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.

Example: The city hoped to have a buyer for Eastland Mall by June. It's July and at last check only a few nibbles.

Redevelopment plans included new homes averaging $200,000. Now, neighbors say the city has told them the average price has dropped to $150,000.

"I don't see how you redevelop Eastland Mall, keep it the same median income and get a better result,” said Eastside Political Action Committee’s Ed Garber.

Mayor Pat McCrory once called the area a "corridor of crap" for the way parts of East Charlotte look.

Neighbors say actions speak louder than words. Their  plea for the city to do something instead of say something comes with a promise.

"We will show up in historic numbers,” Bonapart said.

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.

Meanwhile, after three years of trying to sell Eastland Mall, the shopping center's owner said Wednesday it is walking away from the struggling property.

The Charlotte Observer reported that Columbus, Ohio-based Glimcher Realty Trust said in a statement it will no longer subsidize the money-losing mall. The company also said it will ask a court to appoint a third party to run the mall and eventually sell it.