Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed

June 2, 2008
Lynnsy Logue The Real Estate Lady® and Condo Cando® in Charlotte, NC
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed…
I’ll start with something borrowed: In this morning’s Observer, a letter to the editor that brought a smile to my lips. And while I read this letter, I thought back to last fall when there was a spat going on between a developer and the neighborhood association in Dilworth, one of our historic districts. A fellow with the historic commission made the comment that developers and builders are like barking dogs…that’s what a dog does and you can’t really change that behavior, the barking. Well, I thought about that as I read this letter:
Condos don't leave me `feeling earth-friendly'
In response to "Advocates: Tree rules not tough enough" (May 27):I was thrilled to see signs on Briar Creek Road and Central Avenue touting "The Vyne," a "green" condo development. Imagine my surprise and dismay when developer Citiline Resortline razed almost every tree on the site, including maples, magnolias and the city's signature willow oaks. Also flattened: Mature 6-foot azaleas and other shrubs, tended over half a century, as well as the white clapboard house they surrounded. The house was destroyed without any visible attempt to reuse or recycle its materials.
Why are residential developers required to save only 10 percent of trees? Can City Council do more to force developers to act responsibly toward their environment?
The Vyne's Web site chatters about "sustainable building practices" and "energy-efficient features that'll have you feeling earth-friendly." But signs on the Vyne's construction site no longer use the word "green." Nothing on this mudplain is green anymore.
Thanks to Peggie Porter

Something Old
In NoDa, that’s North Davidson, also an historic district, Fat City Lofts are underway again.Here’s a brief on yet another condo development in the Arts District…picked up from our daily:

Fat City Lofts under construction on North Davidson Street.
A NoDa landmark disappeared a year ago when high winds blew down the graffiti-splashed facade of Fat City Deli.
Now, the developers, who had planned to integrate it into the new Fat City Lofts on the site, are working to bring back the funkiness and perhaps create another icon for the North Charlotte neighborhood.
Fat City Deli opened in the early 1990s and closed about five years ago, leaving the original building on the site vacant.
Deli founder K.C. Terry, a partner in the new venture, said he chose the location back then for one key reason: "It was the cheapest building in town."
Fat City Deli became a neighborhood gathering place for NoDa's body-pierced musicians and artists, but over the years the clientele grew to include business people in dress shirts and suits.
Fat City Lofts, which includes 26 condos and 8,000 square feet of street-level retail, is the latest example of the neighborhood's transition from restored mill houses to commercial and multi-family development.

And Something New…Allen Norwood is leaving after 12 years as Home Editor and nearly 33 years in the building at Tryon and Stonewall. The home section was recently named the best in the country for papers their size by the National Association of Real Estate Editors. I personally thank Allen for all of his good work, his great energy and the perspective he brought to the Home Section. As a former employee of both the Observer and the News, I sent him bouquets of new found freedom. Thanks Allen.
Lynnsy Logue the Real Estate Lady® and Condo Cando® in Charlotte, NC