Flyover Friday 🎥: Putting the ‘city’ in ‘University City’ (free version)

Plus: Patrick Cannon making a comeback?; SouthPark pushes for new tax district; Curveball for city politics as election delayed again; Reader question on First Ward lot; Hawaii flight ends

Dec 10, 2021

Good morning! Today is Friday, December 10, 2021. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte.

Editor’s note: This is a shorter, free version of The Charlotte Ledger sent to people on our free sign-up list. The complete version for paying members went out 15 minutes ago. It included:

The scoop on what political types are whispering about this week — rumblings that former Mayor Patrick Cannon, who served 22 months in prison for taking bribes, may be ready to re-enter Charlotte’s political scene. We got a response from Cannon himself.
An article explaining what this week’s court ruling postponing this year’s elections will mean for local politics.
We’ve got all the details you’ll want to know about a new tax district for SouthPark that Charlotte City Council is expected to move forward with on Monday. If you’re a SouthPark resident or business owner, you’ll want to see the map showing where the district lines will fall and learn how much extra you’d be taxed if it’s approved.
An answer to a reader’s question that surely crosses the mind of many as they drive through First Ward — what’s the deal with the empty lot at Brevard Street between 10th and 11th streets, that has odd-looking pillars sticking up out of it? We have the answer.

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Companies and developers are urbanizing a huge suburban area around UNC Charlotte; ‘a lot of exciting things are happening’

by Tony Mecia

It’s Flyover Friday, our occasional video look at growth and development in Charlotte, and today we’re looking through the lens at University City.

Sure, it’s got single-family subdivisions, office parks, a major university and the city’s only IKEA. But like elsewhere in town, University City is in the middle of a transformation. Fueled by the expansion of UNC Charlotte and the extension of the light rail line in 2018, University City is attracting plenty of attention from developers and companies.

“A lot of exciting things are happening here,” says Darlene Heater, the longtime executive director of University City Partners. “The stars have aligned in so many ways.” (After our interview this month, Heater started a new job as managing director of Panorama Holdings.)

With the help of our partner Kevin Young of video production company The 5 and 2 Project, Heater walks us through some of the big changes underway, including:

The construction of the $1B campus of Centene, the health insurance giant that’s building its East Coast HQ in University Research Park. It’s expected to have as many as 6,000 employees in a few years.
The transformation of The Shoppes at University Place into a mixed-use development called Waters Edge, with new restaurants and retail plus apartments, a regional library and office space. “It’s going to become a true mixed-use center.”

The area around University City’s “town center” by the J.W. Clay light rail stop is going to look much different in the next few years. (Photo and rendering from University City Strategic Vision Plan)

The development of an “entertainment district” anchored by the new TopGolf on University City Boulevard at I-85 — with plans to enhance arts and culture in addition to new housing developments.
The emphasis on adding infrastructure, including bicycle lanes and a new iconic bridge over I-85.

Come explore with us:

And that’s a wrap!

If you want to catch up on other Flyover Friday installments — exploring the huge Ballantyne Reimagined development, the luxury home market on Lake Norman or the FreeMoreWest neighborhood, as well as any of our Season 1 flyovers that include uptown, SouthPark, South End and Camp North End — check out our dedicated webpage that houses each episode of “Flyover Friday.” The video series is an independent editorial production of The Ledger and The 5 and 2 Project. (That’s another way to say that no one pays us to be included.)

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.

Patrick Cannon said to be eyeing a political comeback; time for a ‘second chance’?

Charlotte’s political class is gossiping this week about the possible entry of a familiar name into the City Council elections: Patrick Cannon.

The former mayor — who served 22 months in prison after pleading guilty in 2014 to a federal corruption charge stemming from accepting bribes in an FBI sting — hasn’t announced his candidacy. But insiders say he has been lining up support behind the scenes for a potential run for an at-large council seat.

We reached out to Cannon via email on Thursday asking to talk about his potential candidacy. He replied, politely, thanking us for our interest and apologizing for taking a few hours to respond. He continued:

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Court ruling throws a wrench into city politics

A North Carolina Supreme Court ruling this week postponing elections for two months is rippling down to cause minor tremors in Charlotte politics — keeping some council members on the job longer than anticipated, lengthening political campaigns and possibly altering the timing of votes on key initiatives like a new development ordinance.

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SouthPark considered for new tax district; would help with infrastructure, events, marketing

Business leaders in SouthPark are backing plans to levy a new tax on property owners in the neighborhood’s commercial center, with the money going toward projects and programs that enhance the area.

The City Council is expected to take steps at its meeting on Monday to move forward with the creation of what’s called a “municipal service district” for SouthPark. It would be the sixth such district in Charlotte The three uptown and one in South End fund Charlotte Center City Partners, and the one in University City funds University City Partners. Those organizations are nonprofits that engage in neighborhood advocacy, plan events and help coordinate development and infrastructure projects with the city.

Chris Thomas, a retail partner with Childress Klein, said the idea sprang from a study five years ago that brought the area’s business leaders together to plan SouthPark’s future.

We’ve got the details about how much money the tax would generate and what some of the biggest landowners in the area could expect to pay in new taxes.

Here’s a tentative map:

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You Ask, We Answer: Empty lot in First Ward

Welcome to the latest installment of “You Ask, We Answer,” The Ledger’s attempt to help satisfy your burning development questions behind bulldozed blocks or mystery construction plans.

As we always say, there’s no rezoning request we can’t track down; no land sale we can’t sniff out. Have a question you’d like us to look into? Email us.

Here’s today’s question:

I've got a 'You Ask, We Answer' for you ... my kids go to Lab School in uptown, and the entire block just northeast of it has been an eyesore for years, outside of the completed but empty parking garage. Address is (kind of) 707 N. Brevard St. Levine said there's an apartment JV discussion underway, but that was a while back.

Ah yes, if you

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In brief

CMS bonuses: All Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employees will get bonuses this month as part of an employee retention program aimed at recruiting and keeping employees. Full-time workers will receive $2,500 and part time employees will get $1,250. Half of the bonuses will be paid on Dec. 22 and the second half will be paid in September 2022.
Camp North End-area apartments: Abacus Acquisitions is seeking a rezoning of 7.5 acres on 4 parcels near 28th and Graham streets, north of Camp North End, in order to build 370 apartments and 34 townhomes in buildings up to 65 feet tall.
Scholarship applications: Applications are open for more than 150 scholarships for 2022 administered by Foundation for the Carolinas. Scholarship awards are in amounts from $500 to $10,000 and are funded from gifts from families, individuals, corporations and nonprofits. Most applications are due in early March. More information here.
Low Covid vaccinations in kids: Just 18% of Mecklenburg County children ages 5-11 had taken a Covid vaccine by the end of November, the health department said. A New York Times reporter hung out at a community health clinic in University City to show why parents aren’t eager to get their kids vaccinated: They “are wary of the vaccine, focused on getting treatment for mental and physical problems that had gone unchecked for much of the pandemic.” (New York Times)
No death penalty: Prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty in the 2019 killing of Brooks’ Sandwich House co-owner Scott Brooks. (WCNC)
Medical office investment: Charlotte-based Flagship Healthcare Trust attracted a $35M equity investment from CenterSquare Investment Management, in a move seen as a vote of confidence in medical office real estate. (PR Newswire)
American Idol concert: 2019 “American Idol” winner Laine Hardy is playing a free concert at the Wild Wing Cafe University location from 8-9 p.m. tonight.
Morehead real estate deal: The six-story Morehead Square office building on Morehead Street near I-277 has been sold for $65.5M to The Spectrum Cos. and Invesco Real Estate. Spectrum said it would add community outdoor space and rebrand the building “to capture the essence of the South End experience.” (Observer)
Yard waste scofflaws: Since Charlotte switched from plastic bags to paper bags for yard waste collection earlier this year, 32 people have been warned for not making the switch. (Joe Bruno on Twitter)
Raleigh to consider mask changes: The mayor of Raleigh says she wants to alter the city’s mask mandate after receiving complaints from businesses that they are losing customers to nearby towns with no mandate. “It got me thinking about what we're trying to achieve, and how we can find balance,” she said, adding that she doesn’t think the number of rising cases is attributable to gyms or small businesses, where masks are required. (WTVD)
Record luncheon: The Good Fellows Club raised nearly $1.57M at its annual luncheon on Wednesday, breaking last year’s record of $1.1M. The money goes toward financial assistance for families in need. (Observer)
Aloha (the goodbye kind) to Honolulu flight: American Airlines says it is ending its nonstop Charlotte-to-Honolulu service on Jan. 3, 2022. It said it needs the plane for international service.

Loves me some internet: Time to get the ‘kit’?

Charlotte’s new pro soccer team, Charlotte FC, unveiled its uniform — or “kit,” in soccer lingo — on Thursday night. It’s a light blue jersey, and it’s a marketing triumph, with “Ally” plastered across the chest, “Adidas” in the upper corner and “Centene Corporation” on the sleeve. The team started selling the gear online.

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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project