Charlotte’s North Tryon Street visioning process begins, University joins community partners to boost Uptown district

The process to create a vision plan focused on the redevelopment of the North Tryon Street area in Uptown Charlotte will begin this week. Charlotte Center City Partners and the Foundation for the Carolinas, leading organizers for the North Tryon Vision Plan, worked with the City of Charlotte Planning Department and a steering committee to choose a consultant to lead the process, which will be MIG Inc.

The primary goal of the vision plan is to re-energize the North Tryon area of Uptown, capitalizing on existing amenities and organizations to leverage an innovative, proactive and coordinated development strategy, according to the organizing entities. The plan will address the area’s urban design and infrastructure needs and formulate ideas and strategies to create a shared vision that will catalyze development and bring new life to the area.

UNC Charlotte Center City is one of the newer assets to this area. The 11-story building is home to the University’s MBA programs offered by the Belk College of Business, urban education and design programs, the Office of Extended Academic Programs, the Projective Eye Gallery and retail and meeting space.

Additionally, UNC Charlotte Center City overlooks an area slated to become a 3.5-acre urban park. It will be anchored at Ninth and Brevard Streets by UNC Charlotte and on the south by Imaginon on Seventh Street. Park development is scheduled to begin in September with a fall 2015 completion. The park is expected to provide additional cultural opportunities for arts, exhibitions and performances by UNC Charlotte artists, musicians and community partners

“North Tryon Street is such a vital part of our Uptown,” said Michael Smith, president and CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners. “This area is home to more than 10,000 residents and 30,000 employees, and several of our most valuable cultural and arts organizations are located here. This plan will help us unlock the potential that is already here and focus our efforts on a shared vision with dedicated partners.”

Nineteen organizations from the public, private, education and nonprofit sectors have signed on as investors for the plan. Each organization has a vested interest in seeing renewed energy and excitement in the North Tryon street corridor. UNC Charlotte Foundation is helping fund the vision plan; state funds are not included in the foundation’s investment.

“MIG has successfully led major planning efforts for cities and cultural districts throughout North America,” said Michael Marsicano, President and CEO of Foundation For The Carolinas. “We have great confidence in the firm’s ability to work with our citizens in crafting a rich vision for North Tryon, and to foster partnerships with civic institutions, businesses and other stakeholders.”

The North Tryon Vision planning process will include community engagement. Those who are interested in participating in the process and staying up-to-date are encouraged to visit the North Tryon Vision Plan website and sign up for updates. The plan is scheduled to be completed in May 2015.

MIG Inc. is the lead planning and design consultant, along with award-winning international architecture, landscape architecture and interior design firm Snøhetta.