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We are 45 minutes in, and we said this would go 30-45 minutes. I'd like to be respectful of everybody's time, as it is (ostensibly) a work day. I'm sure Clayton could do this all afternoon long and would prefer to, but I want to recognize that people might have other obligations. That said, I have no ability to shut down comments and wouldn't want to, if people want to keep discussing.

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This is fun. We will have to do this again. If anybody has any ideas for future topics or guests, please drop me a line at editor@cltledger.com . Though there is plenty more to cover on this topic as well.

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Mar 6, 2020Liked by Tony Mecia

Tony, Clayton, Thanks for setting this up! Very useful format!

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I think David would be a great guest for this, he had great questions.

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I can pop in here and there! Let me just warm up my lunch!

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Some good questions already. I'd say if anybody has opinions on these, feel free to jump right in.

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Clayton, why don't you introduce yourself, say who you are and how people can connect with you?

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I'm Clayton, as Tony said, and I manage @CLTDevelopment on instagram, twitter, and you can find my bylines in a few different publications in Charlotte, including Tonys!

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While we're waiting, what kind of questions do people have?

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OK, we are a go. Clayton, you there?

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While Southend and the Stonewall corridor are both booming, Charlotte still lacks an "urban stroll" district. Camden feels close, but it is still mostly restaurants and national/regional chains. Do you feel like Southend or Uptown can ever become an area where you can spend a day walking and shopping, or do you think that type of development is going to happen elsewhere, or maybe not at all?

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The Rail Trail could begin act as a "stroll district." It is so heavily used by pedestrians at certain times of day and evening. But its role is confused with its other transportation functions for runners, bikes and scooters.

What needs to happen is for developments to open directly onto the trail so that shoppers and strollers can claim their space, safe from speeding scooters and other fast movers. Once the trail is complete along both sides of the tracks this might become easier.

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I surely hope Southend or Uptown can land some respective retailers, right now there’s not an area in Charlotte where I can spend a day walking, shopping, and dining that isn’t the SouthPark mall.

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I think the best opportunity lives in South End, especially in and around the Design Center. I think if you can make smart pedestrian focused opportunities, and I have an article coming out on Monday for UNCC Urban Institute about this, you can create a viable stroll district.

There is a lot of development going on within Design Center's "sphere of Influence" and I think the success Asana has seen is trickling out onto Hawkins, West Tremont, Rampart, Park Avenue, South Tryon, and I think theres an opportunity to create something cohesive, we just need to be intelligent about how it builds out.

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What should we do about Interstate 277? Terrible, dangerous road, and it creates a dead zone that makes it tough to connect uptown to close-in neighborhoods.

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I think its scar on the urban landscape of Charlotte is becoming impossible to continue ignoring. It has value as a connector, but I don't think it should remain the same. Originally I was a big proponent of capping, but now I would like to see it converted into a boulevard with greenway space, and to use clever engineering to address the grade change. We don't need a highway here.

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When I first came to town in 2000, there was a 2020 Vision document circulating from Center City Partners where the idea was to (I think) cap 277 between S Tryon and South Boulevard and create an urban park there. I'd love to find that conceptual drawing and look at it in light of what actually happened.

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#CLTBigDig

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I can send it to you. I ran south and for CCCP at that time. Jamesmathis1970@gmail.com

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What of the idea of turning entire, existing streets into dedicated mass transit corridors with perhaps shared autonomous vehicles. Again, going beyond just dedicated lanes. Align adjacent land uses to TOD, use crossing gates for intersections similar to what’s done for light rail, and don’t you end up with a somewhat cheaper option for reliable mass transit corridors versus going out and buying land to lay track lines from scratch?

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I do think theres a chance that one day trains are an archaic concept, but I think the buy in on autonomous will take until we are all old and gray to fully catch on.

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What are some of the currently unrepresented hotel flags you see coming to downtown/SE soon, aside from the ones already under construction? A Four Seasons? Grand Hyatt? There are a handful of brands curiously absent here.

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Also I'd add Leows. I would imagine Should Charlotte get a new Convention Hotel it'll be a Hyatt Regency. I'm pretty sure they engaged in conversations for the JW Marriott spot, so they are looking.

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Is development in Uptown going to slow down due to SouthEnd’s resurgence? While Uptown Charlotte is very lively during the day and lunch hour, it’s still relatively quite after 8 PM.

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I don't think so. I think South End is filled with opportunity, but it is hemmed in by two historic neighborhoods, Wilmore and Dilworth, so its boundaries are fairly set. While Uptown also has its own constrains –– a lot of the developable land are tied to either Public Private Partnerships (Gateway, Brooklyn Village, CTC, 7th and Tryon, and Hal Marshall), or folks that aren't moving quickly (Levine, First Presby) –– it is still Uptown, and its the most powerful submarket between Raleigh and DC.

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Uptown is pretty lively on Thursday/Friday/ weekend evenings in the area between Trade Street and 6th Street.

Lots of stuff happening there. But it does die away fairly quickly north and south.

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A lot of that is tied to long term PPPs but once those are settled, it'll be North Tryon's turn.

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The South End Vision Plan (2017) recommended as strategic/shared parking approach too avoid each development building its own decks. I vaguely hear some kind of study is in the works, but this is URGENT.

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I agree 100%. Parking is a hot topic for those that are for, as well as against. It's a tough topic that deserves its own story. Problem is, hard to keep both sides happy.

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#pagingMikeCollins

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I’m here Tony

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I look forward to the next one!

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Clayton, any idea if the Even Hotel at Stonewall Station is still underway? It seemed that work was paused for a while, and I haven't seen an article on it in a long time.

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Oh hey, my Linkedin buddy!

So there has been a lot of silence, and a lot of unanswered calls, so really all I have to work with is tips and rumors. So the rumored possibilities are:

1. Developer (MFSP) hadn't done a prefab modular hotel like this before, and because of inexperience, ran out of money/it become no longer feasible.

2. MFSP figured everything out on their end, have the units ready to go, but a hiccup occurred in the city planning or permitting department, because well, nothing like this has ever been done in Charlotte. So the units are sitting in a yard ready to go. I'll put on my tinfoil hat for a minute because there is a still in May of 2018 that shows a hotel room sized box on the back of a flatbed, parked in front on the Home2Suites webcam). The next day work mysteriously stops.

Nobody has been able to crack that nut though, complete silence from the developer.

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Thank you!

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Is the Flywheel group still doing that Trailhead project North of Uptown?

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What is the current status of the Strawn Site project on the East side of South Blvd, and could that serve as an impetus to activate some of the "sleepier" parts of South Blvd on that side of the street, ex: 1400-1500 block?

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They have been engaging with the community about their plans. They have rebranded it from District South End to Centre South, the first phase has been approved, and should start this year.

First phase dubbed "Building C" will be 5 stories, featuring ground floor retail (restaurant) fronting south blvd and 25,000sqft of office. The building will be surrounded by elevated patio with retaining walls stepping down to the Strawn Tower.

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by "They" I mean Fallon This is the most recent "released" version, but it has changed a bit behind the scenes. https://www.falloncompany.com/projects/strawn/

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Theres a big mixed development set to go once all the utility work is finished.

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Is the Queens Park concept, i.e. the Central Park of Charlotte on re-purposed track land north of Uptown, still progressing...still viable? Funded by developer rights adjacent to the space?

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All of the development is great in theory, but to draw people in, to create an environment where people WANT to be, you need green space. A Central Park of Charlotte, more greenways, greater connectivity through linked accesses/greenways...that will be a key to successful development.

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I think its really just a vision at this time, but if the developer who is working to speak it into existence (https://www.flywheelgrp.com) has great success with all his other plans, I could see it happening in the next 10-15 years. Its a long term vision for sure.

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When all the current construction is completed, what Metro would you compare Charlotte's skyline to in terms of scope?

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Hopefully it never ends! I think Charlotte is in a sweet spot as far as skylines go. Much bigger than anyone else (by metro size), but too small to reach places like Philly or Atlanta. So really Charlotte is just going to keep its same pace, and try not to let Austin and Nashville catch it.

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Back in 2014-15, I was a big proponent of renovating Memorial Stadium for minor league soccer (Independence) and trying to use that to lever up to an MLS franchise. Obviously, Tepper changed that whole calculation, but the county is still going ahead with the stadium overhaul anyway. What role do planners see for the renovated stadium playing beyond as a host for a minor league soccer team that people may or may not care about once MLS arrives?

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I think the plan is to make it much more community focused, especially with a much more active and viable greenway connection planned.

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That plus a connector to the greenway segments at Alexander Street Park and up through Belmont would be a big step forward.

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Apologies if you're busy crafting a reply to this question, but I didn't want to be left out: How do you see some of the currently more nebulous projects, like the Transit Center redevelopment and 7th/Tryon taking shape?

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Unfortunately there is not a whole lot of clarity for anything that involves the city, or Public-private partnerships. Its equally as nebulous for citizens, as it is for the journalists and content creators that keep people in the city informed.

There are so many working parts to these proposals that its hard to know what will happen in the in. You can see with 7th & Tryon that the original deal is already a shell of itself because parties couldn't agree.

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"what will happen in the end"

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What are the plans for the river district. I was super excited when they announced it but I have not seen any progress in the last year or two.

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Brian Natwick of Crescent told the Business Journal in January: "This year, we’re going to continue planning and starting infrastructure, and finishing the master planning of the community. We're really active in the infrastructure, utilities and the roads to unlock the start of going vertical, which will be a combination of multifamily, selling single-family lots to a variety of local upscale homebuilders, along with building the village center, which would include some retail and the potential for office. The vertical (construction) would likely start in 2021."

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We can cover that on a later discussion. This one is centered around uptown and Southend to start, but I have some good contacts with River District that I can try to convince to get on here!

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What are the plans for the medical school.

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Clayton might know more than me on this, but I talked recently to Atrium, and they have not announced a location. The thinking tends to be that it would be on CMC's campus. But they are rezoning that, and the medical school is not part of that rezoning. Though it could be added. A lot of Atrium's growth seems headed toward the Morehead St side of CMC

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Maybe Tony has a good insight into this one?

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Does upcoming development include affordable housing?

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Affordable housing is a critical component of EVERY urban residential development - government officials know this, developers know this...it's a question of $. How can we get traction on making this happen. Affordable housing is critical to the long term success of SouthEnd

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As an Elizabeth resident who lives just across the tracks from Chantilly, I'm curious what you're hearing about plans/ideas for the big Pecan/Central parcel.

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I was told "expect great things" and that's pretty nebulous, but Plaza Midwood has a powerful voice, and I would expect they have an integral part of the vision.

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I would start defining by "great things" as something other than more giant apartment blocks massed to the edge of Central... 😉

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They have to know that it won't just be apartments. They want that "win-win" that everybody always talks about. They have the space to do something creative.

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if its just apartments the neighborhood will go bananas, so I think we are insulated from that possibility a bit.

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My hope would be something holistic for the community, with a good bit of open space. One of our friends shared a great plan on twitter, I'll dig it back up and tweet later today.

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I really hope we get a truly urban development with a properly designed landscaped urban square as a focus for the district.

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By urban square I mean a space clearly defined by mixed-use buildings with "thick edges" of colonnades etc. to house all sorts of retail and recreation options at ground level. This would create a much needed counterpoint to all the linear development along Central and other streets.

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Any idea when a tenant will be announced for the large corner space at Atherton Mill (next to Madewell and adjacent to South Blvd)?

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I've made a note to reach out to Edens! Some good story ideas coming from this.

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How do you see some of the currently more nebulous projects, like the Transit Center redevelopment and 7th/Tryon taking shape?

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Do you think the current infrastructure will be able to handle the projected growth and development of the area?

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Sewer capacity in South End is another one.

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Good point, theres more than just road infrastructure. There was a time when we were worried if South End's growth would be halted by sewer capacity.

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I think it'll have to, people are going to have to learn some patience when it comes to their commutes. You can't just build more roads, but you can build more links to transit. There needs to be a paradigm shift in how people commute, and travel, because current modes are not sustainable for a growing city.

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What are the biggest missed opportunities over the past 10-15 years?

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I think we are attempting to correct some of them now with the UDO, with how we treat streetfronts. The biggest though remains building out our transit system. Followed by all the opportunities that were lost to HB2.

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Any ideas about new Southend retailers on the horizon? What might go into the Lowes building space?

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I think a lot more regional food & beverage is coming. But I would expect the buying power living around SouthEnd will start bringing bigger names in, perhaps someone like Apple.

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What type of retailers are actually building new stores these days? Everyone seems to want "retail", but outside of the new South End retailers, I don't know what would fill in those spaces.

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I think you will see regional chain food and beverage continue to believe in Southend as a submarket. Also people like Punch Bowl Social, Pins Mechanical, things to keep Millennials engaged and entertained.

As an aside, I've heard a few people are looking to go the route that Ascent Real Estate and Centro City Works went with Centro Railyard. More of a concentration toward small businesses incubators.

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Piece on micro-retail at Centro Railyard in South End, in Charlotte magazine: https://www.charlottemagazine.com/centro-railyards-micro-retail-roster-begins-to-take-shape/

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When will the next building/phase of Lincoln Harris development downtown be announced? Anchor? Height? Thanks

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I would expect it to be Legacy Union 4, around 25 floors, probably more office. Maybe that Highwoods relationship (they purchased Bank of America Tower) will play a part. Not sure, Lincoln Harris tends to be very quiet about their projects.

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Hello! I'm here :)

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How does SE becoming a high rise office market change the dynamics and trajectory of that area?

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The SE Vision Plan promoted this shift to capitalize on the economic opportunities of high-density mixed-use, and to feed off the transportation efficiencies of light rail and "last mile" options such as bikes and scooters. Developer's press releases tout their focus on trendy young millennials and Gen Z who would live and work in South End.

But they are still building big parking decks . . . . . . . .

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Sadly parking decks still remain a need in a city where transit covers maybe 10% of citizens. It's still a concept engrained in the financing of these types of projects. The prevailing wisdom seems to be "if we don't build parking, the tenant will just go somewhere they can get their parking." To combat this we need to make big time investments in our Transit infrastructure NOW, instead of kicking it down the road a few decades.

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Personally I don't think it changes the trajectory of the area, if you look back at previous vision plans by the city, this was sort of the destiny. The area was predetermined for a long time. I don't think they were quite ready for just how urban its going to get. I would expect big changes to be announced along Morehead very soon, that will make South End much more of an extension to Uptown than ever.

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Morning Tony, everybody!

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