The colorful Fat City Deli building, one of
the most recognizable in NoDa northeast of uptown, will participate
in the trendy arts district's next wave of redevelopment.
Crosland is teaming with the restaurant's
owner, K.C. Terry, on a project that will preserve the facade and
incorporate it into to a new building to include residential lofts
atop shop, gallery and restaurant space.
Eric Vargosko, who is heading the project for
Crosland, said the deli plans to be a tenant, occupying about a
third of the 10,000 square feet on the ground level.
Preliminary plans, prepared by Urbana Urban
Design & Architecture, call for 15 to 20 lofts, a rooftop
terrace and, of course, outdoor seating to replace the tent-covered
tables adjoining the deli at 3127 N. Davidson St.
Terry opened Fat City Deli in 1995 just as
revitalization was taking off in NoDa.
A natural gathering place for body-pierced
musicians and artists from the neighborhood, the restaurant's
clientele grew over time to include business people in dress shirts
and suits.
Vargosko said the developers want to preserve
the pioneering restaurant's character -- including the bright yellow
building walls -- when redevelopment starts.
That probably won't happen before late next
year, he said, because Crosland wants to make sure sales are well
under way at Lofts 34, its latest NoDa project.
Lofts 34's three-story residential-retail
building will displace a house formerly occupied by Kelly's Cafe at
North Davidson and East 34th streets.
Three weeks ago, Crosland formally celebrated
completion of first NoDa project -- The Nevitt Building, a
14,000-square-foot residential-commercial complex at 3205 N.
Davidson St.
The initial wave of redevelopment began in
NoDa in the 1970s and 1980s as dancers, actors and artists reclaimed
old mill houses and fueled interest in eclectic galleries, shops and
restaurants.
The neighborhood's growing popularity
attracted more entrepreneurs, housing renovators and finally
condominium and apartment developers.
Doug Levin of Gateway Homes said his company
sold out The Colony Lofts, a project of 25 townhomes and nine lofts,
in 60 days about two years ago.
Prices started at about $90,000 for units in
the project on North Davidson, and today, Levin said, "prices
have gone up 20 percent since I sold them ... there are a lot of
people who want to move in and not renovate houses."
He's preparing to start another development
next to The Colony Lofts that will include up to 200 townhomes
combined with commercial space on about 14 acres .
Levin, president of the NoDa Business
Association, said his organization is gearing up to launch a major
marketing campaign for the neighborhood early next year.
NoDa is an abbreviation for the North Davidson
Arts District.
Levin said the business association is
dropping the full name and going with the abbreviation to eliminate
confusion. Many people associate the word Davidson with the north
Mecklenburg town, he said.
Among other NoDa projects, Winter Properties
is converting 99-year-old Highland Park Mill No. 3 to apartments on
North Davidson at East 33rd St.
Earlier this year, tenants moved into NoDa
Lofts at 3120 N. Davidson St., which features nine lofts and shops
in a 95-year-old building combined with a new one. Urbana, which has
offices there, designed the project.
The Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant --
capable of seating up to 300 people -- opened about 10 days ago in a
two-story house at Davidson and East 36th after a two-year closely
watched renovation also designed by Urbana.
Vargosko said Crosland, the first large
Charlotte real estate development firm to stake a claim in NoDa, has
sold nine of the 10 lofts in the Nevitt Building, plus five
street-level retail spaces.
Encouraged by that success, he said, the
company plans to start Lofts 34 early next year and complete work by
fall.
The 17,000-square-foot building, designed by
MWT Architecture to mimic NoDa's early 1900s commercial structures,
will include 13 residential lofts expected to sell in the
$120,000-to-$130,000 range, Vargosko said.
The ground level will have about 5,000 square
feet of retail space selling for roughly $160 a square foot, he
said.
The pending redevelopment of Fat City Deli's
building and the construction of hundreds more living units likely
will attract more people to NoDa.
The biggest people-friendly decision could
come in January.
Levin of the business association said the
City Council will consider a proposal to ban heavy trucks -- other
than those with facilities already there -- from using North
Davidson Street.
"That's one of the final issues to be
resolved -- removing that truck traffic," Vargosko said.
Imagine dining outdoors on North Davidson and
not having to yell over the roar of trucks to carry on a
conversation.
Won't seem like NoDa, will it?
Doug Smith
