Charlotte's North End Charlotte, North Carolina

BristolSULLIVANJOHNSONBackground and the Panel’s 1MITCHELL 19E321YANCEYBUNCOMBECHARLOTTE, LOCATED IN MECKLENBURG eidsvilleNORTHCAROLINAConcordCABARRUSChapel 401FRANKLINWAKESanfordHARNETT401STANLYFrom 2000 to 2010, the population of the Charlotte met- 29 GaffneyANSONMonroe74YORK601Berearopolitan area (part of a 16-countymarket region) grewSpartanburgbyRock HillSPARTANBURGUNIONGreenvillean estimated 29 percent, largely due to theregion’s strong385SOUTH CAROLINA CHESTERFIELDemployment market, affordability, and overall quality26of life.UNION Union77LANCASTER22117615Charlotte has established itself as a29major U.S. ndsfromCenterCityLaurensANDERSONcenter and is now the second-largestbanking centerin the52LAURENS521NEWBERRYDARLINGTON221to the Universityof North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCChar178FAIRFIELDABBEVILLEUnited States after New York City. Nicknamedthe nthedevelopment2026City, Charlotte and its resident county are named in honorSALUDAmomentumthat exists in Uptown and South End and isof Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort ofmodeledafterthe emerging practice of urban “innovationBritish king George III during the time of the city’s founddistricts” being applied in cities across the world. Futureing. In 2013, Forbes magazine named Charlotte among itsinvestment and redevelopment are envisioned to link andlist of Best Places for Business and Careers.leverage Charlotte’s academic and research capital with itsAs the population and job markets continue to grow inbusiness assets, emerging industries, and governmentalCharlotte, so too does development opportunity in andsupport.around the city.The primary goal is to foster job growth in future“21st-century” industries and clusters, including energyproduction and infrastructure, biosciences, informationOver the past decade, Charlotte’s Center City has expetechnology, and health care. The Applied Innovation Corrienced extraordinary growth. That tremendous growthridor strategy is also intended to attract entrepreneurialis the result of strong collaboration, successful planning,startups and business expansion in innovative industriesand strategic investments by both the public and privateto catalyze further investment in mixed-use housing andsectors. Building off Charlotte’s strong tradition of planning commercial development. The intention is to create vibrantand visioning, the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County,urban places by focusing investments on economic develand Charlotte Center City Partners worked together toopment and job growth.create the 2020 Vision Plan, a comprehensive plan thatA significant opportunity exists in the Applied Innovationprovides “a big picture framework and unifying vision forCorridor, located just north of Uptown in an area centeredCenter City growth and development.”on Graham Street and North Tryon Street. In addition to itsThe Charlotte Center City 2020 Vision Plan endorsesproximity to Uptown, the area benefits from easy freighttargeted economic growth and industry recruitment in anmovement, future light-rail access, a potential gh NGHAM601DAVIEHickoryMorgantonMCDOWELLty, is the largest city in North Carolina, andthe 16thmost74221RUTHERFORDpopulous city in the United States. According to theU.S.64HENDERSONPOLKCensus Bureau, the population of MecklenburgCounty is26919,628, with Charlotte accounting for about LaurinburgROBESON501Regional map.701LumbertonBLADENDILLON7674COLUMBUSThe Applied Innovation CorridorCharlotte’s North End, Charlotte, North Carolina, April 27–May 2, 20147

dation, Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte CenterCity Partners, Charlotte Housing Authority, Charlotte Housing Partnership, and UNC Charlotte Foundation) requestedthat the Urban Land Institute conduct an Advisory Servicespanel focusing on the Applied Innovation Corridor conceptand its neighborhoods. The sponsor asked a series ofstrategic questions, which included the following: Whatis the feasibility of using the “innovation corridor”concept as a land development and neighborhoodrevitalization strategy?should we focus and apply a Charlotte-based“innovation corridor” strategy on the basis of thesuccesses of other places?CITY OF CHARLOTTE How Howcan we create the environment to attract startups and expanding firms in innovative industries?The panel’s study area ishighlighted in yellow.rail station, quick connections to Uptown’s major transportation centers, new pedestrian and bicycle connections,and existing affordable and workforce housing.The Panel’s AssignmentAlthough the designated Applied Innovation Corridorextends from Uptown and South End to UNC Charlotte, thepanel was asked to evaluate a study area located northof Uptown in an area centered on Graham Street andNorth Tryon Street, bounded by I-85 on the north, I-77 onthe west, I-277 on the south, and the Little Sugar CreekGreenway and NoDa (North Davidson) on the east.The panel was asked to focus specifically on the feasibilityof the innovation aspect within that North End corridor thatcould be a catalyst for new land uses and neighborhoodrevitalization, as well as the appropriate types of supporting uses and development to realize the area’s new vision.As the area seeks to be known for innovation, to be so, thevision must be replicable at an economical cost and mustsatisfy a specific need.The sponsor (a team comprising members from the city ofCharlotte, Mecklenburg County, Mount Vernon Capital/Vision Ventures, Foundation for the Carolinas, Knight Foun-8 Whattypes of industries and partnerships should wepursue? Howcan private landowners and residents helpfoster this theme and encourage the growth andexpansion of the concept in this area? Whattypes of supporting uses and development,including affordable housing (new construction andpreservation of the existing housing stock), should bepursued, and what types of funding mechanisms anddevelopment incentives should be pursued to facilitatethe recommended land use vision? Whattypes of public amenities will foster a vibrantbusiness and neighborhood environment? Arethere specific catalyst sites that are best suitedto facilitate this environment? Whattypes of public investments will best catalyzeprivate investment? The public purpose of the innovationcorridor initiative is to provide just the right amount ofleadership and infrastructure necessary to encouragejob growth and private investment. The city has identified some initial public projects focused in this corridoras part of its Community Investment Plan.An Advisory Services Panel Report

Arethey the right investments? Whatshould come first? Arethere additional investments that we shouldconsider?Summary of PanelRecommendationsThe panel recognizes the thoughtful planning representedby the Center City 2020 Vision Plan and that the city seesgreat possibilities for future redevelopment in this area.The panel also recognizes the tremendous amount of foresight and work that has gone into the Blue Line ExtensionTransit Station Area Plans.The Queen City has, for the most part, led a charmed life.From its early history, Charlotte’s geographic location,transportation crossroads, natural and built environment,industry strength, business engagement, and exceptionalquality of life have all contributed toward people from Charlotte wanting to remain and people from elsewhere wantingto become a part of the city’s success story. Charlotte hasseized economic opportunities, developed best practicesfor sustainable growth, and proved its capability to beworld-class in many ways. Charlotte has a reputation forits forward thinking urban and transportation planning, itsbusiness and civic engagement, and its “can-do” attitudethat will, regardless, get the job done.While Charlotte has been vibrant and prosperous as thecommerce capital of North Carolina, the city must nowcreate a model for transition to become a 21st-centuryleader in a more competitive market. In a word, Charlottemust reinvent itself. And,most important, how do we make certain thatCharlotte’s future includes and benefits all people in thechange to build new value, vitality, and vibrancy?Charlotte’s North End with its mosaic of people, land uses,transportation, housing, businesses, and assets gives thatcommunity the chance to drive innovation and shape that21st-century city that Charlotte wishes to become. Thisarea, with its proximity to Uptown, can be a compellingdemonstration for redressing the patchwork of previous zoning and planning while strengthening the diverseneighborhood fabric and connecting older with newer, highrise with high tech through multiple transportation options.Charlotte’s North End—although often forgotten in thepast—can be redeveloped to highlight its unique characterand be remembered in the future as the place where history, grit, and conscience coexist.The panel’s most impressive observation during its weeklong assignment was the people of the North End. Thepanel spoke with both residents who live, work, and raisetheir families in the area and business owners who providegoods and services. Each person is passionate, committed, knowledgeable, articulate, involved, and filled withideas and expectations about his or her neighborhood andthe overall area. One neighbor commented, “We are hereto help trigger transformation in our neighborhoods and tomake sure that everyone feels connected and valued.”With the forward movement for renewal of this significantportion of Charlotte, citizen engagement will be critical; it isthe only way to truly achieve innovative success physically,economically, and socially in the North End.It is time to ask the tough questions: Whatwill our new leadership model look like? Whowill rise to the top as our most significant economicgenerators, and how do we capitalize on their presencein the region? Whatis our new vision?Charlotte’s North End, Charlotte, North Carolina, April 27–May 2, 2014The panel during a walking tourof the North End study area.9

This report will paint the picture for what Charlotte’s NorthEnd “can be” and will redefine the place where youngerand older, families and students, all income levels, creativity and the everyday live, work, and play. Recommendations include frameworks around the built environment andthe economic context hand in hand with the human andsocial elements of a new vision for the North End.Uptown by reviving the North End. It must create valuewith a return on investment that touches all areas of thecommunity. The North End must have a new identity and abrand to attract those who wish to be a part of this emerging success story.The panel recommends many strategies, including thefollowing: Establishmentof a new redevelopment corporation; Revitalizationof the existing Amtrak station to becomethe anchor of a new mixed-use retail center and to connect with the light-rail extension; Developmentof strategies for a collaborative knowledgecenter; Recognitionof potential clusters in the creative, food,and high-tech sectors along with future retail demandthat will be created; Afocus on human capital and ensuring that the benefitsof development extend to everyone in the North End;and Expansionof the street network and conceptual structure extending from Uptown to the North End.As Charlotte writes this new story for the North End, itmust be one of safety, connectivity, proximity, equity, opportunity, availability, and vibrancy. The story must imbedin the civic consciousness the importance of enhancing10An Advisory Services Panel Report

Study Area and Surrounding ContextWITH I-85 ON THE NORTH, I-77 on the west, I-277 onthe south, and the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and NoDaon the east, the study area covers 5.5 square miles andincludes a large portion of Charlotte, generally referred toas the North End. Encompassing nine established neighborhoods—Graham Heights, NoDa, Druid Hills, J.T. Williams, Genesis Park, Greenville, Lockwood, Belmont, andOptimist Park—the study area includes a diverse set ofland uses, including industrial, residential, warehouse, anddistribution uses, and vacant land. A number of social service providers both serve the region and affect development opportunities in the study area.The city has made a number of investments in the area,including the extension of the LYNX Blue Line. In 2009, theArk Group opened the Music Factory, a 300,000-squarefoot entertainment district adjacent to the study area.Recent developments include Brightwalk, a multiphased,master-planned, mixed-use project developed by theHousing Partnership, which will include 1,000 residentialunits (300 affordable rental units), 1,000 square feet ofcommercial space, and open-space amenities.Brightwalk, a recently developed mixed-use project located in thestudy area, provides a mix of housing, including single-family homes,townhouses, and apartments.Built EnvironmentDrawing on site visits and study area tours, in addition tointerviews with a number of stakeholders, the panel hasdeveloped a suggested framework for the built environment for the study area and its general vicinity. Specificrecommendations include (a) extending the existing streetgrid, (b) maintaining and enhancing the Amtrak station asan asset, and (c) increasing connectivity to Uptown. Twomajor connections are also recommended: a new roadthrough the current Rite Aid site that connects Oaklawn toSylvania and the realignment of 24th and Woodward neartheir intersection with Graham. The panel also recommends the continued pursuit of the new Ware Avenueconnection.Street GridAn immediately striking feature of Charlotte’s land useplan is its regular street grid throughout the North End.That pattern is not foreign to Charlotte: the land use planextends the grid that already exists in Uptown, as well asisolated areas within the North End like the Lockwoodneighborhood. The panel’s recommended plan respectsand maintains the existing grid system and extends thegrid to cover areas that currently lack it.The panel has designed the grid to create an ideal blocksize for walkability. Blocks are approximately 350 feet oneach side, matching existing block sizes in Uptown andother cities across the nation. The panel considers theproposed grid to be the building block for any future development in the North End. A key word here is “urban”—thepanel has deliberately proposed a block system that willgive the area an urban look and feel, consistent withCharlotte’s goals for the area.Charlotte’s North End, Charlotte, North Carolina, April 27–May 2, 201411

Connectivity to UptownThe proximity of the North End to Uptown is one of thestudy area’s major advantages, but a series of physical barriers restrict access. In particular, the BrookshireFreeway (I-277) and two freight lines create a physical andperceptual barrier between Uptown and the North End.The panel’s recommended planmaintains the existing street-gridsystem and extends it to coverthose areas without one.The panel recommends physicaland design improvements to theAmtrak station but suggests itremain in its current location.12Amtrak StationThe panel recommends maintaining the Amtrak station inits current location. It is a visible asset and anchor in themidst of an area that is targeted for growth, and its relocation would send mixed signals concerning Charlotte’s commitment to the North End. As envisioned on the proposedland use plan, the Amtrak station is the eastern anchorof the tech cluster, which serves as the dense activitycenter of the entire North End. Redesign of the stationand its entranceway will be needed to improve access andaesthetics, but the station is a significant asset that shouldbe preserved.The panel reinforces the ideas presented in the Center City2020 Vision Plan, which call for reducing the barrier created by the Brookshire Freeway by burying the expresswayor by converting it to an at-grade boulevard. Burying theexpressway would allow significant development in thearea, though it clearly would be a very expensive proposition. Converting it to a boulevard would be less costly, butit would also not fully remove the roadway as a barrier andwould reduce the expressway’s usability by through-traffic.Either would be an improvement over current conditions.The panel recommends that Charlotte continue to examineboth options, recognizing that some solution to this issue isneeded to extend the environment of Uptown to the NorthEnd. Current planning activities within Uptown on NorthTryon Street to strengthen the cultural institutions in thatarea can also create positive energy that can be extendedinto the North End.The map highlights the Blue Line extension, Amtrak, and the plannedRed Line that link the study area to Uptown.An Advisory Services Panel Report

The renovation of Washington Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, helped transform the surrounding neighborhood,creating civic spaces while recognizing the value of its historic buildings. The panel sees a similaropportunity—to create civic space and enhance open space—at the Amtrak station.complex collection of current land uses, creating planningchallenges that the panel has tried to address throughoutits recommendations.To reduce the barrier created by the Brookshire Freeway, the panelrecommends either burying it or creating an at-grade boulevard.Even with the removal of the Brookshire Freeway as abarrier, the freight lines will remain. They, however, aresmaller barriers than the expressway. Aesthetic improvements to the freight viaducts on North Tryon Street and thebridge on North Graham Street can ameliorate the barriersthat they create without compromising their function asfreight lines. Rather than a barrier, that area should serveas a gateway to the North End from Uptown.Atando as a Line of DivisionThe panel focused much of its land use vision efforts onthe area south of Atando Avenue. That area includes mostof the existing residential neighborhoods, historic buildings, and transportation assets, and it also benefits fromits proximity to Uptown. It contains the most diverse andNorth of Atando, the landscape changes. Logistics anddistribution businesses dominate the landscape, and thearea is more closely oriented with nearby expresswayslike I-85 and I-77 than it is to Uptown. It also includeschallenging parcels like the Statesville Avenue Landfill,for which the panel does not have sufficient information to offer a concrete recommendation for f

A ULI Advisory Services Panel Report Charlotte's North End Charlotte, North Carolina April 27-May 2, 2014 Charlotte2014_cover.indd 2 9/25/14 2:56 PM. Charlotte's North End . Established in 1936, the Institute today has more than 32,000 members worldwide, representing the entire spec-trum of the land use and development disciplines. Profes-