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LOL, you touched on where I lived when you mentioned the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego. San Diego is where I live, and the Gaslamp Quarter is that sacred heart that developers have built around, but not built within.
I am sorry that you're not a current resident of Charlotte, as your energy would contribute to "common sense" growth in this area.
I hope you're enjoying San Diego...it looks to be a beautiful city, with many amenities (and the ocean!).
Quote:
Originally Posted by brichard
BTW, your comments about South End are so on point. I've felt that way about South End, but didn't have the words. You said it perfectly. I like what's happening there and that they have found a use for those old warehouses, but there is still an oddness about it.
Appreciate the compliment . Glad to know I am not alone. Because my criticisms are often overlooked, I sometimes wonder if I approach Charlotte development with unnecessary caution.
[quote=brichard;49929526] (Below are pictures of the formerly vibrant downtown Gastonia from 1912, and the 1950s and 1960s.) I also agree with you that Rock Hill has those possibilities.
The pictures that you posted are incredible *That* is what I would want to see in Gastonia!
I am almost afraid that some see downtown Gastonia as more of a liability, than an asset. They're building a new stadium downtown, with the hopes to draw people in, but again, I wonder if people see downtown Gastonia as something that was inherited, versus an opportunity.
Greenville SC has done a lot with their downtown, and in Greenville and Asheville, Gastonia planners have a lot from which to glean.
As you mentioned, Charlotte lost a lot of the character that Gastonia has. Being that Gastonia is a larger City within NC, I hope that the State steps up to the plate.
I know that the 321 corridor is attracting new investment and interest:
In post-WWII America the thing to do was blow your downtown to smithereens to build new. The city of Philadelphia bucked the trend & enacted severe zoning ordinances to rebuild & gentrify a slum called Society Hill. I remember, when I was in college, & they were nearly finished & the gentrification was sliding into an adjacent neighborhood, Queen Village, it was openly discussed that Philadelphia was the laughing stock of the US for rebuilding all of that very old housing stock.
It's hard to imagine Society Hill as a slum, but then again, I am not a Philly native .
I am sorry that you're not a current resident of Charlotte, as your energy would contribute to "common sense" growth in this area.
I hope you're enjoying San Diego...it looks to be a beautiful city, with many amenities (and the ocean!).
Thanks so much! I lived in Charlotte many moons ago for six years. I have family and friends there so I still visit a couple times a year. And I've tried to keep up with goings-on there ever since I first moved there back in '81. Charlotte still has a piece of my heart. But yes, San Diego is amazing. People say that if you spend a year here, you can't leave. That seems to be true for me. Both mountains and beach within the city limits: you can lay on the beach, surf, hike, fish, go rock climbing, parasailing, hang gliding, paragliding, and never have to leave the city. Different beach communities, each with their own character, from boardwalk/carnival type atmosphere (Mission Beach/Pacific Beach) to upscale and high end La Jolla. There's Balboa Park, which is comparable in size to NY's Central Park; Old Town San Diego, which is sort of a Williamsburg of the West; and the Gaslamp Quarter, which is our version of DC's Georgetown. Lots of museums. The San Diego Zoo, which is actually two zoos. Sea World. And so many scenic sites like Point Loma, Mt. Soledad, Sunset Cliffs. And our greatest architectural jewel, the Hotel del Coronado. You should come check it out. It's an amazing city.
I was thinking today about Balboa Park and how nice it would be if Charlotte had a big urban park. I know you have Freedom Park, but that's more of a suburban park. I'm thinking of something more central, the kind of place where people of the city come together for big events, or hold rallies (rather than being in the streets). Another example: Atlanta's Centennial Park. The area between NoDa and Uptown would be great for locating something like that, although it might mean moving the homeless shelters there and that would certainly cause controversy. But that seems like the best area -- an area within walking distance of Uptown. Has there ever been any talk about building such a park?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NDL
Appreciate the compliment . Glad to know I am not alone. Because my criticisms are often overlooked, I sometimes wonder if I approach Charlotte development with unnecessary caution.
I think you have the perspective of someone who's lived in other places, right? Having experienced other places helps you see what might be missing and gets the creative juices going. Charlotte is still growing, still has space and assets that make these things still attainable. It's just a matter of people finding ways, and having the passion, to make it all happen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NDL
The pictures that you posted are incredible *That* is what I would want to see in Gastonia!
Yes! That IS Gastonia. Or it was Gastonia. But those buildings are still there, so that could be Gastonia again. At least it could have that kind of vibrancy again and bring families back, singles back, young couples, old couples back.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NDL
I am almost afraid that some see downtown Gastonia as more of a liability, than an asset. They're building a new stadium downtown, with the hopes to draw people in, but again, I wonder if people see downtown Gastonia as something that was inherited, versus an opportunity.
Greenville SC has done a lot with their downtown, and in Greenville and Asheville, Gastonia planners have a lot from which to glean.
Yes they do. These are great examples they can learn from. And hasn't Concord revitalized their downtown? I think Gastonia's downtown is bigger than Concord's, and is closer to the center of Charlotte and a straight shot down Hwy 74, so I think that's a big advantage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NDL
As you mentioned, Charlotte lost a lot of the character that Gastonia has. Being that Gastonia is a larger City within NC, I hope that the State steps up to the plate.
I know that the 321 corridor is attracting new investment and interest:
It's funny you mention that. I was just looking the other day at a video about downtown York, SC. It looks really nice.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NDL
It's hard to imagine Society Hill as a slum, but then again, I am not a Philly native .
I moved to the South Jersey suburbs at the age of 13. It's public knowledge there that Society Hill was a slum. The rebirth was the brainchild of Edmund Bacon, Kevin's father. It sort of makes him the father of gentrification in this country. I remember my first trip into Center City. My parents took us to see Independence Hall & we wandered a bit. Society Hill was partially fixed up & some parts were still slummy.
You have to understand something about Gastonia wanting to repurpose as much as possible. Before WWII many people from this area went to Philadelphia to work in the mills. Many families still have extended family there. When the mills were closing in Philadelphia, many mill workers came here. There's been a lot of back & forth for nearly a century. I hear people say that they want buildings repurposed.
I hope that the ballpark goes up. It would be an improvement over what's there. It would replace something that replaced something that would now be historical.
Last edited by southbound_295; 10-25-2017 at 09:27 PM..
San Diego is amazing. People say that if you spend a year here, you can't leave. That seems to be true for me. Both mountains and beach within the city limits: you can lay on the beach, surf, hike, fish, go rock climbing, parasailing, hang gliding, paragliding, and never have to leave the city. Different beach communities, each with their own character, from boardwalk/carnival type atmosphere (Mission Beach/Pacific Beach) to upscale and high end La Jolla. There's Balboa Park, which is comparable in size to NY's Central Park; Old Town San Diego, which is sort of a Williamsburg of the West; and the Gaslamp Quarter, which is our version of DC's Georgetown. Lots of museums. The San Diego Zoo, which is actually two zoos. Sea World. And so many scenic sites like Point Loma, Mt. Soledad, Sunset Cliffs. And our greatest architectural jewel, the Hotel del Coronado. You should come check it out. It's an amazing city.
Sounds like a boring place . Actually, my Uncle & Aunt just resettled in San Diego, and the more I look into it, the more I realize why they did.
The one (two) things that I really wish Charlotte had, are a zoo and a true aquarium. A zoo is not a simple thing to put together, but it's an almost guaranteed bet, as school attendance/field trips would contribute to a zoo's daily operations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brichard
I was thinking today about Balboa Park and how nice it would be if Charlotte had a big urban park. I know you have Freedom Park, but that's more of a suburban park. I'm thinking of something more central, the kind of place where people of the city come together for big events, or hold rallies (rather than being in the streets).
Romare Bearden park is a newer addition that came out nicely:
I think you have the perspective of someone who's lived in other places, right? Having experienced other places helps you see what might be missing and gets the creative juices going. Charlotte is still growing, still has space and assets that make these things still attainable. It's just a matter of people finding ways, and having the passion, to make it all happen.
That's just it: west of Manhattan (New Jersey) has a good network of roads, but east of Manhattan (New York), is an absolute disaster.
The high levels of traffic in NY waste lots of time, and the consumption of time manifests itself in people feeling that they don't enough hours in a day, which causes people to be frazzled, aggressive, and dour.
Charlotte has commercial and employment districts peppered throughout the City, and the convenience of nearby shopping means that motorists don't have to travel far, which keeps people off of the roads.
Even so...Charlotte is repeating a lot of the mistakes that I saw in NY, which might lead it into becoming the place that I had left. Thankfully, we're not Atlanta .
Quote:
Originally Posted by brichard
Yes! That IS Gastonia. Or it was Gastonia. But those buildings are still there, so that could be Gastonia again. At least it could have that kind of vibrancy again and bring families back, singles back, young couples, old couples back.
There are a lot of lower income families in the area, and while I don't see that part of the City as being high in crime, these folks don't have a lot of disposable income, which makes the area unattractive to business.
The Loray Mills development was nicely redone, but the rents are high, and I wonder how that's affected it's occupancy rate. The proposed baseball stadium should get money trickling in...I don't know if the stadium would appeal to 20 somethings, you would spend their money at local restaurants and sports bars.
Gastonia suffers from "which came first? the chicken or the egg"
I moved to the South Jersey suburbs at the age of 13. It's public knowledge there that Society Hill was a slum. The rebirth was the brainchild of Edmund Bacon, Kevin's father. It sort of makes him the father of gentrification in this country. I remember my first trip into Center City. My parents took us to see Independence Hall & we wandered a bit. Society Hill was partially fixed up & some parts were still slummy.
You have to understand something about Gastonia wanting to repurpose as much as possible. Before WWII many people from this area went to Philadelphia to work in the mills. Many families still have extended family there. When the mills were closing in Philadelphia, many mill workers came here. There's been a lot of back & forth for nearly a century. I hear people say that they want buildings repurposed.
I appreciate you sharing your background . A revitalized Gastonia would be a good thing. I wish the County and State would focus on that, and less on newer developments/expansion which contribute to sprawl.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NDL
I appreciate you sharing your background . A revitalized Gastonia would be a good thing. I wish the County and State would focus on that, and less on newer developments/expansion which contribute to sprawl.
They need the expansion to get a good revitalization in Gastonia, at least in my lifetime. They need the bodies to patronize downtown. I know this based on my experience watching revitalization in Philadelphia. It took close to 30 years to completely gentrify Society Hill. The gentrification of Queen Village flowed from that, but it eventually faded because of the job & population losses from the mill closures. then, 15 or 20 years ago mostly a new generation started gentrifying Fishtown & it's still spreading.
Young people & Boomers are moving into the city. Gastonia needs the same energy. They need to have the people moving in to attract businesses & retail. That's why I'm saying that the casino approval would cure a world of ills. I voted for gambling in Atlantic City & it did what was needed at the time. Talk of it bring in prostitution is silly. It's the world's oldest profession. They're already here, just like it was already in Atlantic City.
I think it's a lot better now than it was sixteen years ago and longer..
It still has all the low-income neighborhoods and commercial architecture though. It's basically like Salisbury except slightly better. Believe it or not..
Charlotte has commercial and employment districts peppered throughout the City, and the convenience of nearby shopping means that motorists don't have to travel far, which keeps people off of the roads.
Even so...Charlotte is repeating a lot of the mistakes that I saw in NY, which might lead it into becoming the place that I had left. Thankfully, we're not Atlanta .
It's interesting you'd say "thankfully we're not Atlanta" after talking about multiple commercial/employment districts and retail sprinkled throughout the area; Atlanta definitely has that. As a matter of fact, the business district with the most office space in metro Atlanta isn't downtown or Midtown; it's Perimeter, just north of Buckhead.
Gastonia has sidewalks into the residential neighborhoods unlike much of NC. The main public roads are nice, better than recently with no potholes. Driving is still a bit crazy with the one ways. Main street has their holiday lights up. You see a few great businesses with much pride in Gastonia. A middle class family could live there, one who isn't obsessed with school rankings. I appreciate it's aged character. It also has a real bus system with 6 routes including one to uptown Charlotte.
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. Glad to know I am not alone. Because my criticisms are often overlooked, I sometimes wonder if I approach Charlotte development with unnecessary caution.
*That* is what I would want to see in Gastonia! 
