Charlotte City Council candidates don’t all agree on Eastland Yards’ future. Here’s why
Some Charlotte City Council candidates say the choice is clear for what should be built on the former Eastland Mall site — even if it’s not the option a committee of current council members recommended.
Seven of the more than 20 candidates, responding to the Charlotte Observer’s 2023 election survey, said they support bringing an indoor sports complex to Eastland Yards. Many of the candidates, including some incumbents, were noncommittal when asked which option they prefer.
Lawana Slack-Mayfiled, an at-large councilwoman running for reelection, said in her survey response the sports complex is “the project numerous Eastside residents have supported through e-mails, surveys and in-person discussions.”
The council’s economic development committee in early August voted to rank the QC East development proposal — which would include a soccer academy, esports hub and amphitheater — ahead of an indoor sports complex proposal.
That vote puts the fate of Eastland Yards — up in the air since Tepper Sports and Entertainment pulled out of plans to build a youth academy and soccer fields at the site in July 2022 — in the hands of the full council. And the agenda for Monday’s council meeting includes an Eastland agenda item with a request from staff to make a decision.
The committee vote has left some in the east Charlotte community who’ve backed the indoor sports complex frustrated.
The level of public support is part of why at-large candidate Ben Copeland supports the sports complex, he said in his survey response.
“This option not only fulfills their desires but also symbolizes their commitment,” he wrote. “The community’s persistence in favor of this option, despite its longer construction timeline, underscores their genuine preference and readiness to embrace this facility over alternative proposals.”
Curtis Hayes Jr., who is running to represent the district that includes Eastland, said he believes the indoor sports complex would “increase the quality of life in the East Charlotte community.”
“It also filters money back into the small businesses of the East Charlotte community, while helping boost the economic development in East Charlotte, enabling District 5 to truly thrive,” he said in his survey response.
Fellow District 5 candidate Vinroy Reid said he also supports the indoor sports complex proposal “because the other option could possibly present issues with parking and noise pollution for the senior community being built next door.”
Current District 5 Councilwoman Marjorie Molina did not respond to the Observer’s survey and has not made a definitive statement about her preference.
“I want to deliver to the people I serve,” she previously told the Observer of the project.
Not all candidates agree on Eastland
But not all candidates said they back the indoor sports complex in their survey responses.
District 6 Councilman Tariq Bokhari doesn’t have a primary challenger but will face a Democratic challenger in November’s general election. Bokhari supports the QC East project.
“I personally recruited these local and proven leaders to join forces and become QC East because I was concerned we didn’t have any viable options, but were poised to award a ton of money anyway,” he wrote. “Fast forward the clock to today, and this team provides the only hope of concluding this endless saga of failures, moving forward with a catalyst that will not only achieve sustainability, but become the engine to reignite a critical part of Charlotte.”
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.
While some took a stance on the future of Eastland Yards in their survey responses, others didn’t make a choice.
Council members Malcolm Graham and Dimple Ajmera, who both sit on the economic development committee that recommended QC East over the indoor sports complex, said in their survey responses they support whatever proves to be the most viable idea, without naming a specific choice.
“The developer must have the ability to move quickly to meet the timeline of the master developer, and meet community needs as outlined by various interest and community groups,” Graham said.
“I am not committed to either of these proposals. I am, however, committed to a prosperous future for Eastland Yards,” Ajmera wrote. “Our staff is still vetting both proposals to ensure financial stability and long-term viability that Eastside residents deserve.”
Graham voted in favor of the economic development committee’s recommendation, while Ajmera voted against it. The other two council members who voted on the committee resolution, Molina and Ed Driggs, did not respond to the Observer’s 2023 candidate survey.
District 4 Councilwoman Renee Perkins Johnson wrote that as “a member of the current council and out of respect for my colleagues,” she couldn’t share her preference.
One of her primary challengers, Olivia Scott, told the Observer she “strongly leans” towards the indoor sports complex.
“This complex needs to be a destination point for the entire region,” she wrote.
This story was originally published August 24, 2023 at 1:21 PM.
