CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte City Council hit pause on a major development vote on a 29-acre parcel of land in East Charlotte.
The property is located in Eastland Yards, the location of the old Eastland Mall site.
Eighty acres of land is being developed, but 29 acres still remain up in the air after Monday night's city council business meeting.
Council members clashed with staff recommendations for the project.
One proposal is for QC East at Eastland Yards. It would include an amphitheater and multi-sports fields.
The other development option is the Eastland Yards Indoor Sports Complex. The facility would house amenities like basketball courts and sports performance facilities.
Based on evaluation results, staff recommended council members "progress partnership conversations with the QC East at Eastland Yards team to next phase of due diligence."
Staff added to "continue conversations with the Indoor Sports Complex team about future opportunities in Charlotte."
Some council members expressed concerns about rushing the process before ensuring the proposals were supported by east side residents.
After a lengthy discussion, leaders sent both proposals back to the Economic Development Committee for further review.
But many residents have already voiced their opinions about these proposal options.
The nonprofit advocacy board CharlotteEAST created a petition that's garnered nearly 300 signatures in support of the indoor sports complex:
"It is the desire of the greater East Charlotte community to have Council move forward with Option B: Eastland Yards Indoor Sports Complex for the 29-acre eastern parcel of the Eastland Yards development. As presented, this option will spark sustainable economic growth for the East side and create a family-oriented destination that will be governed by (and accessible to) the East Charlotteans who’ve waited two decades for the corridor’s revitalization. The team behind this proposal has the project experience and passion for community-centered development needed to fulfill their promises of kickstarting East Charlotte’s hospitality industry, providing robust workforce development opportunities, and securing major, recurring financial investments for youth and family programming. To support this proposal’s stated goal of completing Phase 1 development by Q4 of 2024, we are calling for Council to take action and move forward with Option B: Eastland Yards Indoor Sports Complex."
One of the signatures on the petition is John Bremer, pastor of Calvary Church of the Nazarene.
His church is located in east Charlotte, less than a mile from Eastland Yards.
Bremer says it's important the site becomes a space that meets the needs of the community.
He hopes city council sees value in the indoor sports complex and how it could provide a safe space for youth and community members to enjoy the space together.
"Charlotte's youth would have some place to go," Bremer said. "Some place they could afford to go, some place that's easy and convenient to get to and at a low cost or free, which is critically important for the residents of east Charlotte. We think about how there's so few opportunities for our young people to participate in a sporting event like that or some kind of a structured sports program."
During Monday night's meeting, council members were also presented with a community engagement questionnaire. Residents answered questions pertaining to the Eastland Yards development site.
But some council members said the questionnaire lacked full representation because the majority of respondents didn't live in the east side.
Spectrum News 1 will continue following this story for additional updates.