Charlotte Site Selected For $200K Lowe's Revitalization Grant

CHARLOTTE, NC — The City of Charlotte will receive a $200,000 grant to revitalize a parcel of land in a historically Black neighborhood in the West End's Beatties Ford Corridor, Lowe's announced Tuesday. The grant is part of the North Carolina-based home improvement company's "100 Hometowns" initiative funding 100 impact projects in 36 states.

The site is located at Tate Street and Beatties Ford Road at the location of the former Ritz Theater, which closed in 1971. "The inviting space will be a destination hub for community members to come together and celebrate the strength of their neighborhood," said Lowe's. "Built on the ideas of positivity, inclusiveness and belonging, the park will confront and address social, economic, education, health disparities and work to preserve the history and culture of the neighborhood."

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021, the City of Charlotte said.

“We are inspired by the nationwide response to 100 Hometowns, which brought people from all across the country to share with us their remarkable stories and hope for how their community might be made a little better,” said Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe's chairman and CEO, in a statement.

The Charlotte project is one of eight selected in North Carolina, according to the home improvement company.

Other projects selected for funding in North Carolina include:

• Activate Selma — Selma, NC. Says Lowe's: "Focused on the downtown area, projects include turning a neglected park into an exercise yard for an animal hospital’s patients, repairing and prepping a wall that faces the town hall for a mural painting, refreshing painted trash cans and painting playground equipment in the children’s park. Each improvement will help make the downtown area a bit more vibrant."
• East Bend Town Square — East Bend, NC. Says Lowe's: "A town with no park is working to complete a Town Square park project that will serve as a place for children and adults alike to come together to play, relax and enjoy one another’s company. Centrally located in the town, the ADA-accessible park will be a gathering place for residents and a spot for a variety of community activities."
• Exodus Missionary Outreach Church Fellowship Hall — Hickory, NC. Says Lowe's: "An organization that helps the homeless, people transitioning from prison and those coming out of addiction by offering shelter, mentoring, job training, accountability and education would like to renovate its kitchen facilities and update its appliances so it can continue to provide its services to those in need, specifically the organization’s ability to regularly and on special occasions serve hot meals."
• Anchor Ridge Kids Club — North Wilkesboro, NC. Says Lowe's: "Anchor Ridge has been serving the North Wilkesboro and greater Wilkes County area since 2012, and its mission is to fight poverty by providing hungry families with food, basic hygiene items, household goods, and home repair supplies. Located in one of the original Lowe's distribution centers, Anchor Ridge serves thousands of people on a monthly basis throughout the Appalachian Mountain region. Anchor Ridge's Kid's Club program, serving hundreds of local Wilkes County kids on a monthly basis also operates from this facility. The facility serves as a local community center and is in need of repairs and updates that will enable Anchor Ridge to continue serving current families and expand the number of children and families it can serve each month.
• Critical home repairs and outreach services for Siler City seniors — Siler City, NC. Says Lowe's: "A county council on aging that promotes independent living and wellness for those aged 60 and older seeks to repair and rehabilitate homes in need of critical home health and safety modifications for low-income senior homeowners as well as create a fun outdoor bocce ball court for the senior center clientele."
• Blockwork — Salisbury, NC. Says Lowe's: "BLOCKWORK is a grass-roots program developed in 2010 that strives to bring residents and community volunteers together to build cleaner and safer neighborhoods, one block at a time. Working together with property owners, residents, city staff and other support groups, participants help to stop the deterioration of a block of homes each year by painting, landscaping, and revitalizing the area. It serves the residents of the chosen block who don't have the funds or the skills to fix the problems themselves. Projects include carpentry, painting, landscaping and general clean-up in a one-block area, creating beauty and fostering collaboration in the neighborhood."
• Fowler Alley community space — Elizabeth City, NC. Says Lowe's: "A downtown area at a tipping point in revitalization driven by a community-wide entrepreneurial spirit and town pride wishes to transform a centrally located dilapidated strip of alleyway into an experience-based community space. The outdoor space, which sits in the middle of five prominent historic buildings that have been recently restored, will give community members and visitors a place to congregate and contribute to the town’s strategic transition to an entertainment and economic hub for the community."

More information about the 100 Hometowns initiative may be found here.

SEE ALSO:

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Approve 2022-2023 School Calendar
• Annual Veterans Golf Tournament Set For October: How To Register
  
• Charlotte Woman Receives Scratch Off Ticket As Gift, Wins $2M
  
• Delta Aquariids, Perseid Meteors In Charlotte: Peak Dates