Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment

[ScottCLT]

The deck is oddly laid out, but whatever.

I thought the deck was very well laid out. Good signage, and easy to get where you want. I liked the idea that if you enter from the Wendy's side and go into the deck, there are target signs everywhere guiding you where to park. Then, when you get to the ramp, you just go straight to go up two levels to target -- no twisting and turning around a parking deck to get up. The middle deck was very appropriately labeled half-way up the ramp as "more parking" while the top was labeled "target parking" and the bottom was labeled "home depot parking." I was actually more impressed with the innovation in the deck than in the store. I personally don't know how they could have laid it out any better.

[dubone]

Maybe so. I was riding and wasn't paying that much attention, I just wasn't sure why they wouldn't have you enter the deck right at the ramp. But I'm sure it won't be that big of a deal.

[Andyc545]

I also went to Target last night, and I pretty much agree with whatever one else has to say. The inside of Target is the exact same!!! But that's not bad or anything, it's nice. Plus get to take advantage of the "New Store Specials". There were some people strolling through the store at around 5pm yesterday, but again we're just on soft opening, most people don't or will not know it's opened until Sunday. The soft opening gives a chance for vendors to get used to the layout of the store and where they will store and set up their displays, as well as train new employees, but allow them to adapt to a suddle customer atmosphere.

The parking garage was very nifty, I actually enjoyed it a lot. Target is on P3 and up, and the Home Depot was on P2 and P1. It was confusing for myself at first when I pulled in, but then I figured out that the signs for Target/Home Depot indicated seperate parking. I enjoyed my experience there and it really was well done in my opinion. Once the rest of the shops open, I can imagine how great it will be in this area with pedestrians walking and shopping, and kids playing, etc.

Here's some pics from the parking garage from yesterdays experience:

Outside, future shops:

Edited October 12, 2007 by Andyc545

[Guest]

Today it was announced that an additional 115k sq feet of shops will be developed in midtown on the adjacent lot from midtown. This is the parcel bounded by 3rd, Charlottetowne, and Kings. The building will be 3 stories and does not include the 52k of shops that is already under construction on the same parcel, the buildings that contain the new ABC store and Pancake House that open this month. They are desiring the development to be as pedestrian friendly as it can, and hopefully this and midtown can act like a catalyst to redevelopment of the various strip centers and suburban living centers that dot Kings. They seem to have already attracted a large fitness club/gym which will occupy part of the upper level of the development. I see this as overflow from Metropolitan, which has been very successful leasing out, hopefully we can make kings more pedestrian friendly, if only the parking deck had street level retail.

Edited October 12, 2007 by Guest

[nowensone]

^ Will that include more yet parking for cars or will they make use of existing lot and garage?

[dubone]

I'm very happy they are using the wheel locks on carts. I wish the uptown Harris Teeter did the same, as it is a blight on the city to have them littered all over just because someone didn't want to carry their own stuff a block or two away. And it is mildly frustrating to see that even homeless people have a problem with consumerism and need to keep a whole lot of stuff in a stolen cart.

I do wonder whether the average shopping cart thief knows the term 'perimeter'. They also might be in the middle of a nicely audible song while attempting to take it.

[Andyc545]

I'm very happy they are using the wheel locks on carts. I wish the uptown Harris Teeter did the same, as it is a blight on the city to have them littered all over just because someone didn't want to carry their own stuff a block or two away. And it is mildly frustrating to see that even homeless people have a problem with consumerism and need to keep a whole lot of stuff in a stolen cart.

I do wonder whether the average shopping cart thief knows the term 'perimeter'. They also might be in the middle of a nicely audible song while attempting to take it.

Not only that, but I think it was a safety concern with the way they have parking 4 stories above roads. Kids, heck- and adults, love pushing the carts towards either the cart corral b/c they're lazy, or kids just want to push them down the various areas in the parking garage. I think it was good for this, that way carts won't go flying over and onto the street, cars, and pedestrians. I didn't even know this technology existed, so props to target for implementing this concept.

[Raintree21]

Today it was announced that an additional 115k sq feet of shops will be developed in midtown on the adjacent lot from midtown. This is the parcel bounded by 3rd, Charlottetowne, and Kings. The building will be 3 stories and does not include the 52k of shops that is already under construction on the same parcel, the buildings that contain the new ABC store and Pancake House that open this month. They are desiring the development to be as pedestrian friendly as it can, and hopefully this and midtown can act like a catalyst to redevelopment of the various strip centers and suburban living centers that dot Kings. They seem to have already attracted a large fitness club/gym which will occupy part of the upper level of the development. I see this as overflow from Metropolitan, which has been very successful leasing out, hopefully we can make kings more pedestrian friendly, if only the parking deck had street level retail.

The CBJ says they will add the 115,000 sq ft. to an already being developed 52,000 sq. ft. section. The ABC store opens today and it will be The Original Pancake House restaurant, which is relocating from South Blvd.

[mshook]

I'm very happy they are using the wheel locks on carts. I wish the uptown Harris Teeter did the same, as it is a blight on the city to have them littered all over just because someone didn't want to carry their own stuff a block or two away. And it is mildly frustrating to see that even homeless people have a problem with consumerism and need to keep a whole lot of stuff in a stolen cart.

I do wonder whether the average shopping cart thief knows the term 'perimeter'. They also might be in the middle of a nicely audible song while attempting to take it.

Harris Teeter has these carts now. I noticed them last week...

[dubone]

That is GREAT news. I have been watching that land for a while. I was burned up by the cutting down of a lot of trees, but I think it is fine if they are now going to have retail development there. I do hope there is a mix of national and smaller/local retailers. But really, at this point, we are still beggars not choosers for retailers.

Once that block gets filled in with retail, the space between CPCC and Metropolitan will be much more filled in with contiguous development. There was also an original plan for the land across Cherry Street from the back of Arbys and BofA to be developed as part of the Cherry redevelopment. It is hard to know whether that plan was thrown out when the rest of the Cherry project was canned. It was definitely taken out of the rezoning, but it could still be a viable longer term plan, which seems inevitable once the FMK land is developed.

This area is really Independence Park/Memorial Stadium/Little Sugar Creek Greenway, Presbyterian Hospital, CPCC, Grubb's Elizabeth Avenue, FMK, the Cherry commercial site that was almost rezoned this year, and Pappas' Midtown project. Here is the area with the combined master plans and highlighting of the land in between that is seeking new development projects.

You can also see how central the Bojangles land was, making it a huge shame that they did not opt for a pedestrian-oriented urban store.

This is going to be a very strong urban district in the future, with fairly tight infill development. It would be a 35-40 minute walk to leave the condo tower at end of Met Midtown, walk past the retail on Metropolitan Ave, follow the greenway and the new streetscape and academic buildings on Elizabeth Avenue to Grubb's retail district, back past the miscellaneous retail on 4th or 3rd and back down Charlottetowne past the new retail on the FMK site and back home to the condo tower. You could have a 25-30 minute walk just along Met, Charlottetowne and Elizabeth Ave to just focus on the new retail.

The city should make plans IMMEDIATELY to correct the zoning in the area between the two shopping districts to allow the new projects in between to use urban standards. I'd also like to see them create a streetscape plan to enhance Charlottetowne Ave from the 1950s style boulevard with wide car lanes, to a boulevard with a median for pedestrians, wider sidewalks and planting strips. The streetscape could be a project for 5 years from now or something, but the rezonings seriously need to be done immediately.

[Andyc545]

Wow, that is great work, dubone. I just get excited about this area ever since the Met began going under development. This area has changed from a very inconvenient, bad road, bad pedestrian, all around not great area to something that is totally different. I used to take a summer class at CPCC and would venture this area a lot. It's amazing how its changed in just a year or 2...

[uptownJim]

Harris Teeter has these carts now. I noticed them last week...

Yup, can confirm it. Was trying to bring my groceries home in the cart the other day when BAMM! It locked up on me ;-) Just kidding, but I did notice the wheel lock sign upon entry to the vestibule... also, anyone else who lives in Fourth Ward notice the older woman with the Segway who has the mini-trailer on it? I occasionally see her scooting down Poplar heading home with her groceries in tow (as I am dragging three-four bags home by hand, she makes me jealous!!)

Also -- went to the target yesterday, brought a small delegation following brunch at the Dunhill... I'd say we arrived there around 11:30am and the store was QUITE busy !! Not packed as say the one in U.C. area, but it was bustling, for certain. The whole family was just absolutely delighted to see the store open. I would imagine, however, that the day of the actual grand opening will be a *blowout* day, as the foot traffic in the previous ones was probably light due to the fact that many did not know it was open a few days in advance.

Edited October 14, 2007 by uptownJim

[voyager12]

This probably sounds weird but I really like the urban,vertical, hustle bustle vibe of the garage and the new Target. The Starbucks inside has a cool sideways view of The Big Pink and there is a nice sidelong panorama of it when you exit the store. I had the feeling of being in a real big city. Similar to the stacked vertical mixed used centers I have been to in the Buckhead section of Atlanta.

[dubone]

I agree, something about it really comes off as urban, even though you're walking into two stores that are possibly the biggest symbols of suburban life (Home Depot and Target). But as long as the US economy brings merchandise to people primarily through warehouse/big box stores, it is great to have this project serving people living in the central part of Charlotte.

On a critical note, I'm a bit annoyed that they didn't use some day-lighting in the store. Even Walmart used skylights to supplement fluorescent lighting during the day in their Wilkinson store. Not only do you save the electricity for lighting, but you also prevent the energy from baking the roof as much, which is a major source of urban heat islands (sun baked roofs and baked roads = warmer cities = warmer climate overall). Lately Walmart has been doing more initiatives to be greener, including requiring sustainable agricultural practices, and pushing energy efficient products. Their Wilkinson store not only uses the skylights, but also had stained concrete flooring rather than an additional flooring product like Target did. At some point, Target needs to recognize that it needs to start doing these things to protect their brand. In the future, if Walmart proves itself to not just be greenwashing, their brand could see a resurgance (rather than symbolizing evil, like it does to many today), and Target's star could fall a bit.

[voyager12]

I also think a better job could have been done in opening the space up and giving better views of the city aside from the main entrance which I like. The complex is urban lite in some important respects but I am trying to focus on the positive for a change...

[Andyc545]

I also think a better job could have been done in opening the space up and giving better views of the city aside from the main entrance which I like. The complex is urban lite in some important respects but I am trying to focus on the positive for a change...

I like the garage also. It is very open, very lit, and very manouverable for both vehicles and carts. I think it will take a little getting used to for new people, but the signage is definitly there, just a new concept for most. My only complaint was where teh Starbucks and Pizza Hut were, I wish the building was manovered some so that you could get skyline views while eating/drinking at the tables and utilizing those floor-to-ceiling windows. Once construction is done across the street, I'm sure you will get a great view of the rest of the Met. Nonetheless, the garage and store were done over expectations.

[NCN8ive]

I agree, something about it really comes off as urban, even though you're walking into two stores that are possibly the biggest symbols of suburban life (Home Depot and Target). But as long as the US economy brings merchandise to people primarily through warehouse/big box stores, it is great to have this project serving people living in the central part of Charlotte.

On a critical note, I'm a bit annoyed that they didn't use some day-lighting in the store. Even Walmart used skylights to supplement fluorescent lighting during the day in their Wilkinson store. Not only do you save the electricity for lighting, but you also prevent the energy from baking the roof as much, which is a major source of urban heat islands (sun baked roofs and baked roads = warmer cities = warmer climate overall). Lately Walmart has been doing more initiatives to be greener, including requiring sustainable agricultural practices, and pushing energy efficient products. Their Wilkinson store not only uses the skylights, but also had stained concrete flooring rather than an additional flooring product like Target did. At some point, Target needs to recognize that it needs to start doing these things to protect their brand. In the future, if Walmart proves itself to not just be greenwashing, their brand could see a resurgance (rather than symbolizing evil, like it does to many today), and Target's star could fall a bit.

I think Home Depot owns the building (and therefore leases space to Target) and would be responsible for the design.

[NCN8ive]

It's not an EXPO Design Center, though -- This is a Home Depot Design Center. There are only two in the country.

See this article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for more info on this concept:

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/busine...c=7&cxcat=6

I'm just curious here...I see Scott replied to Nible, who I assume replied to me. But, I don't see that reply anywhere. I'm a little confused as to where the comment that Scott replied to is now...

However, Scott is correct. This Charlotte store is not the same as the Expo Design Center. There are quite a few of those around. This concept is not quite as upscale as the Expo Design Center (I believe).

Edited October 15, 2007 by NCN8ive

[Raintree21]

Trader Joe's made their official announcement today that they will be opening a store at Midtown in 2008. It will be slightly larger than their south Charlotte store.

[Guest]

Made my first non-preview night trip to Target today, twice actually, for some stuff for the office and holy traffic. They really need to finish Best Buy, the Condos and the parking deck as quickly as possible. It is going to become quite the congestion zone for the next couple of months, while this entire project is wrapped up. Kings is down to 3 lanes, but you might as well call it 2, due to the 1/4 mile long line to turn onto charlottetowne.

Quicky Question?:

What is the small ramped structure being built accross the street from Wendys? Another parking deck? Its only up to 1 1/2 floors but its starting to look like another deck. I thought this was another Junior Box.

Edited October 15, 2007 by Guest

[Andyc545]

Made my first non-preview night trip to Target today, twice actually, for some stuff for the office and holy traffic. They really need to finish Best Buy, the Condos and the parking deck as quickly as possible. It is going to become quite the congestion zone for the next couple of months, while this entire project is wrapped up. Kings is down to 3 lanes, but you might as well call it 2, due to the 1/4 mile long line to turn onto charlottetowne.

Quicky Question?:

What is the small ramped structure being built accross the street from Wendys? Another parking deck? Its only up to 1 1/2 floors but its starting to look like another deck. I thought this was another Junior Box.

I assume you mean this-

It's more retail.

[Guest]

I assume you mean this-

It's more retail.

I realize it supposed to be retail but what is going on with the slanted floor, and the ramp to the 2nd floor from the first level, on the other side.

[Spartan]

The big box stores aren't bad because of what they are (well, except walmart), its because of the environment they tend to thrive in and also create (sprawl). If Best Buy or Target or whatever wants to build an urban store like they have in larger cities, and even this hybrid sort of thing here in Charlotte, then I will support them.

[bubbyc]

Can anyone go to the Expo Design Center opening tomorrow night or do you have to have one of those cards? I tried to call Home Depot but nobody knew what I was talking about.

[Raintree21]

I went to the Target today and I wasn't horribly impressed. All of the suburban soccer moms decided to descend upon it as well with their minivans and SUV's. The parking garage was a mess of lost and confused people, despite the prominent signs telling you where to go. The store itself was nice but I didn't see anything different. I guess it's just nice to not have to go out to 485ish to go to Target anymore.

As for Home Depot, it doesn't look like they are anywhere close to opening from what I could see looking in through the windows.

Edited October 16, 2007 by Raintree21