Title
Lowe’s 100 Hometowns Grant
Action
Action:
A. Accept a grant in the amount of $200,000 from Lowe’s Home Improvement for the construction of an open space in Historic Washington Heights neighborhood, and
B. Adopt a budget ordinance appropriating $200,000 from Lowe’s Home Improvement in the General Grants Fund.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Taiwo Jaiyeoba, City Manager’s Office
Erin Chantry, Planning, Design, and Development
Explanation
§ The Tate Street/Beatties Ford Road open space is in Historic Washington Heights in Council District 2.
§ This city-owned parcel was the location of “The Ritz,” the last movie theater built in Charlotte exclusively for African Americans. It opened in the early 1960s, closed in the 1971, and was later demolished.
§ This project is part of the Corridors of Opportunity program and was identified by the community during the “Beatties Ford Road Placemaking and Public Space Playbook” process. This comprehensive community engagement process identified four placemaking projects to be funded in 2021.
§ The city applied for and was awarded the Lowe’s 100 Hometowns grant for $200,000 to be added to the $50,000 allocated to the Corridors of Opportunity program for this project. Grant funding will allow the City of Charlotte to build a permanent open space that honors the history and legacy of The Ritz Theater.
§ The open space will be co-designed over the next month with the Beatties Ford Road corridor community. It will most likely include the following elements:
- An entertainment space for performances and outdoor movie nights,
- A green space to accommodate community events,
- A plaza with café seating and shade elements,
- A play feature,
- A market promenade with street furniture,
- Art completed by local artists, and
- Enhanced landscaping and additional street trees.
§ The objective of funding includes:
- Building a permanent open space that implements the community’s vision of honoring the history and identity of The Ritz Theater and the importance it had in the corridor;
- Creating a space that can host community events and support the programming of local institutions like Northwest School of the Arts, West Charlotte High School, the Allegra Westbrooks Library, etc; and
- Ensuring that the Tate Street/Beatties Ford Road open space is an active public space reflective of the identity, culture, and heritage of the Beatties Ford Road corridor community.
§ Ths open space will be constructed by October 2021.
Fiscal Note
Funding: General Grants Fund
Attachments
Attachment(s)
Map
Grant Agreement from Lowe’s 100 Hometowns
Budget Ordinance