Ballantyne is nation's No. 2 'moved-into' ZIP code

You know how when you move into a new house you suddenly get inundated with direct mail packets with flyers from local businesses offering you coupons? One of the companies behind such packets, Welcomemat Services, has crunched its data on who's moving where and found that the 28277 ZIP code in Ballantyne ranked as the second most moved-into ZIP code in the country from May 4 to May 31.

The Houston suburb of Katy, Texas, was first with 596 move-ins during that time. Ballantyne's 28277 was second with 594. Charlotte's University area's 28269 had 511, ranking 6th. Huntersville's 28078 ZIP had 445 move-ins, ranking it 20th on the list. Cary's 27519 had 419, ranking it 36th. The data comes from change of addresses reported inbound to the ZIP codes, according to a spokesperson for Welcomemat.

Here's the full Top 5 cities, ZIP codes and number of move-ins:

1. Katy, TX                77494    596
2. Charlotte, NC         28277    594
3. Chicago, IL             60657    576
4. Virginia Beach, VA 23462    560
5. McKinney, TX        75070   530
6. Charlotte, NC         28269   511

Charlotte ranked 10th most dangerous city for pedestrians

A recently released study ranks Charlotte as the tenth most dangerous city for pedestrians. The report, "Dangerous by Design 2014," ranked cities according to how likely a pedestrian is to get hit by a vehicle. Compiled by Smart Growth America, a national nonprofit dedicated to fighting suburban sprawl, the report studied city-by-city deaths and numbers of pedestrian commuters to come up with an overall "pedestrian danger index."

The report ranked Charlotte just below the Phoenix area and just above Detroit. The Raleigh area ranked 16th of the 51 cities studied. The study said Charlotte had 254 pedestrian deaths from 2003-2012. About 14 percent of traffic deaths during that time involved pedestrians. From 2008-2012, the Queen City had an annual pedestrian death rate of 1.65 per 100,000 people.

Shannon Binns, head of Sustain Charlotte, a local nonprofit fighting suburban sprawl, said the report shows the city has much work to do to make pedestrians safer. He also pointed to the Observer's story over the weekend on pedestrian safety questions in rapidly developing South End.

The Smart Growth America report "highlights the serious danger to Charlotteans of poor street design and lack of infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists," Binns said. "It should serve as a wake-up call for accelerating what the city is already doing to improve the safety of our streets for all who use them, not just those who drive."

Another study, released late last year, showed Charlotte ranked dead last among big cities for walkability. The Walk Score ranking system, which studies nearly 3,000 cities in the U.S., Canada and Australia, found that out of the 74 U.S. cities with populations of 250,000 or more, Charlotte ranked 74th.

Read more here: http://obsdailyviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-nations-worst-big-city-for-walking.html#storylink=cpy

Ally Center tower uptown listed for sale

Two uptown office towers have been listed for sale by their owners.

The 15-story Ally Center has been listed for sale with real estate sales firm Eastdil Secured by Trinity Capital Advisors, which developed the office tower about six years ago. Walker Collier, a partner, said the firm typically invests in buildings with the aim of stabilizing, leasing up and reselling them in three to five years. The 15-story Ally Center, on South Church Street, is about 96 percent leased, he said. Major tenants include the HDR engineering firm and JELD-WEN Windows.

"We've achieved the objective here in that we've leased up and stabilized the asset. Now it's time to sell it," he said. "There's a lot of capital out there looking for real estate investments like this."

Also listed for sale: the 30-story Fifth Third Center on North Tryon Street. Parmenter Realty Partners, controlling partner of the ownership group, listed it for sale with CBRE. Parmenter managing principal John Davidson said the firm doesn't buy properties to hold long-term. It has owned the tower about two years, he said, and has improved the property by upgrading the lobby and restructuring a lease with law firm McGuireWoods. "We buy assets to built value," he said. "The environment is favorable for selling it."

More jobs headed to Charlotte as Korean firm sets up shop

A South Korean tool manufacturing firm announced Thursday that it will set up shop in Charlotte, hiring about 53 people at an average salary of $63,111.

YG-1 USA, which the Charlotte Chamber said ranks among the top five cutting tool manufacturers in the world, will invest $13.8 million in the project. The new facility at 11001 Park Charlotte Boulevard in southwest Charlotte will build high-performance cutting tools for the aerospace, medical and power generation industries. It will also serve as a hub for the company's research, development and engineering of cutting tool technology.

"We chose Charlotte because of its optimistic growth and bright future business outlook both domestically and internationally," said H.K. Song, chairman and president of YG-1 Korea.

Chamber President Bob Morgan said the company's move to Charlotte further burnishes the area's growing international advanced manufacturing presence. YG-1's parent company, based in Seoul, employs more than 5,000 workers around the globe, the chamber said.

What's the No. 1 day for pedestrian traffic at Trade and Tryon?

As this new graphic below from Charlotte Center City Partners shows, last year it was the Friday of the Food Lion Speed Street festival along Tryon Street. More than 91,000 people walked across Trade and Tryon streets that day, far above the 2013 daily average of 22,300 walkers. The uptown festival kicks off each year in conjunction with the weekend's Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race. (This year, it's the Coca-Cola Speed Street). Other interesting findings in the graphic: Fridays are generally the Square's most heavily walked days, and lunchtime, not surprisingly, is when traffic spikes each day.

New office, retail complex planned along South Boulevard

When you think about the development boom in the South End these days, the first thing you typically think of are the apartment complexes sprouting like mushrooms along the South Boulevard corridor. But commercial real estate firm CBRE and development firm Pappas Properties are hoping to add a substantial new office park to the mix. CBRE has just begun marketing a new mixed-use development planned for South Boulevard, near the Scaleybark light rail stop, according to Anne Vulcano, a senior vice president at the firm.

Billed in marketing materials as "Charlotte's next great TOD (transit-oriented development)," it would bring more than 487,000 square feet of office space spread across three six-story buildings located at South Boulevard, near Scaleybark Road. It would also include an unspecified amount of retail. CBRE is marketing the office space, while Pappas is handling the retail. "This is a fantastic location for the new 'urban' office tenant," Vulcano told me in an email. "Hop the light rail to amenities and the CBD (central business district). Drive to SouthPark if that is your flavor. The best of both worlds."

New restaurant, street-level retail coming to the Square?

A redesign is in the works for the base of  the  Bank of America Plaza tower, which sits at Trade and Tryon streets. Charlotte architectural firm Redline Design Group is seeking city approval for a redesign of the 40-story tower's base to bring in a restaurant and retail tenants. According to city records, the scope of work includes a possible new facade to the building's base, a new lobby, as well as new restaurant and retail entries and seating areas.

Photo courtesy of Trinity Partners

It also involves a redesign of the plaza, which includes city-owned property and the large, coin-shaped bronze sculpture "II Grande Disco" by Arnaldo Pomodoro. The existing fountain in the plaza could be converted to restaurant space. A project description on file with the city also suggests questions about cafe/sidewalk seating and valet parking will need to be addressed by the city's transportation department.

The tower, built in 1974 and renovated in 1992, already offers access to the Overstreet Mall and 20 on-site shops and restaurants. Charlotte Center City Partners and other groups have been calling in recent years for more street-level retail and restaurants in uptown Charlotte.