Is Charlotte’s East Side Rising?

CharlotteEAST finds opportunities for growth and (just enough) change, with help from west side friends

If someone gripes that Charlotte lacks character, here’s a wager: They don’t live on the east side. I’m a biased east-sider, sure, but to me, this is the heart of the city. It’s Charlotte’s most diverse area, with about a quarter of our neighbors born abroad—just listen to the languages mingling at Veterans Park on a summer evening. It’s the home of Lang Van, Manolo’s Bakery, and Red Sea. It’s where you cheer on the Checkers and sell your soul for a PBR at Bart’s Mart. Our dive bars reflect decades of patron loyalty, not last month’s brand strategy. We have a nature preserve just five miles from uptown. It’s so great, people willingly take Independence Boulevard to get here.

Greg Asciutto makes my east Charlotte love look like a childhood crush. For the past decade, he’s been an English teacher at Garinger High School, where he was instrumental in the effort to bring magnet programs to the school. As board chair of CharlotteEAST, an advocacy nonprofit, Greg backed plans to turn the vacant Eastland Mall site into the east side’s economic driver once again. Last October, the City Council allocated $30 million for an indoor-outdoor sports facility to join housing, shops, and offices there. Simply keeping up with Eastland news felt like a part-time job; Greg was among the main players doing the work—on top of his full-time job. This year, Greg has become a full-time east-side advocate. He left teaching for a job as executive director of CharlotteEAST—its first paid staff position, courtesy of a United Way grant. After big victories last year at Garinger and Eastland, the group’s carrying momentum into 2024. It’s turning to smaller-scale wins that will contribute to one big goal: creating economic opportunities here that serve—and don’t displace—east-siders. “We’ve been sitting here for 20 years waiting for economic development, either public or private. Now that things are moving, how do we make sure it’s sustainable?” Greg says. “We don’t want to be exclusive and keep others from coming in, but how do we make sure that those who come in aren’t pushing away the people who are already here?”

For inspiration, the east side looks west. The west side also suffered from a lack of public and private dollars for decades, but recent investments have kicked off development and growth—and gentrification. As the value of west-side real estate skyrockets, neighborhood groups like West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition and Freedom Communities work to make sure residents find upward mobility and opportunity, not just displacement. “We have to extend our hand across center city … to figure out, OK, what’s working over here? What’s working over there?” Greg says. “How do we collectively strengthen our community this way?” Greg says west-side leaders are among the east side’s strongest allies. “An example: James Mitchell. Smuggie,” Greg says, referring to the at-large City Council member and his nickname. “This dude, west side to the T, did not miss an opportunity to call our team to make sure that our voices were heard throughout the Eastland process. We saw the importance of that collaboration, and we’re going to continue to build on that.”

Greg envisions thriving neighborhoods where people have access to quality education and good-paying jobs close to home. He envisions thriving mom-and-pop businesses on Central Avenue alongside new businesses run by young entrepreneurs. He envisions close connections between people in need and nonprofits that support them. He envisions a merchants association that promotes small businesses. To get there, CharlotteEAST focuses on one idea: belonging. Instead of forcing one contrived brand on the area, CharlotteEAST leans into the area’s rich multicultural identity. When it shares information and solicits ideas, it does so in both English and Spanish. Since Greg became chair two years ago, the board’s become younger and more diverse, looking more like the community it represents. He believes that building trust between neighbors and giving everyone a voice will be key to creating a thriving area where everyone shares in its growth. Where they belong. “Our diversity is our greatest strength,” Greg says. “If we can harness it in the right way, this could be a model for how you build multicultural community.”