Eastland Mall Redevelopment

[cinco]

I heard a story on this on NPR this morning. They want to make a park/greenway, retail, residential (they didn't mention condos, townhomes, etc.), and commercial space. I still don't know if a Philips or Birkdale will work there right now. That area has a reputation for being rough, and for good reason. I moved away from Hickory Grove because of that reason. I think buyers are going to be quite hesitant to purchase high end condos/townhomes when people are getting shot in the head less than a mile down the road. At a Chuckie Cheese, none-the-less.

i should mention that the street car issue came up (in a defensive nature)... i only mention this b/c i feel that would be a needed component to the project to push anything deemed "high end". though, that term never really came up.

i took extra notice @ how the topic of crime in eastside was white-washed @ the meeting... leaders kept saying eastside is a safe, comfortable place. while i agree to an extent, i think we shouldn't be pollyannish about our crime issues.

having said that - i think the overall perception of the eastside by most charlotteans is based off what they get from the media... which can be a little sensationalized.

while very positive, there was a defensiveness towards the cities lack of attention to the eastside.... and rightfully so. i think alot of east charlotte's problems can be attributed to the oversight and dismissal of the cities political leaders.

the eastside is THE most diverse area in charlotte and if embraced has great potential, yet.

Edited March 30, 2007 by cinco

[DigitalSky]

Plans are moving forward.. the city is in talks with the owners of the mall to see the revitalization plan come true http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/bus...56&SecID=54

[mallguy]

Recent trip to the downtrodden shopping center- a few new stores are coming (Man Alive, which looks nice) and a purse store, plus an M&M's Soul Foods that took over the space in the food court where the Mexican place was. Why anyone would open a store there and put a decent amount of cash into the buildout, with the mall's future demise clear, is beyond me.

As none of those stores appeal to me, once Dillard's and Sears leave, I'm not going back.

[StevenRocks]

As none of those stores appeal to me, once Dillard's and Sears leave, I'm not going back.

As long as they keep the sneaker stores, I'll keep going.

[Raintree21]

The Observer is reporting that Red Carpet Cinemas, the company that bought and redid Eastland Mall's movie theatre, is going to start showing blockbusters. If you recall, they started out just being a dollar theatre but apparently their business has been good and they are going to try and capitalize on this summer's big movies. Hope it works out well for them and doesn't backfire.

[redjeep77]

The Observer is reporting that Red Carpet Cinemas, the company that bought and redid Eastland Mall's movie theatre, is going to start showing blockbusters. If you recall, they started out just being a dollar theatre but apparently their business has been good and they are going to try and capitalize on this summer's big movies. Hope it works out well for them and doesn't backfire.

Great....just what the mall needs. More kids loitering.

[DigitalSky]

I really hope somoething positive comes out of the theater's actions? Who knows, maybe this could really help the mall!

[DigitalSky]

At Sears Eastland, a suspect was stealing cologne and pulled a knife on an employee, and he's stolen from other stores in the mall but this was the first time he's pulled a weapon according to Fox Charlotte.

[StevenRocks]

At Sears Eastland, a suspect was stealing cologne and pulled a knife on an employee, and he's stolen from other stores in the mall but this was the first time he's pulled a weapon according to Fox Charlotte.

Who'd steal cologne from Sears? "Give me all your Jovan Musk...NOW."

[jednc]

Who'd steal cologne from Sears? "Give me all your Jovan Musk...NOW."

I saw the guy on video footage. I wasn't surprised he was stealing cologne from Sears at all.

[CLT]

I was in town last week and went to Sears looking for an appliance. I noticed they have closed out the housewares section. Beginning of the end for Sears? If so I think the rest of the mall will follow.

[MZT]

The Sears feels like it's just limping along, by the sparse attendance it gets. Like Dillard's they may remain for a few more years, but just "going through the motions" of maintaining a store.

[mallguy]

The Sears feels like it's just limping along, by the sparse attendance it gets. Like Dillard's they may remain for a few more years, but just "going through the motions" of maintaining a store.

Agreed; too bad as that Dillard's still has really amazing deals, and the Sears is convenient for retail-deprived central Charlotteans.

The mall seems completely dead these days; on a few recent visits only a minimal crowd has been there, including some scary looking white guys wearing wife-beaters (whatever those sleeveless T-shirts are called around here). Even the Cookie Company and Orange Julius have shut down, but a few new stores are coming (a handbag store and a children's clothing store in the former Zale's).

[Justadude]

I see no purpose in trying to redevelop Eastland into a "high-end" area, considering the context of the mall in the rest of the neighborhood. There are a lot of other options out there for people wanting a luxury experience, none of which involve being near run-down strip malls and subsidized housing.

What might just work would be a plan to create a hip, low-rent area for those who have been getting priced out of NoDa and Plaza-Midwood. The abundance of diversity along Sharon Amity and Central is attractive to a younger crowd, and the connection to Central could allow future development to benefit from P-M's growth. I could see SouthEnd-style townhomes working there (provided they're priced accordingly) with Thomas St.-style retail in the area. It's really not such a stretch as long as it's not built with the intention of creating a high-end district, but rather a middle-class neighborhood that simply avoids the blight hitting the rest of the east side.

[StevenRocks]

It's not going to work as upscale, to be sure. I kind of like justadude's idea, especially if it's integrated into a larger neighborhood plan that brings the whole area up instead of creating an island.

Edited May 28, 2007 by StevenRocks

[CLT2010]

Who they hell would live in a upscale development in Eastland that is so dumb. I like the Soccer stadium idea better. OLE OLE OLE

[mallguy]

Part of Sears has become an "Outlet Center", and there is a new red sign on the store's exterior to that effect.

So Eastland is now anchored by a Dillard's Clearance Center, Burlington Coat Factory, Fred's, Prime Time and Sears/Sears Outlet Center, plus an anchor store that has somehow vanished from the mallmanac.

[MZT]

I'm pretty stingy when it comes to shopping sprees, but $162 (includng the fat NC/Mecklenburg sales taxes) bought 4 pairs of pants and 8 shirts at Dillard's. I guess they just figure they need a clearance center somewhere... so it may as well be in an existing store. At least there are some solid colors available. Who the heck buys those racks of plaid? Yuckkk.

That mall is soooo quiet on a Tuesday afternoon. The empty parking in front of the old Belk's, Harris Teeter, and Shell station is just plain sad.

It won't be long, before we can begin the yearly "Will Eastland's anchors survive past this Christmas?" speculation.

Edited September 18, 2007 by MZT

[Raintree21]

It's already been pretty much decided by the community and goverment that Eastland's days are numbered. It's just a matter of deciding what to do with the property.

[mallguy]

Is the ice rink now closed? The Ice Chalet and Gourmet Gardens signs have been taken

down from the mall entrance near the movie theater, and the ice rink is covered in some type

of brown something.

The mall still continues to attract tenants- now Rainbow Kids, a SunCom cell phone store, etc.

[mallguy]

Eastland is losing its ice rink; the ice has been cleared and replaced by sand (a lovely brown color),

and a sign at the ice rink entrance refers to something new coming in the space.

New York & Co. is closing, although a Kid's Foot Locker and Kid's Rainbow have opened. I'd guess those stores are paying minimal rent, so the long-term retail prospects as an enclosed regional mall are still slim.

[NCMike1981]

was New York & Co a chain store?

[mallguy]

was New York & Co a chain store?

Yes- I think it was originally owned by the Limited group but was spun off to private investors. Obviously never shopped there but it looks like a moderately-priced, somewhat urban clothing store.

[StevenRocks]

Eastland is losing its ice rink; the ice has been cleared and replaced by sand (a lovely brown color),

and a sign at the ice rink entrance refers to something new coming in the space.

If that's not a sign that the end is near, I don't know what is.

[mallguy]

I drove by Eastland today and it looks so desolate, with some of the anchors closed, the mall so run down (with even the ice rink and food court signs removed from the mall entrance in the back between Sears and the former Belk) and the outparcels boarded up. Not that the interior is upscale, but it's much more fully leased, even with some new stores, than the exterior reveals.

How long do people give Eastland until it is closed or demolished? I'd say 5 years.

(Sidenote: Dying malls are UGLY!)

Edited December 10, 2007 by mallguy