, TheRealClayton said:

position? the ask has already been made a long while ago.

Yes.  Positioning.  I know Tepper has talked about the need for a new stadium, but I can't recall reading anything about an agreement on the city's or county's level of participation in the funding costs.  In the absence of an agreement on the structure of shared financing, there would theoretically be plenty of room left for positioning.  Asking for public money to fund a new football stadium requires a thoughtful, tactful, inclusive, delicate PR effort.  Yes, I'm sure Tepper knows what he's doing, but I've read about other owners who dangle inner city entertainment districts and revitalization projects, but before those broader projects actually materialize, they secure rounds of public funding for stadium improvements, practice fields, and other fan experience accoutrements.  The "entertainment district" comes along far slower.  

I'm not on the inside like some of you on this thread, so I'm simply conjecturing here.  Please don't crucify me for my conjectures.

Edited February 4, 2022 by RANYC

[tozmervo]

31 minutes ago, kayman said:

Honestly, I'm just glad to see another philanthropic donations from someone other than the Levine family for regional entities. I'll looking forward to the new development surrounding the main library branch. 

It's not often said aloud, but one thing Charlotte sucks at is philanthropic giving at all levels. We rate far below average in average gift giving, and far below peer cities like Atlanta and Nashville. 

[j-man]

From Jasonthomasclt via Instagram. **NO this is not a 100 percent accurate depiction. This is an updated light rendering.**

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

^This project is huge for the North Tryon corridor. Game-changing. Makes me also wonder the life expectancy of the building that used to house forum, alley cats and bar Charlotte. A very very old rumor on here said this was once proposed to be a residential tower. Wouldn’t mind if that building stayed bc it has a lot of retail options there. It’s the OG entertainment district before the epicentre. 
 

I would imagine a project of this magnitude would  also help reinvigorate the Carolina theater hotel. If they’re worried about current Covid and business travel concerns, my take is that it’s going to take years to finish the hotel tower. Might as well start now and things will be different by the time it’s finished. 

Edited February 27, 2022 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[KJHburg]

we talked about this today at the UP meetup.  That is in no way the final height or design of the office tower.     But I very much agree it is very important to northside of uptown to get something going here a 15-17 story building or a taller one but something is important.  

Edited February 27, 2022 by KJHburg

[KJHburg]

here is from the Meck County commissioners agenda:

Preliminary Development Program
• 400,000+/- SF Class A Office Tower
• 170,000+ SF mixed-use building
with retail and a hotel
• Multi-family residential tower with
345+/- units
• 31,000+/- SF of ground floor retail
• 810 +/- total parking spaces
• Below-grade shared services level

 

https://mecklenburg.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx   Look at the March 1 agenda 

[DMann]

Holy Cow!!!

[RANYC]

15 hours ago, KJHburg said:

here is from the Meck County commissioners agenda:

Preliminary Development Program
• 400,000+/- SF Class A Office Tower
• 170,000+ SF mixed-use building
with retail and a hotel
• Multi-family residential tower with
345+/- units
• 31,000+/- SF of ground floor retail
• 810 +/- total parking spaces
• Below-grade shared services level

 

https://mecklenburg.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx   Look at the March 1 agenda 

Oh jeez, the master development agreement hasn't been even executed yet?

Next meeting will consider authorizing the County Manager to enter into negotiations on the master development agreement?  I thought this was much further along.

[SydneyCarton]

Mecklenburg County to vote on spending over $15 million for major 7th and Tryon project BY GORDON RAGO UPDATED MARCH 14, 2022 

 

The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners will vote Tuesday on spending $15.6 million to help fund public improvements tied to a major uptown redevelopment. The developer, Virginia-based Metropolitan Partnership, requested a public-private partnership to fund $24.4 million in public improvements, such as 250 parking spaces, an outdoor plaza, extended bike lane and street rebuilding and improvements. It’s the next step in starting construction of the $600 million 7th and Tryon project that’s expected to bring a new office tower, apartment building, plaza and other improvements to a roughly two-square block of uptown.

While technically a separate project, a new $154.5 million, 115,000-square-foot Main Library branch along with two theaters at Spirit Square, will be incorporated into 7th and Tryon. The library, theaters and 7th and Tryon project will be connected by plazas, county officials have said, meaning there’s been a lot of coordinating of design between the two....

Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/development/article259381419.html#storylink=cpy

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by SydneyCarton

[Guest]

This is quite the debacle if true. No underground parking and the tower is only 17 stories? What happened to Truist?

[KJHburg]

We need new development on the north end of uptown and this is a good start.  The apartment tower will be much taller from what I hear @CLTdevelopmentright?  This is a Deloitte style tower but we need new life in this part of uptown.