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Mayor Amy made some big announcements during her State of the City address. Among them include a massive investment in the Municipal Auditorium, and new Fire/EMS HQ and Public Safety buildings. The Capitol Sports Complex was also mentioned as a big ticket item for this year!
There's an updated video on WOWK that gives more details about these projects that I couldn't add. In the video, Mayor Goodwin says that they're bringing in an architecture/engineering firm to evaluate what needs to take place to modernize and reinforce the structure. Also, the new Fire/EMS and Police facilities will be separate buildings. originally they wanted to combine them, but have since decided to separate the two departments.
The new office building being constructed at the CASCI site will be a new HQ for TC Energy. They will be moving all of their employees who currently work in Kanawha City to a new building that’s scheduled to be completed in 2026.
condos, condos, condos........If anyone could ever convince United Bank to build a new tower downtown and put more of their corporate workforce there, that would be a huge boon to the city. Work with the hotel people to tie it all together as a cohesive development. United could turn the top 10-12 floors of their old tower into condos which would sell in a heartbeat (like the Commerce Bank Building). Anybody have that developers number on speed dial? He'd probably jump at the chance to redevelop another tower to high end condos/ apartments. People all over the country are moving into the downtown areas. Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chattanooga, Ashville, Roanoke. Heck United could sell the bottom few floors to another bank like City National and get ANOTHER bank and its workforce of hundreds to move into downtown similar to how Wesbanco took the ground floor levels of the Commerce Bank conversion. It's turn key......from lobby to vaults to offices. This could be a huge snowball effect for the good unless someone screws it up ie......the hotel is a Comfort Inn or some other mess.
So to recap
1. New United Bank National HQ 25-30 stories with an expanded Charleston workforce.
2. New upscale convention center Hotel connected to repurposed mall and aquatic center.
3. Conversion of current 14 story United bank into high end condos and repurposed first floor use. Hint hint City National Bank.
4. fabulous conversion of the Muni to a world class performance Hall/ meeting space
The issue with United is they now have a dual headquarters here in the Northern Virginia/ DC area. Their main acquisitions as of late have all been DC area based banks- it doesn't seem like they are expanding much in West Virginia.
I firmly believe though that there could be additional demand for downtown living in Charleston.
condos, condos, condos........If anyone could ever convince United Bank to build a new tower downtown and put more of their corporate workforce there, that would be a huge boon to the city. Work with the hotel people to tie it all together as a cohesive development. United could turn the top 10-12 floors of their old tower into condos which would sell in a heartbeat (like the Commerce Bank Building). Anybody have that developers number on speed dial? He'd probably jump at the chance to redevelop another tower to high end condos/ apartments. People all over the country are moving into the downtown areas. Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chattanooga, Ashville, Roanoke. Heck United could sell the bottom few floors to another bank like City National and get ANOTHER bank and its workforce of hundreds to move into downtown similar to how Wesbanco took the ground floor levels of the Commerce Bank conversion. It's turn key......from lobby to vaults to offices. This could be a huge snowball effect for the good unless someone screws it up ie......the hotel is a Comfort Inn or some other mess.
So to recap
1. New United Bank National HQ 25-30 stories with an expanded Charleston workforce.
2. New upscale convention center Hotel connected to repurposed mall and aquatic center.
3. Conversion of current 14 story United bank into high end condos and repurposed first floor use. Hint hint City National Bank.
4. fabulous conversion of the Muni to a world class performance Hall/ meeting space
While I would absolutely love to see United do big things in Charleston, I have to agree with NOVAmtneer82. They seem to be moving east into DC and Virginia. They are expanding rapidly out there, and have invested almost nothing in WV in recent years. Their banks in the Kanawha Valley are all outdated and they don't seem to have any interest in investing in Charleston.
I think it would be more likely to se City National take a step up and build something. Granted, it wouldn't be a 20 story building. I think the days of Charleston getting new 10 plus story buildings are behind them. The economy is not there to support it.
Now, if you could get a cohesive plan between all the players in the area (CTC, Sports Complex, Civic Center, new hotel, Municipal) and factor in the empty or underutilized properties, then that would be a better strategic move. There's so much potential there for redevelopment. Mixed use is certainly the way to go!
As much as I would love to see something significant built in Charleston to pierce the stagnant skyline chances are pretty slim.
The hotel at the mall does offer an opportunity if it were constructed in a way to allow a parking garage on the bottom, a level of guest rooms, levels of offices and levels of condos you could end up with something 30 stories or so.
But to echo above I would be shocked if a hotel is built there. And if it is then from drawings and speculation it will be something very underwhelming if it does happen.
WV sadly is amongst now just a handful of states where there is no office building over 100 meters. Not even the capitol is that high.
While I would absolutely love to see United do big things in Charleston, I have to agree with NOVAmtneer82. They seem to be moving east into DC and Virginia. They are expanding rapidly out there, and have invested almost nothing in WV in recent years. Their banks in the Kanawha Valley are all outdated and they don't seem to have any interest in investing in Charleston.
I think it would be more likely to se City National take a step up and build something. Granted, it wouldn't be a 20 story building. I think the days of Charleston getting new 10 plus story buildings are behind them. The economy is not there to support it.
Now, if you could get a cohesive plan between all the players in the area (CTC, Sports Complex, Civic Center, new hotel, Municipal) and factor in the empty or underutilized properties, then that would be a better strategic move. There's so much potential there for redevelopment. Mixed use is certainly the way to go!
Maybe not office towers, but I could see a new residential tower in the CTC/Sports Complex/coliseum and convention center area. I think the demand is growing for downtown residential opportunities. It could be on one of those underutilized lots and have apartments, parking underneath, and mixed use at the bottom like the 900 on Lee/Wesbanco building.
As much as I would love to see something significant built in Charleston to pierce the stagnant skyline chances are pretty slim.
The hotel at the mall does offer an opportunity if it were constructed in a way to allow a parking garage on the bottom, a level of guest rooms, levels of offices and levels of condos you could end up with something 30 stories or so.
But to echo above I would be shocked if a hotel is built there. And if it is then from drawings and speculation it will be something very underwhelming if it does happen.
WV sadly is amongst now just a handful of states where there is no office building over 100 meters. Not even the capitol is that high.
I really, really hope this becomes the case. I’d be fine if it was only 10-15 stories, including the commercial space and garage. That space is far too prime for it to become a a standard hotel pushed all the way to the back with an unnecessarily large flat parking lot in front, like the Courtyard. Maximize the space and create a mixed-use environment where people can hangout before or after coliseum and convention center events. Right now, that whole area is dead when you leave a concert at 10-11 at night. Many people still want to walk around, grab a drink or late-night bite to eat before heading home or back to their hotel. That end of the city has a lot of potential to take off if these things are thought through.
Charleston definitely has a rare opportunity to do something spectacular but if past performance predicts future results it will turn out disappointing.It will be interesting to see who wins the bid for the parking garages coming up soon.
Maybe not office towers, but I could see a new residential tower in the CTC/Sports Complex/coliseum and convention center area. I think the demand is growing for downtown residential opportunities. It could be on one of those underutilized lots and have apartments, parking underneath, and mixed use at the bottom like the 900 on Lee/Wesbanco building.
I have a hard time seeing a new residential "tower" given the population trajectory. However, I could definitely see more 4-6 floor condo/loft/apartments downtown. 900 on Lee is great, but the developer had the benefit of not having to build something from the ground up.
Quote:
I really, really hope this becomes the case. I’d be fine if it was only 10-15 stories, including the commercial space and garage. That space is far too prime for it to become a a standard hotel pushed all the way to the back with an unnecessarily large flat parking lot in front, like the Courtyard. Maximize the space and create a mixed-use environment where people can hangout before or after coliseum and convention center events. Right now, that whole area is dead when you leave a concert at 10-11 at night. Many people still want to walk around, grab a drink or late-night bite to eat before heading home or back to their hotel. That end of the city has a lot of potential to take off if these things are thought through.
The Town Center could help create this atmosphere, but not how it currently is. Having establishments that are open later, entertainment venues, etc... The hotel could help be a key piece in that!
Also, I like the idea of an open air hang out spot where the Fifth Quarter used to be. Something like a smaller Power and Light District in KC. https://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/
If Mayor Amy wants to get serious about attracting big events, then more work needs to be done. The Coliseum is extremely outdated!!! Maybe a better solution to the woes of the Municipal Auditorium is to build a new and bigger Arena. Replacing both the Municipal Auditorium and the Coliseum at the same time. Two birds one stone. A 20k seat arena would draw in much bigger concerts, events, tournaments, etc...
Mix that with...
A revamped CTC
New hotel
Mixed Use area
New offices (like TC Energy)
Sports Complex
Really, this is just a no brainer!
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