CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the last decade, the Epicentre has been the place to party.
NBC Charlotte has learned that's changing and now the question is, where will the nightlife scene end up?
"A bit saddened because it is a great asset to Charlotte," said Claudette Mighty, a resident who said she loves what the Epicentre has to offer.
She and others are upset about the popular nightlife attraction changing to more business and retail space.
"It's there to help the community, lift the community up, and bring revenue into Charlotte," she said.
Places that were once bars are now empty. Ads are now selling retail and office space.
But the area in the heart of uptown has been riddled with violence. Last week, a fight spilled out of the Epicentre and ended in a deadly officer-involved shooting.
In October, 74-year-old John Holiday, an out-of-state CEO, was randomly shot outside the Epicentre in broad daylight. He later died.
Security can be seen inside and outside the Epicentre. City Councilman Ed Driggs, who represents District 7, said the council has not received an official notice of change but did give his opinion on the report.
"If you find that that model is not working, then maybe there's better use for that location, and they may decide they want to move to something else," Driggs said.
Councilman Larken Egleston, who represents the area in District 1 where the Epicentre sits, said there is a need for the change.
"There has long been a desire for retail uptown beyond just what the Overstreet Mall offers, and I would anticipate a concentration of retail at the Epicentre could similarly attract foot traffic to that area and probably more consistently throughout the day than the current nightlife uses," he said in a statement.
"There will also undoubtedly continue to be a demand for food and beverage uses that serve the daytime uptown workforce," he added.
But many are wondering where the bars would move to? Where is there space in this booming city?
Larken didn't have the exact answer but didn't seem concerned.
"I would anticipate the bars/clubs, if they relocate, will likely disperse throughout different areas," he wrote.
"I don't really know where you would create something like that in uptown, but that has a tendency to work itself out in the marketplace," Driggs said.
NBC Charlotte reached out to management at the Epicentre but have not heard back yet.