Charlotte's future (Raleigh, Washington, Catawba: apartments, condominium, homes)

[HGONZ001]

Charlotte’s population is growing at a tremendous rate. What was a sleepy southern city 10 years ago; is becoming a boom town with high tech parks and a huge banking hub only rival by NYC. New residential developments are sprawling all over Mecklenburg and the adjacent counties. The downtown area is growing in importance and it is experiencing a pedestrian revival, new condominium towers and high rises going up with no end on sight.

Do you think that Charlotte will be similar to the DC area in 10 years or less? Would homes be as costly as those in Chevy Chase, Bethesda or Alexandria, VA? Would it ever be a world class city like Chicago, Los Angeles or even San Francisco? Or will it end up like Atlanta or Miami; cities with so much potential but over ran by greedy politicians, racial wars and a negative effect to growth? Do we even want Charlotte to be as important and big as those world class cities? What do you think would be Charlotte's future? Explain your answer.

[HGONZ001]

Ok, 20 years then. I'm not an expert on Charlotte's history. But that is irrelevant to my question. Please explain your answer.

[HGONZ001]

It is irrelevant because my question asks abour CLT's future, not its past. Stick to the topic please.

[HGONZ001]

Schroeder,
I've read your previous responses on other threads and with all due respect, you usually don't have much to contribute to the main topic other than start some kind of virtual feud. I appreciate your correction on my original posting, but once again, stick to the topic or move on. Thanks.
Hgonz001

[XNYgirl]

this is interesting..........

[jp03]

quite.......

[gatorbuilt28036]

Reality for ANY land development is this: sewer systems and septic systems dictate density...anywhere where there is a sewer system you will have higher density zoning, and where there is a lack of sewer systems the septic systems and the requisite soil conditons will dictate growth and density/zoning...this is a simple Civil Engineering fact of life...with the relatively rapid expansion in the Charlotte MEtro area in the more rural undeveloped areas, there are few sewer systems and hence the growth of only moderate density housing- few apartments, or high-rises, etc...where there are sewered communities, typically in the urban areas(the concepts are practically synonomous in urban planning terms) you will see high rises, malls, shopping centers, and other urban features...you'll notice this when you travel around this area...when you see man-hole covers, you're in the city...with that said, sewers are an extremely expensive proposition to any building jurisdiction/political entity, and are less likely to be constructed or retro-fitted due to the cost prohibitive nature of the construction...they MUST go under roads, cross rivers, etc, etc...and many city planners, especially politicians are unwilling to ask the current citizenry to foot the bill...but it is done, and where it is done taxes are increased, zoning is affected, population grows, roads are expanded, schools are built, police and fire protection expand, etc, etc...once humans move in they NEVER go awayLOL...this area will continue to grow at a sustainable rate, but the taxes, population, traffic, etc will also grow commensurate with development...it is the inevitable cycle. Prepare for NOrth Iredell to continue to grow, Catawba, Lincoln...etc, etc...plan accordingly my friends!

[gatorbuilt28036]

BTW: if anyone wants to invest in building a new city with sewers and such, lemme know..I'd be happy to get in on it...we'll start with the wastewater treatment plantLOL

[wantstogotoday]

Charlotte WILL NOT end up like Bethesta, Chevy Chase, or Alexandria Virginia. There is not Washington DC next to it. It will not end up like Miami or San Francisco because Charlotte does attract Latin Americans, Europeans, or Asians. Charlotte will probably end up like Atlanta. Charlotte has somewhat similar demographics and it is geographically located hours inside the state (non coastal) . Plenty of land to go around for development outside the loop ( i-485) just like in Atlanta. I think land inside or close to the loop will be very valuable in the years to come as more people will like to have less of a commute. Developments outside the loop will always compete with each other. But because there is very little land inside the loop, property values will continue to soar. Appreciation has been been measured in comparison to other areas of the country but that is changing. I think one of the biggest concerns are wages. If wages stay low, people will seek to live outside the loop or "out there" where housing prices will continue to go up, but will still be affordable.

[nyxmike]

Thats not entirely true. Charlotte has a pretty decent sized Asian population and it is growing (so does Wake County/Raleigh - lots of high tech jobs/RTP). The same can be said about Latin Americans. I also beg to differ about Atlanta which attracts a large amount of Europeans, Asians, and Latin Americans (the Olympics helped and so does the airport which is the busiest in the country and has a lot of international flights). I think the sprawl will be similiar to the Atlanta area here but I think Charlotte's downtown will be denser and more vibrant.