CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Brooklyn Village redevelopment is facing another delay after already being years behind schedule.
It's no secret Charlotte is filled with cranes and work crews. The redevelopment of the Brooklyn Village neighborhood is just one major project that’s running into a massive hurdle.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Mark Jerrell said the board is getting questions about the status of the project.
“It's really difficult when you see cranes up everywhere, all over this city and all over this county. And then you have this one particular project that stalled," he said.
Jerell points to the current economic climate preventing developers from starting in the once-prominent historically Black neighborhood.
“Why is this project so unique? It is unique for a lot of different reasons," he said. "It's a special place for so many in this community, particularly legacy residents that have deep attachments there.”
The 17-acre construction project is slated to create jobs for minority-owned businesses. Also, 10-12% of housing units are being set aside as affordable.
Still, there's growing concern from some community members about the project.
Kevin Douglas with the Brooklyn Collective fears that the finished project won't call back to its original roots, including a larger focus on affordable housing for a diverse community
“You're still not honoring what the history and the economic development and all of that was supposed to be," he said. “It has turned into more of a political project. It's not been moved forward. I don't think it's going to help the 'residents' that it was supposed to help."
Commissioner Jerrell is hopeful the final project will be one the entire community will be proud of.
“We owe it to those folks to make sure that we are holding people accountable, and making sure that Brooklyn comes back online and thriving and revived," he said, "and that there is a legacy that we all salute, support, and want to make sure that is a legacy that goes into the future for this county,”
County commissioners are planning to meet soon to discuss the status of the project, with no official start date for construction.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.