Zada Jane's...A Responsible Alternative to Dining Out

FINALLY…someone decided to bring a healthy food option to the Central Avenue corridor. Don’t get me wrong, I love a greasy Penguin Big Block as much as the next classy gal. But when you eat out as often as we do, chili fries at Thomas Street and squash casserole at Dish take a toll on the ole hourglass. So a hearty ‘THANK YOU’ goes out to Roger Raymer (local T-Street bartender and co-owner of Zada Jane’s) and Bob Whitman (owner of Thomas Street and co-owner of Zada Jane’s), for bringing us a venue that was long overdue.

Zada Jane’s Corner Cafe, named after Roger’s grandmothers, is located—in case you haven’t noticed the bright green building next to the bright yellow building—at the corner of Central and Thomas Avenues. They will have indoor and outdoor seating, with shuffleboards out front. And here’s the best part: it’s no smoking inside. So you can pull up a bar stool or cozy into a bright orange booth and breathe clean air, because the color of the building is no coincidence.

Zada Jane’s is answering the call for an environmentally-responsible approach to healthy, affordable beverages and cuisine. But they don’t stop at the food. Noticing a need for more to-go options in our area, the owners and chefs have planned a to-go menu and 100% biodegradable packaging for those to-go items. They’ll also be cleaning their 2 grills (one for meat and one for veggies) with eco-friendly cleansers. What a team.

As for the menu, the main event is breakfast, which will be served in some capacity all day. And they’ll have a light lunch menu with soups, salads, sandwiches, and such. No dinner just yet, but the plan is to phase in a Wednesday-Saturday dinner after the first phase is up and running. The menu will consist of healthy, meat-friendly and vegetarian options, with as many organic foods as possible. But the owners and chefs aren’t interested in making everything organic and selling it for a mint. The goal is to buy as much locally-grown, free-range, gluten-free, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and worry-free foods as possible, and provide them to us at an affordable price.

So gear-up to get a sneak preview of some of their food at our neighborhood Art Crawl on October 6th. And when they open, which should be by mid- to late-October, you’ll be chomping at the bit to hang out in the bright orange booths, surrounded by green-stained concrete and chicken-yellow walls. Go Zada Jane’s!!

Hours of Operation (at least for now): 6am-4pm
http://www.zadajanes.com/

Coming Soon to Center City's Northern Corridor: North End Square at Greenville

The Drakeford Company and The Providence Group of the Carolinas propose to develop the seven-acre tract located at the intersection of Statesville Ave and Oaklawn Ave into the mixed-use North End Gateway.

The Providence Group will develop the retail and The Drakeford Company (TDC) will develop the residential component.

Construction of the first phase is scheduled to begin in the 1st quarter of 2008. The initial phase of residential and the commercial building are slated for completion by the 4th quarter of 2008.

Residential townhome reservations, requiring a $1,000 refundable deposit, will be taken starting this month. The project will be formally announced in January, and contracts will be accepted at that time. Prices will range from $175K-low/mid-$200s for 1100-1900 square-feet homes.*

*details subject to change

Only One 2-Bedroom Left on the 3rd Floor at Plaza-Vu

Donate your car to charity and walk or bike to everything from these cool, urban flats coming soon near the corner of The Plaza and McClintock. With only 24 units, owners at this residential complex will enjoy an exclusive location tucked between the original brick homes of the neighborhood, and all the activity that the Central and Thomas Ave shops have to offer.

But don't wait too long to come in and see us at the on-site sales center. We're there on Mondays 12-3, Wednesdays 3-5, and Sundays 1-4 (or you can make an appointment). Come in soon to make the last 2-bedroom on the top floor your own. With an already exclusive location, 2-bedroom owners on the 3rd floor will have bragging rights to vaulted 14-16-foot ceilings.

Call us to schedule an appointment to visit the sales center and get the whole story: 704.604.9303

Coming Soon...4 Renovated Condos in Elizabeth

For such a desireable area, there sure aren't a lot of residential options for folks in the $300K and under price range in the Elizabeth neighborhood. This fourplex, built in 1940, is undergoing a major upfit to include refinished original hardwoods throughout each of the four units, maple cabinets, granite countertops, stainless appliances, ceramic tile baths, and tons of storage. Each of these 2-bedroom units have three exterior walls, which means tons of natural light. And the residents will enjoy the charm and quality of old construction, with all the perks of a renovated space.

Scheduled for completion within the next month, all 4 units are priced at $232,500. Contract documents are available now, but the condos have not yet been released to the public. Call Patrick Deely for more info: 704.604.9303 (more photos to come)

Morningside Village Update

Pre-Construction Update

Morningside Village

Demolition of the old Morningside Apartments has begun. Starting with the brick buildings along McClintock, windows and doors are being removed to prepare for large-scale demolition, sheduled to take place over the next month or two.

Once demo is complete, grading for the site will begin. Remediation and naturalization of the stream and walking trail will begin later in the grading stage. Graham Development, Inc. intends to save as many trees as possible during this process.

Central Avenue Goes Green

If you're up on Urban Charlotte's latest new construction projects, or you read Doug Smith's Next Big Thing in The Charlotte Observer, you may have already heard the buzz surrounding the Briar Creek and Central Avenue corridor. In May, Citiline Resortline Development and Construction announced pre-construction sales for their new eco-friendly product to be constructed on the northwest corner of Central and Briar Creek. Shortly after, Tuscan Development unveiled their complimentary plans for a slightly higher price point going in directly across Central from the Citiline build; also an eco-friendly concept.

The Vyne, Citiline Resortline's energy efficient condo complex of 99 units (eventually), will be sold in 2 phases. The first phase of 66 units has already been released, and the Helen Adams Realty sales team is taking contracts for 1- and 2-bedroom units ranging in price from the $120s to the $180s. Like all pre-construction projects, exact build dates are uncertain. But for now, completion dates for Phase 1 are scheduled to begin in October of 2008. Here is a chance to get in at today's price-per-foot and take advantage of at least 17 months of appreciation.

Duo at CBC is appropriately named for its 58 duplex homes, designed to preserve the existing trees and natural appeal of the site. The site consists of 8.5 acres of wooded land within minutes of the center city, in the heart of one of Charlotte's most diverse and happening urban spots. Wedged between Plaza Midwood, Commonwealth-Morningside, and NoDa residents of both duo and the vyne will be the first of many to come to enjoy the luxuries of new construction in an already-discovered urban hub. Brace yourselves, the transformation has begun.