That loud sucking noise you hear isn’t Ray and George, but rather the vacuum being created uptown by the Hornets’ seemingly imminent departure. It’s hard to believe the whole stupid, sleazy mess is finally coming to an end, but here we are.
So what now? If the Bugs do indeed fly the hive, what’s going to happen to the center city? Surely the city won’t go ahead and build a big empty arena in hopes of getting another NBA team, oh, 10 years from now — not when other needs are so pressing. But since one of the reasons given for an uptown arena was to create more vitality in the center city, it’s valid to ask what else can be done to continue the upward swing downtown? After all, an arena is not — repeat, is not — the only way cities have to goose their center city.
Most urban experts agree there are four basic qualities cities can rely upon for being attractive, viable destinations: geography, history, retail/entertainment, and sports. In terms of what the Queen City has at its disposal, you can pretty much eliminate geography and history. Although we’re reasonably close to the coast and the mountains, San Francisco or New York we’re not. And history? We’re mere infants compared to cities like Boston and Charleston, and the vast majority of whatever historical character we may have had has been replaced by marble, steel and glass.
That leaves sports and retail/entertainment. Let’s look at potential uptown venues that involve something a little more creative and participatory than assuming the couch potato position, drinking beer and watching pro sports — hell, you can do that at home, and the beer is cheaper.
Lost Momentum
While there are several uptown projects being bandied about, it’s also true that several have lost their momentum after the Hornets started making noise about moving to New Orleans. Plans for the Hal Marshall Project, a mixed-use urban village in First Ward, were put on hold recently when NY-based The Palladium Co. pulled out in March, citing a lackluster retail market. The company had won a competition to develop close to 20 acres of city and county property in the First Ward area. However, the second finalist in the competition, Levine Properties and Cousins Properties, recently met with city and county officials to revisit the plan they submitted last year. The joint Levine/Cousins venture proposes to combine the city and county’s 20 acres with an additional 20 acres owned by Levine Properties, creating an expansive village of offices, residences, shops, cultural facilities and a public park.
“Our interest is in developing a true urban neighborhood that consists of a high-density residential component for all kinds of people — from young professionals to empty nesters,” said Dan Levine, president of Levine Properties. “We envision a place where people will want to bring their friends and family and just hang out. We also want street level retail, with services like produce stands, boutiques, bookstores and movie theaters, but avoid the formulaic strip mall.”
Although city and county officials have said they have several priorities they must address before making any decisions regarding the Hal Marshall Project — including the annual budget and the apparently eternal arena issue — they are expected to reconvene in the next month or so to discuss it further.
Another big project whose downtown future now seems uncertain at best is an outdoor adventure center, which could include climbing walls, biking trails, and as its anchor, a custom-built whitewater river. Since the innovative project was first presented, the talk was of it being located uptown. But now developers say it may be too costly to locate in the center city, and they’re looking at other suitable locations.
Jeff Wise, executive director of Charlotte Whitewater Park, the nonprofit group raising money for the project, says that while an uptown location is still possible, they are actively scouting other locations. “We’re not necessarily trying to get away from uptown,” says Wise. “We’re trying to get people to open up a little bit, and to find the best way to create synergy and critical mass for Charlotte.”
Some of the other locations that have been mentioned are north of Interstate 85 along the Catawba River, and next to Park Road Park, near the intersection of Tyvola Rd and Park Rd.
“We’re land intensive,” said Wise. “I’m not sure that with 40 percent of uptown property being non-taxable (churches, government buildings, etc), we want to put another major piece of real-estate there that doesn’t generate tax dollars. So we don’t really consider ourselves an uptown project, but more of a quality of life project.”
As far as rejuvenating uptown, Wise says people shouldn’t look for one magic project to suddenly turn the center city into a viable destination, including a whitewater park.
“The whitewater park isn’t going to replace the arena,” Wise said. “It will help serve the purpose of creating a sense of place, but it’s not the only answer. We need a matrix of things. We need to create distinctive, memorable elements that add to our quality of life. I don’t want to lose the Hornets, and I’m for the arena, but people aren’t going to say, ‘Wow, Charlotte has an arena, let’s go check it out.’ It’s just not going to happen. The bloom on that rose has faded.”
Someone who’s keeping a close eye on how all these developments take shape is Wayne Weston, director of Mecklenburg County’s Park and Recreation Department. Weston has long been lobbying for a park in uptown’s Third Ward, and says that regardless of what happens with the Hornets, he’s going to continue to push for one.
“We’re going to remain engaged in a joint planning process with the city to lay the groundwork for a future arena and park,” Weston said. “We’re going to continue with that dialogue whether the city gets a thumbs-up for a new arena in two, five or 10 years. The master planning of Third Ward is not being done in a vacuum. All the players are at the table trying to make this work.”
Weston says there’s also the possibility of tying in a park with the Hal Marhsall Project, if and when it gets off the ground.
If you’re looking for one center city project that’s still moving forward, look at the Children’s Learning Center, a joint venture between the Charlotte Public Library and The Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. It will combine the services of both organizations and serve as a multi-faceted resource for kids across the region. The CLC will have interactive exhibits, theater performances, classrooms and computer labs.
“Our planned attendance is 1,000 people a day, seven days a week,” said Bob Cannon, Executive Director of the Public Library. “We can’t really compete with the Hornets, but we see the Center as making a real impact.”
The Center will be located between Seventh St, Sixth St. and Brevard St. It’s scheduled for completion sometime in late 2004 or early 2005.
First Things First
While uptown has taken some tough body blows recently, Charlotte has done a good job overall in rejuvenating its center city, particularly while so many other cities have failed. But most folks agree more needs to be done.
“Unless you’re going to a show or restaurant, what reason is there to venture uptown?” said Robert Krumbine, VP of events at Center City Partners. “The area dies off on the weekends because there’s just not a whole lot to do. We need venues that are going to drive traffic into the city.”
While that’s pretty much a no-brainer, the question remains: How should we go about accomplishing that goal?
“Retail and shopping are paramount,” Krumbine says. “That’s at the top of my wish list. We also need great parks and green space, where you can have outdoor events without having to deal with traffic and asphalt; someplace where you can set up a concert stage, where the symphony or bands can play. This Fourth of July we can’t even have a big traditional symphony concert in the center city because there’s nowhere to put them. Yet they’re building a brand new symphony stage at SouthPark.
“From a cultural standpoint, I really love the idea that’s been floated around about bringing a lot of the cultural groups together in one big space,” Krumbine continued. “Our cultural and arts district is going in the right direction, but it could use more synergy. Right now things are kind of separate.”
If there is any kind of emerging trend in current thinking about uptown Charlotte’s revitalization (besides overuse of the word “synergy”), it’s the theory that small, incremental developments that are active everyday would be of the most benefit — as opposed to a single blockbuster venue like a $240 million arena. This is hardly a revolutionary idea, as places like Portland, Toronto and, surprisingly enough, Greenville, SC, have all successfully implemented it.
“Greenville has one of the best downtown areas in the region,” said David Walters, professor of architecture and urban design at UNC-Charlotte. “They’ve got people living and working downtown, gorgeous restaurants, and they’ve taken care of the existing buildings. It’s got a very pedestrian-friendly feel with an exciting mix of things to do there on an everyday basis. Charlotte could learn a lot from Greenville.”
Most proponents of this theory also believe that before these smaller, service-type venues are developed, a strong residential base must first be established. In other words, what good is a neighborhood coffee shop if no one lives in the neighborhood?
Walters says this residential/retail formula is crucial for the continued success of uptown Charlotte. Moreover, he says that contrary to popular belief, there is affordable housing in the center city, there just needs to be more of it.
“It’s a myth that uptown housing is only for the very wealthy,” Walters said. “That’s certainly how it had become, but there are some smaller houses, apartments and townhomes that go a long way toward easing the price crunch.”
Walters says that once a solid base of housing has been established, you can then bring in retail — but not just any kind of retail. “Destination” retail such as Saks or Nordstrom or Borders with a big national name will no longer work uptown, says Walters. “It’s going to be very hard to get destination retail uptown because of SouthPark,” he said. “Moreover, Charlotte is virtually at the saturation point for retail. As a city, we’re way above the national average of retail space per capita.”
That leaves “service” retail — things like grocery stores, dry cleaners, and neighborhood restaurants, which Walters believes is the future of uptown Charlotte. As if in agreement with him, Harris-Teeter announced last week that they plan to open a full-service grocery store in Fourth Ward.
“That kind of retail is determined very specifically by local rooftops; by how many people live in the area,” Walters said. “It’s what is needed in terms of turning uptown into a real urban neighborhood.”
One of the folks trying to do that is David Furman, principal of the development company Boulevard Centro, one of several companies building condos and townhomes uptown. Furman’s company is focusing in First, Third and Fourth Wards.
“The thing that makes any city vibrant is people,” Furman said. “How do you get people in the center city? It all starts with housing. Having lots of places to go and things to do are important, but that revolves around how many people live in the area. And you can’t have all penthouses; you have to have a diversity of affordable places. Once the housing units are built, then someone will open the corner coffee shop, or pub, or restaurant. If you don’t have a basketball arena or baseball stadium you’re not going to wither away. But if you don’t have housing, you will wither away.”
Contact Sam Boykin at (704) 944-3623 or sam.boykin@cln.com.
This article appears in Apr 17-23, 2002.
