Tagged: Uptown

President George Washington called Charlotte a "Trifling Place." That’s how our first president described the city during a visit in 1791.

But it’s certainly changed since then. Welcome to "A Trifling Place," a podcast dedicated to exploring the ins-and-outs of Charlotte.  

A year-long study of the Uptown loop has been completed and will be presented to City Council Monday night. It's the first step to get funding for improvements to target safety.

Cheryl Myers is the senior vice president for planning and development for Charlotte Center City Partners. In 2011, her group unveiled a set of recommendations to City Council including doing a study of the city's interstate highway system. The city-commissioned Uptown Loop Study is the first comprehensive study of the loop since it was completed in 1981. 

Construction is underway on the Charlotte Knights' stadium uptown.  To make room for that, another building must tumble.  That's the Virginia Paper Company warehouse built in 1937.  We didn't know much about the building, so WFAE decided to check into its history.

The Virginia Paper Company building looks unremarkable.  It's a two-story brick building on West 3rd Street, just north of Bank of America Stadium.  But it offers a window into the city's commerce during the first half of the 20th century. 

The Charlotte Knights broke ground Friday on what will likely be one of the last new minor league baseball stadiums built in the next few decades. The Knights began trying to get an Uptown stadium seven years ago, but were delayed by lawsuits, a recession and the reluctance of local government leaders to spend tax dollars on the project. 

The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County ultimately agreed to contribute $8 million each and free use of the eight-acre site. That's less public support than teams have typically received during a twenty-year boom in stadium construction.