University City Projects/News

[Niner National]

28 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

This is truly a huge success story in the Charlotte market: Innovation Park  Vacant IBM facility now is 97% leased and has 7000 employees there. That is way more than IBM's 5000 at its peak. Now Innovation Park is for sale all 1.8 million sq ft of it. https://www.hfflp.com/properties/5455/innovation-park.aspx  Anchors: Wells Fargo, Areva, AXA, Classic Graphics, Dirt Devil, Allstate.  

Wow, I knew it was doing well, but had no idea it was anywhere near that level. That's amazing.

[SgtCampsalot]

I went to the Wine Vault for the first time in a long time, and got some shots of the JW Clay parking deck, and the new small building in between the deck and the Wine Vault / Boardwalk area (Shoppes at University Pointe?). Looks pretty neat at street level.

The most interesting thing I noticed was that they seem to be linking the JW Clay station to the Wine Vault area with a straight pedestrian plaza. It does seem to be somewhat suburban in nature, but considering the Wine Vault / Boardwalk area is so wonderfully ped-friendly, and it's only about 1000 ft to the station, this may end up being a damn MAGICAL situation here, so much potential! Now they just need housing wrapping a parking deck in that parking lot, converting the head-in parking for parallel street parking... give it a decade or two!...

Station platform going south, looking toward campus...

Driving south, looking toward the Boardwalk area at the new development...

Looking north from the edge of the Wine Vault area toward the new development, with the JW Clay parking deck in the distance...

Looking from the same spot toward the Wine Vault area... 

 

 

Edited November 6, 2016 by SgtCampsalot

[KJHburg]

New Holiday Inn Express hotel near the IKEA in Belgate and the new apartments next door. Also looks like Outback Steakhouse is relocating from near the Lowes to in front of the new TJ Maxx across from IKEA.  Hopefully it will be like the new prototype at Concord Mills which is really nice.  On another note did anyone notice how large the letters for HILTON are on the hotel now? That seems recent I don't remember seeing that before. 

[nakers2]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

New Holiday Inn Express hotel near the IKEA in Belgate and the new apartments next door. Also looks like Outback Steakhouse is relocating from near the Lowes to in front of the new TJ Maxx across from IKEA.  Hopefully it will be like the new prototype at Concord Mills which is really nice.  On another note did anyone notice how large the letters for HILTON are on the hotel now? That seems recent I don't remember seeing that before. 

With the Ikea there and the nearby light rail station that area is really starting to feel like a "Suburban European" shopping area, friendly to cars, buses, and rail. I really like it, I've been to an Ikea in Belgium before and going there last week with the gloomy skies brought back memories, most Ikea stores are exactly the same, they don't pander to American norms, and I like it. As far as the new hotel and Outback relocation,  I don't blame them, I didn't even know there was an Outback Steakhouse, or a Lowes, or Boston Market up that way until I made a wrong turn once. They're going to have trouble filling in the old Outback space though.

[KJHburg]

On the edge of University City area but there are some big plans afoot at Northlake Mall in the vacant parcels near the main food court entrance where Firebirds and H&M are located. Looks like a Nordstrom Rack, LA Fitness, a Main Event (bowling, games events etc) LL Bean store, and Bed Bath Beyond all outside the mall between the food court entrance and the Northlake Commons strip center (Panera, Moes) Says it is coming in 2018.  All these retailers will be outside and there are even bigger plans norht of the mall too.  http://properties.theshoppingcentergroup.com/property/output/document/view/id:14330/?time=1479871641/   Looks like the LL Bean store would be the first in NC 

Edited November 23, 2016 by KJHburg

[Third Strike]

The development north of the mall looks promising. Looks like the owners of the mall want to turn the area into something that resembles SouthPark or the North Hills development in Raleigh. They're also right off the interstate, so that's a plus.

[KJHburg]

Scanned from my 1975 picture postcard folder of Charlotte:  UNCC 1975!  It looks like a community college campus! My older brother went here in the 1980s and this was about it maybe 1 or 2 more buildings.

Edited December 23, 2016 by KJHburg

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

^Look at me now lol.  It truly is a beautiful campus and the construction, much like the city, is insane.  If you look at the top of the picture, that is the last stop of the new BLE.  These students don't know how lucky they will have it.  Half this stuff wasn't here when I was a student, hell, that football stadium (top left) were intramural fields lol. 

[Windsurfer]

9 hours ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

^Look at me now lol.  It truly is a beautiful campus and the construction, much like the city, is insane.  If you look at the top of the picture, that is the last stop of the new BLE.  These students don't know how lucky they will have it.  Half this stuff wasn't here when I was a student, hell, that football stadium (top left) were intramural fields lol. 

Yes, but you had some fantastic mountain bike trails. In UNCC's zeal for growth, just like Charlotte, I wish there were some way to recognize the loss of old growth trees, including really old walnut, hickory and oak.  Along the trail near the blue line, you can see some remnants left behind, but its nothing compared to what it was.

[SgtCampsalot]

Looks like the Grand Promenade, the shopping center at WT Harris and N Tryon (with the FedEx, iHop, AT&T Store, Shane's Rib Shack, Total Wine, and formerly The Last Word) was just sold to Boston-based Ferris Development Group for $40.1 million. 

The company says they look for "value-add" opportunities to acquire distressed and/or poorly-managed commercial real estate to invest in. A rep says changes could include "rebranding the shopping center and adding new tenants."

I wish changes could include filling in parking lots with apartments. Though, of all the U City shopping centers, the layout of this whole corner is so awkward, topography and building-placement may prohibit that more than any other. I'm curious to see how they go about the changes. The building complexes themselves are pretty cool with their two-stories and the little fountain area behind the Total Wine area facing WT Harris.

 

Edited December 26, 2016 by SgtCampsalot

[Niner National]

12 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

Looks like the Grand Promenade, the shopping center at WT Harris and N Tryon (with the FedEx, iHop, AT&T Store, Shane's Rib Shack, Total Wine, and formerly The Last Word) was just sold to Boston-based Ferris Development Group for $40.1 million. 

The company says they look for "value-add" opportunities to acquire distressed and/or poorly-managed commercial real estate to invest in. A rep says changes could include "rebranding the shopping center and adding new tenants."

I wish changes could include filling in parking lots with apartments. Though, of all the U City shopping centers, the layout of this whole corner is so awkward, topography and building-placement may prohibit that more than any other. I'm curious to see how they go about the changes. The building complexes themselves are pretty cool with their two-stories and the little fountain area behind the Total Wine area facing WT Harris.

 

There are two areas that are overgrown on that parcel that were slated for multi family, so it may happen eventually. There were actually plans for a 17 floor apartment building in there.

It has been a really poorly run shopping center. Hopefully the new owners do better.

[KJHburg]

and poorly constructed went over during a rain storm and water was leaking everywhere from above the parking deck below in spots it should have not been. The whole center needs to be repositioned and if they can add some new tenants or apartments that would be good. 

[KJHburg]

University city area projects changing hands in anticipation of the coming Light Rail extension. https://www.bisnow.com/charlotte/news/neighborhood/why-university-city-looks-forward-to-a-strong-17-hint-blue-line-69598

[KJHburg]

another apartment complex coming to University area near Light Rail http://universitycitypartners.org/apartment-developer-buys-tract-near-university-city-blvd-transit-station/

[KJHburg]

Roundup of new shops, restaurants and developments coming to University city area in 2017 http://universitycitypartners.org/dozens-of-new-shops-restaurants-and-services-open-or-coming/

[tozmervo]

I had never seen this before, but it's a masterplan for "University City Gateway," covering the large undeveloped tract across N Tryon from the UC Blvd Station parking deck. KJHburg's post a couple up links to an article about a developer buying one of the parcels that would fall in this masterplan area.

http://universitycitygateway.com/research-downloads

 

[SgtCampsalot]

^^Yeah, it will be interesting to see since the land owner is clearly interested in doing this. I just hope they can thread them together in a non-suburban way (upper left buildings-in-parking-lot-oceans are irksome). But, it's better than most of the rest of UC today.

[KJHburg]

Yes that parcel is where Oxford Group out of Atlanta will build some apartments on the right hand side. They built the apartments over at CityPark on the old Coliseum site off Tyvola. 

[KJHburg]

New student apartment complex across from UNC Charlotte pays $1.1 million per acre!  And they have to bulldoze 7 older apartment buildings. http://universitycitypartners.org/apartment-developer-pays-1-12-million-per-acre-site-near-campus/  47 units per acre too! 

[SgtCampsalot]

24 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

New student apartment complex across from UNC Charlotte pays $1.1 million per acre!  And they have to bulldoze 7 older apartment buildings. http://universitycitypartners.org/apartment-developer-pays-1-12-million-per-acre-site-near-campus/  47 units per acre too! 

Those are all reasonably affordable apartments! Student living is spiking. 

It'll make the streetscape nicer, but gosh.

Edited January 26, 2017 by SgtCampsalot

[KJHburg]

Crescent is selling some of their land in University Research Park. Here is the brochure link below and there are some great facts on the University market and photos of the new Duke Energy campus they are building. It is so far off the road this is the first time I have seen it.  People forget outside of Uptown this is the largest employment hub in Charlotte not Ballantyne or anywhere else. Of course Wells Fargo's over 2 million sq ft complex helps!

https://my.hfflp.com/GetDocument?BBArgs=T6os851mkBkMbxvt_Un3S2sp2F2wuAMzWt9xNjkdHUUYUBTf

Edited April 10, 2017 by KJHburg

[NCMike1990]

3 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Crescent is selling some of their land in University Research Park. Here is the brochure link below and there are some great facts on the University market and photos of the new Duke Energy campus they are building. It is so far off the road this is the first time I have seen it.  People forget outside of Uptown this is the largest employment hub in Charlotte not Ballantyne or anywhere else. Of course Wells Fargo's over 2 million sq ft complex helps!

https://my.hfflp.com/GetDocument?BBArgs=T6os851mkBkMbxvt_Un3S2sp2F2wuAMzWt9xNjkdHUUYUBTf

That explains why ClearSky recently put up a large photo album of the Crescent land. http://photos.clearskyimages.com/resource-land-air-charlotte-2017

[KJHburg]

New Levine building dedicated at UNC Charlotte campus. Looks great. http://advancement.uncc.edu/newsletter-stories/dedicated?utm_source=EduConverse&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Read+More:+Dedicated&utm_content=SYC:+Levine+Hall,+Rocketry,+Shark+Tank+and+ESPN's+Sage+Steele&utm_campaign=http://advancement.uncc.edu/newsletter-stories/dedicated

[KJHburg]

Here is a great roundup of all that is happening in the University area with the arrival of light rail within months.  You can download the report from here. 

https://universitycitypartners.org/economic-development-report-chronicles-strong-year-university-city/

Lots of information on new roads, Concord Mills flyover, several new hotels. 

Edited April 26, 2017 by KJHburg

[tozmervo]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

Here is a great roundup of all that is happening in the University area with the arrival of light rail within months.  You can download the report from here. 

https://universitycitypartners.org/economic-development-report-chronicles-strong-year-university-city/

Lots of information on new roads, Concord Mills flyover, several new hotels. 

I feel like I might be reading into too much, but it seems telling that they included the Concord Mills flyover in their report at all.