KROC Foundation

[Diogenes]

There are still negotiations occuring with regard the lease status of the CitiTrends store in the Eastway Plaza shopping center that are working towards the KROC Foundation placing a sports complex on that property. This is property adjacent to the new Eastway Park which is itself adjacent to the ROW for the Northeast Light Rail, Lynx extension.
Keep your fingers crossed. This could go a long way toward the economic redevelopment of the entire area surrounding the Plaza/Eastway/N. Tryon intersections.

[ECharRevi]

So what exactly is going on with Eastway Specialty Park? It was supposed to be open last year. Would the Kroc center occupy only the CitiTrends portion of the center?

[PACMAN]

I'm not sure what's going on with KROC center.
Eastway Specialty Park: We got the shaft. The entire project is indefintiely on hold, because the Parks & Rec Committee "reprioritized" the parks projects. County Commission passed their reccomendation for a bond referendum. When the last Bonds package was passed in Nvember 2008, The Eastway Specialty Park was not included. One of the biggest issues was that new subdivisions were gettign parks but an established 40 year old neighborhood still does not have one. No indication when the project could be completed. More bonds are probably 10 years away

[ECharRevi]

So after they almost completed construction, spent TONS of money paving and putting in curbs, posted pics of Maxine Eaves and Northeast Community Org. at the "preview" they just STOPPED? Talk about a waste! They shouldn't have bothered to even start construction if that is the case.

[PACMAN]

Yeah it sucks... but the construction is no where near where it as supposed to be. The park is huge. i think when I visited the park with some outraged neighbors with Jennifer Roberts there was a small parkinglot, a bathroom, and a couple ofports fields. The entire project is about 10% complete.
I am not the expert on this topic or on the parks & Rec Committee that made the recommendation. I do know this. That the neighbors are adamant that there were lies told by the chairman of that committee. It is a citizen panel . I believe there are 2 representatives for each district in the county. I was informed that one position was vacant for east Charlotte and that probably led to a lack of leverage on the committee. But anyway that vacancy has since been filled by Carolyn Millen, who I am very sure will do an excellent job in the position. However the damage specifically to Eastway Specialty Park has been done already, and there probably wont be any recourse since another bond package for parks is quite a few years away.