Consultants tour North Tryon district to focus on redevelopment

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The process of creating a plan focused on the redevelopment of uptown's North Tryon Street area began Monday. The hope is to bring new life into the area.
 
About a dozen design consultants, architects and planners toured the district. Some -- including Daniel Iacafano -- came from as far away as California.
 
His urban design firm, M.I.G., has been involved in the redevelopment of other major cities, including Denver, Dallas and Los Angeles, and he hopes to do the same for Charlotte.
 
"Young people are drawn here because of the action, the activity, potential jobs that are here now and will likely be in the future," he said.
 
Uptown's North Tryon area is already home to 10,000 residents and 30,000 employees, and contains several of Charlotte's most valuable cultural and arts organizations.
 
Nineteen companies and organizations have teamed up to pay for a $400,000 study on how to revive the area.  Discovery Place is one of them.
 
"We want to be a player. And I think all of us have been great institutions and great community citizens for decades, and now it's time to say what more do we need to be in the future," Discovery Place President Catherine Horne said.
 
The study is expected to be finished by next summer and will look at ways to recruit more shops, restaurants and real estate investments.
 
"This is a part of our city that has so much potential," Center City Partners CEO Michael Smith said. "This is the beginning of a journey to create a new, exciting vision for North Tryon Street." 
 
Center City Partners and the Foundation for the Carolinas are leading the 19 local groups involved in the study.
 
The North Tryon vision planning process will also include community engagement.

Those interested in participating in the process and staying up to date can sign up for updates here.

WSOC