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Nov. 11 headlines: Learn about the new plans for the Common Market/FTF site

By Ely Portillo
Common Market and Food Truck Friday lot, 1515 S. Tryon Street ... Changes are afoot in South End. Properties like Tremont Music Hall, 400 W. Tremont Ave. , closing, after owner sold it to developers, 1616 Camden Road, a new office building still under construction on Camden Road next to Price's Chicken Coop, Common Market and Food Truck Friday lot, 1515 S. Tryon Street, closing next year, for upcoming development coming and HD Supply, 118 Winona Street, which was recently purchased for development. The photos were made on Thursday, September 24, 2015.
Common Market and Food Truck Friday lot, 1515 S. Tryon Street ... Changes are afoot in South End. Properties like Tremont Music Hall, 400 W. Tremont Ave. , closing, after owner sold it to developers, 1616 Camden Road, a new office building still under construction on Camden Road next to Price's Chicken Coop, Common Market and Food Truck Friday lot, 1515 S. Tryon Street, closing next year, for upcoming development coming and HD Supply, 118 Winona Street, which was recently purchased for development. The photos were made on Thursday, September 24, 2015. John D. Simmons jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

The developers planning to build a new office building at the site of the Common Market and Food Truck Friday in South End unveiled new plans Tuesday that will put more retail on the site’s corners, potentially assuaging some critics.

Initial site plans for the 2.3-acre triangular lot at Camden and South Tryon streets drew disapproval from many community members, who said the building would be bland and set the retail back too far from the street with a large pedestrian plaza.

(Just to remind you, here’s an earlier rendering.)

“The feedback we got back is that open space is less important than maintaining a good strong urban edge,” said Turan Duda, an architect designing the project. “I heard words like it looks very suburban and not urban.”

Details of the new site plan:

– Eliminating the pedestrian plaza and putting ground floor retail on all three corners at Tryon, Camden and Park Avenue.

– A “pocket park” on the Camden side, and a seating area for a cafe at Tryon and Camden streets.

– At its tallest, the building would be seven floors of office space over a floor of ground level retail and below-ground parking.

– Building could include up to 25,000 square feet of retail space.

– Getting unique and local businesses will be a priority, according to Tim Hendricks, a Cousins executive. “The likelihood of having a chain there is very, very remote,” he said.

What’s next?

– The rezoning plan for the building is set for a hearing next month before the Charlotte City Council.

– If rezoning is approved, construction could start late next year.

– Also, the new location for Food Truck Friday will be announced by the end of the week and will be within a block of the current site, according to the owner.

In other headlines …

– Here’s what’s open and closed for Veterans Day.

– Joe’s Doughs plans to open its first store in NoDa next April, according to Charlotte Business Journal.

– Kenilworth Avenue near East Boulevard is getting denser with two townhouse developments planned. Details.

– Charlotte Business Journal has an inside look at the Fresh Market opening in Dilworth today.

– Charlotte Nature Museum is planning a $28 million, 5 year expansion.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Nov. 11 headlines: Learn about the new plans for the Common Market/FTF site."

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