The cityâ€s “Vision for Eastland” rezoning petition was filed early last week. Plans for the site which has been vacant since the mall was demolished in 2013, is the result of a multi-phase, extensive community outreach, and engagement process to see the area be redeveloped into a multi-use residential and commercial building. Rezoning details for square footage or number of housing units for development were not included in the documents. Included in the plans for the site include a 29 acre adjacent facility that is set to host the headquarters and training facilities for a recently announced  30^th expansion team in Major League Soccer coming to Charlotte in 2021. The team has yet to be named. Plans also call for a public park but no details are available about the size or design.

Charlotte City Councilman Matt Newton told WSOC TV News that the project “will be transformational for the cityâ€s future.” Said Newton, “The Eastland site is the linchpin for our future here in east Charlotte, there is no doubt about it. If we get Eastland right, we have a brighter future.”

Major infrastructure work will be needed for the Eastland site. This includes removing the asphalt of the mallâ€s leftover parking lot, building new roads and adding traffic signals. Rerunning the siteâ€s water and sewer lines will also be needed. The work canâ€t begin until the rezoning petitions are approved by Charlotteâ€s city council though work is expected to begin before the end of this year. Construction on apartments and housing, as well as retail and dining space, could begin mid-2021 with future consideration for a hotel and office space.

Built in 1975 as the then-largest mall in North Carolina, the former Eastland Mall was situated on 90 acres located approximately five miles east of Charlotteâ€s City Center. Eastland Mall closed its doors in June of 2010 and has seen multiple attempts of redevelopment since its demolition in October of 2013 but all have been unsuccessful. The City, who owns 69 acres of the property, purchased the entire mall as well as some outlying properties for $13.2 million in August of 2012. A portion of the site is used as an outside market on weekends along with the Charlotte Area Transit System transit center. The site previously saw plans calling for projects such as a movie studio and film school, but the property hasnâ€t been rezoned since the mall was first built 45 years ago.

Selected as the Master Developer in 2018, Crosland Southeastâ€s development resume includes Bellevue Mall in Nashville, Tennessee and the Cloverleaf Mall in Richmond, Virginia. Both projects were custom designed for their specific community needs.

A community meeting will likely be held next month to include input from city and county departments. A vote on the petition isnâ€t expected until May or later during a council zoning meeting.

You can click here to sign up for updates on the site plans.

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