• Eastland Mall redevelopment: CharlotteEAST has long played a critical role in the redevelopment of the former Eastland Mall property. In 2023, our organization led an award-winning community organizing campaign to ensure a 120,000 sq. ft. indoor sports complex would come to the site and serve as an economic driver for the region. Our team led the steering committee work for the planning of the site's 4.5 acre park abutting Central Avenue, which belongs to Mecklenburg County.​

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• Supporting placemaking initiatives: Beautification and placemaking is a critical piece of attracting economic development. CharlotteEAST supports neighborhoods and private partners to enhance the desirability of locations frequented by the public and design spaces (such as the Eastland park) that create a sense of belonging.  

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• Improving multimodal transportation: CharllotteEAST has long advocated and worked with City staff to bring light rail to East Charlotte. As of mid-2024, there is no public commitment that either rail will come to our community. Thousands of eastside community hours have been spent on engagement, advocacy, focus groups, and feedback on the Silver Line, which we believed would serve as the catalyst for the revitalization of what was once one of our City’s most vibrant business corridors.
  
  The demand by our neighbors 20 years ago for “equal infrastructure for all corridors” is still an unrealized dream, as the East is now the only geography without a firm commitment for a rail project. City leadership has given no concrete assurances that the Gold Line’s expansion from Hawthorne to Eastland will indeed occur.
  
  Eastside voters will likely be asked to vote on a one-cent sales tax increase to fund other rail and countywide transportation projects (including those for road and bus) on a future bond referendum as early as 2025. CharlotteEAST is waiting for the political dust to settle before taking advocacy action. ​​​​
   

• Greater Eastland business district: In early 2024, our team began the strategic planning process for a greater Eastland area business district. Spurred by the redevelopment of the Eastland Mall property, our business community voiced the need to organize, unify, and elevate its collective voice. Thanks to $220,000 in support from the City of Charlotte via its Start-Scale-Sustain (S3) Grant, we are embarking upon a two-year process to create an owner-centered network of businesses and landlords working to market and improve the economic vitality of the area.