On July 24th 2008 Charltote East Community Partners (CECP) held a press conference at the former site of Uptons on Albemarle Rd..
City Council representative for distirct 5, Nancy Carter distributed e-mails discouraging residents from attending the press conference despite the obvious degradation of the business district and quality of life of that area. When Darrell Bonapart and other neighborhood leaders described the conditions and lack of action by city and state officials in addressing community concerns, the only response neighbors and the media were given by Nancy Carter was that the former site of Uptons was being converted into a climate controlled mini-storage facility. A mini-storage warehouse is by no means adequate revitalization of a the once thriving Uptons building, nor adequate revitalization for the once thriving retail district, which includes Eastland Mall. In short, Nancy Carter made comments that were clearly intended to diffuse the momentum of the press conference, and invalidate the communiy's concerns. Furthermore, six months later, the Upton's buildng is still vacant and decaying. So is Eastland Mall. The broker of the Uptons property has stated that, "There was a buyer interested in buying the property and converting it into a climate controlled mini storage facility. That was a true statement, but It was just talks and it never worked out." Nancy Carter mislead the community by implying that there were definite plans for this property. Whether or not the project had taken place or not, it was not indicative of prosperity returning to the communiyt. Nor was there any indication that the city council and staff were advocating for redevelopment of the area. According to the broker this was entirely a private deal, which the broker aprised Mrs. Carter of, when she called him in regards to the press conference that was planned on the Uptons property. There was never any involvement or assistance provide by the city. The city continues to ignore the economic conditions that face the shopping districts of east Charlotte and specifically Albemarle Rd.
http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-072308-mw-eastcharlotte.855e0a62.htmlBy TONY BURBECK / WCNC
Residents in east Charlotte demand action CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- East Charlotte neighborhood leaders vow to be a pain in the ear of city employees and elected officials. They also say they will turn out in record numbers at City Council meetings and other events, plus have a massive turnout at the ballot box if the east side doesn’t see improvements. The concerns are over empty big-box stores, Eastland Mall redevelopment and protections for businesses along Independence Boulevard for the next round of road widening. "No more rhetoric, no more talk, no more promises, no more years of studies,” said Charlotte East Community Partners President Darrell Bonapart.
Neighbors also say some plans the city adopted to better the area are just words on paper. “They’re basically not being enforced,” Garber said. Meanwhile, neighbors say city officials have told them Uptons is scheduled to become a storage facility after nearly 15 years of sitting empty on Albemarle Road.
