CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Fresh wheels and cool tricks are what you’ll find at Charlotte’s Eastland DIY skate park.

A site that was once Eastland Mall has since transformed into a skater's paradise. 

“When I first started skating here, I mean none of this stuff was here,” Sharee Knight said of the skating structures. “We had the quarter pipe… and then we had the bigger quarter pipe over there.” 

It was six years ago when Knight discovered this skate park and decided to get into this sport to help manage her medical issues. 

“I’ve had heart problems since I was younger and they started to get worse and I was really feeling low… just kind of not myself and I needed an outlet,” Knight said. “My friends that I grew up with skated, so they were like, 'try skating,' and I was like, 'OK.' So I went and got a board and fell in love with it.” 

Knight makes the 45-minute drive to this skate park multiple times a week, because this place has become more than just a skate park to her. 

“It’s a safe haven,” Knight said. “It’s a place where people can come of all ages, any family, any race, any color. We don’t discriminate against anybody. It’s really just a safe place for us to come and be who we are.” 

But Knight and other skaters will soon lose this "safe haven" for good.

The City of Charlotte recently announced they will close the park to begin redeveloping this site for a new $26 million project that will include Charlotte FC’s headquarters. 

Now, skaters like Knight are trying to figure out what’s next. 

But she’s grateful for the people and memories this skate park has provided her. 

“I would love to think that we would all still have that bond and I think we will,” Knight said. “I think the years that this place has been open has created a bond for us that has been unbreakable.” 

Skaters only have a few more weeks to skate at this park before it officially shuts down on March 3. 

The Eastland Mall site also was home to an open-air market that the city granted a license to for the last 10 years. 

City officials say there is no suitable city-owned land where the market can continue, so right now it is up to either the operator or individual vendors to find their next location.