Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment

[UptownGrrl]

So has anyone gotten a look at the brochure's yet, I have a pretty funny find that I wished to share. The find I have made is very unprofessional of a graphic artist. hopefully other people find this funny because I did, there are also great pix of charlotte on this site, this picture came from corbis, enjoy

Noticed right away - that's a big no-no. Hopefully they bought the image and just made a mistake on a quick pdf. Their printed materials appear to be more in order - though a bit overboard on the stock photography. But, that's really all they have at this point - no floorplans will be out for a couple weeks. Seems they're testing the market now to see what people are willing to buy before they commit. It's smart, I think. Then you don't have to battle any negative press because you had to change everything to respond to the market.

[alpha.type.alpha]

not good, very unprofessional.

[sleightofhand]

I went by for an appointment at the metro. I met their staff and they were all very nice and hospitable. A nice young lady named Katie showed me and my realtor around. I was really impressed with their presentation. They even started us off with a little history of the land the development is being built on.

Next Katie showed us the plans for the Greenway. No matter if you purchase at the Metro Midtown this is going to be a great addition to the city. I didn't realize this but we were told us it would stretch 15 miles!

Then we went on to look at the different buildings and phases of their project. The three floorplans they are going to be selling include the studio, loft, and terrace units. All three should be very successful.

The finishes they have in their kitchens are outstanding. They come very close to comparing to the Vue. I was really surprised to see that most of your selections will be standard.

At this point they aren't selling the floor plans or giving prices. The best you can do is put your name into a lottery system and hope to be contacted later. This obviously will create some urgency. As a whole it's a very successful company, a great staff, and a great project. They should do very well.

[dubone]

http://www.metmidtown.com/home.htm

Go to the MetClub link and wait until the picture changes. Then your will be

[UptownGrrl]

Go to the MetClub link and wait until the picture changes. Then your will be

You mean the guy grilling kabobs? Yeah, that's pretty sweet.

[monsoon]

hopefully other people find this funny because I did, there are also great pix of charlotte on this site, this picture came from corbis, enjoy

Not as bad as the Arlington which stole a photo right off UrbanPlanet. LOL

...

The spec level of the units is very nice. I'm impressed they are going with Viking appliances rather than something like JennAir or KitchenAid which is nothing but fancied up Whirlpool. They do have a lot of competition from downtown and no good access to the rail system, so it will be interesting to see what they end up with.

[redjeep77]

^Did they really? That's ridiculous.....I hope ya'll called them out on it. did they have a response/apology?

[krazeeboi]

Go to the MetClub link and wait until the picture changes. Then your will be

It did for me!

[monsoon]

At this point they aren't selling the floor plans or giving prices. The best you can do is put your name into a lottery system and hope to be contacted later. This obviously will create some urgency. As a whole it's a very successful company, a great staff, and a great project. They should do very well.

Did you get any updates on this one?

[ElricSeven]

I wouldn't say "inferior" just less preferred than an Uptown location where you can walk to work and not have to pay $195 per month to park. I've learned from renting units that I own and talking to other Uptown residents that being within a 10 minute door-to-door walk is incredibly important to people. So, I'm hoping that the Metropolitan recognizes that they can't command the top premium of about $350 to $400 per square foot that the Uptown locations do. That being said, yes the project has a lot of things going for it. I just think they'd be doing themselves a big favor momentum-wise to be a little modest on the price. Make it a win-win for them and the purchasers. The tendency lately at FAP and Vue has been to squeeze every last dime the market will offer and ten percent more.

Well, it looks like they're really reaching to me on this one. They want $450 or more per square foot for things with a skyline view in the Terraces. On the opposite side it is "only" $350 per square foot with NO view. Greedy, greedy. Although I can see this project being worth that in two years when it finishes IF it is successful from a retail standpoint, there's really no room for error. Shame. If they'd been more reasonable, I'd be writing a check.

[atlrvr]

Well.....maybe this will entice your retail cravings.

http://www.bissellpatrick.com/PropertyDocu...TeaserFlier.pdf

A link to the the "teaser" flyer for the office buildings....it includes some additional retailers beyond the Best Buy scoop that I revealed many months ago.

[ElricSeven]

Well.....maybe this will entice your retail cravings.

http://www.bissellpatrick.com/PropertyDocu...TeaserFlier.pdf

A link to the the "teaser" flyer for the office buildings....it includes some additional retailers beyond the Best Buy scoop that I revealed many months ago.

Still, weighing that with having to go back to car commuting. Might as well buy a nice pre-war style house in Elizabeth at half that per square foot and get my own yard to boot. But, I guess if you're a NYC transplant that place will look like the bomb and a bargain.

[GamecockEngineer]

Well.....maybe this will entice your retail cravings.

http://www.bissellpatrick.com/PropertyDocu...TeaserFlier.pdf

A link to the the "teaser" flyer for the office buildings....it includes some additional retailers beyond the Best Buy scoop that I revealed many months ago.

This project is going to be great. I just wish they'd densify it a little more, remove the surface lots and put in garages, etc. Instead of all the asphalt, some more green space would do well.

Oh well, at least I wont have to drive to Matthews anymore.

[dubone]

I was REALLY hoping for a Barnes and Noble or a Borders, but I will certainly be very very happy with Home Depot Expo, Target, Best Buy, Marshalls and Staples.

Hopefully a book store will locate in one of the other projects around, but this was the best bet for a big box chain.

I'm very excited about this, as it will eliminate a drive out 5-10 miles [for those people who live in town and shop at those places occassionally]. It also will attract some people to look at living uptown. Although it is a little odd in my view, many people do think about living near their work, but do like to live near major retail.

[mallguy]

Won't the free (for now) Gold Rush trolley stop at Midtown? Thus no need to pay for parking uptown if one is willing to take mass transit or do a long walk.

[atlrvr]

The space that would make most sense for a bookseller is the ground floor of the MetLofts buildings...that was where one was originally planned, but perhaps that where the specialty grocer is now going.

As far as the parking lots, they are all decks except for the spaces for Wendy's.....granted, a big ugly deck along Kings isn't eye-candy, but it can hopefully be clad interstingly.

I kind of dig the office building....not exciting, but clean and modern. The two stories of small shop retail is interesting. I wonder if they plan to have stacked spaces, or if each shop will have a Mez. level?

[dubone]

I haven't heard of them extending the Gold Rush to Met Midtown. It took forever, and huge lobbying effort just to get First Ward included on a route, I somehow doubt they'd do it to Midtown.

[ElricSeven]

I haven't heard of them extending the Gold Rush to Met Midtown. It took forever, and huge lobbying effort just to get First Ward included on a route, I somehow doubt they'd do it to Midtown.

And it still has limiting factors compared to walking. You can't just get up and go at any time, you've got to be within the time of service and at the stop time. Demanding, non-hourly jobs don't work very well with that type of a scheme.

[dubone]

Yeah, it is it annoyingly unreliable as far as schedule. It is supposed to run every 7.5 minutes according to their website. But I had some colleagues with me once and we decided to try it to get where we were going. It was embarassing, as we waited literally 35 minutes with me saying "it's sure to be here any minute".

There have been very few times for me that walking hasn't been faster than waiting for the Gold Rush.

It also sounds like a Thomas school bus inside, almost like the engine was designed in the 1930s and is about to give way.

[nmcheese]

Not to hate on this project, as it does look very impressive, but do the living/shopping demographics not really match up to anyone else - how many people that can afford $350psf - $450psf (at over 1000 ft^2) regularly shop at Marshalls?

I tend to associate Marshalls with my under $100psf lifestyle

[cinco]

Well, it looks like they're really reaching to me on this one. They want $450 or more per square foot for things with a skyline view in the Terraces. On the opposite side it is "only" $350 per square foot with NO view. Greedy, greedy. Although I can see this project being worth that in two years when it finishes IF it is successful from a retail standpoint, there's really no room for error. Shame. If they'd been more reasonable, I'd be writing a check.

my main, those prices are steep. what they should do is run a promotion to buyers - that you get a free SEGWAY if you act now.

e7, would that have changed your mind? segways, are freakin cool.

[mallguy]

I can see people from nearby neighborhoods shopping at Marshall's, but people who pay $450 psf are less likely to. What in the world are the developers thinking?!

[ElricSeven]

my main, those prices are steep. what they should do is run a promotion to buyers - that you get a free SEGWAY if you act now.

e7, would that have changed your mind? segways, are freakin cool.

Segways are cool, but it would take about 30 of them to make up the price difference of just going with 210 Trade. This stuff's got me trending toward a SFH someday.

[monsoon]

Want people to laugh at and deride you? Then get on a seqway.

I found out much of this about the Metropolitan over the weekend. The prices are mind boggling. What is more amazing, they are planning to hold a lottery for the opportunity to purchase one of these units. Maybe I am missing something but I can't imagine there are people lining up to buy one of these units at these prices. It just isn't that attractive of a location. It's not on a transit line, you have an excellent view of either the freeway or the Cherry neighborhood, it's really too far to walk to downtown, and a polluted creek flows through it. Gee.

[ElricSeven]

Want people to laugh at and deride you? Then get on a seqway.

I found out much of this about the Metropolitan over the weekend. The prices are mind boggling. What is more amazing, they are planning to hold a lottery for the opportunity to purchase one of these units. Maybe I am missing something but I can't imagine there are people lining up to buy one of these units at these prices. It just isn't that attractive of a location. It's not on a transit line, you have an excellent view of either the freeway or the Cherry neighborhood, it's really too far to walk to downtown, and a polluted creek flows through it. Gee.

I think the lottery was just a sham. I don't know of anyone who "lost" and didn't get an opportunity to buy something. Also, considering the small size of the project, it's only about 1/3 sold, which is surprising.

Again, they're being greedy. Fine, I'll buy one later if the bubble pops.