Eastland rezoning continues amid COVID-19, but critics say process lacks transparency
Even as coronavirus has shut down much of public life, the city is moving forward to rezone the largest project in east Charlotte in recent history. But some residents and affordable housing advocates say the move lacks transparency for a deal involving millions of taxpayer dollars.
In the eight years since Charlotte purchased the shuttered Eastland Mall site, officials have pledged to revitalize the area and build a hub of homes, shops, restaurants and entertainment.
After other plans fell through, the city selected Crosland Southeast in 2018 as the master developer for the now-vacant land. In December, Panthers owner David Tepper announced he would build a facility for the city’s new Major League Soccer team on the site, lured by the city’s commitment of $110 million for the franchise.
But the city has been mum on details about what that facility and surrounding development will look like, even as it moves forward with rezoning the nearly 70-acre site.
City leaders are hosting a virtual question and answer session Wednesday amid the outbreak of COVID-19, in lieu of an in-person community meeting for the rezoning petition.
That process has sparked fresh criticism from advocates worried about the multi-million dollar development’s potential to gentrify a multicultural part of Charlotte. They also say the rezoning process has lacked transparency or meaningful engagement with the surrounding community.
In a presentation on the city’s website uploaded ahead of the question and answer session, Tim Sittema, managing partner of Crosland Southeast, said the developer has held 14 meetings with the community since being selected, and has heard from more than 700 people.
In a statement, Charlotte spokeswoman Britt Clampitt said the city mailed nearby property owners and community organizations letters notifying them of the virtual community meeting and of how to submit comments for Wednesday’s session. She also said the meeting is one step in a years-long engagement process with the public.
Long-awaited development
Eastland Mall shuttered in 2010 after struggling to compete with nearby shopping centers such as SouthPark and Northlake.
The city purchased the mall in 2012 and razed it. Since then, everything from a movie studio to a ski slope has been proposed for the site — but all of those plans fell through. The current plan calls for up to 1,050 homes, a two-acre public park, shops, restaurants and the MLS headquarters and practice facilities.
Sittema previously told the Observer that the firm was looking at bringing a grocery store and medical offices to the site as well. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
But one detail that officials have not disclosed is whether there will be affordable housing on the site, an issue that advocates and some who live in the area say is crucial given the amount of taxpayer money and city-owned land involved in the project.
East Charlotte resident Zhenia Martinez called the lack of commitment to affordable housing “worrisome,” and said it should be a condition of the city transferring the land.
“It feels like they’re trying to make Eastland (into) Ballantyne,” said Martinez, who has lived for 15 years in east Charlotte, where her mother owns a hair salon.
In the city’s presentation, Sittema said the residential piece of the development would include homes, townhomes and market-rate apartments.
“The vision there is setting a quality standard that is very high for the neighborhood,” he said.
Clampitt said the rezoning process outlines basic land use and transportation components for the site. Details such as housing, including affordable units, will be addressed in an agreement with the developer, she said, which will come with its own public input process.
“There will be conversations about affordable housing on the site with City Council and the development team in the coming months as we work through the rezoning process and the development agreement,” Clampitt said in a statement. “We are planning for a strong, mixed-income community.”
Mimi Davis, president of East Charlotte Coalition of Neighborhoods, said her organization is opposed to bringing lower-income housing to the site, because there is already a high concentration of affordable homes in the area. She said the city should focus on building low-income units in places like south Charlotte where there is a scarcity of affordable housing.
“The problem is that it’s very tempting to group poverty in areas where you can build affordable housing and still make some kind of a profit: You have to go where land is cheap,” she said. “Our concern is that for years … the bulk of the low-income housing has gone on the east and west sides.”
But others worry the development will price out those already living nearby.
“If there is a dramatic increase in the cost of living and rents are driven up by this development, the reality is people’s rents will double. … A lot of the population is already economically struggling,” said Ismaail Qaiyim, housing and community development coordinator for the Latin American Coalition.
“It’ll result in mass displacement of really vulnerable populations that are very reliant upon the businesses, services and community groups in this area.”
Job growth and displacement
Davis said her group has been pushing for the project to create jobs for the community.
Areas of east Charlotte near the Eastland site have fewer jobs per acre than the countywide average, according to data from the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Quality of Life Explorer.
Several people who spoke to the Observer expressed concern about the fate of the flea market where vendors sell produce, clothing, crafts and other products on the Eastland site. They also worry that small and immigrant-owned businesses, particularly on Central Avenue, will be priced out.
For years, Manolo Betancur has been trying to buy the building where he rents space for his business, Manolo’s Bakery. But his landlord hasn’t been interested in selling.
But with the Eastland development and new MLS headquarters coming just blocks away, he fears what will happen to his rent and the future of his business if the building’s owner gets a higher offer.
“Boom, 22 years are gonna be gone,” Betancur said.
If the developer only builds luxury apartments, Betancur said, that could impact rent for his business and others along Central Avenue. And he worries about whether the Latino and other minority communities will still be able to call the area home.
“There could be rich people living there, there could be luxury apartments,” he said. “But there also needs to be a place for the opportunity for a small business to be there too, there also has to be the opportunity for (the) middle class to live there.”
Transparency concerns
Martinez brought up her displacement concerns at a community meeting last year, but said she was disappointed by the lack of response from the city or developer in the months that followed.
Now, with social distancing practices in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, Martinez said holding virtual meetings cuts out people without reliable internet service and those with other accessibility issues.
“Because of everything that’s going on (during the pandemic), they’re trying to pass it without really a public forum,” she said. Delaying the rezoning until people can meet in person would be worth it, she said.
Several community groups, including the Housing Justice Coalition and Latin American Coalition, have issued a petition that calls for the rezoning process to stop until in-person meetings resume and that questions whether the virtual Q&A meets the standards for a public forum required in the zoning process.
The city is working to keep “important projects and government business moving forward,” Clampitt said, while maintaining social distancing and necessary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Betancur said he also wants the city and the developer to put a temporary stop to the rezoning.
“They’re taking advantage of the virus and the fear and everything else … just to work and just to make more money,” he said.
Davis said she agrees with temporarily halting the rezoning petition. She said the process felt rushed and there were few specifics on the square footage of retail space, for example, or the number of homes.
City Council member Dimple Ajmera said the virtual session on Wednesday will be the first of multiple public meetings. She said those who may not have internet access to view Wednesday’s meeting can call her or district representative Matt Newton with questions. The city also offered to make alternative arrangements for those who can’t access the virtual meeting, according to a copy of the letter sent to nearby property owners and community groups.
“Residents will have plenty of time to provide comments and inputs in this process,” Ajmera said.
This work was made possible in part by grant funding from Report for America/GroundTruth Project and the Foundation For The Carolinas.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 6:41 PM.
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