Council Quickies: New Tenants Approved for Eastland Yards

Charlotte City Council held its first business meeting of the new year on Monday night, hearing from residents in a public forum before moving on to new leases inside of the nascent Eastland Yards development.

On the Agenda:

• Public Forum
• Eastland Yards Leases
• MPTA Funding

Public Forum

Before approving a new lease for the parking lot at West Trade & North Graham streets that was originally included in the consent agenda, LaWana Mayfield asked how the city can guarantee affordable parking for folks who work at facilities such as Spectrum Center or Truist Field in Uptown but end up giving a large percentage of any given shift’s wages to parking. 

Interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle said federal regulations prohibit such practices as the contractor, in this case Pivot Parking, must be allowed to charge market price.

Council was scheduled to discuss or ask questions about the Housing Committee’s recommendation to amend the city’s current Health & Sanitation ordinance regarding overgrown vegetation. The amendment would make it easier for residents to cultivate pollinator gardens and naturalistic landscapes in their yards. 

No council members wished to discuss the recommendation further, so it will be added to the agenda for an upcoming business meeting for a vote. 

Beginning the public forum, arts organizer Hannah Davis suggested that the city become more proactive in connecting residents to the culture that already exists in the city, as the failure to do so helps cultivate a reputation that the city has none. 

“If residents aren’t connected to the city’s cultural life, visitors won’t be either,” said Davis. “This isn’t a city without culture, it’s a city hungry for it. When locals are connected, they engage.” 

Longtime anti-violence activist James Barnett with the Stop the Killing Crusade addressed council, stating that he and others will be working hard to bring the number of murders down again this year as they did last year, which saw a drop in homicides compared to 2024, but he wants to see more city support for such efforts. 

Another speaker suggested that the city launch an Office of International Affairs to help provide resources and opportunities to Charlotte’s fast-growing immigrant population. Mayor Vi Lyles said council may discuss that idea during its retreat later this month.

Eastland Yards Leases

Before voting on four small businesses that will be the first move-ins at Eastland Yards, Greg Asciutto with CharlotteEAST thanked council for their consideration and said the businesses in question were chosen with intention and will be exciting additions to the massive redevelopment of the former Eastland Mall site.

The city has signed a master lease agreement for six storefronts across from a park in the Eastland Yards development that will allow for the city to sublease to small business owners at a lowered rate. 

There were four businesses with subleases that went in front of council on Monday night: Rumbao Latin Dance Company, Alvaranga Realty LLC, Artisen Gelato, and Higher Grounds by Manolo.

Jennifer Geyer, owner of Rumbao Latin Dance Company, told council the new space will allow her business to expand its services for kids and senior citizens. She said Rumbao’s presence will help turn Eastland Yards into a cultural destination. 

“We are a collaborative partner committed to working constructively with the city and we respectfully request council to approve the sublease,” she said. 

Tim Sittema with Crosland Southeast said the ground-level storefronts would not have been financially feasible without the private-public partnership with the city. 

“We’re trying to thread a lot of needles here,” he said of the businesses. “It’s paramount that we have a diverse group of entrepreneurs that lead businesses that contribute to the community. We also want to provide the much-needed amenities that east Charlotte residents deserve. We also have to meet the needs of the specific spaces.”

Sittema said he has been working with the three tenants who would have their respective subleases voted on Monday night for more than a year. “I could not be more proud of the three entrepreneurs who you’re going to meet tonight,” he said. “I’m here to tell you that I have no hesitation or reservations at all about these three business owners.”

Council unanimously approved the lease for Rumbao Latin Dance Company at a rate of $12 per square foot (3,245 square feet) to be increased annually at a rate of 3% plus 15% of gross sales exceeding $325,000 in any given year.

Jayla Alvaranga addressed council about her salon business, where she will rent individual suites to licensed beauty and wellness professionals providing salon and personal care services. 

“I believe I am the ideal candidate to fill Suite 106, creating a space that will provide Charlotte small-business owners with a true home for their business operations,” Alvaranga said. 

LaWana Mayfield read a letter from a local street vendor who said the city has been unsupportive of entry-level entrepreneurs. 

“When we have an opportunity and we are offering very low, competitive rates regarding supporting Eastland, I have concerns that we have not pushed to create those opportunities [for vendors] that we already have relationships with locally,” Mayfield said. 

Read more: Eastland Flea Market Vendors and Skaters Search for New Home (2022)

She added that salon suites could be beneficial but there are groceries and other displaced businesses that could benefit the area more. She would not vote in support of the salon lease. 

“I want my colleagues to recognize the risk that these business owners are taking in being part of something that we haven’t done before,” said District 5 rep JD Mazuera Arias, referring to the fact that the tenants are taking space in a fledgling, undeveloped project.

Council approved the lease for Jayla Alvaranga’s salon suites at a rate of $17 per square foot (2,527 square feet) to be increased annually at a rate of 3% plus 12% of gross sales exceeding $357,992 in any year.

Manolo Betancur was next to address council. He is owner of both Higher Ground and Artisen Gelato, which will be in two separate spaces. As a fully vegan gelato shop, he said Artisen needs its own space to avoid cross-contamination with items from Higher Ground.

“We went through hell just two months ago,” said Betancur, referring to the CBP incursion into Charlotte. “Being an immigrant means to be brave. Now I am coming in front of you to ask that you give me this opportunity because we can create something big and we can send a big message to the nation.”

“You represent the very best of our local entrepreneurship. You represent the very best of our immigrant community. And you represent what hard work, resilience and giving back means. And I’m very proud of you, brother,” said Dimple Ajmera.

Arias called Manolo a mentor and father figure and called back to the ongoing protests that took root in front of Manolo’s Bakery on Central Avenue while CBP was in town. “The movement we built outside that bakery is one that not only the city recognized but the entire country did.”

Council approved both leases for Artisen Gelato (1,000 square feet) and Higher Ground by Manolo (1,024 square feet), both of which under the same rates: $22 per square foot to be increased annually at a rate of 3% per year plus 6% of gross sales exceeding $375,467 in any year.

MPTA Funding

Council voted unanimously to appropriate $4.3 million from the CATS Operating Fund to go toward start-up costs for the newly formed Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority. 

These administrative and startup costs include those related to legal services, accounting and auditing, meeting and administrative expenses, required studies and regulatory filings, insurance, consultants/advisory services and more.

The funding ensures the MPTA can meet the strategic planning milestones mandated by the P.A.V.E. Act, with all foundational tasks set for completion no later than July 1, 2026.

“This is the first critical step toward fulfilling our promise to shepherd our city’s infrastructure into the future,” City Manager Marcus Jones stated in a release following the meeting. “I hope tonight’s vote gives our community confidence and excitement. We’re fully invested in continuing to uphold Charlotte’s reputation as a world-class city.”

The next regularly scheduled MPTA meeting is set for Feb. 11 at 6 p.m.