Plaza-Midwood neighbors embrace condo plan
"Republished with permission from The Charlotte Observer.  
Copyright owned by The Charlotte Observer."

By DOUG SMITH

The mere mention of launching a high-density housing project in one of Charlotte's older neighborhoods is almost certain to trigger a petition drive to halt it.

But not in Plaza-Midwood.

Residents of the turn-of-the century streetcar neighborhood are embracing Neighboring Concepts' plans for 46townhouse-style condominiums near Central Avenue and The Plaza.

"We see this particular development as the linchpin to the whole area," said Thomas Blue, president of the Plaza-Midwood Neighborhood Association. "If it succeeds - and we believe it will - we could see a lot of other developments in short order."

The condos have residents' support, he said, because they're planned for a transitional area that neighborhood leaders would like to see improved.

Twelve units will be constructed initially on a 0.7-acre site on Firth Court at Hamorton Place, about four blocks east of The Plaza. Much of the housing in the immediate area is rental.

If the project had been planned in the single-family heart of the neighborhood, which lies primarily north of Central Avenue, the association certainly would have been more concerned about its potential impact on traffic and property values.

Houses in Plaza-Midwood range from working-class bungalows to sizeable estates near Charlotte Country Club on Mecklenburg Avenue. The bungalow design, which most people identify with the neighborhood, reflects Plaza-Midwood as it developed from the mid-1920s though World WarII.

Neighboring Concepts' petition to rezone the property for condos initially triggered a protest petition, but it was withdrawn, Blue said, after members of the association explained the potential advantages of the project to protesting property owners.

The dynamics are different in every neighborhood where "infill" housing has been proposed on vacant or underdeveloped land. But in some - Plaza-Midwood is a prime example - the higher density tradeoff is worth it.

The first units built in this project, dubbed Hamorton Place, will displace a small rental house and two duplexes. The condos will range from 1,081 to 1,105 square feet and feature an updated Craftsman architectural design reminiscent of the neighborhood's bungalows. Prices start at $149,900.

Six units will have front porches, and the others will have rear decks. All will have two stories over a "flexible" garage that can be finished as storage space, a recreation/media room or a guest suite with a private bath. Private staircases inside garages lead into living rooms.

Upstairs, the condos will feature two bedroom-bath suites. Kitchens will have freestanding islands with granite countertops.

Michael O'Brien, a partner in Neighboring Concepts, a Charlotte architectural and planning firm, believes the condos will appeal to people who want to avoid long commutes from the suburbs and live in "a really cool neighborhood" that includes eclectic shopping, dining and nightlife clustered around the Plaza-Midwood intersection.

In recent years, the old Cole Manufacturing Co. complex and Central Square Shopping Center on Central Avenue near The Plaza also have been renovated for studio offices and shops.

After the first homes open at Hamorton Place, probably next year, work will start on 34 more units on nearly 1.5acres at Firth and Hamorton.

"A block or so closer to The Plaza, people have bought houses, brought in their families and really fixed them up," O'Brien said. "What we're doing is filling in a gap in the neighborhood texture."

Neighboring Concepts, which has spearheaded new development in Third Ward and Wesley Heights, expects the project will cost about $5million when all the units are completed.

The new homes division of First Charlotte Properties is handling sales for the project. 

By DOUG SMITH