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City approves 20-story office tower in Midtown

By Joe Bruno, wsoctv.com
By Joe Bruno, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte's skyline will soon get a little wider.

The city council approved plans Monday night for a new 20-story office tower in Midtown just outside of the center of the city; it would be the second tallest building in Charlotte that is not in uptown.

The vote was 10-1.

The tower will also have a 240-room hotel, restaurant space and retail opportunities located at Third and Fourth streets and Baldwin and Queen roads.

The project will sit 500 feet away from the streetcar and council members are excited about having a high-profile site off its path.

“This is the future of our city to create density along transit,” Councilman Larken Egleston, D-District 1, said.

The project will take the place of the Novant Rehab Center and the shopping center that has a busy Papa Johns.

A group that attended the meeting showed its support for the rezoning by wearing green. Many of the supporters have ties to the real estate industry.

Some neighbors said the 3.4-acre project is too big and out of character for the Midtown and Cherry neighborhoods.

The Myers Park Homeowners Association sent an email to residents over the weekend urging them to contact city council representatives.

The email warned an uptown-scaled building is coming too close to the neighborhood.

“I feel it’s bad for the neighborhoods, and it is bad for Charlotte,” HOA president Pamela May said.

She said residents are concerned about its height, density and traffic

“Our neighborhoods are green, vibrant and where families live,” May said. “We don't want downtown to move into them.”

The developer is promising to provide $250,000 to the city for traffic improvements.

A man who works nearby said he is worried about the impact a huge office and hotel will have on the area

“Now you have to knock down the trees, make room for this, stop lights and stuff like that,” resident Dwayne Jones said. “It will make a big difference.”

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