Research Park comments – What needs improving

1.11.2010

One of the features of the WikiPlanning survey site being used to help create the University Research Park master plan is the ability to both leave detailed comments and to read comments left by others.
Here is the second of three questions posed to visitors, and their responses as of Jan. 11.
The comments will continue to grow over the next several weeks. University City Partners encourages you to add your own thoughts when you visit www.wikiplanning.org. (The password is URPP).

QUESTION: What challenges do you think University Research Park (URP) has? How can it be improved?
RESPONSES:
• More pedustrian access. No way to reach URP from University place without walking or biking on Harris or North Tryon, or crossing Tryon in the opposite direction. Section of North Tryon near the Cookout restaurant (crossing the bridge) is narrow and dangerous. Pedustrian unfriendly to people who reside at University Place. Can't safety walk or bike to work.
• Come to some sort of agreement with Mecklenburg parks and recs and get the gravel part of the greenway completed. Squabbling over the value of the land is ridiculous as it basically boarders the creek. Handing over the rights to the land would not take away further development space and would most certainly enhance the appeal of further development.
• People simply do not know about it or take it seriously. We desperately need to convince people to build better amenities up here - for example, there are almost no nice, non-chain restaurants or any other place to go out if you're an adult. Housing values are depressed here in comparison to similar homes elsewhere in Charlotte. We need to get the business park buildings filled up and we need to get better retail shops - again, all we seem to have are the "generic" and mainly chain stores. We need decent public transportation into the URP area, as well as better bicycle access. We need more visibility for UNCC so that people view it as a resource for many things and not just a place to go if you want to take classes.
• More homegrown restaurants and shops and less chain restaurants and big box retailers. It lacks a real identity because of the omnipresence of chains.
• Need more residential (high end) housing in the area so people can work and live in the area. Also, there needs to be more of a relationship with the science incubator at UNCC to attract research development instead of unrelated corporate functions.
• It cannot become overpopulated. Having more residences is a mistake. The area already has a huge traffic problem, which may or may not be alleviated when I-485 is finally finished.
• Ballantyne seems to get more and more higher paying jobs. Why don't we compete directly with them.
• Porrly marketed!
• The facility itself is somewhat remote considering how close it really is to other services people may want. I think the fact it is not densely developed is desirable from the standpoint of entry and exit but also makes it a less desirable place to spend any after work time
• Limited housing options for higher income professionals to populate the area. Competition from Uptown, Southpark and Ballantyne. Quality of schools. Stigma of crime in the area. Disjointed neighborhood groups.
• Roads . . . especially WT Harris Blvd. West (too much housing; therefore, congestion on the roads.
• Too much vacant land and not enough businesses building there.
• Attracting more businesses - and I think that will be imperative as the banking industry seems to be headed elsewhere. University City has the potential to boom w/ the right industries in place in URP.
• Harris Blvd. is a mess through there, and VERY DARK at night. Also, URP is very much tied to our current car-based transportation system, and has only moderate connectivity. I love the idea of building connecting streets on bridges crossing I-85 to both University Place and the new development around Ikea. That could make for a really vibrant, integrated city center that essentially works around the 85-24 interchange.
• The single use nature is the biggest drag on it's potential and of course the name itself does would not accurately describe what it could become; the name would have to change to make it relevant to its mixed use and the name would probably need to be associated with University City in order to make it feel connected.
• Most people pass it by going as fast as they can on I-85 or Harris Blvd. It's virtually invisible.
• The URP needs to define itself in a consistent manner so that it can develop a more targeted reputation. People know where it is, but they don't know what it is all about and the value it brings to University City.
• Better lighting and signage, more restaurants
• The challenges to the URP and the University area generally are better schools and reduced crime.
• Greenway Up Keep. Lack of Wachovia buy in as an employment Center (Wells may fix this). Lack of YMCA, UNCC and Gov Village connection. Employees have very little connect to UCity.
• Challenges include it's lack of the following: obvious connectivity to University City, a defined and welcoming entrance, reasons for surrounding residents to access URP outside of business hours
• Lack of strong central development/marketing arm. Low-density development. Lack of master plan to tie together the individual parcels into a greater whole.
• It's identity and making it an asset to those that live in the area.
• Not familiar enough with intimate park details to know challenges.
• One of the biggest challenges is the lack of cohesiveness. You have to drive to each place you want to go to in order to shop or dine. There isn't a central area you can go to park and shop similar to Birkdale. The driving is terrible in that there are no direct routes between say the library, Kohl's, Home Depot and University Place to have lunch. There are not enough locally owned restaurants and unique salons and shops.
• Hard to find your way around.
• Lack of sidewalks, bike lanes along the beautiful tree lined streets, gravel surface on the greenway and more uses other than offices.


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