SouthEnd Midrise Projects

[ScottCLT]

I saw a new store on Camden yesterday. ReBound Buy-Sell-Trade. Right near the old attorneys' office (John Mackey III) that is now up for lease. Does anyone know what this is? My guess is a used book store given the name with "bound" in it. Either that or a general consignment or used record shop would be a win IMO. But I can't find anything out about it online. Won't be back in that neck of the woods for a week or so to investigate and was running late already when I passed by so I just got a glimpse driving by.

[nonillogical]

6 hours ago, ScottCLT said:

I saw a new store on Camden yesterday. ReBound Buy-Sell-Trade. Right near the old attorneys' office (John Mackey III) that is now up for lease. Does anyone know what this is? My guess is a used book store given the name with "bound" in it. Either that or a general consignment or used record shop would be a win IMO. But I can't find anything out about it online. Won't be back in that neck of the woods for a week or so to investigate and was running late already when I passed by so I just got a glimpse driving by.

Its a shoe store. It replaces Blank Canvas, which was a rather interesting high end clothing store that didn't draw much business. It was probably a little ahead of its time for the spot.

This is why the loss of old buildings that could house businesses like Black Sheep, Blush, and Modern Fabrics bothers me so much...if some boutiques do go in Camden Gallery and 1616 (although I've heard retail rents are hopelessly sky high for the latter so thats unlikely) then we could have had a nice critical mass of local clothing and gift shops going all the way from Silverfly and Boulevard (now out of business) down towards the new Anthropologie, and the new Revolution location not far away on East. 

[CLTProductions]

47 minutes ago, nonillogical said:

Its a shoe store. It replaces Blank Canvas, which was a rather interesting high end clothing store that didn't draw much business. It was probably a little ahead of its time for the spot.

This is why the loss of old buildings that could house businesses like Black Sheep, Blush, and Modern Fabrics bothers me so much...if some boutiques do go in Camden Gallery and 1616 (although I've heard retail rents are hopelessly sky high for the latter so thats unlikely) then we could have had a nice critical mass of local clothing and gift shops going all the way from Silverfly and Boulevard (now out of business) down towards the new Anthropologie, and the new Revolution location not far away on East. 

The problem is none of these places are surviving. Perhaps we don't have the critical mass we need yet for shopping 

[tozmervo]

That's true of some stores, but we have more than a few examples of successful stores having their leases terminated or being otherwise pushed out.

[cltbwimob]

1 hour ago, Jayvee said:

The problem is none of these places are surviving. Perhaps we don't have the critical mass we need yet for shopping 

Most of those places aren't surviving because they are getting forced out, not because they are unsuccessful businesses. I don't know what happened to Blush, but Modern Fabrics, Black Sheep, and Common Market are being forced out by DFA.  Boulevard is also closing because of DFA and the other developments around according to the owners.  Silverfly and Revolution are successful to my knowledge.  Here is a good article on the issue by Andrew Dunn:

https://www.charlotteagenda.com/28873/the-small-business-exodus-in-south-end-has-begun/

So its not that the businesses aren't surviving because there is no critical mass, or because they aren't successful businesses-some of the businesses have existed there for years- its because they are getting forced to close by developments that crowd out their existence.  The sad part is that these businesses, business owners, and buildings were some of the cornerstones upon which Southend was built (with the other being the Blue Line), and now they are being put to pasture.  Whats worse is that the city has done nothing to dis-incentivize this type of thing from happening.  One of the functions of government, in my opinion, is to regulate market forces in such a way that buyers, sellers, and the non-market stakeholders (i.e. citizens) can all achieve optimum economic outcomes.  Unfortunately, Charlotte's government only seems interested in the buyers and sellers in the market which allows those buyers and sellers to externalize societal costs.  This is, by definition, market failure because the market is not bearing all the costs associated with a particular transaction.  And with that lesson in public sector economics, I'm done with my mini rant.

[Miesian Corners]

I took a walk down Camden Road yesterday. What is up with CDOT? In the blocks between Park Ave and East Blvd, there are now three different styles of acorn decorative street lights--two of them in the same block in front of the Furman project. Additionally, the CDOT standard for actual roadway lighting is now supposed to be LED, yet the new ones being installed yesterday at the East/Park intersection are sodium vapor. Why is there no consistency in streetscape design in Charlotte? 

[Guest]

Helix Southend has sold 26 of 29 units!!! Can anyone swing by and get a Construction progress shot?
What an incredibly untapped market. We need about 10-12 more of these townhome communities to meet demand. We also need a lower priced condo tower uptown or two.

[rjp212]

1 hour ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Helix Southend has sold 26 of 29 units!!! Can anyone swing by and get a Construction progress shot?
What an incredibly untapped market. We need about 10-12 more of these townhome communities to meet demand. We also need a lower priced condo tower uptown or two.

Southpoint at Southend is selling really well too.   There are a bunch of townhome projects in the center city area, and demand continues to be strong.

[Guest]

I'll leave this here, since I feel like SouthEnd is the neighborhood with the biggest problem with uninspiring apartment design.

http://www.dallasobserver.com/slideshow/10-fabulous-photos-of-dallas-hottest-apartment-complexes-7927995

You guys will be happy to see this isn't just a phenomena relating to Charlotte. Virtually every midsize to large city in america is experiencing this. Hell even my hood is experiencing it. You should see the 12 floor beige behemoths that line 4th avenue in park slope. 

[asthasr]

It's everywhere, because we've forgotten how to build (or even permit) genuine urban design. Even KFC can do it in Asia.

[Prodev]

Wow... I looked at the slideshow and then went back and read the content. I thought it was complete sarcasm when I read the headline and then thought it definitely had to be sarcasm when I read this in the first paragraph " People just can’t resist Dallas’ uniquely awesome — dare we say EDGY? — brand of urban living. But just when you think the apartment scene couldn’t POSSIBLY get any hotter, BOOM! Builders drop another STUNNING development even more AMAZING than the last." 

 

[RaleighHeelsfan]

Yeah, virtually no retail in any of those. The one cool building had fences and planting strips on the sides of the building near the sidewalk. lol...yuck

[ah59396]

The article was pure gold.  The writer definitely didn't hold back.  These developers suck.

[Miesian Corners]

http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/seriously-whats-with-all-those-soviet-apartments-7720833

Same writer as the amusing one on Dallas's hottest apartments-- this article is from October of last year.  I found this paragraph, a quote from a Baltimore architect, to be spot on: 

They [developers] go to great lengths to vary materials, window patterns and use classic tectonic tools such as base, middle and top to break down the massing. But once one sees through this pattern, the visual splendor of this game seems stale, trite and becomes utterly predictable. Dressing up the one-plus-five extrusion box doesn't make architectural excellence any more than bouillon cubes and water make a gourmet soup. The base created by thin veneer, the cement boards, the synthetic stucco over styrofoam, the smattering of brick (substitute brick for whatever the assumed vernacular of your region is), the corner turrets that stick up slightly above the roofline of the extrusion, all these design moves are arbitrary, capricious and without either innovation or true historic reference and amount to little more than draping a popular wall paper over all the wood sticks and cheap thin sheathing. The result is instant urbanism draped in the garb of the season, ready to be replaced by another fashion a few years down the road.

Amen, brother!

[DEnd]

I hate that article.  It didn't even identify what truly is the problem with these buildings.  But they use wood instead of concrete, wood doesn't last!  B.S.  wood has an indefinite life span as long as it is taken care of.   If it is built and maintained properly wood will last just as long as concrete, the old wood railroad trusses vs the old pedestrian bridge at Charlotte Motor Speedway should teach us that.  But they use Styrofoam instead of plywood for sheathing.  For our climate and Dallas's that is actually an improvement.  The Styrofoam is not necessarily a direct replacement, the structural use of sheathing is to provide sheer resistance, as long as sheer resistance is provided for Styrofoam sheathing is fine.  It's better because it provides more insulation increasing energy efficiency not just by its r-value but also by reducing thermal bridging. 

But the architecture is boring and bleh! they just use beige!  While this is getting close to the problem, it's still just style and someone will always appreciate a particular style (heck there are plenty of people who appreciate Brutalism).

The real issue that these buildings have is that they tend to not address the street very well.  Because of this it doesn't matter what they are built from or what style they use.  If they don't provide for retail then ultimately they offer no advantages for living in an urban area.  These places need bodegas, restaurants, cleaners, clothing boutiques, "retail" offices (H&R block, realtors etc), hobby shops, etc...  No single building is able to offer everything, but most buildings should offer something.  Our streets are too damn important to have them lined with parking garages. 

[asthasr]

Great point, @DEnd. Aesthetically beautiful buildings are nice to have. Spatially effective buildings are necessary. 

[DMann]

Having shown property in the Ivey's Townhomes many times over the years I can tell you that no one misses the smells of the Indian restaurant that was in the lobby.  Also, the restaurant on the ground floor of Courtside was often in trouble with the residents of the building due to the loud and late music that came from there.  

We may like ground floor retail from our point of view, but living above it is not always pleasant.

[asthasr]

Yeah, that's true; if you're buying a condo in a building that contains retail, you can get hosed by building management allowing smelly or noxious businesses in. That's why I actually like traditional live/work spaces (homes above, a space that is sold with the home below); the building owner is likely to be the person living above the business, so it is selected more carefully. The other alternative should be "lower rent;" you're paying less for the condo and you get less control (including, perhaps, an Indian restaurant). We just build so little that any kind of urban space is, at the moment, "high rent" by default.

Whichever way, though, these spaces are necessary in order to make it a real town. The alternative is low value-per-acre strip development that strongly favors chain stores and guts the municipal tax base.

[Spartan]

On 1/16/2016 at 10:33 AM, asthasr said:

Great point, @DEnd. Aesthetically beautiful buildings are nice to have. Spatially effective buildings are necessary. 

Aesthetics are necessary, but aren't required.

[Deleted.]

https://www.charlotteagenda.com/35304/south-end-hotel/

A hotel is going to be built in SouthEnd and the developers want people's opinion about the development- they are holding a meeting at The Gallery SouthEnd on Tuesday, January 26th at 6:30-8:30, or write your thoughts on a Google Form at the bottom of the Agenda article. So far this is what the developers are thinking for the hotel: 

• Hotel will have an industrial, urban look that will complement the current and historical South End architecture.
• Five-story structure offering guests beautiful, urban, stylish, clean line guest rooms and spacious suites.
• Modern amenities including expanded fitness center, board room, suite shop, guest laundry, breakfast lounge and meeting space.
• Design elements will feature a beautiful two-story street level lobby with lots of glass, brick, wood and concrete.
• Street corner will have an inviting outdoor guest patio with water feature and a fire pit.
• Some of upper story rooms are expected to have skyline views while others may have the park view.
• Hotel will be cater to the growing business community, visitors that prefer the South End vibe over Uptown.
• The plans call for beginning the construction by third quarter of this year with anticipated completion by fall of 2017.
• Once open, they expect to employ 40-50 full-time and part-time associates including managers. 
• Developer’s goal is to ‘stay local’ and engage as many local companies and professionals as possible during the construction phase of the project. The development team for this project is led by Holt Parham.

[CLTProductions]

I applaud the developers for reaching out like this. Having seen the initial renderings, I can say that they're solid but not outstanding. they're preliminary and are going to continue to work but it's great they want community feedback too. No retail but not a bad thing at all. They want guests to utilize the great stuff around south end. Not hibernate in the hotel. 

I hope this is successful because it's a pilot for future meetings like this with developers and the community. Crowd sourcing feedback can be dangerous (see: everything on the Internet) but I am hopeful the community will come out and be more productive than destructive. 

[SouthEndCLT811]

Cool idea and credit the developer for soliciting the neighborhood's opinion early on.  Do you know if this will result in the homes surrounding the empty lot being demo'd?

Only reason I ask is my co-worker rents that blue house in the article picture.  She's out of town and may be surprised to find out haha

Edited January 22, 2016 by SouthEndCLT811

[CLTProductions]

1 minute ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

Cool idea and credit the developer for soliciting the neighborhood's opinion early on.  Do you know if this will result in the homes surrounding the empty lot being demo'd?

Only reason I ask is my co-worker rents that blue house in the article picture.  She's out of town and may be surprised to find out haha

Oh I think this is pretty far along. Yeah those houses are all gone. So I would assume her land lord told her haha. This project still has to be rezoned and such but I would think the developer owns all the land

[Prodev]

who is the developer?  Divine South End, LLC didn't exist in the NC Corporations list. My initial concern is that it's a small developer with little or no hotel experience that is smart enough to see the need, but doesn't have the experience to execute correctly. I hope I'm wrong. 

[CLTProductions]

45 minutes ago, Prodev said:

who is the developer?  Divine South End, LLC didn't exist in the NC Corporations list. My initial concern is that it's a small developer with little or no hotel experience that is smart enough to see the need, but doesn't have the experience to execute correctly. I hope I'm wrong. 

That's my concern as well but they seem like they have good people involved. Overcash is the architect who has experience with hotels and they have a global brand on board. We will see, I think the fact they're reaching out to the community is telling they want to get it (mostly) right.