Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment

[Spartan]

We shouldn't forget that with the possible exception of 4th Ward, all of Charlotte is based around a cars-first design. You can put a Target or Trader Joe's anywhere, but when there is only low density housing nearby, and transit is not easy to figure out, and the current built environment is designed for cars, then its going to be a driving destination.

[atlrvr]

Another thing I don't like about Met Midtown is the perpendicular street spaces. If they wanted it to be truly urban they were have put parallel spaces in. I know that you get only about 1/3 the spaces and people in the South are afraid to parallel park, but its the only on street parking option that allows for safe pedestrian and traffic movement if they have the densities of both to be considered successful.

Also, they need some cheap lunch option places here. Since everything seems to be chain oriented, I won't be radical and suggest anything non-chain, but places like Salsarita's, Just Fresh, etc. are needed. Food is one item that keeps people at a place for a while and stroll. Otherwise, it really will be a vertical strip mall.

[New Name]

I could be mistaken but I think the manager of Chipolte told me they were going to open another location here.

[New Name]

What the heck is TJ's talking about their "front" door??! Is it the one that only has lettering on the INSIDE that clearly says "Fire Exit Only - Alarm will sound" ? So if your on the sidewalk - not only does the door have no entrance markings, it only reads for the patrons INSIDE the store - and even then says DO NOT OPEN.

[Spartan]

Another thing I don't like about Met Midtown is the perpendicular street spaces. If they wanted it to be truly urban they were have put parallel spaces in.

Thats it! I couldn't figure out what it is that I didn't like about that street. Parallel parking would do it. It would be a more authentic street design. Parallel parking isn't that hard. IMO if your business model depends solely on perpendicular parkers then you might want to move out to suburbia.

I agree about cheap lunch places, but lets not get to chainy. This city doesn't have any good local diner/short order type of restaurants, especially uptown. But I suppose that's not luxurious enough for midtown.

Its all good though. I'm going to go park perpendicularly on the fake street in front of the fake entrance to Trader Joe's. I'm pretty psyched about being so trendy. [/sarcasm]

I could be mistaken but I think the manager of Chipolte told me they were going to open another location here.

They are.

[nonillogical]

i'll chalk this one up to a missed opportunity but still welcome addition. i mean i've gotten a ton of use out of most every store in the place already...although i live uptown, i'm on the far side and its too much of a walk with bags. i don't really imagine much of an urban pedestrian environment for kings in the near future anyway, but yeah, it would have been nice if they'd taken that plunge and encouraged others. chipolte sounds good, but i'd really like a good regular ol mexican place. most of the ones close into town i've visited have rubbed me the wrong way.

[Spartan]

There aren't any good ones in or near uptown that I have found. I wish there were though.

[monsoon]

Please try to stay on subject.

[Guest]

So our first (reported) crime at MetMidtown occured this week. A woman was robbed at gunpoint walking out of Trader Joes, so I can only presume she was robbed on Kings Dr. I have thought silently for a while that this could be a problem. Thanks to Met's lack of interaction with Kings Dr. it really makes it a very desolate and unsafe place at night. I'd venture to say if there had been some thought put into Kings Dr. and retail placed at street level there is a possibility this crime would not have occurred during store hours as it did. is it too late to throw some retail into the prefab wall that fronts Kings Dr.?

Edited November 11, 2008 by Guest

[dubone]

My sense of it is that once people move in and more shops open up, there could be a stronger feeling of safety, even on Kings. Eyes on the street make a big impact, but of course you can never completely eradicate all crime as it is a human action.

My hope also is that as a result of this, they will increase policing in the area too. I think that the police often don't fully engage newly developed urban areas as much as older areas where they have been pressured by communities.

I was once yelled at my a policeman for cutting through this parking lot when on a run right after Midtown Square closed. The policeman was stationed there to prevent trespassing I guess. Why not have a few cops on bikes or segways stationed there now that tens of thousands of people visit the area.

[DigitalSky]

I know it's a little blurry, but I like the white lights on the trees

[voyager12]

I agree. It's looks cool driving past. I think the complex will feel more alive as the condos fill up. Although perhaps their sales have slowed along with everyone else...

[atlrvr]

Since there is so little to report, I'll add that I went to Trader Joe's this afternoon, and it was surprisingly busy. I also spotted a Urban Planet mini-celeb in there as Doug Smith of the Observer was shopping. Slow news day I suppose (for both me and him apparantly).

[HopHead]

Since there is so little to report, I'll add that I went to Trader Joe's this afternoon, and it was surprisingly busy. I also spotted a Urban Planet mini-celeb in there as Doug Smith of the Observer was shopping. Slow news day I suppose (for both me and him apparantly).

I've been into the Trader Joe's there no less than 6 times. Every time it's very busy. It's definitely filled a niche there. My friend that lives in the Metropolitan goes down there regularly for sandwiches and dinners and says the same.

[CharlotteDave]

I was there today and they've really started to make progress on some of the greenway related amenities. They have largely completed several of the overlook areas and also have a half completed fountain that already has the water part going. Looking at it from that perspective on a perfect spring like day, the greenway looked the best I've ever seen it look so far. To the naked eye, it looks like it might could be finished by early summer, but I haven't heard anything. I'm still anxious to see them get started on some of the other parts of the greenway.

[voyager12]

I have never been to a Staples that has zero visibility like the one at Met. I can't see how they would be happy about this layout. Marshalls is almost as bad. But at least their entrance hits you as you get off the escalator. While trying to find Staples yesterday I assumed it was one level above Marshalls and walked around the empty garage up there Only when I returned downstairs did I see that Staples is a little past Marshalls on the same level. But far enough down to render it invisible when you are at Marshalls. The numbers on the walls are easily missed. There really should be a Staples sign next to the escalator when you arrive.

And speaking of escalators for the third time yesterday the down escalator from the Marshall/Staples level was non-functional. I expect issues like these in old shopping centers not new ones. And one would think it would be speedily fixed at Met. It's not good optics for marketing purposes to have customers walking down broken escalators and the concourse itself is dirty.

[dubone]

I agree, those are very strange. Unlike with Target, those two don't have topography on their side.

I think the window boxes on the main roads help at least notify people of their presence for people to then follow signs to them. Once you know where they are, it really isn't that hard to get there in your car and by foot, though.

The SouthEnd Office Depot is a far better urban store, though, but I do hope the Staples succeeds despite the odd layout.

[palmetto75]

Home Depot annouced its closing 34 Expo Design centers and 2 Design Centers. From the article it looked liked this includes all the locations of this brand for HD. I'm hoping the Met location is somehow not included in this, but does not look promising.

[HopHead]

According to CNBC today, Home Depot is exiting the Expo business... Wonder what this means for this Home Depot location? Will they just reconfigure it to be laid out as a regular store? I have to admit, although I thought this was a neat concept, I just never got much from this store. A lot of times they lacked what I was looking for b/c it was more of a concept store than a regular one. I haven't been back since the Lowe's in Dilworth opened up.

[f0xym0p]

The Observer article specifically states that the Midtown store will be closing and that all the Expo stores will close within 2 months. It makes no mention of re-using the store for a regular Home Depot, but I hope that is an option. This is terrible news but I'm hoping the store won't sit vacant.

[nyxmike]

The Midtown Home Depot is closing. I also hope they re-use it as a regular Home Depot. I'd hate to see that spot empty.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/497060.html

Edited January 26, 2009 by nyxmike

[atlrvr]

As others said...interesting store, but not really useful for me. I've bought nails and screws there, but preferred going to Myers Park Hardware because it was much more convenient and locally owned. In this economy, I can't imagine they are selling a lot of high end appliance and full room remodels.

I'd prefer it not to be regular Home Depot, but maybe carve it into 2 or 3 smaller stores...Babies R Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, and PetSmart would probably all do really well there especially BB&B.

Another idea, and probably a lot more realistic is for Target to take over a large chunk of the space and convert to a full SuperTarget with expanded groceries and homecare....they would make a killing based on the performance of the existing store and the relative lack of intown groceries. Trader Joe's wouldn't be thrilled, but they seem to be pretty packed so I'm sure they'd survive.

[New Name]

I wonder if the Metropolitan development co. has a vacancy clause in the leasing agreements. It seems, since the city was so instrumental in this project, they would not want to end up with a black eye vacancy. I wonder...

[Miesian Corners]

This will be a strange one. Home Depot actually owns the land beneath this store (and ultimately, leases to Target above the Design Center store). Big black eye for Pappas and the city if it sits vacant.

[mallguy]

Mallguy the armchair developer would put a Belk (or maybe a Belk and a Barnes & Noble) in the Home Depot space in case a regular Home Depot doesn't take the spot.