by Rich Haag | Mar 12, 2019 | Commercial real estate, Job Growth in University City
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles recently opened a driver-license office in University Research Park. DMV now has four offices in Charlotte and one in Huntersville. A part-time mobile unit visits Pineville each Wednesday. The new office is located in an office building at 9711 David Taylor Drive, near Senator Royall Place. “We are excited to open a fourth full-time driver-license office in Charlotte,” said DMV Commissioner Torre J. Jessup. “This new office will increase the capacity for service delivery in the growing Charlotte metro area.” The new North Charlotte office has 15 examiner work stations. Hours are 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday.Directions Customers may contact the DMV Call Center at 919-715-7000 to confirm appointments and operating hours. Get help online, too DMV offers several online services, including driver license and REAL ID renewals. Learn more at...
by Rich Haag | Mar 12, 2019 | Commercial real estate, Neighborhoods
Pre-leasing has begun at Novel Research Park, a new apartment community under construction in University Research Park at West Mallard Creek Church Road and Senator Royall Place. The Business Journal reports that rates start at $1,055 for a single-bedroom unit and start at $1,895 for a three-bedroom unit with 1,402 square feet. “Novel Research Park is your everyday retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life,” says the community’s marketing website. Extensive community features will include a resort-style saltwater pool, community “hammock garden”, clubhouse with fitness center and yoga/fitness class studio, grilling plaza and covered outdoor “living room” with fireplace. Crescent Communities is building the 280-unit garden-style apartment community. Crescent previously developed the neighboring Crescent Alexander Village in 2013. Learn more Website Facebook Phone: 704- 476-1598...
by Rich Haag | Mar 8, 2019 | Commercial real estate, Economic Development
University City’s highways will soon receive extra TLC. Starting this spring, University City Partners will pay a contractor to clean up litter along North Tryon Street, W.T. Harris Boulevard and parts of other major roadways within University City’s Municipal Service District. The contractor will also work with property owners to keep grass mowed near the curb. Work crews will focus on North Tryon Street between the I-85 connector and Mallard Creek Church Road; on W.T. Harris Boulevard between University City Boulevard and Mallard Creek Road; and on stretches of other major arterials throughout University City’s Municipal Service District, said Tobe Holmes, with UCP. “We’ve got a group under contract, and I expect to see quick advances on our issue within a month,” Holmes said. More litter than state can handle Holmes said that the state of North Carolina picks up litter and mows rights-of-way two-three times each year along state-maintained roadways, including North Tryon Street and Harris Boulevard. “Due to the massive amount of land under their management, their efforts can’t keep up” with the volume of litter along North Tryon and Harris, Holmes said. “Our supplemental efforts aim to ensure that University City remains beautiful throughout the year.” Mowing will be done on an as-needed basis and aimed mostly at publicly owned areas and the edges of sidewalks. The contractor will also work with property owners to keep their land mowed and free from litter. Holmes said that some owners do not realize that they are responsible for the strips of land between the street and nearby sidewalks and parking lots. The contractor will notify private property...
by Rich Haag | Dec 7, 2018 | Commercial real estate, Economic Development
Updated Dec. 13, 2018 – The new owner of several retail buildings on 30 acres of University Place has filed a rezoning for 20.6 acres beside the University Place Lake, the Charlotte Business Journal reports. EBA Crystal Real Estate’s development plan calls for up to 300,000 square feet of commercial uses, 600 residential units, 20,000 square feet of civic spaces and possibly a hotel. EB Arrow bought the property earlier this year. The Business Journal reports that the petitioner developed its site plan in line with the University City Town Center plan developed in 2017 by several property owners and University City Partners. The vision for University City Town Center The University City Town Center plan seeks to create a densely developed, pedestrian friendly urban village of shops, housing and offices that encompasses all of the existing University Place campus including the Shoppes area near north Tryon Street and the big-box retail area between the lake and I-85 that once was dominated by Walmart, Sam’s and several other national retailers. The University City Town Center plan also includes several residential communities and the retail center directly across from UNC Charlotte’s main North Tryon Street entrance. The segment up for rezoning by EBA Crystal Real Estate covers property along the west side of the lake from The Hilton to JW Clay Boulevard. Rezoning petition documents and BJ article The rezoning petition and supporting documents have not yet been posted on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Department website. Once posted, the documents will be available to the public at this webpage. Read the full Charlotte Business Journal report. View the...
by Rich Haag | Dec 5, 2018 | Commercial real estate, Economic Development, Energy Saving Buildings, Light Rail
By next fall, one of University City’s oldest office buildings will look like its newest. With a redesign by global architectural firm Gensler, the former office of Allstate Insurance, at 401 McCullough Drive, will have completed its transformation to Proximity Park – the single biggest available suburban office building on the 19-mile LYNX light rail line. Work will start in the next few weeks on major improvements to the building and 32-acre campus, including a visually striking new entrance and two-story glass atrium, new energy efficient windows, extensive new landscaping and an outdoor meeting area. The building already underwent several months of interior demolition, which included removal of the old mechanical, electrical and HVAC systems. The redesigned building will have all new energy-efficient systems. When the remodeling is finished next August, Proximity Park will offer nearly 200,000 square feet of space for lease in like-new condition – with room for expansion – within a 10-minute walk to light rail and a 1-mile drive to I-85. Potential corporate campus Colliers International, which is handling the building transformation and its marketing, hopes to find a single tenant for the building. The building also can be subdivided for up to three tenants. “Given the unique design of it and the large campus setting, we feel like Proximity Park will provide a unique opportunity for a company wanting its own branded building with easy expansion potential,” said Brad Grow, a partner in Colliers’ Charlotte office. The site can accommodate an additional 100,000 square feet of office space, plus structured parking for the additional employees. That building will have great curb appeal, Grow...
by Rich Haag | Nov 28, 2018 | Commercial real estate, Schools, Transit Oriented Development
Two University City development projects and a pioneering architect for University Place have received the Charlotte Business Journal’s Heavy Hitters Commercial Real Estate Awards: Blu at Northline apartments, Corvian Community School’s high school and architect David Furman. The awards were announced on Nov. 1 at the business publication’s fifth annual event honoring commercial real-estate projects completed in the past year in the Charlotte region. Blu at Northline Blu at Northline, the apartment community on North Tryon Street beside the I-85 entrance, won in the apartment development category for leading a development boom in this part of University City. The 377-unit apartment community was the first transit-oriented development along the 9.3-mile Blue Line Extension between uptown and UNC Charlotte, the Business Journal noted. MORE Corvian Community School – High School Corvian Community School won in the Public/Civic/Community category for creating a building “for the next generation.” The 70,000-square-foot high school has many notable features besides classrooms, the Business Journal noted. These include innovation labs for robotics, a yoga and dance studio, a black-box theater and other learning and collaborative spaces. MORE David Furman Architect David Furman received the Pillar Award for three decades of working helping to transform the landscape of center city Charlotte. At the start of his career, Furman designed three components of University Place: Lakeshore Village condominiums, Walden Court apartments and the original Countryside Montessori School. The Business Journal honored Furman for being “a pioneer and leader in creative, cool and funky real estate projects — primarily in the residential space but more recently in commercial and mixed-use deals in South End and uptown...
