Although I am eminently sympathetic to East Charlotte residents who do not want the city of Charlotte to collude with developers in some fantasy makeover scheme for Eastland, any resident who wants “upscale housing” to be part of the mix is dreaming.
The price of homes smack up against Eastland is in the $100-$200K range right now, with the vast majority around $150,000, give or take. This explains the city’s intention for housing on the site to target incomes in the $50,000 range. It is just pointless to fight that reality.
Having said that, our esteemed central planners need to remember what it is people want for their $150,000 on the East side. A little postage-stamp, high-density condo ain’t it. These are folks coming out of apartment complexes — they want their own walls, smells, driveway, and a yard. This is also reality.
Pull up a chair. Let’s watch the collision.
