As a follow up to last week’s post on public art and a 2014 post on the rail trail, I’m delighted to post about the the first rail trail installation being unveiled!
As I posted back in 2014, Charlotte’s Rail Trail will connect neighborhoods from Sedgefield, Southside Park, Brookhill, Dilworth, Wilmore, SouthEnd and Uptown. The first major rail trail project is at the Duke Energy substation next to the Bland Street light rail station, behind the Charlotte Trolley Powerhouse Museum.
Similar to the lights on the Duke Energy Building, the installation is made up of LED floodlights – 12, to be exact – that can display 16,000 colors and feature 13 programmable scenes. As of now, the lights will provide a subtle glow from 5:30am until sunrise every day, from dusk until midnight Sundays through Thursdays, and from dusk until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. The colors and programmable scenes can be changed based on events going on in the area. (Can we say Panthers appearance in the “Big Game”???) But there’s also a safety element to the fixture – this area along the light rail was typically dark after sunset; the LED lights change all that.
The plans for this “linear park,” as the folks at Center City Partners call it, are pretty ambitious. They begin with a “Terminus Park” at the bottom end of the trail, by New Bern Station. Features like a skate park by the Publix and Sycamore Brewing, an outdoor seating area and plaza by Price’s Chicken Coop, and more up to First Ward Park are also in the works. Food and drink vendors are expected to become part of the plan in the future as well. And according to an article on CharlotteAgenda.com, Center City Partners expects to unveil one or two more rail trail developments in 2016. I truly can’t wait to see all of this come to fruition!
The rail trail is going to be a true highlight of Charlotte. Get your spot near it now! Let’s explore the neighborhoods that will benefit from these new features together and find you your dream home!
Image: CharlotteAgenda.com
