Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment

[DigitalSky]

Met Midtown got its Footing/Foundation building permits approved yesterday. Construction will start very soon.

They are also making great progress on the Target/EXPO. The parking deck is just about complete and all the exterior walls are up at the Target/EXPO.

nice, thanks for updating us

[abbitt]

has best buy been officially announced for this project or is that some insider info? i sure hope its a done deal, i'll be hitting that thing up every week.

[Skyline49er]

has best buy been officially announced for this project or is that some insider info? i sure hope its a done deal, i'll be hitting that thing up every week.

Yea, I am pretty sure that Best Buy has been announced, but I think it will be part of phase 2, if I am not mistaken. Target/Home Depot are part of phase 1.

[dubone]

Well, Dougie consistently leaves it off his articles. But it was listed in a Bissell Patrick document for leasing the office space. That doc doesn't appear to be online anymore.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...st&p=503404

Also, while that section is Phase II, it is under construction now, and won't lag Phase I by that much.

[voyager12]

I wish all the projects moved at the Met's clip.

[monsoon]

I wish all the projects moved at the Met's clip.

They have the advantage of skid greasing by a lot of government green. Most projects in Charlotte don't get this.

[dubone]

No, even the projects with the same government green are moving much more slowly. And Met Midtown doesn't get any government green until it is finished.

What they have are signed retail tenants, new investors, and many years of delays behind them. That is, it isn't really fast when this project was supposed to be done many years ago.

[uptownliving]

Took some pics this weekend of the progress on the Target/EXPO:

This is the rendering from a sign at the site:

And this is what it looks like today viewed from Independence Blvd:

And this is the view of the loading dock area along Kings Drive.

And here is a view of the revamped 277 offramp which should open in the next couple of months.

[DigitalSky]

Thank you for the photos Uptownliving!

[uptownliving]

I do have to say that from an urban design standpoint, the whole Target/EXPO/Wendy's is pretty disappointing. This is what I would consider to be one step up from suburban crap. They should have brought the stores up to front Indenpendence and put the parking deck in the rear. Maybe the stuborn Wendy's that insisted on a standard drive-thru restarant had something to do with the crappy design we ended up with.

Edited October 23, 2006 by uptownliving

[DigitalSky]

I do have to say that from an urban design standpoint, the whole Target/EXPO/Wendy's is pretty disappointing. This is what I would consider to be one step up from suburban crap. They should have brought the stores up to front Indenpendence and put the parking deck in the rear. Maybe the stuborn Wendy's that insisted on a standard drive-thru restarant had something to do with the crappy design we ended up with.

You're totally right, from an urban design standpoint it could have been executed better. Blame Wendy's lol...

[krazeeboi]

I don't really see how the Wendy's had anything to do with it. It could actually still have been a drive-thru, but just a bit more urban--at any rate, that shouldn't have anything to do with the Target. If a better-than-normal design isn't pushed for, then that's what you'll get.

[dubone]

I agree. It is ridiculous that Pappas didn't address the main streets very much in the design. I cannot stand that Wendy's wouldn't go at a prominent corner (Independence & Kings) in the ground floor of the parking deck. They could have kept the drive through, but instead of a weenie building that ruins the greenway, they could have basically pretended that the entire parking deck building was theirs, and thrown signs and marquis up all over the place.

Not to mention, they could have actually fit both the Target and the Expo on the ground level if they had just ditched the Wendy's.

It is a sad state of affairs that fats [sic] food is such a staple of our dietary lifestyles that they have such power to hold up and redefine projects all over this area?

I believe that this project will still have a dramatically positive impact on the region and downtown, but I still really wish the designers had done a better job with the relationship to the pedestrian world and the main streets aesthetics. And ripped Wendy's a new one for suggesting that they need as much land as half of a Target!

[krazeeboi]

^And I think that's really the big issue--how much valuable land the restaurant is taking up. And good point about putting it in the ground floor of the parking garage.

[Charlotte_native]

Maybe it is just what you get when a suburban developer decides to move uptown. They don't leave all their methods and thoughts behind. From their standpoint this part of the project is probably great: cost effective, lots of "good" retail and some fast food, plenty of parking, easy to build.

[voyager12]

I find the rendering to be utterly dissapointing. It does not look urban at all. You can find that schlock all over Charlotte. What a wasted opportunity.

[dubone]

A two story big box store with a parking deck is not really something you'd find elsewhere, except in other urban centers. But I agree that there are many negatives to the design. The Wendy's just kills a third of the block, with surface parking, and a drive through.

The design, to me, is just mediocre, although they are at least trying to be aesthetic with the brick (aka human-scale materials), and the glass.

I wish Pappas had put some 'outparcel' retail in the ground floor of the parking deck, facing the street. Even if the Wendy's wouldn't sell their land without keeping a standalone store, Pappas could have still put some retail space in the deck.

Big box is controversial to begin with, but the presence of a Target will really open up the central section of the city to some people who would not otherwise have considered living here. So I'm still for the fundamentals of the project, and I'm okay with the design, but it does leave a lot to be desired.

I'm at least glad they put windows on the side of the building facing uptown and the greenway.

[monsoon]

As I said earlier in this thread, and got lambasted for it, it is a strip mall dropped down next to a freeway. This doesn't look any better than the Target/Lowes strip mall at Exit 25 except the Exit 25 location doesn't allow drive through fast food. Expect my other prediction, that is, it will have the same effects as any strip mall does, on this area. The fact that it has a parking deck isn't a positive in my book as it means the center is primarily interested in serving people who drive there.

I will hand it to Pappas as he is good at taking the same old stuff and dressing it up to look like it is something new. The city ought to have used their financing to encourage better development around one of the transit stations.

[voyager12]

Was there some kind of marketing recalculation during the building of Met Midtown? The early impression I got was that it was supposed to be a high end development. A larger version of Philips Place. Then mass market retailers were announced as tenants. The retail does not seem to mesh well with the ovepriced "loft" and "terrace" homes in the complex. Unless the stores built below them and adjacent to the greenway will be more upscale. They need to rename the Big Box portion of the center " Metropolitan Pineville" because that is what it resembles. This is another example of the city regulatory powers not pushing hard enough for smart urban development in this crucial entryway to Uptown. The rendering on this page does not say "Midtown" to me. Place this along the heinously designed Bojangles nearby and this is yet another important sector of Charlotte trending the wrong way regarding sensible urban infill. How are we supposed to have any faith in the plans to regenerate and make Uptown retail and pedestrian friendly if the city is allowing a developer to botch a blank slate that could have set a standard for future projects?

[Charlotte_native]

There are always those who will pay "upscale" pricing to be in anything labeled "upscale". I feel pretty confident they will sell these condos regardless of the perceived quality of the retail element. Look at the condo sales around Southpark and in Phillips Place. The stores might be somewhat upscale but the finishes and quality of the buildings definitely aren't.

[Miesian Corners]

Wendy's was a pain to deal with on this project. From what I understand, they would have nothing to do with building a more urban store (and they didn't have to...the wisdom of Charlotte zoning). The current store is the product of several years' negotiations. Pappas couldn't get the project to work without them moving, so this is the best he could do.

I for one will never go to that Wendy's again for this very reason.

As a side note, crane sections were delivered to the site yesterday and today. I expect we'll see it assembled in the next several weeks.

[Charlotte_native]

Wendy's was a pain to deal with on this project. From what I understand, they would have nothing to do with building a more urban store (and they didn't have to...the wisdom of Charlotte zoning). The current store is the product of several years' negotiations. Pappas couldn't get the project to work without them moving, so this is the best he could do.

If you have ever eaten at this Wendy's it would become apparant that the attitude of the owners spills over to the employees. I can't stand this particular Wendy's from specific incidents there so I would never go back anyway!

[A2]

The layout and project is not only NOT urban it is Ugly. Of course this is just IMO.

My only question is will Target have ANY signage visable from 277 indicating that the bldg is something other than a jail? Otherwise I doubt it will draw any passer-by's.

(as for a sidenote the closing of the street next to the Met project closed today. I can now add an additional 10 minutes to my drive. . If we are going for Urban Projects, this one gets an F as it is actually hampering urban connectivity. There was No consideration for the comuters from King and Queens who pack into Uptown everyday, me being one of those drivers.)

A2

[dubone]

The core of Met Midtown will be the mixed use pedestrian project across the street. This is the big box section serving the central section of the city. The main 3-8 story complex with a new pedestrian-oriented grid street down the center is far from a strip mall. This part with the Target is much closer to the strip mall criticism, but it is still double decker, with decked parking. When they do that at exit 25, I'll give them props for trying something.

Now, for this Target-based lot, the old cinema site, I think everyone has long known that this is just a more dense version of a big box shopping center. The idea is reduction in vehicle miles traveled, as this is the only Target outside of the 485 area. Yes, it is like a strip mall in function, but not in form.

As for closing a street, A2, they are only closing streets temporarily in the process of building better connectivity for the Independence - Kenilworth - Stonewall - 277 intersection. Your commute will get better eventually. Temporary inconvenience is part of progress.

[A2]

As for closing a street, A2, they are only closing streets temporarily in the process of building better connectivity for the Independence - Kenilworth - Stonewall - 277 intersection. Your commute will get better eventually. Temporary inconvenience is part of progress.

Alright then. I might have to postpone any F grade until I see the final results. Sorry I got kind of jumpy, but this street is my way into the office and today was total Pandomnium. Traffic was backed up everywhere because of this one little road being shut down.

A2