East Charlotte is still waiting. Its big project could be the one residents don’t want
East Charlotte residents waited 11 years for their turn at a big economic development project, and now they could be waiting for an option many aren’t keen on.
The message from one vocal east Charlotte group?
“We’re ready to go and ready to wait,” Charlotte EAST chair Greg Asciutto told the Charlotte Observer.
The idea backed by Charlotte EAST — to bring an indoor sports complex to the former home of Eastland Mall — was not the one recommended by city staff in early July. Instead, staff recommended the QC East project, which would include a soccer academy, esports hub and amphitheater.
How did the city decide on that recommendation?
“Independent evaluations’‘ of the proposals by representatives from the city, county and Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority found both plans align with officials’ vision, but the indoor sports complex idea “needs more time ... to remove uncertainties around the team, financial structure, and long-term viability.”
Three other possibilities — a Target, an aquatics center and a publicly owned recreational facility — were previously eliminated from contention. The city finalized its purchase of the property in 2012, and the mall was demolished in 2013.
Asciutto said he’s still confident the sports complex, which his group amassed more than 200 signatures in support of, could come out on top. He’s also confident the team behind the sports complex has adequately addressed the concerns brought up by city staff in front of the council.
When will an Eastland Yards decision come?
The Eastland property will next come before the City Council at an economic development committee meeting on Aug. 7, members Malcolm Graham and Marjorie Molina confirmed.
Graham said committee members will hear from city staff again at that meeting on the two proposals. He’s unsure whether the judgment from staff remains the same.
“We will receive whatever they bring up in front of us,” he said.
When the full council talks about the project again depends on what the economic development committee decides in August, Graham added.
If the committee, which voted in March to give developers 60 days to refine their proposals, were to refer the matter to the full council, it could be discussed as soon as late August. But that’s not guaranteed and leaves open the possibility of the issue stretching further into election season.
“I think we need to bring it to a close and add a level of certainty in terms of what we’re going to do moving forward,” Graham said.
Still, he added, it’s important to thoroughly investigate both options.
“The performance, the financial analysis is extremely important,” he said. “The city has $30 million that it’s going to put towards it. We can’t risk taxpayers’ money by not ensuring that whatever proposal that we choose is financially viable for the long term.”
Marjorie Molina in the spotlight
Molina, whose District 5 includes the Eastland site, said she’s sympathetic to residents who are eager for a decision to be made. For years, the city-owned land has been undeveloped — save for residential construction on part of the property in August.
“I’ve lived it,” she said, noting that her home has been walking distance from the site for 13 years.
Molina said she expects August’s committee discussion to be “very in-depth” and that any timing for a full council decision is still tentative.
Molina is also aware of those in her district still pushing for the indoor sports complex despite the July recommendation, noting that numerical scores staff gave “are not totally different.” The QC East development was given a score of 70 out of 100, while the indoor sports complex got a 59.
“I want to deliver to the people I serve,” she said.
On when a decision gets made, Molina said Eastland is “too important to make political.”
“In a perfect world,” Molina said the issue would have been resolved before election season began. Primaries for municipal elections in Charlotte are in September, with a general election in November.
‘Unbiased diligence’
Councilman Tariq Bokhari came to the defense of city staff at the July council meeting when some members expressed annoyance for receiving a recommendation they weren’t asked to vote on. He said he felt frustrated afterward.
“It’s one thing if you want to take the result that staff has given that you’ve asked them to do and then make a different political decision,” he said of the meeting. “It’s another thing to see the level of hand wringing that was occurring … simply because it wasn’t the answer a couple of them wanted to hear.”
Bokhari originally planned on recusing himself from the vote on Eastland because he is a minority stakeholder in Carolina Esports Hub, which is connected to the QC East bid. But, according to a June 5 memo from City Attorney Patrick Baker, he’s not a stakeholder in this specific development. That means he will vote on the matter, the Observer reported previously.
“I think it’s just really important that we get it right,” he said of the council’s decision. “... I think given the track record of how much headwind we’ve experienced with this particular site, it’s really important that we listen to the unbiased diligence and opinions of experts … And then if a political decision needs to be made after that, so be it.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2023 at 5:00 PM.
