The top stories of 2013

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It seems like just weeks ago we were putting out our ’13 to watch in 2013’ series, previewing the area’s development for this outgoing year.

But, alas, 2013 has come and gone, and 2014 is knocking on the door. But before we open that door, let’s take a look back at the themes that dominated our storylines this year.

2013 was a busy year for local government, as the Charlotte City Council dealt with turmoil on the tarmac at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, stymied streetcar funding and contentious rezonings, and tried to figure out what the hell to do with Eastland Mall. Developers and brokers were slammed, as apartments popped up across the city, and vacant office and industrial space was sucked up almost as soon as it became available.

Real estate agents got in on the action as housing sales continued to rebound, although for a very few of them, the action they were involved in wasn’t quite sanctioned.

Projects were started and plans were laid in 2013 that are certain to make 2014 at least as interesting as its predecessor, if not more so. So, sit back, eat your greens and black-eyed peas, and enjoy looking back at the year that was.

Gold Line misses grant, city mulling other options, Payton Guion, Sept. 9

When the list of recipients for federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants was released, the second phase of the City Lynx Gold Line – the streetcar – wasn’t on the list. City officials were anticipating that half of the $126 million for the project would come from federal grants.

Carolyn Flowers, CEO of the Charlotte Area Transit System, said the city in 2014 will continue to apply for TIGER grants and other federal money.

ACTION ITEMS: Monroe clarifies locations for charity collection boxes, Payton Guion, Sept. 5

The Monroe City Council unanimously voted to ban charity collection boxes from anywhere except on property owned by the collecting charity. No longer are nonprofits allowed to put the collection boxes in shopping center parking lots in Monroe.

Pete Hovanec, city spokesman, said the collection boxes had “become a nuisance,” and generated complaints because they accumulated trash and at times were placed in parking spaces.

Charlotte real estate agent surrenders his license, Graziella Steele, Nov. 1

Richard Schwartz, the president of RentPurchase.com and Calloway Homes Inc., voluntarily surrendered his real estate license, according to the N.C. Real Estate Commission.

Complaints brought to the commission alleged that Schwartz’s company RentPurchase.com was taking option fees of up to $7,500 from clients who leased properties with the future right to buy them, but that those properties were owned by his other company, Calloway Homes Inc. in Pineville, and Schwartz knew they were under threat of foreclosure. Complaints also alleged that Schwartz offered credit repair services to clients; in N.C., such services can only be provided by an attorney.

Childress Klein: Construction to start Friday on $85M South Mint Apartments, Payton Guion, Jan. 9

After months of collecting building permits, Childress Klein began construction in early January on its 22-story, 352-unit apartment building in uptown.

J.E. Dunn Construction, the general contractor on the project, said it would take 18 months to finish.

Landmarks Commission delays possible demolition on century-old Dilworth home, Payton Guion, Sept. 10

Lawyer Nelson Casstevens ran his firm for 30 years out of a historic house at 602 E. Morehead St. Looking to sell the property, and finding developers uninterested in the house, Casstevens filed a certificate to demolish the house.

But the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission voted to delay for a year the demolition of the house, known locally as the G.G. Galloway House.

Daniel Levine’s First Ward ‘urban village’ project to kick off in May, Tony Brown, March 28

Prominent Charlotte developer, property owner and visionary Daniel Levine said that his dream project — transforming a largely empty quadrant of uptown Charlotte into an “urban village” — would begin construction by May. Work on the project is now expected to begin in January.

The project would transform nine blocks — or 30 acres, about 23 of which belong to Levine and his family. There would be a new park, 1,500 apartments, 1.5 million square feet of offices, 350 hotel rooms, 350,000 square feet of retail, three parking decks and a new set of streets and sidewalks.

Renovation Report: Unknown Brewing Co., Payton Guion, Sept. 10

Brad Shell, owner of Unknown Brewing Co., in June began renovating an older space at 1327 S. Mint St. to turn it into a brewery. Craft breweries have become a hot business in Charlotte since the passing of a text amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance, also in June.

Collaborating in the cloud: Access to 3-D plans allows easy fix for construction emergencies, Tony Brown, Sept. 9

As any construction-computer geek will tell you, the concept of Building Information Modeling software has been around since the 1970s, and the first versions started appearing in the late 1980s.

But never before in the Charlotte market has it been implemented to the degree is has for the project to build a new emergency department at the Carolinas Medical Center-Morrocroft health care pavilion.

Mexican restaurant signs lease for Harrisburg Town Center, Payton Guion, Feb. 14

La Unica, a Mexican restaurant with two Charlotte-area locations, signed a lease to bring a restaurant to Harrisburg Town Center, a shopping center in Cabarrus County.

Chris Orr, president of Charlotte-based Romans Properties, who represents the building’s owner, inked the deal.

Action Items: Charlotte City Council Aug. 26, Payton Guion, Aug. 28

Eastland Mall – not for this first time during the year – was the highlight of the meeting, with council members unanimously voting to begin a six-month negotiation period with a movie studio developer for the redevelopment of the former mall.

But the council also voted to approve changes to the metropolitan planning organization memorandum of understanding, including the adding new member jurisdictions, and modifying the existing voting and cost-sharing structure.

Three real estate agents lose licenses, Tony Brown, Sept. 16

One Charlotte real estate agent voluntarily gave up his license over the summer and two others had their licenses revoked after the N.C. Real Estate Commission brought disciplinary actions against them.

Michael Donald LaChapelle agreed to surrender his license after the Raleigh-based commission accused him of failing to communicate with two of his landlord clients, both of whom filed complaints against him. The second case brought by the commission, which names Mainstreet Realty LLC, and agents Eric P. Smart and James Robert Glover, accuses them of paying unlicensed employees to perform work that must be done by licensed agents.

One Charlotte Realtor loses license; another surrenders his, Graziella Steele, Sept. 30

Julie Edwards Van Slambrook, the broker-in-charge and co-owner of First Properties of the Carolinas, was stripped of her real estate license in March after it was learned that she misappropriated nearly $100,000 of client funds held in trust.

In a separate incident, Jeffrey Blake Hagerty voluntarily surrendered his license on Sept. 4. Hagerty allegedly solicited buyers through a lease-purchase program and misrepresented the success of the program to buyers. Hagerty surrendered his license for two years.

Riding the Crest: Student housing developer has found a way to grow while keeping costs low, Payton Guion, Nov. 4

Campus Crest in 2004 didn’t own and hadn’t built a single residential bed.

Nine years later, the Charlotte-based student housing developer is approaching 50,000 beds in 87 student-specific apartment communities, spread across 25 states. The company is also working on its first international community, which will be delivered next year in Montreal.

The real story behind Campus Crest’s rapid growth is cost efficiency.

Cornelius board goes back and forth on subdivision, Tony Brown, Oct. 31

The Cornelius Planning Board voted to recommend the Board of Commissioners not approve the Barnhardt subdivision, on Bailey Road, after taking a few votes throughout the confusing meeting.

On the Level: John Jacob Priester II: But you can call him Jay, vice president of doing everything, Tony Brown, Oct. 28

On the Level interviewed Jay, who is 30, in the front seat of his SUV, parked on Rocky Ford Club Road on the construction site of Cambridge’s 21-acre small-retail Huntersville Market project at Eastfield and Prosperity Church roads. We talked with him about his other projects as well.

Licenses of two Charlotte-area real estate agents suspended, one revoked, Graziella Steele, Oct. 22

The Realtors only get more rascally.

Maryrose Hasrouni Masropian has had her provisional real estate license suspended for two years after failing to complete an ethics course as a stay to her suspension, according to the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.

In another action, the commission stayed the suspension of Terri Brock’s real estate license after she completed a course on real estate ethics and two other courses on real estate license law and commission rules. The commission found that she didn’t maintain trust accounts records as required, even though she had just completed the 12-hour broker-in-charge course.  No funds were misappropriated or missing from the trust accounts.

A third action taken by the Real Estate Commission involved Justin Michael Santini, broker at Luxor Properties, a property management company in Charlotte. According to the commission, he allowed the firm to “engage in deficit spending and accumulate a shortage in both the rental and tenant security deposit trust accounts in excess of $75,000.”

Michael Jordan purchases $2.8M Lake Norman house, Abbie Bennett, Feb. 26

The basketball legend and owner of the Charlotte Bobcats bought a home in The Peninsula neighborhood in Cornelius, at 18227 Capstan Greens Road.

At the time of the purchase, the agents involved tried to be hush-hush about the deal. Naturally, everyone got the story.

Renovation Report: Novant Health Matthews Medical Center expansion, Payton Guion, Oct. 28

Novant Health Matthews Medical Center is planning a $20 million, 26,000-square-foot expansion of its women’s center to cope with an expected influx of surgeries and deliveries.

The expansion is expected to start in the fourth quarter 2014 or first quarter 2015. The construction contract has yet to be awarded.

Gov. McCrory signs building code change into law, Payton Guion, June 24

Gov. Pat McCrory signed a bill that put an end to the drastically different building codes across different municipalities that have led to some confusion among builders in the state. It essentially imposes a uniform building code across N.C.

Kite Realty buys Toringdon Market, Payton Guion, Sept. 11

Kite Realty Trust Group, based in Indianapolis, paid $15.9 million for Toringdon Market, a 60,000-square-foot shopping center at the intersection of Interstate 485 and Johnston Road. Earth Fare anchors the center.

Commercial Confidential: Northlake Mall, Payton Guion, Feb. 8

Commercial Confidential profiled Northlake Mall, finding that the recent residential growth around the mall made it more attractive to retailers.

$50M uptown Embassy Suites could go vertical in 2014, Payton Guion, Feb. 19

An Embassy Suites hotel could start rising out of the ground in uptown Charlotte in early 2014, according to a company official for BPR Properties, the developer of the $50 million, 200,000-square-foot project.

Birju Patel, a principal for BPR and Patel Construction, both based in Greensboro, said it would take 18 months for the hotel to be built. Patel Construction will build the hotel.

Sinkholes: Tales from the open road, Tony Brown, May 6

A 130-foot-long sinkhole was eating a chunk of pavement, stormwater system, underground electric lines and retaining wall in the Cornelius mixed-use development of Antiquity, causing huge problems for the project.

One Wells Fargo Center might change hands in April, Abbie Bennett, Feb. 18

The One Wells Fargo Center tower in uptown attracted a new buyer in February, when Starwood Capital Group and Vision Equities began to show interest. The deal did indeed close in April.

Nancy Braun: Real estate shape-shifter and high-tech savant, Tony Brown, July 24

On the Level sat down with Nancy Braun, owner and broker-in-charge of Charlotte-based Showcase Realty, and talked about technology in the field of real estate.