CHARLOTTE | EpiCentre (210 Trade) | 601ft | 53 fl | U/C | aloft Hotel | 15 fl | U/C

[ExYankee]

http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_photo_epicentre.jpg

Uptown living at its highest

53-story residential tower planned at Trade & College

DOUG SMITH

Development


The owner of Charlotte's old convention center plans to demolish the 32-year-old uptown building and replace it with a 53-story residential tower and retail/entertainment center.

Afshin Ghazi, president of The Ghazi Co., expects to implode the 200,000-square-foot building at Trade and College streets in about 45 days.

The new high-rise -- the tallest of five announced uptown over the past 10 months -- is to share the 3.2-acre site with four other buildings in Ghazi's 265,000-square-foot EpiCentre.

The complex is to include a 10-screen movie theater, restaurants, bars, shops and offices.

The site is a block east of The Square, across Trade from the NBA arena and near a trolley and light-rail stop.

Flaherty & Collins Properties of Indianapolis will develop the residential high-rise with floor-to-ceiling windows, a swimming pool, a garden terrace, secured parking and other amenities in a joint venture with The Ghazi Co.

"Charlotte is definitely a dynamic market that is taking off," said Anthony Birkla, vice president of development at Flaherty & Collins. "Our central uptown location ... is going to put our development in the center of the action and make it a very exciting place to live."

Birkla expects to start construction in April and deliver the first of 400 one-bedroom, two-bedroom and two-story penthouse units by late 2006.

Developers have disclosed plans in recent months for more than 1,500 uptown residential units, including new projects and conversion of a 13-story office building to condos.

About 10,000 people live in the center city -- up from about 5,500 in the mid-1990s -- and urban planners expect that number to double by the end of the decade.

With the arena, due to open this fall, and more dining and entertainment amenities on the horizon, real estate experts say Charlotte's skyline could be shaped through the remainder of this decade by residential towers rather than office skyscrapers.

David Furman of Boulevard Centro, which has announced three projects recently, earlier said he believes demand is strong enough to support the new developments in the pipeline.

He said industry experts on the resurgent popularity of urban living believe the lifestyle typically appeals to 1 percent to 2 percent of the population.

That means in Charlotte -- which has a metro area population of about 1.5 million -- the pool of buyers could range from 15,000 to 20,000, he said.

The Ghazi Co. bought the old convention center building and land late last year for $14.5 million plus an undisclosed amount for confidential buyout agreements.

Ghazi indicated at the time that he was re-evaluating the original plan to convert the structure to a retail/entertainment center.

Tom Flynn, city economic development director, said officials were aware of Ghazi's plans to expand the project to include a residential tower.

"We think it adds to the feasibility of the project -- having that other component," he said. "We had always encouraged the developers to make it more of a mixed-use project."

The EpiCentre project is in line to receive $3.2 million from the city and $3.2 million from the county if the developers complete it as promised.

The nine lower floors of the residential tower will house four levels of parking and five levels of offices and stores.

Ghazi said the entire project is expected to exceed 1 million square feet in five buildings. The retail/entertainment portion is valued at about $90 million.

Ghazi is working with Charlotte's Consolidated Theatres to operate the cinema, which would have beer and wine service and include premium seating. Also in the plan: a "European Street" of small cafes, pubs and sidewalk dining and a rooftop plaza for special events.

The EpiCentre will connect to the Overstreet Mall network of office buildings and shops.

Ghazi said tenants have committed to about 160,000 square feet of the retail/restaurant space. He expects the first shops to open in early 2006. The theater would open in late 2006.

Ghazi's partners in the retail/entertainment portion are George Cornelson of The Cornelson Co. and Shawn Wilfong, one of the associates in Ghazi's company.

Ghazi is working with DMR Architecture, R.J. Griffin Construction Co., and D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. Andy Cox of Cox & Schepp Construction is his construction manager.

Flaherty & Collins, which has 60 properties in six states and five under construction, is one of the largest multifamily developers in the Midwest. Gromatzky Dupree & Associates of Dallas is designing its tower. Officials are still determining how to handle construction.

Ghazi hasn't set a specific date for demolition of the old convention center. But the Charlotte Area Transit System issued a notice Thursday that the implosion would occur at 6 a.m. on a Sunday. Spokeswoman Jean Leier said the bus transportation center -- next to the site -- will temporarily relocate to Marshall Park during the demolition.

Doug Smith

[teshadoh]

That is truly remarkable - an extremely grand & imposing development for almost any city.

[Jasonhouse]

A great development for Uptown... Not so sure about the quality of the architecture just yet though. Need more renderings.

[Hisma]

building just announced with construction starting in April?
wow, now that's what I call coming through
big news for charlotte for sure

[Jasonhouse]

And btw, THIS is my favorite quote from the article...

Ghazi said the entire project is expected to exceed 1 million square feet in five buildings.


Nobody probably remembers why, but I do.



btw, I also stand by my origional assertion that this tower will be 550-600ft tall, or damn close to it. "2nd tallest in the city"...lololol

[ExYankee]

^^ Hummm...What do you mean, Jasonhouse?

[ExYankee]

Folks,

Visit the Ghazi site for more details on the architecture. It doesn't appear to be especially inspired though...we'll see.

The Ghazi Company (http://www.theghazicompany.com/future.htm)

[Dale]

And btw, THIS is my favorite quote from the article...



Nobody probably remembers why, but I do.


btw, I also stand by my origional assertion that this tower will be 550-600ft tall, or damn close to it. "2nd tallest in the city"...lololol


Yes *sighs* I remember.

Tell me what you want (within reason) and where to mail it. *sighs agains* :wink2:

[Jasonhouse]

The tower is bland looking IMO, especially from the other side not seen here.(the east side). This is kind of annoying, since this is the side facing the city, while the more attractive facade faces a wall of highrises...
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8future_epicentre_large.jpg




However, the retail area around it seems pretty nice, though very touristy looking.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8epicentre1.jpg



Overall, it's a pretty sweet project though.

[ExYankee]

I like the idea of walking out of the building and onto a train...there'll be a new light rail station at this location.

[CLTfanatic]

I love the fact that this is actually looking like its going to make it to reality. I was scared this project was going to be scrapped.

This building and the entertainment complex is deffinately going to make uptown a destination. Just hope its not all restuarants. I do like the fact that they have included the Fox sports grille in one of the renderings, thats going to be nice.

[Jasonhouse]

^What's nice about a sports bar based on a TV network? Have you been there?

[CLTfanatic]

Its supposed to be almost like an ESPN zone, have you been to one of those?

[TarheelsCubs]

This is great news. I can't wait to they start building this thing. I prey thats not what the building is gonna look like though...lol

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the new park yet, it sounds like it is going to be nice...we will see.

[TarheelsCubs]

Heres 2 more cool images of epicenter



http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_photo_epicentre2.jpg


http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_photo_epicentre3.jpg

[SkyHigh529]

Both ESPN Zones I have been too, in Atlanta and New York, weren't that great. Actually, the food was terrible, the service sucked, and it felt like a normal sports bar on steroids. Of course, the games and stuff were ok, but expensive. Maybe Fox can top them.

[Jasonhouse]

Its supposed to be almost like an ESPN zone, have you been to one of those?


Yeah, it sucked. The one thing that sucks about most of these projects going up in downtowns all over is that they are bringing the corporate consumer lifestyle with them.

[Ryepow]

The EpiCentre along with the new arena is going to give uptown a huge boost to the local economy especially on week nights. I'm looking forward to the project. I don't see any mention of a bowling alley along with the movie theater in this latest article. I know it was originally planned. Is that still part of the plan or is that scrapped?

[CLTfanatic]

^^ it's still mentioned on the website.

[oresaw]

The Ghazi website listed Lucky Stripe Lanes as a tenant. You can check them out at www.bowlluckystrike.com (http://www.bowlluckystrike.com/)

[twincities03]

Yeah, it sucked. The one thing that sucks about most of these projects going up in downtowns all over is that they are bringing the corporate consumer lifestyle with them.

These developments attract plenty of thugs and white trash too.

I remember the days when people in Minneapolis were pumped for a similar project (Block E). It's located right across the street from the Target Center (T-Wolves) and a few bars. The Le Meridien Hotel is located there, which is very nice. The rest of the place however, has managed to attract some overpriced bars ($8 for a beer and up to $15 for a drink), chain restaurants (Hard Rock Cafe) and a few other places. I don't think the place is attracting the crowds officials and other city boosters had hoped for.

This EpiCenter project looks like something that would go next to the Mall of America.

[JT-MI]

I beg to differ... I think the Block E project in Minneapolis gets a lot of classy patrons with the new high-class Italian restaurant located there, as well as the Starbucks and Hard Rock.

These sort of urban villages really do work. Think of the Hollywood & Highland project in Hollywood, CA... that it always packed with dollars (albeit tourist dollars), which is great for a downtown economy.

Check the Kansas City thread in the Midwest section for info and renderings of their new "urban village", and see how excited you become for this project.

[teshadoh]

Let's give this project a break, something of this scale being built in Charlotte is quite a milestone - no matter how 'touristy' or 'cheesy' it may become, it's quite an achievement for the city. Maybe they'll get a Hard Rock Cafe out of this :)

[twincities03]

:) and maybe even Fox's Sports Bar & Grille.

[keer57]

Yeah, it sucked. The one thing that sucks about most of these projects going up in downtowns all over is that they are bringing the corporate consumer lifestyle with them.

Fox Sports Grill is NOTHING like ESPN Zone. I've been to the one in Irvine and it's not even in the same league (no pun intended). Think sports bar and grill with a strong infusion of Morton's style, class, and quality. Plus, with the Bobcats, NFL, and especially NASCAR here, they're strongly considering doing live shows from the Uptown location.

Check out the photo gallery on the Irvine site. http://www.foxsportsgrill.com/irvine/

[james2390]

I'm loving this project.:)

[NCtarheel]

Let's see; 53 stories...retaurants and a movie theater. That means not only is it bringing hundreds of new permanent residents....but possibly thousands of extra people right into the center of the city at least on thur/fri/saturday nights. I dont care how 'touristy' it ends up being (although I dont see that being that Charlotte isn't exactly a hot spot in terms of tourism) I'd take it anyday. If this is successful you can only imagine the other projects it would spawn downtown.

[teshadoh]

Fox Sports Grill is NOTHING like ESPN Zone. I've been to the one in Irvine and it's not even in the same league (no pun intended). Think sports bar and grill with a strong infusion of Morton's style, class, and quality. Plus, with the Bobcats, NFL, and especially NASCAR here, they're strongly considering doing live shows from the Uptown location.

Check out the photo gallery on the Irvine site. http://www.foxsportsgrill.com/irvine/

Really? Just curious, since Atlanta is getting one at Atlantic Station this year. Not that I plan on ever going, since I'm not a sports fan - but I like the comparison with Morton's.

[texasboy]

Really? Just curious, since Atlanta is getting one at Atlantic Station this year. Not that I plan on ever going, since I'm not a sports fan - but I like the comparison with Morton's.

FOX Sports is nothing compared to ESPN. There are two in Houston. One at Terminal E in Bush airport and another in Uptown. Pretty much like any other major company owned sports bar or restaurant.

[teshadoh]

FOX Sports is nothing compared to ESPN. There are two in Houston. One at Terminal E in Bush airport and another in Uptown. Pretty much like any other major company owned sports bar or restaurant.

So.... I must have gotten the incorrect impression then. Ok, won't break my heart - never would have gone anyways.

[hauntedheadnc]

So, when is someone going to do a mockup of what Charlotte will look like after all these towers finish construction?

[texasboy]

BTW, this project would be awesome for any downtown, and not just Charlotte. As I said on SSP, I am a fan of mixed used developments, and they can do miracles for a city's downtown. There is a similar development like this that was approved for Uptown Houston last month. (how I wish for zoning laws) I am liking the direction Charlotte is headed in, and its downtown is becoming more attractive IMO. I cannot even say this for most of the big boys because edge cities will always be a problem.

[B@dGuYoM]

Interessant and tall project. Good for charlotte

[oresaw]

FOX Sports is nothing compared to ESPN. There are two in Houston. One at Terminal E in Bush airport and another in Uptown. Pretty much like any other major company owned sports bar or restaurant.

The Charlotte area has one of those places also in the Concord Mills Mall but to my understanding although both of these places are Fox Sports there is supposed to be a big difference between them.

[oresaw]

Actually I was right. The "mall style" Fox sprots place is different than this place. Anyone can check out Fox Sports Grill by going to www.foxsportsgrill.com (http://www.foxsportsgrill.com). I'm not launching into backflips or anything but it's decent establishment.

[Jasonhouse]

These developments attract plenty of thugs and white trash too.

I remember the days when people in Minneapolis were pumped for a similar project (Block E). It's located right across the street from the Target Center (T-Wolves) and a few bars. The Le Meridien Hotel is located there, which is very nice. The rest of the place however, has managed to attract some overpriced bars ($8 for a beer and up to $15 for a drink), chain restaurants (Hard Rock Cafe) and a few other places. I don't think the place is attracting the crowds officials and other city boosters had hoped for.

This EpiCenter project looks like something that would go next to the Mall of America.


I was referring more to the utter loss of small business and especially locally owned businesses in newly redeveloped downtowns. Developers building these projects usually don't even bother trying to sign up local entreprenuers and businesses, because they know out of town corporations will pay higher rents and will sign long term leases without blinking. So, the developer gets thier big payday, local income gets siphoned off to somewhere else, and the city gets to become Anywhere USA. Such a deal.

(btw, this trend is relevant locally... We had a 125k sqft "entertainment" complex built DT called the Shops at Channelside... That developer did the typical thing, and brought in ALL out of town businesses, most which people had never even heard of in Tampa... And what happened? The Shops totally flopped until almost the entire complex emptied out and they brought in a mix of local businesses, recognized national names (like The Signature Room), and a mix of venues for "normal" people. (like Hooters and Bennigans)... Now, the place is packed on the weekends, and even does ok business during the week... And this is still before 5,000 new residents move into the nieghborhood over the next 3-4 years.)



But anyways, I've hijacked this thread enough...:)

[skysdalimit]

Wow that Fox Sports Grill looks AWESOME!!! I can't wait.

[Justadude]

I would prefer to see a less "touristy" set of businesses, but let's be realistic about the stage that Charlotte's at. The city is really just getting its feet wet with concentrated nightlife. It would be great if there were "authentic" places downtown, but there just aren't and haven't been for a number of years. I think eventually we'll see enough infill of commercial space that there'll be some opportunity for that kind of thing. For the time being, though, cheese is probably to be expected in these kinds of new developments.

[fredcalif]

It will be a greeat addition to Charlotte

[NCtarheel]

I dont think it'll look as cheesy as it does in the images when it's done, remember how much they exaggeragate lights, signs etc. when they do drafts of projects like this.

[atlrvr]

It's not usually a developers fault that national scale tenants rather than local tenants end up filling up these large scale projects......

First of all, most things this size need to be financed. A lender wants to see leases from tenants committed to long term leases and they want these tenants to have large amounts of cash on hand as security that they can continue to pay the lease.....if a retailer were to decide to close the location, they want a retailer large enough to be able to pay the termination penalties rather than declare bankruptcy and walk.......

Developers by nature are willing to take bigger risks than lenders, so put the blame where blame is due.

As Jasonhouse demostrated in his thread, the original retailers in the project were all national level retailers.....this is because they were required to construction financing....when these leases turned over or were vacated, the current owner had much more flexibility as to who they could sign, and in this case brought in local businesses (possibly because they were the only ones interested at that point)

Its an unfortunate side effect of modern real estate finance, which allows us to build much grander projects, but at the same time confines us to much narrower parameters in terms of diversity.

[NCtarheel]

I think the flipside of that though is that many smaller, locally owned businessed may see how successful epicenter will be and could be persuaded enough to open their own businesses downtown. Keep in mind that most of the time these types of businesses may not have to live off of the tourists that come to a city (as they often dont even konw about these places) but instead the locals who have grown tired of fox sports (or whatever it'll be) and applebee's. So three years from now when this project is done and hopefully a huge success, it may inspire that random couple who's always wanted that unique restaurant or boutique to try it out and see what happens. Also i was thinking that once Johnson & Wales begins to graduate its first classes you can bet that the number of new/exciting/unique restaurants uptown and around charlotte will jump as people become hooked on the city and want to stay after graduation. After all..we southerners loooove to eat.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking...

[ExYankee]

According to the Bizjournal, retail tenants will include H&M.

[ExYankee]

It's not usually a developers fault that national scale tenants rather than local tenants end up filling up these large scale projects......

First of all, most things this size need to be financed. A lender wants to see leases from tenants committed to long term leases and they want these tenants to have large amounts of cash on hand as security that they can continue to pay the lease.....if a retailer were to decide to close the location, they want a retailer large enough to be able to pay the termination penalties rather than declare bankruptcy and walk.......

Developers by nature are willing to take bigger risks than lenders, so put the blame where blame is due.

As Jasonhouse demostrated in his thread, the original retailers in the project were all national level retailers.....this is because they were required to construction financing....when these leases turned over or were vacated, the current owner had much more flexibility as to who they could sign, and in this case brought in local businesses (possibly because they were the only ones interested at that point)

Its an unfortunate side effect of modern real estate finance, which allows us to build much grander projects, but at the same time confines us to much narrower parameters in terms of diversity.

While it'd be great to see locals emerge onto the retail scene some presence by national retailers are inevitable in almost any market outside NYC, Chicago, or LA.

[CLTfanatic]

According to the Bizjournal, retail tenants will include H&M.

Do you have a link to that article?

[ExYankee]

I was skeptical too...do you think it's a farce?

[CLTfanatic]

I was skeptical too...do you think it's a farce?

I hadn't heard anything about it until just now, do you have the link for the article cause i was just searching for it and I can't find it.

[ExYankee]

No, not yet...it's not "official". :(

[ExYankee]

CLTfanatic, do you know anything about H&M?

[ExYankee]

CLTfanatic,

I thought that an H&M-type retailer would make a nice fit in the space below the new Novare tower along Trade Street...

[nyxmike]

If it's not official, how did you read about it in the Business Journal?? I hope it's true though. They need some stores that you can't get anywhere else in the Charlotte area, and if it's H&M, the southeast... that will help downtown turn into a destination.

[ExYankee]

I don't know if H&M will turn downtown Charlotte into more of a destination than it already is (heck, there's an H&M in the Buckland Hills Mall in suburban Hartford!) but it's the kind of retailer that would be well suited to the demographics of central Charlotte's (1.5 square mile) 10K+ residents and 60k+ workers.

[nyxmike]

lol... I didn't mean H&M would turn downtown into a destination, but I meant if unique retailers pop up there, it will help downtown compete with all the malls as a shopping destination. H&M is a pretty popular store (up North atleast), and I know a few people who would love to have one down there. How sure are you that H&M will be a tenant??

[ExYankee]

NYX, I have to be careful b/c "speculation" is prohibited on this site and I have the confidence of a reporter...but, I can't imagine that the claims are a stretch given the infiltration of H&M into the urban and suburban markets in the Northeast.

[CLTfanatic]

I'm really confused!

Did you read that H&M was coming in the bizjournal?

Or are you just going out on a limb here and saying they may come?

[uptownliving]

Here is one of the most recent renderings for this project.

Its a aerial view from College looking towards Trade with the Arena in the background.
http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_photo_epicentre4.jpg

[uptownliving]

According to the Bizjournal, retail tenants will include H&M.

H&M is a pretty good store. I got some jeans from a store in NYC and everyone compliments me when I wear them...say they look sexy.

[CLTfanatic]

Does this project remind anyone else of Universal Orlando's Citywalk?

[keer57]

NYX, I have to be careful b/c "speculation" is prohibited on this site and I have the confidence of a reporter...but, I can't imagine that the claims are a stretch given the infiltration of H&M into the urban and suburban markets in the Northeast.

Translation: I have no idea what I'm talking about and need to stop posting unsubstantiated crap that hijacks threads.

[CLTfanatic]

Straight from the Ghazi website. these are confirmed tenents so far:

Fox Sports Grill, Luck Strike Bowling, Comedy Zone, 16-plex movie theater, an upscale steak house out of Atlanta (anyone know what this might be?), McFadden's Pub,and a dueling piana bar

[uptownliving]

The movie theatre will be run by Consolidated...which in my opinion has the best movie theatres in NC. Its also nice that they are HQ in Charlotte.

[oresaw]

This is from the H&M website : H&M is still in an expansion stage in the US. There are no immediate set plans for stores outside the northeast region, but please continue to check our store locator for future changes.

So right now it doesn't seem as if they are interested in the South or the West. However they are all over VA so if they were to expand southward NC would be a logical next step.

[CLTfanatic]

HAHA, I just emailed Ghazi to find out if they had an updated tenents list, The lady actually called my cell phone back and left a voice mail saying that the tenants list had not been released to the public, but if I was interested in leasing a space she would release the list to me! Anybody wanna lease some space?

[micropundit]

Straight from the Ghazi website. these are confirmed tenents so far:

, an upscale steak house out of Atlanta (anyone know what this might be?),
The illustration shows PRIME,a steak/sushi restaurant located in Lennox Square ,that is part of the Atlanta based Here to Serve Restaurant group.

[CLTfanatic]

I was wondering what Prime was, thats it! Logos match.

heres the website, looks like a very nice place.

http://www.heretoserverestaurants.com/

[nymike]

lol... and I thought it might be Prime Outlets. Knew that didn't make sense. Anybody have an idea of when they would release all the tenants??

[cwilson758]

This is from the H&M website : H&M is still in an expansion stage in the US. There are no immediate set plans for stores outside the northeast region, but please continue to check our store locator for future changes.

So right now it doesn't seem as if they are interested in the South or the West. However they are all over VA so if they were to expand southward NC would be a logical next step.


I wouldn't buy too much into this from the website. One of my best friends is a relatively important person for Simon (of the malls) and she has confirmed that H&M are locating a store in Indy's Circle Centre. A lease has been signed and the store is to open by September. Indy is not in the northeast ans I was actually a bit surprised that they were expanding into our market before places like Detroit and Minneapolis here in the midwest. Maybe they are targeting mid markets like Indy and Charlotte.

BTW, I LOVE H&M! There are two in Chicago!

[colink]

I've only seen pictures of Charlotte but from what I can see you've got an amazing skyline. It's modern and clean, and the buildings definetly can stand on their own. I'm a bit jealous. You guys are very lucky.

I don't really know much about the city. Is it liberal or conservative? Are there cool neighborhoods? I want to know more!!!

[ExYankee]

I've only seen pictures of Charlotte but from what I can see you've got an amazing skyline. It's modern and clean, and the buildings definetly can stand on their own. I'm a bit jealous. You guys are very lucky.

I don't really know much about the city. Is it liberal or conservative? Are there cool neighborhoods? I want to know more!!!

Mecklenburg County (where Charlotte is located) voted for Kerry/Edwards in 2004.

I think that a lot of people (like myself and several other friends) have taken employment opportunities and moved to Charlotte b/c it's more urban than most other large Southern cities. What's almost as amazing is that what's happening in central Charlotte is also happening the neighborhoods surrounding the core...the South End, Elizabeth, Myers Park, Dilworth, and NODA neighborhoods are also experiencing booms in residential development albeit (right now) nothing more than 10 stories. The city is rapidly maturing and I agree with Atlrvr...national retailers are not going to be able to ignore the population and demographics of Charlotte's nearly epic urbanization for much longer. (Target and Home Expo are tenants in a project in an area separated from "Uptown" by a freeway - the Elizabeth neighborhood; Dean and Deluca, Whole Foods, and Harris Tetter all have or will have stores downtown or in the adjacent Elizabeth).

What's equally encouraging is the development in surrounding towns with some of the toughest design and land use regulations I know. The result is that truly dense, mixed-use, cores are developing at traditionally urban densities while rural areas, which are also rapidly developing, are developing and being designed with a remarkable sensitivity to the environment (LID is required in at least 5 Charlotte suburbs and in the still-rural areas within the incorporated area of the city). The result is something fairly unique for a rapidly growing Southern city: distinct urban cores and rural areas served by a healthy matrix of transportation options including a light rail system under construction.

While it's not as urban as places "up North", what one senses in Charlotte is potential helped along by a concerned, dynamic, corporate culture that invests in the core, and a (comparatively) strong bipartisan political will that is driven to see Charlotte become a great city. While there remain many communities in and around Charlotte that still adhere to the quinessential post-World War II pattern of "anti-urban" development and given what's happened to other emerging large American cities, it's really surprising how much head-way has been made here to develop a more sensible, efficient, pattern of development.

[atlrvr]

Well thank you......and the same is true of Minneapolis.....a great skyline with great individual buildings.

The city is probably considered conservative overall (or at least the metro area), but things are changing rapidly, and I would say for a bank oriented town in the south, that there is now a good bit of tolerance and acceptance of all. The city is also very progressive in that they leaders are willing to invest in the city, especially the core....i.e. the Republican mayor is the cities biggest supporter of mass transit.

There are cool neigbhorhoods I suppose, though maybe not on the same scale as other cities. Charlotte was a pretty small city during the early 1900's so it's stock of interesting houses and buildings in general is pretty limited. There are some grand neighborhoods though such as Myers Park, design by the famous early 20th centurty landscape architect John Nolen. Additionally, Charlotte's oldest neighborhood was designed by the two sons of Frederick Olmstead (the father of landscape architecture and creator of Central Park in NYC) There are about a dozen older neighborhoods full of bungalows, tudors, Queen Elizabeths, etc....

The city right now has a rather bad reputation for sprawl, but the last few years has begun to see a turn around. 5 rapid transit corridors are planned including a Light Rail line under construction......anything else?

[colink]

Thanks for the info! Hopefully I can get out there sometime in the near future. Or maybe I'll wait a year or so until some of the cool new residential towers are done. Charlotte is definetly on my list.

[atlrvr]

Come Fall 2007.......I think that's when the city should finally be coming together.....

[colink]

You'll probably have a whole new crop of towers going up by then.

[NCtarheel]

Yup, even with all this construction--it'll only add about 3,500-4,000 people to uptown (averaging about 2 per unit). And the estimated demand is about 20,000 so there should be many more units/towers by then. Personally, I like the tall ones but I likethe smaller 5-10 story developments just as much since they feel more 'connected' at street level.

[ExYankee]

Folks, do you realize that "adding only 3 or 4K" more people to Charlotte's 1.5 square mile core means that over a 10 year span the population would have grown from 3K (1997) to over 15K (2007)...(The 15K number does not include the 5K that will be added by the expansion of Johnson and Wales University students'). I put that kind of concentration of residential growth in so short a time up against any US, much more so considering the size of Charlotte.

I agree though NCTar and think you'll see the "signature" towers complimented by more low- and mid-rise inventory in the next few years...

[Ryepow]

While at a friends house I noticed he had the newspaper laying out from last week with the article about The Vue condo. Beside the article there was small thumbnail pictures of all the other condo projects scheduled to be built. The picture they used for the EpiCenter was a rendering I have never seen before. It was not that it was just a different angle but the building looked different. Actually it looked a lot more modern and personally a lot better. I haven't been able to find it anywhere online and I don't see it on the Ghazi website. I was wondering if anyone else noticed that in the paper too, and knows where to find this mystery rendering? Thanks.

[Ryepow]

I think I found the picture I saw in that thumbnail in the paper. Look at the second picture on this website. Doesn't it look completely differerent then the other drawing?

http://www.flahertycollins.com/communities/epicentreNC.shtml

[Jasonhouse]

NYX, I have to be careful b/c "speculation" is prohibited on this site and I have the confidence of a reporter...


What's prohibited is loonies making up shit and talking out of their ass. There are plenty of respectable and professional forumers around NASF who get inside info before it's public(especially in the FL forum), and they are of course respected. The rule is there so that when we bust the looney type, they can't pretend that they didn't know there was a rule against intentionally spreading misinformation... In short, we prefer to not get sued.

I guess people don't realize it, but numerous media outlets surf SSC on a daily basis (we see thier domains in the traffic logs), so we're just a bit more thorough than we used to be. While it has yet to happen in the US, we are pretty much cited as a source for publications somewhere else in the world about once a week. For example, we were featured on the front page of Rotterdam's major newspaper yesterday, and will be featured in a national paper in the Netherlands next week. An Admin (Gothicform) also has a feature story being done about him in the UK's biggest trade publication (Blueprint) next month...


So Yankee, if you made that up, I'm going to be a bit peeved.

[Jasonhouse]

I think I found the picture I saw in that thumbnail in the paper. Look at the second picture on this website. Doesn't it look completely differerent then the other drawing?

http://www.flahertycollins.com/communities/epicentreNC.shtml


That is totally different. Perhaps they've refined it, because other renderings I saw of that side of the building pretty much sucked IMO.

[ExYankee]

I think I found the picture I saw in that thumbnail in the paper. Look at the second picture on this website. Doesn't it look completely differerent then the other drawing?

http://www.flahertycollins.com/communities/epicentreNC.shtml

Whoa...like it much, much, much more!

[ExYankee]

What's prohibited is loonies making up shit and talking out of their ass. There are plenty of respectable and professional forumers around NASF who get inside info before it's public(especially in the FL forum), and they are of course respected. The rule is there so that when we bust the looney type, they can't pretend that they didn't know there was a rule against intentionally spreading misinformation... In short, we prefer to not get sued.

I guess people don't realize it, but numerous media outlets surf SSC on a daily basis (we see thier domains in the traffic logs), so we're just a bit more thorough than we used to be. While it has yet to happen in the US, we are pretty much cited as a source for publications somewhere else in the world about once a week. For example, we were featured on the front page of Rotterdam's major newspaper yesterday, and will be featured in a national paper in the Netherlands next week. An Admin (Gothicform) also has a feature story being done about him in the UK's biggest trade publication (Blueprint) next month...



You're so handsome when you get mad :jk:

[uptownliving]

The renderings on EpiCentre seem to be refined every 2 weeks or so...I am sure it will change again before the final product.

This rendering does make the tower look better...especially with the fins at the top.

[uptownliving]

Construction has already started on this project. They are dismantling the old convention center preparing it for an implosion on April 17th.

[Jasonhouse]

You're so handsome when you get mad :jk:

Mad? I don't bother explaining our intentions when I'm mad.

What I am however, is blunt and to the point, basically at all times. :)

[Jasonhouse]

Construction has already started on this project. They are dismantling the old convention center preparing it for an implosion on April 17th.


That isn't considered "construction". The project won't be considered to be officially under construction until work on the physical foundation commences (like piles are driven).

[nostyle]

so I guess it's "under destruction" :)

[uptownliving]

That isn't considered "construction". The project won't be considered to be officially under construction until work on the physical foundation commences (like piles are driven).

The first stage of all construction projects is Site Prep.

[TarheelsCubs]

I was reading on another board that the epicenter might be going taller than 53 stories. Some believe it could be taller than Hearst. And of course there are a few that are saying taller than BofA.....lol

Anyone hear anything along these lines?

[kazpmk]

Did the demolition of the old building at the site begin on April 17 as planned?

[uptownliving]

Yes...they have been working on it...taking out glass and prepping the building for the implosion on May 15th.

[TarheelsCubs]

There is talks now of a second tower at the site. This one will be 30 stories, according to todays Biz journal. I hope this project does not fall through because the epicenter would have a huge impact on uptown Charlotte. I can't wait till it's complete.

[NCtarheel]

I really hope they add that 30 story tower, and if they can't find a boutique hotel to sign on I hope they at least add anohter 15-20 story all-residential tower.

[TarheelsCubs]

Looks like the second tower will be 35 stories, not 30. I can't wait to see the new renderings for the epicenter with the second tower included.

[Carolina Blue]

Call me impatient, but I actually don’t like the fact that this project keeps getting larger. My concern is that as they make the project larger, it keeps pushing the completion time out. If you look at the renderings, I think it’s pretty obvious the hotel/condo would have to rise where one of the retail/entertainment buildings is slated. Theoretically, that means whatever retail was supposed to go on that site, is delayed until the larger hotel/condo building is built. One positive I guess, is that the news stations were reporting that at least one building, presumably a stand-alone retail building, would still open in “early” 2006. Although I don’t see how, unless by early they mean late 2nd quarter.

[nyxmike]

Yeah, that is suppose to be the building with the Fox Sports Grille. That building isn't very large, so I'm sure it's possible...

[Justadude]

I don't like the delays either. While extra towers are always nice, I kinda want to see this thing completed while the city still has a lot of economic momentum. My worry is that if they keep adding things to the plan, it'll cause more things to be trimmed in the long run, or be delayed so long that it doesn't have the maximum positive effect on the area.

[Style™]

That isn't considered "construction". The project won't be considered to be officially under construction until work on the physical foundation commences (like piles are driven).

considering there are piles that are driven, we're well on our way. ;)

[Carolina Blue]

Uptown implosion will be delayed

Posted on Tue, May. 10, 2005

SCOTT DODD

The Charlotte Observer

The demolition of the old convention center scheduled for Sunday morning in uptown Charlotte will not go off as planned, the Observer has learned.

Contractors said they were ready to go and began laying dynamite charges today. But they now face a delay of several weeks, until at least June 12.

"We're kind of on standby right now," said blasting superintendent Stephen Bill with Demolition Dynamics. Crews will remove the dynamite already placed at the site.

"Plans have been made to safeguard the explosives," city spokeswoman Julie Hill said in a statement issued after the Observer reported the delay.

This is the second time the implosion has been stalled. Demolition was originally scheduled for April but had to be moved to a later date so construction crews could finish asbestos removal.

Developer Afshin Ghazi, who owns the building, told the Observer he's putting off demolition because he needs soil samples from the site in order to work on engineering designs.

Ghazi plans a 53-story residential tower and retail/entertainment center at Trade and College streets. Getting the soil samples requires special equipment he needs to bring from out of town, he said, and that couldn't be scheduled before the weekend.

"I can't drop the building until I get my soil samples," Ghazi said Tuesday afternoon. "Once you've dropped the building, you have all that rubble, and you can't drive on that."

He said the samples are needed to determine the strength of the soil and depth of rock to do footing designs for the project.

Several city officials told the Observer they were not aware Tuesday afternoon that a delay was possible.

David Christopher with the Charlotte Department of Transportation said major scheduling difficulties arise the next few weeks with race activities in uptown -- including Food Lion Speed Street the last week of May -- and Taste of Charlotte the first week in June.

Officials had planned to close uptown streets for several blocks around the demolition site this Sunday, temporarily shutting down the uptown transit center and restricting hotel occupancy near the building.

Demolition crews even set off test blasts Tuesday morning, with several TV news cameras in attendance.

The 200,000-square-foot, 32-year-old uptown building at Trade and College streets has frustrated city leaders for a decade, since the new Charlotte Convention Center opened in 1995 to replace it.

It's known for the nine steel-framed pyramids that top it, giving it a distinctive look.

Two prior attempts to infuse the site with upscale department stores, hotels and office towers ended in frustration when national developers trying to buy the land from the city failed to deliver.

Ghazi's planned high-rise -- the tallest of five new buildings announced for uptown over the past 10 months -- is expected to share the 3.2-acre site with four other buildings in Ghazi's 265,000-square-foot EpiCentre.

The complex is set to include a 10-screen movie theater, restaurants, bars, shops and offices.

The site is at a key spot in uptown, a block east of The Square, across Trade Street from the NBA arena and near a trolley and light-rail stop.

Link: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/11611532.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guess who bought a camera?

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/Kwinone/EpicenterSite.jpg

[krazeeboi]

Ghazi needs to get his act together. How did he suddenly come to the conclusion that he now needs soil samples?

[Carolina Blue]

Ghazi needs to get his act together. How did he suddenly come to the conclusion that he now needs soil samples?

Mr. Ghazi… Quote: ”Uptown implosion will be delayed.”

Translation: I haven’t been able to secure financing.

Further Translation: This is why the start of construction has taken so long.

Furhter Further Translation: That’s why the project has changed from an entertainment center, to an entertainment center with a residential tower, to an entertainment center with a residential tower and boutique hotel.

Further Further Further Translation: This is also why no other company has been able to develop this site…financing.

[Style™]

this site has always been a good site and light rail and the arena have only made the deal on the site better.

i've seen them take samples from the ground. they had drills there a few months ago when the project was first announced. i think he doesnt want to have a hole in the ground with nothing going up. having the building stay would be better.

if he waits long enough, it will fall down on its own at this point.

[uptownliving]

There is now a fly through video of the site:
http://www.dmra.biz/grafix/epicentre2.mov

Also the latest update is that there will be a 2nd tower on top of the retail building on 4th St...It will be in the 20-30 story range and be a collection of office/hotel/condo.

[Carolina Blue]

Also the latest update is that there will be a 2nd tower on top of the retail building on 4th St...It will be in the 20-30 story range and be a collection of office/hotel/condo.
Now that’s interesting about the second tower. I thought the idea of a hotel might be dead with the Ritz on the way across the street. I’d also read something somewhere that I’d not heard before. I think it was on the Center City Partners sight. At any rate, it called the entertainment center the “first phase” of the project and The Grand residential tower the “second phase”. I'd not heard them referred to it that manner. My concern has always been that by adding more layers to this project it would only take that much longer to complete. I was encouraged when I read the entertainment center referred to as the first phase, meaning we might really see it completed soon, like late ’06, as the developer has said. But if it is as you say, now still a mixed use building with retail/office/hotel etc., I must say I’m back to being a bit discouraged. Stop playing around and just get the damn entertainment center built Mr. Ghazi!!!!!

[uptownliving]

LOL...well the Entertainment Center part is in about 4 different buildings...so they can still go ahead with it before having to start on either tower.

[StevenW]

cool little video. :)

[prwfromnc]

Do they have cranes on the OCC site yet. BTW, I'm new to this board and I want to get as much info possible on the happenings going on in the QC!

[uptownliving]

No cranse yet...they are working on the building permits...cranes will show up in the next couple of months.

[prwfromnc]

Thanks!

[Carolina Blue]

Now this is interesting (a little bit, I guess). The blurb below was taken from the site of the company that is managing the residential tower. It used to be called The Grande. Now they’re calling it Two Ten Trade. Funny, it still says it is opening late next year although I doubt that's possible.


Two Ten Trade
Charlotte, NC

Coming Soon!

400 Luxury Units

Located in the heart of uptown Charlotte, North Carolina.

This development will feature 400 luxury residential high rise units located over Charlotte 's newest 260,000 square foot entertainment and retail center.

A three-acre site at the corner of College and Trade Streets. Located a block east of Tryon Street and just a one block from the new NBA arena and team, the Charlotte Bobcats.

Opening late 2006

http://www.flahertycollins.com/communities/twotenNC.shtml

[prwfromnc]

I did hear that the entainment complex component would be ready by the end of spring next year, but the residential component should be completed by either 2007 or 2008. What's the deal w/the 2nd tower being added to this project?

[prwfromnc]

I did hear that the entertainment complex component would be ready by some time next year, but the residential component should be completed by either 2007 or 2008. BTW, what's the deal w/the 2nd tower being added to this project?

[uptownliving]

Well they are still working on getting the building permits approved...so I think its doubtful the entertainment project will be ready till late 2006/ early 2007. The 2nd tower is still a work in progress and honestly I think they are waiting to hear the NASCAR hof verdict. If we get the HOF then expect them to build a condo/hotel in the 2nd tower. If we don't get the HOF, then I would say to not expect the 2nd tower.

[Justadude]

^ I don't think THAT many people are going to come and see the NASCAR HoF. The vast majority of its attendance will be daytrippers, not long-distance travelers.

[uptownliving]

I'm not saying that the hotel is going to fill up with ONLY NASCAR hof people...I was just saying that it would be the tipping point for adding another hotel.

[Carolina Blue]

Well they are still working on getting the building permits approved...so I think its doubtful the entertainment project will be ready till late 2006/ early 2007. The 2nd tower is still a work in progress and honestly I think they are waiting to hear the NASCAR hof verdict. If we get the HOF then expect them to build a condo/hotel in the 2nd tower. If we don't get the HOF, then I would say to not expect the 2nd tower.
Damn shame. I swear. I’d love to enjoy a movie and bowling in Uptown Charlotte before I turn 40!!!!!!!! Actually I've got a ways to go for that, but damn come on with it Ghazi.

[uptownliving]

This is a $200M project with lots of moving parts. Projects this size take a lot of coordination to make them work. This one is coming. It is far from dead. Construction will start in the next few months. No one is beng lazy or sitting on their azz.

[oresaw]

I was surprised to see that this link hasn't been posted yet. Check out the new website with a construction camera.

Two Ten Trade (http://www.twotentrade.com/)

[Carolina Blue]

Ooops. This should have gone here.

Posted on Wed, Oct. 19, 2005

210 Trade touts high-rise luxury
Will offer valet service, spa, cigar bar

DOUG SMITH
The Next Big Thing

The suspense is over at the corner of Trade and College streets in uptown Charlotte.

After more than seven months of confirming only that it will build a 53-story residential tower on the EpiCentre site, the Indianapolis developer is unveiling plans for the center city's most urban-oriented condos yet.

The high-rise -- dubbed 210 Trade -- combines posh amenities such as 24-hour concierge service and indoor spa with a prime location a block from The Square, next to a light-rail stop and across Trade from the new arena and a planned Ritz-Carlton.

Developer Flaherty & Collins has settled on 419 condos, ranging from one-bedroom units selling in the low $200,000s to penthouses exceeding $4 million, to be constructed atop the EpiCentre entertainment and retail complex.

The $180 million tower's sixth-floor club level would be about 120 feet above the street, overlooking the entertainment center's plaza.

The developers believe 210 Trade will contend for Charlotte's Next Big Thing in "sophisticated city living" among the eight condo high-rises announced or under construction in the center city.

That's because of the way it integrates so many facets of urban life -- workplace, dining, shopping, services, entertainment and mass transit -- into a single project.

The project could emerge as the example developers and condo owners follow as they seek to be as close as possible to the pulse of the city, say uptown leaders and condo competitors.

Michael Smith, president of Charlotte Center City Partners, said 210 Trade will have "amenities and conveniences not currently offered in our market" and cater to people seeking a lifestyle that puts virtually everything within walking distance.

Said David Furman, whose Boulevard Centro is developing two high-rise condo towers in the center city: "To put a major residential component on top of an entertainment project was a great idea. Being in the heart of an entertainment center won't appeal to everyone, but others certainly will be attracted to it."

At 53 stories, 210 Trade would have three more floors than uptown's next-tallest condo tower. The Vue Charlotte's 403 units are selling for $220,000 to $4 million in a 50-story building planned at Fifth and Pine streets in Fourth Ward.

It, too, features amenities such as 24-hour concierge service and a health club, but Churchill Development Group is aiming for a different buyer niche by emphasizing the project's location within one of uptown's oldest neighborhoods.

While 210 Trade touts the promise of restaurants, nightclubs, a movie theater and shops at its doorstep, and EpiCentre's direct connection to the Overstreet Mall, The Vue pledges to blend with Fourth Ward.

Each project is expected to add 600 to 700 residents to the center city, which uptown leaders believe will grow from about 10,000 people to more than 15,000 over the next three years.

The Ghazi Co., which is spearheading development of the 267,000-square-foot EpiCentre entertainment complex, said site work is under way on the block where the old convention center came down in June.

President Afshin Ghazi expects to finish grading in about 75 days and start footings on the tower and the first two EpiCentre buildings in about 30 days. He said the tower should reach eight floors by June.

Tony Birkla, lead developer for Flaherty & Collins, said he believes the first condos will be ready for occupancy by early 2007.

One- and two-bedroom units -- some multi-level -- would range from 700 square feet to 2,500 square feet. Penthouses on the top floors would range from 3,500 to 11,000 square feet.

The actual number of penthouses -- some with rooftop terraces -- will be determined by the amount of square footage buyers want.

The coordination required for such a complex project has made it a long time coming, but Birkla said Flaherty & Collins is now under way and on schedule.

Birkla said the company, one of the Midwest's largest developers of multifamily properties with 12,000 units in six states, brings a seasoned team to the project.

He said officials don't anticipate delays as a result of materials price increases and energy price spikes caused by Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Flaherty & Collins is just one developer eager to participate in the surge back to the urban core, said Smith at Center City Partners. He said he's talked with other developers interested in building condo towers.

Birkla is looking to do more in Charlotte. "We didn't come here just to do one project," he said.

Amenities at 210 Trade

• 20,000-square-foot outdoor entertainment deck with infinity edge pool, sun deck with private cabanas, fountains, pet walk, yoga garden, fire pit, putting green.

• An "Aqua Lounge" offering hotel-type services, including fresh towels and cold beverages.

• Two-story fitness club with cardio equipment, flat-screen TVs, classes, personal training, wellness spa.

• Formal resident lounge with multi-media center, conference room, professional test kitchen, cigar and martini bar, wine cellar.

• Concierge service offering 24-hour assistance; valet service and 612 reserved covered parking spaces for residences.

• Residential units with hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, 10-foot ceilings, oversized tubs and showers with stone and tile finishes and gourmet island kitchens.

• Sales center opens in December at 201 S. College St. The center includes a scale model on the first floor, a view of the site from a mock-up kitchen-bathroom-living space vignette on the 27th floor. More information: www.twotentrade.com.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/columnists/doug_smith/12938095.htm

[weill]

jasonhouse, nice renderings on page 1

[uptownliving]

The Footing/Foundation for Epicentre Building E Building Permit was issued yesterday. Foundation cost is $6.6M.

[Carolina Blue]

Not sure if this has been posted before, but I came across this on the net. The link below is for a company that apparently works with individuals interested in franchise opportunities. They’ve listed the following franchise opportunities for the Epicenter project.

Boneheads Grilled Fish and Piri Piri Chicken
Doc Green's Gourmet Salads
Mama Fu's Asian House
PJ's Coffee & Wine Bar
Planet Smoothie
Shane's Rib Shack

http://www.ravingbrands.com/RBHotLocations.html

[uptownliving]

Nice find!

[QueenCityDrag]

How bout a sticky fingers? That's a no brainer for epicenter to me

[Style™]

i wanna open a planet smoothie there!

oh wait! there's a smoothie location in one wachovia, bank of america plaza, and i'm sure there are more in uptown..those are the two closest locations. so that wont be happening.

though this one will be a better location.

[prwfromnc]

How much progress has been made on that site so far? Are they almost done with the foundation work or is it still going on? Just curious!

[Mobuchu]

http://oxblue.com/client/flahertycollins/twotentrade/

check it out. their still working on the retaining walls around the outside.

[uptownliving]

http://oxblue.com/client/flahertycollins/twotentrade/

check it out. their still working on the retaining walls around the outside.

People tend to get impatient with foundation work....keep in mind that Avenue started construction back in May and they are still working on foundation work and that project is actually moving along fast.

Epicentre didnt get started till later August...so be patient...it will be coming out of the ground before you know it.

[prwfromnc]

People tend to get impatient with foundation work....keep in mind that Avenue started construction back in May and they are still working on foundation work and that project is actually moving along fast.

Epicentre didnt get started till later August...so be patient...it will be coming out of the ground before you know it.
I believe you.

[prwfromnc]

People tend to get impatient with foundation work....keep in mind that Avenue started construction back in May and they are still working on foundation work and that project is actually moving along fast.

Epicentre didnt get started till later August...so be patient...it will be coming out of the ground before you know it.
I believe you. Thanks! Sorry that my post was entered in twice.

[Style™]

that's pretty much one of the most impt parts of the buiding. making sure its in place and getting all that dirt / stuff moved around and all the utility lines in and hooked up at the base. its also what seems to take the most time. after that its just putting in concrete to have the thing go up.

[TheCharlottean]

Forgive me if this has been covered prior in this thread, but are there supposed to be any clubs or the like in the entertainment center to go along with the restaurants, bowling alley and movie theater?

[Justadude]

I wouldn't think so. It'd be a little obnoxious to have a club below your flat.

[TheCharlottean]

So, you're saying aside from the theater and bowling alley, its offerings are going to be exactly the same as all other blocks in Uptown (Mostly or all restaurants and bars)? I mean, I love the culinary scene in Uptown, but if that's 90% of all retail there (The other 10% being little boutiques and the like), there should be more upcoming nightlife projects in or in proximity to uptown, aside from just the N.C. Music Factory.

[uptownliving]

Forgive me if this has been covered prior in this thread, but are there supposed to be any clubs or the like in the entertainment center to go along with the restaurants, bowling alley and movie theater?

yes there are tentative plans for a rooftop club at the College and Trade corver.

[Justadude]

So, you're saying aside from the theater and bowling alley, its offerings are going to be exactly the same as all other blocks in Uptown (Mostly or all restaurants and bars)? I mean, I love the culinary scene in Uptown, but if that's 90% of all retail there (The other 10% being little boutiques and the like), there should be more upcoming nightlife projects in or in proximity to uptown, aside from just the N.C. Music Factory.

Not sure what you mean by that; there are plenty of nightclubs uptown in addition to the restaurant/bar scene. BAR, Crush, Forum, Velocity, Time, Sky, Liquid Lounge, Breakfast Club, Lava Lounge, plus Fire & Ice, Scorpio, and Myxx if you cross outside the 277 loop. That's what I can think of off the top of my head, I'm sure I'm leaving some out.

I agree that there should (and most likely will) be other projects coming along soon, but it's not like there aren't any already there. If anything, a theater and bowling alley are a step in a totally different direction for uptown: nightlife for people under 21. So far that segment of the population has been almost totally left out, except for the growing number of skater kids that you see pulling off tricks on the sidewalks.

[Carolina Blue]

People tend to get impatient with foundation work....keep in mind that Avenue started construction back in May and they are still working on foundation work and that project is actually moving along fast.

Epicentre didnt get started till later August...so be patient...it will be coming out of the ground before you know it.
Well I was one who was very impatient with this project. But I keep reading incredible lines like the one below from the developer in November, that says the entertainment portion will be completed sometime in ’06. If he can pull that off, that would be tremendous.

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS
From the November 18, 2005 print edition
EpiCentre lines up contractor

“…Flaherty & Collins has set an early 2007 opening date for the tower, with the entertainment complex to open next year…”

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2005/11/21/story1.html?t=printable

[uptownliving]

Journalists don't always get things right...you are smart, so anytime you see a silly statement like that just ignore it...its probably based off old info.

I tend to automatically doubt what journalists write unless I can confirm it with the source or a direct quote.

According to the 210 Trade website it will be ready Fall 2007. I think that is a very realistic date.

[Justadude]

It seems like there are a lot of projects slated to be finished in mid-late 2007. I think that, as that time approaches, you'll see a lot of developers trying to rush and cash in on the accumulation of hype that should be occurring by then.

[TheCharlottean]

Hopefully by that time, we'll be seeing a more diverse mix or retail types coming together. With all of the residential boom in the center city, retailers like The Gap, Banana Republic, or even more "affordable" choices like JCPenny will inevitably flock to the ground level of new buildings, it's just the waiting that's insufferable. I still think a smaller version of the Galleria in Houston should be built, with luxury stores like Saks, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, etc. built with office and hotel towers on top. That probably won't happen for upwards of a decade if at all, but even one department store uptown (Preferrably one of the ones listed or another one we don't have yet) would be a major plus for the city. Heck, with all of the police force they keep in uptown and the sophisticated clientele of the office workers and the uptown residents, they could probably keep it open 24/7 with no worries (Though may be pushing it a bit)

[Carolina Blue]

Well I was one who was very impatient with this project. But I keep reading incredible lines like the one below from the developer in November, that says the entertainment portion will be completed sometime in ’06. If he can pull that off, that would be tremendous.

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS
From the November 18, 2005 print edition
EpiCentre lines up contractor

“…Flaherty & Collins has set an early 2007 opening date for the tower, with the entertainment complex to open next year…”

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2005/11/21/story1.html?t=printable

Journalists don't always get things right...you are smart, so anytime you see a silly statement like that just ignore it...its probably based off old info.

I tend to automatically doubt what journalists write unless I can confirm it with the source or a direct quote.

According to the 210 Trade website it will be ready Fall 2007. I think that is a very realistic date.
Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but this was in Doug Smith’s column today.

Posted on Wed, Dec. 21, 2005
DEVELOPMENT / DOUG SMITH
Top 5: The hot projects of 2005
They're poised to influence the Charlotte region for years to come
DOUG SMITH

Uptown Development
“…Construction is under way at Trade and College streets on EpiCentre, which will include a 267,000-square-foot retail-entertainment complex and a 53-story condo tower called 210 Trade…Shops and restaurants are to open in fall 2006 and the condos -- 419 in all -- are to be ready starting in early 2007…”

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/columnists/doug_smith/13454054.htm

I suppose this could be another journalistic error, but if not, I would be thrilled.

[Style™]

it would be possible. they'd have to rush everything except for the foundation. so expect it to shoot up. also, that will be late fall [november]. near thanksgiving or after, i'd bet.

[uptownliving]

Carolina...haha, I thought about you when I saw that. I am not sure but I do think the shops could be done in a year since its all 2 story buildings...those can go up pretty quick. The tower however will take at least 2 years to complete...putting it at Fall 2007 like the 210 website says.

[novaguy]

So,did the implosion happen?

[uptownliving]

So,did the implosion happen?

The implosion happend about 6 months ago. You can see a video of it as well as a webcam of the current construction here:
http://www.210trade.com

[Carolina Blue]

Interesting. Some of this I had not heard before (parts in bold).


UP AND COMING
The 53-story EpiCentre promises to rejuvenate Charlotte’s Uptown district
By Ed McKinley
2006-03-24

For a decade developers had tried to put together deals to redevelop the vacant old convention center in Uptown, the core district of Charlotte, N.C., only to fail. The building became so forlorn that a film company once rented it, built a mock-up of a house inside the cavernous structure and then set its handiwork aflame for the climax of a horror movie. For years there was nothing better to do with the place, a local development official says.

While the convention center sat moldering, however, developers were refurbishing much of Uptown . Banks were building soaring temples of commerce, young professionals and former suburban exiles were moving into new condos or rehabbed Edwardian row houses and mansions. Old cotton mills south of Uptown were converted into design studios with exposed bricks and timbers, nightlife was heating up, and soft-goods retailing seemed poised for a comeback.

With those trends under way, the need to revitalize the one-square-block, 3.2-acre site of the old convention center became even more pressing, observers say.

“It was a dinosaur,” said Afshin Ghazi, founder of the locally based Ghazi Co., which is developing the towering project that is to replace the aged husk. “It was a classic ’70s convention center with nine pyramids on the top and no windows.”

The 200,000-square-foot, 32-year-old white elephant was demolished last summer, and a team of developers led by Ghazi Co. began pouring footings early this year for the EpiCentre, an ambitious mixed-use complex with a planned 53-story residential tower, an 18-story office building and a 17-story hotel, plus two retail buildings three to four stories tall. Parts of the complex will begin opening early next year, and the entire project is slated for completion by early 2008. The structure will be the second-highest building in town, after one of the Bank of America Corporate Center’s two towers. The EpiCentre’s retailing component will house stores, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, a multiscreen cinema and a bowling alley.

“Timing is everything, and we were in the right place at the right time with the right plan,” said Ghazi. Tenants are expected to begin opening their doors early next year in the 1.3 million-square-foot, five-building center, which will cost about $185 million.

Ghazi says the developers paid about $14.5 million to buy the property from the Bank of America, Wachovia Corp. and the city. The two banking giants, both with headquarters in Charlotte, had bought an interest in the old convention center from the city in 2004 as a way of helping to raise money to build an arena needed to bring the Bobcats, an NBA expansion team, to town, Ghazi says. The arena opened last fall opposite the EpiCentre site.

The EpiCentre’s proximity to the 20,000-seat Charlotte Bobcats Arena is a valuable commodity, says Charlotte Economic Development Director Thomas Flynn, noting that it will provide a venue for fans.

The EpiCentre will share walkways with the Uptown stop of a 15-mile light-rail line that is slated for completion next year, Flynn says. A restored two-mile trolley system will also end at the project. The developers received a $6.2 million subsidy, half from the city and half from Mecklenburg County, to pay for pedestrian amenities and a retaining wall necessary for the rail line.

The EpiCentre also sits on the edge of an entertainment district that draws 20- and 30-something patrons. The EpiCentre will also be but a short walk from the 700,000-square-foot Overstreet Mall, a group of businesses and offices connected by elevated ramps so people can move among the stores and offices without dodging the cars down at street level.

Other showcase buildings will be nearby: two high-rise Bank of America towers, one of which is the city’s tallest building, at 60 stories; Hearst Tower, Charlotte’s second-tallest; and four Wachovia high-rises. The Bank of America Stadium, home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, is only seven blocks away.

Further, the site is just a block from Independence Square, the geographic and historical center of Charlotte. Settlers laid out Independence Square 300 years ago at the intersection of two American Indian trails now called Trade and Tryon streets, says Michael Smith, president of Charlotte City Center Partners, a group that helps businesses promote Uptown. “It doesn’t get any more central,” said Ghazi.

“All of Charlotte was born at the crossroads of Uptown,” said Cheryl Myers, senior vice president of planning and development of Charlotte City Center Partners.

Much of Charlotte is coming back to this point of origin, planners say. The EpiCentre’s pleasure seekers will come from among Uptown’s 10,000 residents, the 651,000 people of the city proper, Greater Charlotte’s 2 million inhabitants, and tourists from throughout the Carolinas and beyond.

The center will contain 300,000 square feet of entertainment. Consolidated Theatres, a Charlotte-based regional company with 22 theaters, will operate the EpiCentre’s eight-screen, 30,000-square-foot multiplex, while Bar Management Group, also of Charlotte, will run the 22,000-square-foot bowling alley.

Some 15,000 square feet will be devoted to Atlanta-based Raving Brands’ seven fast-casual restaurants: Bonehead’s Seafood, Doc Green’s Gourmet Salads, Mama Fu’s Asian House, Moe’s Southwest Grill, PJ’s Coffee &Wine Bar, Planet Smoothies Café and Shane’s Rib Shack.

Four-year-old Fox Sports Grill, of Westlake Village, Calif., plans to open its eighth restaurant in about 14,000 square feet at the EpiCentre, says CEO William Freeman. The company, which has television network Fox Sports as an equity partner, decided to open its larger prototype at the EpiCentre to take advantage of the potential for private parties in Charlotte, Freeman says. Renderings show the Fox Sports Grill on a prominent exterior corner of one of the retail buildings.

The developer has not announced any of the other bars, nightclubs and lounges.

All the retail space was leased by the time construction began, says Ghazi, about 45,000 square feet of which is devoted to entertainment-related stores. The stores include Grooming Lounge, a Washington, D.C.-based men’s products and services store; fashion-forward, Charlotte-based Monet Shoes; Tinder Box International, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based chain of tobacco stores; and some tanning and fitness facilities.

Offices will occupy all of the fourth floor space and some of the third floor space in the project’s four-story retail buildings surrounding the tower. Visitors to Uptown will be able to check into the EpiCentre’s 175-room, 17-story Starwood Hotels and Resorts facility, which was added to the project as an afterthought when the hotel business began to rebound, says Ghazi.

The 404 upmarket condominiums in the EpiCentre’s condo tower, called 210 Trade for its address, are expected to fetch prices ranging from about $200,000 for a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom unit to $4 million or more for penthouses as large as 11,000 square feet, according to Shawn Wilfong, a Ghazi Co. partner. This could add some 700 residents to Uptown.

The 210 Trade building will house a 20,000-square-foot outdoor entertainment deck with a pool, a sun deck with private cabanas, some fountains, a pet walk, a yoga garden, a fire pit and a putting green, Ghazi says. A two-story fitness club is expected to offer cardio equipment, flat-screen TVs, classes, personal training and a wellness spa.

Such amenities will serve the workers in the EpiCentre’s 80,000 square feet of offices as much as tourists, Ghazi says. The EpiCentre will provide 1,100 parking spaces, Ghazi says.

Retailing will have a presence in all five EpiCentre buildings, says Sean Wilfong, a partner in the Ghazi Co. Here’s his breakdown for the five buildings: The residential tower will have stores on the first two floors and offices on the third through fifth floors; the hotel tower will have retailing on the first three floors; one retail building, at three stories tall, will have restaurants on the first floor, stores on the second and clubs on the third; another retail building, will have stores on the first and second floors and a rooftop concert area with seating for 1,500 people; the fifth building will house a movie theater and provide the rooftop swimming pool for condo residents.

Wilfong says he and his brother, Seth, another Ghazi Co. partner, are former New Yorkers who brought a Manhattan sensibility to the project. Narrow, cobble-stoned walking streets between some of the project’s buildings also lend a European atmosphere, Sean Wilfong says.

Ghazi is also working on the project with George Cornelson of the Charlotte-based Cornelson Co., who has been involved in several Ghazi Co. projects. Cornelson has been involved in most aspects of the EpiCentre and has played a key role on the financial side, according to Sean Wilfong. Charlotte-based Spectrum Properties led the development team in the early stages of the project but dropped out when the decision was made not to redevelop the old convention center but instead to demolish it and establish an entertainment-oriented development.

The Ghazi Co. is experienced in retail and entertainment projects and has formed partnerships at the EpiCentre with companies that bring other types of expertise, Sean Wilfong says.

Flaherty & Collins Properties, Indianapolis, a company with experience in high-rise residential development, is the lead developer of the EpiCentre’s residential component, and Noble Investment Group, an Atlanta-based hotel developer, is the lead developer of the hotel.

Architects include Dalton Moran Robinson Architecture, of Charlotte, for the subsurface, retailing and office components, and Gromatzky Dupree & Associates, Dallas, for the residential tower.

From the city’s perspective, the EpiCentre rids the landscape of a useless building, replacing it with the entertainment and residential facilities the boosters of Uptown crave. People moved out of Uptown Charlotte to escape racial unrest in the early 1960s, and the city’s focal point shifted. Southpark Mall opened five miles south of Uptown in 1970, draining 25 percent of retail sales from Uptown in the first year, according to public library records. Retail space shrank from more than 2 million square feet in 1970 to 700,000 square feet in the 1980s, according to Miller Smith, also of Charlotte City Center Partners.

But that was then. Smith says a study his group is completing will show that retail space in Uptown has bounced back to about 1 million square feet.

Nine residential high-rises are now in various stages of development, and Uptown could expand by 5,000 residents by 2008, officials say. All told, about 50 projects are under way in Charlotte, amounting to about $2.25 billion in redevelopment work, says Charlotte City Center Partners.

And that is not all. There is a movement to bring the Knights, a triple-A baseball team, back to Uptown from exile in a suburb 19 miles away in South Carolina. The area is also in competition with other cities to become the home of a NASCAR museum. Besides this, Wachovia is putting together a four-acre Uptown cultural campus with condos, a theater and museums.

For Afshin, 34, the EpiCentre is a personal triumph. As his company’s first showcase complex in an urban core, the EpiCentre represents the kind of work Ghazi says he has been moving toward since starting his business in 1993, soon after he graduated from college. The company has made a specialty of building challenging in-fill projects.

“Deals beget deals,” said Ghazi. No kidding: His company is embarking upon another EpiCentre-scale project, a mixed-use complex in the Bottle District of St. Louis.

Link: http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct0306/feature_charlotte.php

[TheCharlottean]

Fantsatic new info, CB. This is why I can't wait for both Epicentre and the Midtown Square redeveopment to be completed... Both will be completely unique within the Carolinas, undoubtably immensely popular and, of course, extremely awesome due to their design, density and layout (Who couldn't think a rooftop concert area or a Target on top of an EXPO is awesome?)

[Justadude]

Rooftop concerts at that location... just sick.

[TarheelsCubs]

New Renderings!



http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_epicentre_complex_large.jpg

[nostyle]

Was that 10-story hotel always part of the plan?

[uptownliving]

http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_epicentre_complex_large.jpg

The 10 story hotel was a recent addition...it will be an aloft hotel...a new brand by W Hotels.

[Rufus]

nostyle, that is the new brand from starwood hotels called the aloft hotel. it is the first of its kind, but a few others are in the planning stages. i dont think, however, that that is the final design. according to earlier designs, they usually have sharp feautures. the aloft is like the "hilton-garden inn" for W hotels, nice but not the full W hotel style.

[Style™]

that's a rather cool rendering. the hotel does look rather tacky compared to all the glass in the area. there will be a lot on 210 trade, charlotte plaza, bank of america plaza, and the ritz. i think they should add some mroe into that hotel design. it kinda sucks now.

i hope the final design includes more flare.

[krazeeboi]

I'm imagining something more like this:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/aloft.gif


I'm diggin' the new design of the tower. I like how the top portion looks like a "swivel."

[rickydavisfan21]

definately something new and exciting and unique for my hometown of clt nc

[Raleigh-NC]

I love the ne rendering :okay: Keep those towers coming, Queen City ;)

[uptownliving]

I'm imagining something more like this:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/aloft.gif


I'm diggin' the new design of the tower. I like how the top portion looks like a "swivel."

I know its hard to tell but if you look carefully at the hotel rendering along College St it already has the "swivel" roofline...I would not expect the hotel design to change much from what we have already seen.

[Rufus]

it is supposed to be taller than the one in that rendering. from what i remember it is around 10 or 12 stories tall, with about the same room #s as the ritz across the street. i do want it to look super flashy and sharp though.

[skysdalimit]

Well, for the hotel, from base to top is 14 stories. Only 10 are purely hotel stories, with retail/office in the lower 4 floors, if that makes any sense.

[Carolina Blue]

Ok finally!!! I could never understand the top of this building. That is the first rendering I've seen that puts the top into full perspective. That is going to be a really cool looking building with a very unique "crown".

[Carolina Blue]

Here’s some photos of the Epicentre progress. You can see the light rail line also being developed near the transit center.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/Kwinone/100_0529.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/Kwinone/100_0523.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/Kwinone/100_0526.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/Kwinone/100_0524.jpg

[Carolina Blue]

Looks like Raving Brands will be putting a Flying Biscuit in the EpiCentre. That would be a really cool restaurant to have Uptown.

Link: http://www.ravingbrands.com/RBHotLocations.aspx

[uptownliving]

Mr Ghazi must be sleeping with someone over at Raving Brands becasue they locate in all of his developments.

[MilwaukeeD]

Anyone have any updated shots? The Ghazi Company is suppossed to be doing a similar project in Milwaukee and I am worried about it. Is the Epicentre moving along?

[rickydavisfan21]

It is full steam ahead, 3 of 4 buildings have begun, one retail building is topped off and the other two are at 1 story, the condo tower hasn't begun yet. But at only 12,000 sq ft per floor it will rise at probably a floor per 4 days. People have been skeptical about this project, but ghazi has plans for another skyscraper in southpark, and if there was anything failed about 210 trade, I doubt he would have the gaul to try for a tower in southpark.

[Style™]

ghazi seems to move an an unusual pace for these projects. however, we cannot see the tower portion rise due to lot restrictions. it seems they have used most of the tower portion as a staging area for materials that are needed for the retail parts.

[aliendroid]

I love seeing large buildings starting to go up in city centers all over the USA.

[g-man430]

^^Great update with pics too. ;)

[CLTNC]

The movie theater that will be opening at the EpiCentre will be the Muvico brand.
https://www.muvico.com/Default.asp

Muvico Theaters
Palm Harbor, FL - Palm Harbor 10
Miami, FL - Hialeah 14
Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano 18
Davie, FL - Paradise 24
Boca Raton, FL - Palace 20
Tampa, FL - Centro Ybor 20
Tampa, FL - Starlight 20
St. Petersburg, FL - Baywalk 20
West Palm Beach, FL - Parisian 20
Estero, FL - Cocunut Pointe 16
Boynton Beach, FL - Boynton Beach 14
Baltimore, MD - Egyptian 24
Memphis, TN - Peabody Place 22
Chicago, IL - Rosemont 18
Charlotte, NC (Opening 2008)
New York/New Jersey (Opening 2008)
Philadelphia, PA (Opening 2009)
Fredericksburg, VA (Opening 2009)
Atlanta, GA (Opening 2010)

[CLTNC]

The aloft Hotel progress.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Wlangston1/Epic%20Centre/P1090244.jpg

[CLTNC]

aloft hotel at the Epicenter. 03/21/08

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Wlangston1/Epic%20Centre/P3204042.jpg

[cjfjapan]

June 17, 2008

Indy firm sues over stalled 50-story N.C. tower

Indianapolis Star report

An affiliate of Indianapolis-based Flaherty & Collins Properties has filed a $70 million lawsuit in North Carolina over delays to the company's 50-story residential tower.

The suit alleges that Charlotte-based Ghazi Co., which is developing a high-profile mixed-use complex called EpiCentre, has failed to live up to contractual agreements and refused to cooperate with local and state requirements that would allow the 50-story condo construction to move forward.

The Charlotte Observer first reported on the lawsuit on its Web site today.

Work on what's known as 210 Trade building stopped in February, with two floors built, because of a disagreement over technical building-code issues. Until the problem is resolved, lenders will not finance the rest of the project, and county officials will not issue certificates of occupancy, the lawsuit says, according to the Observer story.

“We have 265 buyers who are counting on our company to deliver their homes, but we have been thwarted by the (Ghazi investors),” Flaherty & Collins spokesman Mark Conover said in a statement. “They have refused to cooperate in providing reasonable and necessary agreements that are routinely required by lenders. … It is their refusal of lender requests that have delayed construction.”

If the tangle is resolved in coming months and work on the tower resumes, its first residents could move in by summer 2010 – more than a year later than originally planned. The condo developer is seeking $70 million if the issues are not resolved and the project scrapped. If construction can continue, the company is asking for $28 million in damages, the Observer story says.

Ghazi Co. officials did not return phone calls placed by the newspaper, the story says.

[Dale]

Bush's fault.

[Raleigh-NC]

^^
Most definitely :lol: