CATS Buys Eastland Transit Center Land

The Charlotte City Council last week unanimously voted in favor of the Charlotte Area Transit System buying the 1.4 acres for $771,150. That property is currently home to a small community bus station, and CATS wants to stop paying annual land rent. In 2006, CATS spent $2 million building the Eastland Community Transit Center on the mall parking lot. The transit center is a nicely landscaped bus station, with eight shelters and a ticket booth. The center serves two main bus lines, the Albemarle Road Express and Route 9, which runs along Central Avenue and is one of the busiest in the city. It also serves three neighborhood shuttles. CATS has leased the property for $55,000 a year, and the city said the deal will pay for itself in 14 years because it will no longer have to pay rent. Despite the mall's closure in 2010, CATS said more people are getting on buses at the Eastland stop compared with 2007. The city hopes to eventually build a streetcar to the site, though that's unlikely to happen for at least 20 years.

BECO Management Markets Innovation Park

BECO Management of Rockville, MD paid $42-million for 184-acre campus formerly known as Meridian Corporate Center near University City. As part of the re-branding, plans call for spending $30-million on upgrades to the corporate campus.

IBM made a big splash into the Charlotte North Carolina market back in 1979 with the creation of a 1,200-acre campus. In 1994, First Union, now Wells Fargo, bought 155 acres for its own employee campus and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bought nearly 200 acres for a four-school complex. In 2002, Charlotte Corporate Center Acquisition, a limited liability company that included Blackacre Capital Management and other New York investors, bought the 12-building complex for $114 million.

UNC Charlotte Supports Center City Building

A twisted Rubik's cube or a giant stack of books anchor's a planned development by Levine Properties along Brevard from Ninth to Seventh streets. Ultimately, Levine plans to build an urban neighborhood of residences, shops, restaurants, parking decks and a 6-acre park from the UNCC building to Seventh. The architectural firms include James Timberlake of KieranTimberlake of Philadelphia with Gantt Huberman Architects of Charlotte.

UNCC's Center City Building
Address: 320 E. Ninth St.
Size: 12-story, 150,000-sqft
Cost: $50.4-million
Function: home for UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture, MBA and other graduate programs.
Purpose: To better link Charlotte to main UNCC campus, and make the university more accessible to uptown workers.
An uptown twist for UNCC’s image | The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

Electrolux Completes Headquarters Move In Charlotte

Electrolux selected Charlotte, North Carolina as the location of its new North American headquarters back in 2009-December. A global leader in household appliances, it has consolidated a number of its U.S. corporate office operations and support functions. Investing $8.3 million for building changes and equipment property at the former First Charter building at the University Research Park complex located at 10200 David Taylor Drive Charlotte, NC. The 216,000 sqft office facility plans to support the 740 jobs that the company committed to bringing in exchange for economic incentives by state and local governments.

SKYE Building Signs Hyatt Place

Small Brothers of Naples, FL have signed a franchise agreement with Hyatt Hotels Corporation. After entering the building through a two-story lobby on the first floor, hotel guests will check in at a lobby on the 10th floor. The 172-room hotel with panoramic views of uptown will continue up to an open-air rooftop restaurant on the 20th floor. Located at 222 South Caldwell Street Charlotte, NC 28202 and Third Street in "Uptown" Charlotte GPS:35.22258,-80.84097 is ideally suited for convention and business activities.

The lobby's style is elegant modernism with a nod to art deco.
imported marble and granite flooring and wall accents
full valet service for visitors and residents

Home2 Suites Tyvola Glen Circle Groundbreaking

C.N. Hotels of Greensboro has started a new extended stay hotel called Home2 Suites by Hilton.
Located at 6025 Tyvola Glen Circle Charlotte, NC GPS:35.16477,-80.89396
The 89-room is scheduled to open in September 2012.
Features include an indoor saline pool and a meeting room, comfortable, affordable extended-stay accommodations
a distinct style of contemporary, comfortable accommodations with an emphasis on flexibility and easy access to technology.
an integrated guest laundry and fitness room, a patio and grill, outdoor lounge, an exercise trail and a bright, inviting indoor community space.
feature an open lobby area with an approximately 4,200-square-foot community space called the “Oasis.” The Oasis, which includes communal and individual work zones, wireless access, a 52” flat-screen TV and an expansive complimentary continental breakfast service, is designed to encourage a social environment
A fully accessorized kitchen will contain a refrigerator / freezer, dishwasher, place settings for six, microwave oven and coffee maker, and the media/working zone will feature a queen-size sofa/sleeper, 42” flat-screen TV, roll-around ottoman, ambient task lighting and an iHome alarm clock with iPod port and MP3 jack.


C.N. Hotels Greensboro Sunil Patel, executive vice president
Rick Gabriel, Vice President Commercial Relationship Manager, High Point Bank

Duke Energy Center Welcomes Wells Fargo Securities

Wells Fargo Securities, the investment banking and capital markets operations of the San Francisco bank will occupy 14 floors in the building. Originally designed for their predecessor Wachovia Bank before the merger, the firm will still honor half of the original commitments for the 48-story tower. Opened in January 2010, the space was specially designed to house sophisticated trading operations with top-of-the-line generators and ventilation systems needed to protect critical systems.