Flyover Friday: Changes in the heart of SouthPark (free version)
Flyover Friday: Changes in the heart of SouthPark (free version)
Plus: Checking in with Blackhawk Hardware; New details on how CMS plans to reopen classrooms; One more Charlotte Earth Fare on the way; Are new Truist tower lights 'so dope' or 'hideous'?
Good morning! Today is Friday, September 11, 2020. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Editor’s note: We’re happy to count you as a loyal Ledger reader. If you want the full experience and more comprehensive information and analysis, though, consider a paid subscription. It gives you our full Wednesday and Friday editions. This morning, for instance, paid subscribers received …
The most detailed information you will find about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ latest thinking on reopening classrooms.
The full look at how Blackhawk Hardware at Park Road Shopping Center is faring during the pandemic.
An exclusive update on Earth Fare’s return to Charlotte — with info on one more lease it signed Thursday to reopen yet another store.
An explanation of how the Panthers are allowed to play at Bank of America Stadium this weekend, even though Gov. Roy Cooper’s order bans mass gatherings of more than 50 people.
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Across from the mall, Apex SouthPark is one of several developments enlivening the area
In a few years, SouthPark is going to look very different.
The old Colony apartments have been leveled, to be replaced by apartments and retail. A plan for a 15-story apartment tower on Fairview Road won approval this summer. There are plans for a park behind SouthPark mall — and for a three-mile greenway-like biking and pedestrian trail encircling the area, called “The Loop.”
In the middle of the action is a new development that’s almost finished called Apex SouthPark, a mix of 345 apartments, restaurants, retail, a Hyatt Centric hotel and — appropriately enough for Charlotte — a church.
In this week’s Flyover Friday, we give you an exclusive look from the air and talk with Childress Klein’sChris Thomas about the development — and where it fits into SouthPark’s future:
To give you a better sense of where this is, here’s a map:
In addition, The Ledger reported last month (subscriber-only) that the lineup of restaurants at the development includes Steak 48, Moon Thai & Japanese, Tiff’s Treats and Just Salad. There will also be a gourmet market and a few other restaurants that haven’t been announced yet.
And that’s a wrap for today!
About this video series: Flyover Friday is The Ledger’s weekly short-video series brought to you in collaboration with The 5 and 2 Project, a Charlotte video production company. We’ll roll out each new episode in this newsletter on Fridays to our full list of subscribers, so if you have friends who might be interested, tell them to sign up:
And check out more great work by The 5 and 2 Project on social media channels at @The5and2Project or website The5and2Project.com, or follow the company on YouTube.
Catch earlier episodes: If you want to catch up on earlier episodes of our independently produced drone-video series — including looks at Camp North End and the new Ally Charlotte Center bank tower — head to our dedicated Flyover Friday webpage that houses each installment as it is released:
What metrics is CMS using to reopen school buildings? On Thursday, the district gave some answers.
If one thing has been made clear this week in all the talk about the reopening of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools buildings, it’s this — there’ll be no magic switch involved in bringing all 147,000 students back to class.
The reopening of school buildings is likely going to happen gradually, and it could be a fluid process, with some schools opening back up and then closing if cases spread among their students or staff.
The school board must approve a reopening plan, but there are signs that the district is preparing for a reopening to start soon. Parents of children in the district’s special needs or “exceptional child” program received a letter earlier this week saying that some EC students could begin in-person learning as early as Sept. 29.
A preliminary reopening plan that’s been circulating and was obtained by WFAE earlier this week shows two approaches to starting a “Plan B” schedule. Both start with the youngest students and include the three-week rotation the district discussed in July, where students attend school for one week and then learn remotely for two weeks.
CMS is currently in Plan C, where all students are learning remotely.
The CMS Metrics Advisory Committee on Thursday locked in on a “dashboard” of metrics that will be used to guide school board members on when it’s safe to open schools, and once they’re open, what would trigger a need to consult with the county health department about closing them again or sending some students back to virtual learning.
Here are a few of the big metrics takeaways from Thursday:
One more Earth Fare reopening
After our scoop on Wednesday about Earth Fare reopening stores in the Charlotte area, we heard back from company real-estate executive Randy Talley.
He shared the news that the organic grocery chain on Thursday signed one more lease.
Beloved Business: Customer visits dip, sales soar and shelves are tough to replenish at Blackhawk Hardware. ‘Nothing stays constant.’
Blackhawk Hardware in the Park Road Shopping Center has a vintage feel inside and out, down to the classic Chevrolet truck parked out front.
Beloved Business is an occasional Ledger series checking in with some of the Charlotte area’s best-known local companies.
Hardware stores are one of the winners in the Covid retail scene, so the challenge at Blackhawk Hardware in the Park Road Shopping Center hasn’t been how to stay afloat, but how to keep the shelves from going bare.
Blackhawk Hardware, which opened in 1977 by Jim and Barb Wilkerson and is now co-owned by their son Andy Wilkerson, supplies customers with a wide range of home improvement and gardening supplies, paint and home goods and gifts. For decades, many area residents made it part of their weekly routine to pop by for a bag of free popcorn and a look around. (The popcorn machine is off these days, but in normal times employees have been known to hand out 2,500 bags a week to customers.)
Truist Center, now with colorful ‘lightsabers’
Truist Center, formerly known as Hearst Tower, has been experimenting lately with colorful new lights that run the height of the 47-story building. Photographer Myles Gelbach captured this image this week and wrote on Instagram: “What’s everyone think of the new Truist lightsabers? I personally love them. They’re going to look great once they tie with with all the other lights in uptown.” Some commenters loved them (“sooo dope!” and “they’re awesome”), but one person wrote: “The building is hideous. Ruins the skyline with its Las Vegas casino style lights.” (Photo courtesy of Myles Gelbach)
In 4th week of in-person classes, N.C. K-12 schools report almost no Covid clusters
As N.C. school districts wrap up their fourth week this week, new data from North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services shows that only a few schools have experienced Covid outbreaks.
As of Tuesday, the state was reporting what it calls “clusters” of Covid cases in 6 schools — none in Mecklenburg County. It defines a cluster as 5 or more confirmed Covid cases within a 14-day period.
That seems like a minuscule number, given that 54 public school districts across the state with enrollment of 446,000 students are going with a mix of in-person and remote learning (known as “Plan B”), according to a database from the N.C. School Board Association. Those figures don’t include the many private schools that are taking a similar approach, including a bunch in Charlotte, such as Charlotte Country Day, Charlotte Latin, Providence Day and Charlotte Christian.
So far at least, the experience of K-12 schools with Covid seems much different than what happened at some big universities. UNC Chapel Hill had spikes of Covid cases in the second week of classes, for instance.
Some local school districts that are including in-person instruction have reported cases among staff or students that have not been designated as clusters. Union County, which offers in-person instruction one day a week, has reported cases at at least 9 schools and temporarily shut two elementary campuses. It has more than 30,000 students who are attending schools in person and is the largest school district in the state with some in-person learning. —TM
Why the Panthers aren’t subject to N.C.’s mass gathering limits
The NFL season kicked off last night, and on Sunday, the Carolina Panthers play their first game Sunday in front of no fans at Bank of America Stadium. Some readers have asked us … how is that legal, given that the limit on mass gatherings in North Carolina is 50 outside, and the number of players, coaches and other personnel on hand will be in the hundreds?
In brief
$8M Lake Norman house: An 11,000 s.f. “French-country style” house on Lake Norman went under contract this week just days after it was listed for $7.995M. The house, built in 2018, is on more than 8 acres in Mooresville’s Northwood subdivision and has six bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and two half-baths. (Biz Journal, subscriber-only, with photos)
Bojangles hire: Bojangles has hired its first black executive on the company’s leadership team in its 43-year history. Monica Sauls will serve as the company's “chief people officer” and will report to its CEO. (QCityMetro)
South End apartments: Centro Cityworks and Ascent Real Estate Capital plan to develop 132 apartments and retail at 222 West Blvd. in the Wilmore neighborhood near South End. It will be called Centro Square and is part of a larger mixed-use development, The Square at South End. (Biz Journal, subscriber-only)
Apple pickin’: Several pick-them-yourself apple orchards are now open within an hour or two of Charlotte. Scoop Charlotte has the details.
Covid spike predicted: Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris is predicting a “spike” in Covid cases following the Labor Day holiday. She told county commissioners that she had seen videos of illicit parties with little mask-wearing and social distancing and said the relaxations on business restrictions and the start of college classes would likely lead to more cases. (Observer)
Sun-Drop-flavored beer: Two breweries in Concord have beers that are fashioned after the popular soft drink. “The flavor is already on everyone’s palate,” the co-founder of Southern Strain Brewing Co. told CharlotteFive. “We’re not going to have to school anyone or convince anyone that this is a good flavor. They drink it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for the most part.” (CharlotteFive)
Correction
Wednesday’s article on Earth Fare reopening Charlotte-area stores included the wrong name for company executive Randy Talley. Apologies.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: David Griffith