Change may be inevitable many would say, but for East students living in Plaza Midwood, it is not a good kind of change. The homes and stores have a different kind of aesthetic than most of your suburban neighborhoods. They have an instant feeling of comfort that makes you never want to leave. However, that feeling will soon change..

   The Plaza Midwood neighborhood, located near uptown Charlotte, is home to many students at East but their community is in for a big change. About 12 acres of space at the corner of Central Avenue and Pecan Avenue will be a new urban strip mall. The strip mall will consist of a 150,000 square foot office building, almost 400 apartments and new places to eat or relax at. The locals of the area will get to see the undesirable finished product in 2024.  

   Sophomore Mason Black and senior Livia Hess have lived there their whole lives and are dreading the changes. 

   “It’s my home and the community has so much character,” Hess said. “With the urbanization that’s soon to come will take away everything I grew up with.” 

   The new development sounds wonderful at first.  But in reality, it will ruin the eccentric vibe the neighborhood is known for. The only advantage of the upcoming construction is getting rid of the empty parking lot where at least two law enforcement officers are on standby at all times to tow cars of unsuspecting visitors to the area.   

   Businesses like Pizza Peel and Mama’s Caribbean are in the middle of downtown Plaza Midwood. The buildings housing these two businesses have been around since 1936. The area has already experienced new buildings and renovations in the past years but with the construction of these modern apartments, it’s going to stick out like a sore thumb, ruining the image of the charming community. 

The gentrified stores that are going to be located in the strip mall could also cause competition with the original shops, making them lose business. Hopefully the established  businesses will draw in sales after the new families move into the upcoming shopping complex housing, but they will have to deal with more than two years of construction. 

   In addition, the architecture of the surrounding homes in Plaza Midwood is unmatchable with the Victorian, colonial and bungalow style homes you see walking around. Those styles of homes are the ones you grew up seeing and wished you lived in. 

   The purpose of changing the community that has been built around since the 1930s is a mystery to many. People these days can’t leave anything alone; they always need the next new thing. They think keeping things the same is unprogressive and with that mindset they are taking away not just some old buildings but people’s homes that once were their place of comfort. 

   The ones planning to build this dreaded strip mall are Nuveen Real Estate and developer Crosland Southeast. The residents of Plaza Midwood will have to bear through the construction as they watch their neighborhood turn into something unrecognizable. 

   No one doubts that there needs to be some changes in the strip shopping center, but the Charlotte City Council’s decision to make such a major reshaping of a historic neighborhood was a mistake. In the future, the council needs to consider the effect that new development makes on the vibe of quirky neighborhoods. 

   It seems that the council cares more about developers than the people who live in the neighborhoods where core memories are made and who are opposed to changing the colorful character of the area.  

“I don’t respect or condone the construction they’re doing in Plaza Midwood,” Black said. “It’s going to be done the year I graduate and I don’t want to leave for college knowing my home and community won’t be the same when I come back.”