An East Charlotte community is raising concerns as the city considers a second tennis complex in the River District

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) – A proposed development in western Mecklenburg County has some residents in east Charlotte worried that their interests are not being put first.

In 2010, a world-class tennis facility called Project Breakpoint is proposed River District and would include four stadiums, five match pitches and training facilities.

The developers hope it can be the home of The Western and Southern Open.

That’s because local nonprofit CarolinaServes is proposing a different tennis complex for the old Eastland Mall in east Charlotte as well.

Community advocates in the area are concerned about what this means for the sports concept, which remains unclear, on 29 acres of vacant land in the EastlandYards area.

While this River District project is incredibly exciting for our community, it simply cannot come before what is happening in Eastland, there is no way,” said CharlotteEast Board Chair Greg Asciutto.

Asciutto said he is concerned about how this project will affect the future of Eastland Yards.

The 29-acre concourse was originally slated for the Charlotte FC facility before Tepper Sports and Entertainment pulled out of the deal in 2022.

The frustration is really just how this process has evolved, Asciutto said.

The city is still considering three proposals for the land, including QCEast that would include athletic fields, event space and an esports center, a racquet sports entertainment area for the nonprofit CarolinaServes, or the potential concept of building a city with its own multi-sports center. Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority as a partner.

City Councilwoman Marjorie Molina, who represents East Charlotte, sent a statement to WBTV that read in part:

Considering the proposal to move the tournament does not diminish the commitment to the east side, and I believe that in the coming months we will find the right development to support the east side community. I understand how my constituents may feel when they see this proposed development, but I think it is important to point out that this particular development is not appropriate for the Eastland area and many of my neighbors’ traffic, parking and noise concerns would be exacerbated by a project of this size and scope.

Malcolm Graham, director of the city’s economic development committee, said the city can handle a variety of development projects.

“We’re committed to making a big investment in Eastland Yards, but we want to make sure we do it right and do the taxpayers a favor by only doing a project that might come back to haunt us,” Graham said.

Graham said he told CarolinaServes that asking the city to fund the majority of his project could be problematic.

It’s one thing to want to build a racquet facility, but then you have to pay for it, and that’s where the carpet came in, he said.

Graham said he also suggested CarolinaServes consider participating in what Beemok Capital is proposing in the river area.

I’m not saying they shouldn’t do their project, he said. I say that here is an opportunity for cooperation, partnership and participation.

WBTV reached out to CarolinaServes for comment but did not hear back.

According to the City of Charlotte, the city has enough funding capacity to provide public funding for the new proposed project and significant public funding for the east side project.

Related: World class tennis facility proposed for Charlottes River District

Copyright 2023 WBTV. All rights reserved.