CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Monday's meeting of the Charlotte City Council came with updates for two long-standing discussions: whether to add a social district to Plaza Midwood and what to develop on the site of the old Eastland Mall.
Eastland Mall redevelopment
Over a month ago, the Charlotte City Council was expected to vote between two proposals for the 30-acre site. The two ideas were proposed after Tepper Sports and Entertainment withdrew their plans to develop the site for Charlotte FC.
Monday, council heard a joint proposal from the two developers and unanimously approved a motion to move forward with the revised proposal. After 42 days of planning, the two developers proposed to create "The Complex" -- a project the developers say is reimagined and rethought after merging both proposals together.
READ MORE: Charlotte city leaders approve revised proposal for remaining acres at Eastland Mall site
“This has just been the core heartbeat of the entire east Charlotte community," Greg Asciutto, the Chair of the CharlotteEAST Board of Directors, said prior to the meeting.
The answer has been highly anticipated and a long time coming.
“The people of east Charlotte have been impatient, rightly so, it’s taken a long time to work something out," Ed Driggs, a Charlotte city councilman, said.
Both developers previously proposed sports-themed projects. QC East would have brought multi-use sports fields, an amphitheater and a place to hold events for E-Sports. On the other hand, Eastland Yards Indoor Sports Complex would have brought several courts and a learning facility.
“I know that they’ve been working together exceptionally well, everyone wants to exceed at this point," Asciutto said.
Now, city leaders have given the thumbs up and approved up to $30 million for reimbursement of expenses with things like public infrastructure permits.
Social district in Plaza Midwood
Two years after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper first signed a law allowing social districts, a social district in Plaza Midwood is steps away from possibly becoming a reality.
More than a year since advocates first proposed the district, which would allow customers to walk outdoors from one participating venue to another while openly carrying alcohol, the public weighed in on adding a social district to Plaza Midwood.
“We spent the first year trying to answer questions and concerns," Russell Fergusson, member of the Plaza Midwood Merchants Association, said before the meeting. "I’d say we're close to 85 or 90% polling of approval, at least in our community.”
Advocates foresee the district along a portion of Central Avenue from approximately Louise Avenue through The Plaza.
“Social Districts are controversial because on one hand they’re happy places and you want to have them," Driggs said before the meeting. "On the other hand, there are risks related to behavior, intoxication and things like that.”
Other cities, including Raleigh, Mooresville, Salisbury, Hickory, Cornelius and Monroe, either have or have had, social districts since the law was first enacted.
Plaza Midwood's proposed district would operate from Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Charlotte City Council will meet on Oct. 23 and have the first opportunity to decide if it will green light the proposal.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.