The UPoR has a story today about a proposal by “Charlotte movie executive Bert Hesse” to redevelop Eastland Mall into a film studio. The money quote:

“It will take something big to turn the area around,” Hesse said. “A new Kmart isn’t going to do it. A Wal-Mart isn’t going to do it. It will take $150 million.”

Which, interestingly, enough, is the amount Hesse’s group is talking about. Unfortunately, that’s also about where the specificity runs out: The proposal includes “a film studio, offices, and possibly a hotel.” Possibly a hotel? Really well-defined business plan there…

And more to the point, exactly how much public money is included in that $150 million? Hesse essentially asked for the land on which Eastland sits for free and asked the city to pay for demolish the mall. Beyond that it’s anyone’s guess. Expect the number to be in the tens of millions of dollars though.