Eastland Mall Redevelopment

[KJHburg 67829]

The Business Journal story on it https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/10/26/developer-interest-spurs-hope-for-long-suffering.html

As for town center I wouldnt quite think Baxter. The average income in the area would not support that kind of retail. I would think senior housing and apartments with some mixed use shops would work but not too much retail.  There is so much vacant retail in the area already down the Albemarle Rd corridor.  I would start with housing of any type.  

IF they do one more study and spend tax dollars on it I would go crazy.  

[southslider 1263]

^You and I know this site isn't suited for high-end apartments or luxury apartments, but the older residents of East Charlotte still don't accept that reality. Hopefully, that old guard is smaller and weaker now. If so, Eastland can finally redevelop with a market-driven plan, instead of an upteenth study. 

[MilZ 282]

[Third Strike 698]

On 12/16/2017 at 10:47 AM, MilZ said:

Where was this picture taken? I thought the city had them in storage.

[MilZ 282]

On 12/18/2017 at 2:16 PM, Third Strike said:

Where was this picture taken? I thought the city had them in storage.

This was off the Stewart Creek Greenway near Wesley Village. Around the center of this screenshot.

[Third Strike 698]

There are a couple of rezoning petitions for new apartments about two miles away from Eastland. 

The first is at the corner of East W.T. Harris, Albemarle Road, and Old Lawyers. This is on the lot that previously had Food Lion/Foodtown, and across the street from the Walmart grocery store. The site will have 180 units:

http://ww.charmeck.org/Planning/Rezoning/2017/191-206/2017-192 site plan.pdf

The second site is further north along Harris, on the former Charlotte Aircraft Corp parcels. The site will have 288 units:

http://ww.charmeck.org/Planning/Rezoning/2017/191-206/2017-201 site plan.pdf

[KJHburg 67829]

Big news here (hopefully) from a subscriber only article of the Business Journal today 

"""Eight years after Eastland Mall closed its doors, city leaders believe they are moving closer to finding a long-term solution for the abandoned 80-acre site. Both the head of the council economic development committee and the interim director of the city’s economic development division told CBJ on Tuesday a private developer to plot how to attract investors and businesses could be in place by this summer."""

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/02/13/eastland-site-developer-could-be-in-place-by.html

""the department won’t publicly disclose the names of the interested developers before March 22 — at the earliest. He attributed the delay in making a recommendation to the need for more vetting and back and forth discussions with the private developers.""

Edited February 13, 2018 by KJHburg

[TheOneRJ 1284]

Sounds like another fan fiction to me. 

[KJHburg 67829]

Here are the 4 proposals for Eastland redevelopment interesting to say the least.  

2 sound really good but I will let you decide

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/03/26/four-developers-make-eastland-pitch.html

Edited March 26, 2018 by KJHburg

[Third Strike 698]

• Legacy Family Group, led by Kimberly Edmonds of Charlotte, whose Eastland project emphasizes workforce and creative-class magnets. Among those elements: a 50,000-square-foot YMCA, an arts theater, a skating facility and a variety of residential projects. It would be built in three phases, opening in 2021, 2023 and 2025.

• A partnership between residential developer Jim Gross and Crosland Southeast with help from MPV Properties. Crosland’s notable area projects include Birkdale Village in Huntersville, Blakeney and Stonecrest. Crosland executives stressed their recent experience redeveloping so-called dead mall sites such as Eastland, citing an example at One Bellevue Place in Nashville, Tenn., where an 87-acre former mall site is being converted by Crosland into a residential area.

• The Greater Charlotte Multiplex 4 Families, backed by Donna Lee Reed, a 23-year Eastland-area resident, business coach and pastor. Reed wants to create a 10- to 15-acre project catering to the arts, after-school care and entertainment ventures (arcades, movies and so on) that will support the educational aspects.

• Odell and The Fallon Co., among others, who promise a phased, commercially oriented combination of uses centered on three main aspects: sports, health and wellness, and a retail-driven community marketplace emphasizing local and unique restaurants and shops. Executives promised $150 million to $250 million worth of annual economic impact.

[deleted 1444]

52 minutes ago, Third Strike said:

• Legacy Family Group, led by Kimberly Edmonds of Charlotte, whose Eastland project emphasizes workforce and creative-class magnets. Among those elements: a 50,000-square-foot YMCA, an arts theater, a skating facility and a variety of residential projects. It would be built in three phases, opening in 2021, 2023 and 2025.

• A partnership between residential developer Jim Gross and Crosland Southeast with help from MPV Properties. Crosland’s notable area projects include Birkdale Village in Huntersville, Blakeney and Stonecrest. Crosland executives stressed their recent experience redeveloping so-called dead mall sites such as Eastland, citing an example at One Bellevue Place in Nashville, Tenn., where an 87-acre former mall site is being converted by Crosland into a residential area.

• The Greater Charlotte Multiplex 4 Families, backed by Donna Lee Reed, a 23-year Eastland-area resident, business coach and pastor. Reed wants to create a 10- to 15-acre project catering to the arts, after-school care and entertainment ventures (arcades, movies and so on) that will support the educational aspects.

• Odell and The Fallon Co., among others, who promise a phased, commercially oriented combination of uses centered on three main aspects: sports, health and wellness, and a retail-driven community marketplace emphasizing local and unique restaurants and shops. Executives promised $150 million to $250 million worth of annual economic impact.

1.  More details needed but sounds intriguing.

2.  Probably the most bankable proposal but One Bellevue Place underwhelms me.

3.  Nope.

4.  Also intriguing but not enough details.

One and four sound potentially great.  Two sounds okay and I might prefer this if I lived in the area.  Three doesn't sound great.

[atlrvr 4231]

Only 2&4 have a realistic shot IMO.

I'm mostly interested in 4, but only if it has a large residential component as well.

[KJHburg 67829]

^^ I have said all along this site needs lots of residential with less emphasis on retail and entertainment.  There is a severe housing shortage in the lower price ranges in this city.  Build some affordable housing (with land contributions by the city) mixed in with market rate for sale and rental units. Townhomes, 3-4 story apartments buildings maybe some neighborhood retail grocery store anchor maybe a movie theatre etc but the emphasis should be on residential and lots of it with commercial at the edges at the property along the major roads (Central, Sharon Amity and Albemarle)  

[Third Strike 698]

Crosland/Jim Gross/MPV propsal:

http://charlottenc.gov/CityCouncil/focus-areas/EconomicDevelopmentDocuments/Crosland Southeast - Jim Gross Company Presentation.pdf

Eastland Community Development proposal: 

http://charlottenc.gov/CityCouncil/focus-areas/EconomicDevelopmentDocuments/Eastland Community Development Presentation.pdf

Legacy Family Group proposal:

http://charlottenc.gov/CityCouncil/focus-areas/EconomicDevelopmentDocuments/Legacy Family Group Presentation.pdf

Greater Charlotte proposal:

http://charlottenc.gov/CityCouncil/focus-areas/EconomicDevelopmentDocuments/Greater Charlotte Multiplex 4 FamiliE's Presentation.pdf

[Seabrooke 2211]

Whatever proposal wins, I think there should be 2 requirements: must retain eastland logo and an indoor ice skating rink must be incorporated.

Edited March 27, 2018 by Seabrooke

[Cadi40 1141]

Hoping for the Crosland proposal or I wouldn't mind the Eastland Community. Legacy Family is fine but just looks like a lesser version of the Crosland proposal. 

[PuppiesandKittens 46]

The site should be converted into a prison, or some other government use.

No middle-income person wants to go there.

[archiebarrier49 20]

https://www.spookynooksports.com/

Eastland mall would have been the perfect place for this type sports complex. 

[archiebarrier49 20]

Spooky Nook

Its not to late for Eastridge Mall to try this concept. 

[Desert Power 943]

On 3/26/2018 at 9:35 PM, KJHburg said:

^^ I have said all along this site needs lots of residential with less emphasis on retail and entertainment.  There is a severe housing shortage in the lower price ranges in this city.  Build some affordable housing (with land contributions by the city) mixed in with market rate for sale and rental units. Townhomes, 3-4 story apartments buildings maybe some neighborhood retail grocery store anchor maybe a movie theatre etc but the emphasis should be on residential and lots of it with commercial at the edges at the property along the major roads (Central, Sharon Amity and Albemarle)  

It really is the only thing that seems realistic here and Charlotte will benefit from more housing inside the loop

[KJHburg 67829]

Ah the Eastland saga continues partners are changing, joining forces, new ideas etc.    I have never seen so many twists and turns.  New plans maybe revealed in late July or August meeting. 

Highlights as I see them from this subscriber article from the Business Journal

""Two of the four proposals for revamping the city’s abandoned Eastland Mall site have taken on a different look as one lead developer has parted ways with Jim Gross Co. while aligning with former rival bidders,""

""According to a letter sent this month by Crosland Southeast to Charlotte assistant city manager Tracy Dodson, the company is no longer working with Gross. In addition, Crosland Southeast has decided to merge its proposal with Eastland Community Development, led by David LeFevre, and architecture firm Odell.  Under the combined bid, Crosland Southeast, LeFevre and Odell will work together; Fallon Co. and Gross aren’t part of the project team.""

""Gross envisions hundreds and hundreds of brownstones and walk-up houses on the former mall property. If the homes are priced between $250,000 and $400,000 and make people want to own in an area that’s a 10-minute drive from uptown, then commercial investment will follow, the developer believes.""      MY opinion of this is that housing is the key and any proposal should be heavy on the residential of all price points to make any adjoining commercial work. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/06/28/eastland-mall-redevelopment-could-face-another.html

Edited June 28, 2018 by KJHburg

[Third Strike 698]

400k brownstones? That seems pretty bold. I still want some retail/mixed-use on the site though. And they should preserve some open space for community events like the open-air market that currently takes place every weekend there. 

[cjd5050 689]

On 6/29/2018 at 9:42 AM, Third Strike said:

400k brownstones? That seems pretty bold. I still want some retail/mixed-use on the site though. And they should preserve some open space for community events like the open-air market that currently takes place every weekend there. 

Is it possible they are talking about the style rather than the material?  

 

[Third Strike 698]

4 hours ago, cjd5050 said:

Is it possible they are talking about the style rather than the material?  

 

I’m surprised at the price point. The average selling point for homes in this area is around 100k. I’m not upset, just intrigued in how it’ll all plan out. I guess some developers see high potential in this parcel since it’s less than ten minutes away from Uptown, and having strong transit connections to Uptown, University City, and Southpark has its advantages.

[KJHburg 67829]

I believe a mix of price ranges would be best for any developer on the Eastland site. Look at Bryant Park where the new townhomes and SF homes are twice the value of the nearby homes but now they are rising too.   Dittos for Brightwalk off N Statesville.   But I still any plan to redevelop should be heavy on the housing and lighter on the commercial and in all price points.