Charlotte nonprofit buys West End property for $1.25M as part of larger development plan
Historic West End Partners has acquired its second west Charlotte property in less than a year.
The grassroots group closed Wednesday on the former Church’s Chicken chain restaurant property at 1735 W. Trade St. for $1.25 million, Mecklenburg County property records show. The 0.6-acre site is near Johnson C. Smith University and Five Points Plaza.
The property last sold for $611,000 to Wonder Bear Investments, LLC based in California, records show.
The purchase is part of Historic West End Partners’ ongoing effort to fill service and amenities gaps in the West End corridor. The community is one of Charlotte’s oldest Black neighborhoods.
Last May, Historic West End Partners and Local Initiatives Support Corp purchased the Beatties Ford shopping center at 1121 Beatties Ford Road for $1.3 million, The Charlotte Observer reported. Called Thrive Food Hub, the site includes a renovated commercial kitchen space, and open space for meetings and dining.
The restaurant building will be demolished to make way for a co-op complex, the group’s founder and executive director J’Tanya Adams told QCity Metro, which first reported the sale.
“This will be part of the community’s amenities,” Adams told The Charlotte Observer on Friday. The project is expected to break ground next year and be completed in 2027.
About Historic West End Partners’ plans
Historic West End Partners was founded in 2010 to advocate for cultural preservation and economic development in the Historic West End.
The group’s development plans include a 15,000-square-foot co-op grocery store and 290 apartments, QCity Metro reported.
The lack of traditional grocery stores is an ongoing problem on the west side of Charlotte, an issue that disproportionately affects people of color, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
It’s been several decades since the Historic West End had access to a traditional grocer, Adams told the Observer. The co-op grocer is in partnership with Weaver Street Market, which has four stores in the Raleigh region.
Input from community workshops helps shape the project according to residents’ desires.
The plan also addresses other community needs including providing living wage jobs with benefits, affordable housing to retain talent such as teachers, and community gathering and business spaces.
“This is community-owned,” Adams said.
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 10:55 AM.