Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment

[HopHead]

^I'm sure those two places will do well at the Met. I will say that every time I've gone here it's become more of a cluster f*** trying to get in and out though. The parking situation is just a total nightmare. Like the selection of restaurants just hate how you have to get there.

[New Name]

^I'm sure those two places will do well at the Met. I will say that every time I've gone here it's become more of a cluster f*** trying to get in and out though. The parking situation is just a total nightmare. Like the selection of restaurants just hate how you have to get there.

I really believe this is a learning experience for New Urbanism. Lets face it, building a faux city-street development and completely ignoring the rest of the area has make Metropolitan a casualty at times. It is not convenient for people who don't know to find places like Marshalls or Trader Joes. Layout may have doomed Home Depot. The parking and access is atrocious - but that mainly has to do with the fact that MORE has not been developed in a similar fashion around Met. I suppose this is a municipal planning problem - can you imagine what would happen if New Urbanism were a domino effect for a neighborhood, rather than a spotty development ploy?

[SmellyCat]

^I'm sure those two places will do well at the Met. I will say that every time I've gone here it's become more of a cluster f*** trying to get in and out though. The parking situation is just a total nightmare. Like the selection of restaurants just hate how you have to get there.

Couldn't agree with you more. The parking is a nightmare, I literally have waited 10 mins inside that parking garage just trying to get to an upper level. I have no idea why people insist on a) parking on the ground floor and will circle around and/or drive slowly until they get a space and b) people ghetto park (probably not politically correct, but that's what peeps call it down here) - that is back in to a space, which causes further traffic delays.

It's gotten to the point where I will actually park across the street in the Target ground floor garage and then make the 5 minute walk back over, cause I also know getting OUT of the garage will be equally nightmarish! Poor urban planning aside, I doubt anyone imagined there would be the crowds there we are seeing now. The restaurant selection is excellent with a really nice mix. I eat there probably three times a week at least.

[rjp212]

I noticed a pizza place was going to be joining the mix here as well!

[SmellyCat]

The guys that run Pisces Sushi (excellent spot if you haven't been yet!) have leased the next door space, and will be putting in a lounge with small plates for food. The two will connect and share bathrooms - there will be some construction going on (but Pisces will stay open) to open up the current venue to the one beside it.

Yes I sorta broke this on Dec 14th in this same thread, but no one seemed to notice. Story of my life. But it's definitely worth mentioning again as Pisces is the best sushi place in Charlotte (along with Yama).

[orulz]

I have no idea why ... people ghetto park (probably not politically correct, but that's what peeps call it down here) - that is back in to a space, which causes further traffic delays.

You can successfully park in a smaller space when you back in, because the maneuverable front wheels enter the space last. This is the same reason that you have to back in when you parallel park. Not sure about this particular garage, but often they are tighter, to the point where there is no alternative but to back in.

For example, In Japan, where parking is tight pretty much everywhere, parking nose first is a rarity. Everybody backs in.

[southslider]

^^Traffic delays in a parking deck? So now, not only do we expect to turn our community's streets into free-flow highways, but even the off-street parking lots and decks.

Personally, I back into a space because it's then easier to leave, given that less mindful drivers speed through parking aisles as if they were highways.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

I back it up too, and dare anyone to say anything about it.

[HopHead]

Another apartment project is coming... Levine Properties has purchased a 1.3 acre lot across from Trader Joe's and next to Vivace at the Metropolitan to build a 140-unit apartment building. Construction is expected to start later this year. No name has been given to this project yet. This will do wonders for the congestion at the Met

[nonillogical]

Another apartment project is coming... Levine Properties has purchased a 1.3 acre lot across from Trader Joe's and next to Vivace at the Metropolitan to build a 140-unit apartment building. Construction is expected to start later this year. No name has been given to this project yet. This will do wonders for the congestion at the Met

I was hoping for a hotel on that site but still welcome this. We definitely need to start adding hotels outside of uptown sooner than later IMO.

The congestion issue may not be a huge deal since it would generate traffic along Kings mostly, while the current traffic is mostly Charlottetowne/Metropolitan Ave.

[southslider]

This will do wonders for the congestion at the Met

Charlotte is maturing as a city. If we want to keep growing, we will increasingly grow by building up instead of out. But that also means accepting more traffic. And luckily, these apartments will be right next to groceries and a short walk, ride or drive to multiple employers. In other words, this is a location, where growth makes sense.

[HopHead]

^My comment about the congestion was more about the construction and not the the finished product. I think we can all agree that growing up and not out is the better way of doing it.

Agree with nonillogical that Charlotte definitely needs some more hotels right outside of uptown. Wonder if there is any prospective sites left? I know we've talked about the one off East Blvd before and the other one that I think fell through in South End.

[kermit]

Agree with nonillogical that Charlotte definitely needs some more hotels right outside of uptown. Wonder if there is any prospective sites left? I know we've talked about the one off East Blvd before and the other one that I think fell through in South End.

The old Crossland Grubb site on Elizabeth (where the whole foods was going to go) remains an excellent spot for a hotel since it is adjacent to Presyby and will be connected by streetcar to downtown.

Edited January 23, 2012 by kermit

[atlrvr]

140 apartments aren't going to add a lot of car trips to the area, probably less than 800 per day, with almost half of those occurring in the morning before the retail is even open.

I am at that Trader Joes at least once a week, and I can't think of a single instance seeing a resident entering their parking deck.

I wasn't clear on which sit this was (across Metropolitan Ave or across Kings from TJs), I assumed across Met Ave. I hope the parking deck access is from Metropolitan Ave and not Kings.

[kermit]

The CBJ article about these apartments had some interesting tidbits:

Under the terms of its agreement with Midtown Redevelopment, Levine Properties cannot use the site for anything other than apartments for 10 years or until the last condominium unit is sold at the Metropolitan.

The Metropolitan has 12 residential units remaining for sale out of 101 total.

and

Levine also is not allowed to conduct any retail activities at the site for 10 years, according to real estate records.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/print-edition/2012/01/20/levine-to-develop-apartments-near.html?ana=e_ph&page=all

I fear that this sort of mixed-use NIMBYism is going to stunt true urban development here.....

[atlrvr]

I don't think it is NIMBYism. The land seller (the owners of Met Midtown) is making sure Levine isn't building a product that competes with them.

[kermit]

I don't think it is NIMBYism. The land seller (the owners of Met Midtown) is making sure Levine isn't building a product that competes with them.

yeah, that was a poor word choice. I guess my concern revolves around the fact that it feels like much of Charlotte's redevelopment revolves around large blocks of land (like the Metropolitian project). I certainly understand why Pappas (?) placed the restrictions on the sale, but it will have unfortunate impacts on urban change. Pappas wanted to create a mixed-use complex, but they do not want to see the same thing next door.

I can see this process repeated in many locaitons around town.

[dubone]

Is this just a landbanking proposition? Seems like Levine isn't much for making progress on construction, given his history in First Ward. I had assumed the land across King's, but when I had forgotten about the spot where Pappas had planned that condo tower. 140 units seems possible in a midrise apartment tower like is going next to Catalyst. Either way this will help continue the progress of Midtown and support the retail there, assuming something gets built.

[atlrvr]

I believe that Levine has a partner that is a specialist in apartments, so this actually has a chance of happening.

The question is, how long will lenders keep giving out loans for in town multi-family properties. If they all get built, I would think there would be over-supply. That said, this is a pretty good location, where apartments would do very well.

I would think Grubb is currently looking at building apartments on Elizabeth Ave as well.

[HopHead]

^That's a really good point about the lenders. I don't think Charlotte will be over-saturated if all the current proposals come online given the anemic vacancy rate now. But we all remember back in ~2006 when it was a few condo projects than all of the sudden everyone and their brother had plans for a high-rise, a few started, market collapsed, etc. If it goes at a steady pace and a mass frenzy doesn't begin, I believe lenders will make $ available to get these projects going. This building at the Met is a solid one in my opinion. I fits the mold of the area in terms of scale, though we haven't seen a rendering. I know we all want to see something get done at 210 trade, even if it's not as grand as the original.

Edited January 23, 2012 by dbull75

[dubone]

http://www.businessinsider.com/credit-suisse-on-the-strange-relationship-between-target-and-kohls-2012-2

Interesting that Kohls and Target do well together, so maybe that adds to the idea that Kohls would be considering the Home Depot Design space under Target. It's seriously a shame nothing has taken it in all this time. If no big box stores want it, it'd be nice if they subdivided it to multiple smaller stores in the space.

[Prodev]

Kohl's larger prototype is about 88,000 sf so they would need to split the space if they were to occupy the former Expo space. I've heard talk of Sams club, who could take the space as-is, but that was about 8 months ago, so not sure if they;re still considering the space.

I get the Kohls Target relationship b/c they create some synergy and offer different products, but what I don't get is Hibbett Sports piggybacking off Walmart. They sell the same items as Walmart at a higher price, but they say their sales are highest at locations near Walmart.

[mallguy]

I'd have thought that Belk would have moved in; a visible location in its hometown, filling a huge hole in the market (no department store, other than Target, for miles).

[nonillogical]

Sorry if its mentioned farther back in this thread, but there are some new places going into Metropolitan. There's a frozen yogurt place, I think called CherryBerry or something along those lines, a pizza place, and a women's clothing store called Lipp Boutique.

[Norm2]

I'd have thought that Belk would have moved in; a visible location in its hometown, filling a huge hole in the market (no department store, other than Target, for miles).

Metropolitan is too close to Southpark. I do not foresee Uptown getting any major retail anchors that have stores at Southpark or Northlake malls. those two malls have sucked any chance of uptown getting those types of retailers.