3 ambitious plans to transform Second Ward. Which do you like best?

Second Ward was once home to Brooklyn Village, an African-American neighborhood that was razed in the 1960s because of “urban renewal.”

The area now houses government buildings, the closed Board of Education offices, Bob Walton Plaza and the rarely-used Marshall Park.

So what should be done to the 17-acre publicly-owned property the county wants to redevelop? Mecklenburg County commissioners will consider proposals from three developers during a special meeting May 19, the Observer’s Ely Portillo reported.

“The plans from three Charlotte-based developers differ in their details and specificity, but they point to a common vision: Changing Second Ward from a government-dominated quarter of uptown that’s largely quiet after business hours into a vibrant, densely built community with a mix of uses and income levels,” Portillo wrote.

The developments cover two chunks of land:

– One is bounded by First Baptist Church, South McDowell Street, East 3rd Street, and East Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

– The other is bounded by East Stonewall Street, South McDowell Street, South Alexander Street, and I-277.

Here’s a look at the three developers’ plans:

(1) Conformity Corp.

– 1,243 residential units

– 280 hotel rooms in two hotels by Intercontinental Group

– 680,700 square feet of office space

– 252,100 square feet of retail space.

(See Conformity’s full presentation here.)

(2) CitiSculpt

– They actually have two plans – one more dense, one less – that call for up to 1,378 residential units along with hotels, retail space and offices.

(See CitiSculpt’s full presentation here.)

(3) Crescent Communities

A mixed-use district with:

– 650 market-rate apartments

– 200,000 square feet of office space

– 160 affordable rental units

– 65 mixed-income, for-sale townhouses along Stonewall Street, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Third Street.

(See Crescent’s full presentation here.)

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To learn more about Brooklyn Village, the area and the redevelopment, we highly recommend you check out Ely Portillo’s article.

Photos: Diedra Laird/Charlotte Observer; Stantec; Gensler; Torti Gallas and Partners

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 10:03 PM with the headline "3 ambitious plans to transform Second Ward. Which do you like best?."