CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Corridors of Opportunity program seeks solutions for six underserved areas in Charlotte. City leaders say they’re starting to see some success from recent project implementations in the Sugar Creek corridor.
The goal is to make Sugar Creek a safer and healthier place to live. Community members are happy to see the efforts but say there's still a long way to go.
To make Sugar Creek safer, the top item on the community's to-do list is reducing the number of hotels near Interstate-85.
"The hotel rooms create an opportunity for a lot of transactional crime to occur between people just stopping by, drug trade, human trafficking, a lot of really awful things happening in those hotels," Monica Carney Holmes, the executive manager of the Corridors of Opportunity program, explained.
Earlier this year, the city bought two motels in the area. Other hotels have turned into transitional housing with the help of local nonprofits. Now, Holmes said hotel units have been reduced by nearly 40% in the area.
"It's both private sector investing in the area and then all the business owners in the area, really taking some pretty big steps to invest in that community," Holmes said.
One of the hotels the city bought is the Economy Inn on Reagan Drive. Demolition started on the crumbling building Thursday. The city is in the process of selecting a developer that will eventually build affordable for-sale town homes on the site.
Janette Kinard is part of the effort to help Sugar Creek through her organization Champion House of Care. She is also vice president of the new Sugar Creek Business Association.
"We’ve got to do something with the homeless, because it’s still not gonna be safe until we can get a solution for them," Kinard told WCNC Charlotte Friday as she dropped food off for children living in Sugar Creek hotels.
Kinard said the biggest problem the community faces is homelessness and food insecurity. These issues in turn add to heightened crime in the area.
Now businesses are installing police cameras as part of a pilot program with the city and CMPD.
"We have the Safe Biz program put up right now, so when you come into the corridor you see the cameras and stuff, that’s great," Kinard said.
Holmes said about 15 businesses have signed up and some have already had instances when the CMPD cameras helped stop a crime.
Kinard has noticed police are more active in the Sugar Creek area now. She’s happy to see progress but said there’s a long way to go.
"We want to see our kids be able to come back out and have a good time," said Kinard. "Right now, they can't do that."
Holmes agreed the program still has a lot of work to do in Sugar Creek but is encouraged by the support and energy from business owners to spark change.
"People are seeing that energy and that change and it's starting to slowly change both the reputation of the area, how people perceive the area, and I think it'll all result in a more successful Sugar Creek," Holmes said.
As they work to address crime and safety, the community has been awarded a federal grant to improve pedestrian and transportation safety. The $12 million grant will go toward building a wide pathway for bicyclists and pedestrians from the Sugar Creek blue line station to the I-85 intersection.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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