Charlotte moves forward with Eastland project as some are still waiting for answers
The Charlotte City Council Monday night approved an agreement with Mecklenburg County to improve public infrastructure at Eastland Yards, but some private developers and residents are still waiting for progress.
In the newly approved deal, the city and county will reimburse developer Crosland Southeast up to $11 million for construction of public infrastructure improvements at the former Eastland Mall. The council vote was necessary to formalize the Mecklenburg’s contribution for the improvements which county commissioners approved on August 4, 2021.
Public infrastructure improvements could include roads parking, streets, sidewalks and traffic control, the agreement states.
Public improvements will join already started construction on the west side of Eastland Yards for 160 single-family homes and 260 apartments. Another 70 senior living homes are possible. The initial phase of the project will also include 17,500 square feet of office and retail.
The entire project is expected to take five years to finish.
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What’s on the project’s east side remain uncertain.
The city of Charlotte sent back questions to three developers who proposed projects for the site to answer before the May 1 Charlotte City Council meeting. Council members wanted to see more private funding in the two recreation center proposals from developers — one is a racket sports center and the other is an aquatic center. A third option presented to the council for the site is a Target store and would require no public funding.
Developer and resident response
Aquatics center developer Tim Whitmire said last week in a tweet he was still waiting on guidance from the city on how to improve the proposal and how much the city would be willing to invest into an aquatic center, with three pools and up to 2,500 seats. It would leave about 15 acres for additional development.
Members of CharlotteEAST, a nonprofit community advocacy group, are holding their breath until the May 1 committee meeting when the 60-day time period is up for developers to sharpen their proposals.
“Our hope is that, at that meeting, a decision will be made that includes a concrete timeline for action, not another arbitrary 60-day proposal submission window,” a statement provided to The Charlotte Observer said.
After hearing the development proposals in March, the Charlotte City Council asked developers to return with renewed proposals because of suggestions from the council.
CharlotteEAST has also expressed disappointment with the lack of public engagement and transparency during the process from city staff.
What the city has done at Eastland Yards
City staff sent questions to the developers to narrow their proposals to fit the council’s wants for the site, assistant city manager and economic development director Tracy Dodson said in an April 3 committee meeting
The city did not open up a formal request for proposals or have new public input as a result, Dodson said, and they didn’t inform developers of a specific dollar figure they’re looking for.
Dodson said if council members decide to tell developers specific funding preferences, they should decide on a range.
“What I wouldn’t want to do is see if people just fit their petition just to that dollar amount in thinking that that if we make that dollar amount, you automatically move forward,” Dodson said.
A Charlotte Observer poll of 124 readers found that 44% prefer the aquatic center option, 33% favor the tennis courts and 24% want to see a new Target on the east side.
“I hope whichever direction the city pursues with these projects, they factor in resiliency and long-term prospects above all other factors,” east Charlotte resident John Holmes said. “Out city cannot afford to make another mistake of such magnitude.”
Here’s what else Charlotte City Council discussed and voted on Monday night, in brief.
CATS security company contract
▪ The Charlotte Area Transit System plans on replacing Allied Universal as its security force with two other group: Strategic Security Corp. and Professional Security Services.
▪ The decision doubles CATS’ security spending over a three-year term to $40.3 million.
▪ Mayor Pro Tem Braxton Winston was the sole “no” vote, warning that some of these security officers are armed and are not accountable to the City of Charlotte as a contracted company.
▪ Professional Security Services owner Lee Ratliff said all private security firms are accountable to the Campus and Company Police Administrator under the North Carolina Attorneys General Office.
Housing Trust Fund update
▪ The city council heard a presentation from Charlotte housing director Shawn Heath about a proposed 701 affordable units funded by the city’s Housing Trust Fund.
▪ All units are for people making less than 80% of the area median income — which is about $68,000 in Charlotte, according to U.S. Census data. A fifth of the units at each development must be reserved for Charlotte’s lowest earners, or people making less than 30% of the area median income.
▪ The largest development included in the recommendation is a 200-unit University City development that would have rents from $487 to $1,860.
City allocates more than $3 million in federal COVID relief
The council voted to allocate $3.25 million of its money from the American Rescue Plan Act, one of three COVID relief packages, on the following:
▪ Up to $750,000 for a diversity, equity and inclusion-focused entrepreneurship accelerator.
▪ Up to $800,000 for an assessment of the city’s small business ecosystem.
▪ Up to $1 million for commercial district support in the city’s Corridors of Opportunity — historically overlooked areas of Charlotte the city is now targeting for millions of dollars in new investment.
▪ Up to $200,000 for 10 mobile symphony projects in the Corridors of Opportunity
▪ Up to $500,000 to support permanent workspace for local creatives, including rent costs for studio space.
CATS memo sent to bus operators
▪ Charlotte City Councilman Ed Driggs made the council and public aware of a memo from RATP Dev USA general manager Stephen Hamelin threatening to make cuts to Charlotte bus service and operator jobs if CATS doesn’t fix an attendance problem.
▪ The memo says 23 employees are in “point trouble” for attendance, creating “hundreds, if not thousands, of missed trips in a week” that could result in service cuts this fall if the issue isn’t fixed. CATS is still recovering from service cuts in August 2022.
▪ Hamelin also threatened the operators’ jobs if CATS did not eliminate missed trips. At least 40 operator positions could be cut if there are service cuts, he wrote.
