Charlotte City Council voted to approve a set of subleases for retail space at the Eastland Yards development, clearing room for several small businesses the city and private partners say will activate ground-floor retail.

Greg Escudo of Charlotte East and developer Tim Sinema described the tenant mix and the lengthy public–private effort behind the project. "This is a tremendous milestone for both this project and for our community," Escudo said during public comment.

Council considered individual sublease resolutions for Rumbao Latin Dance Company (Suite 105), a salon-suites business (Suite 106), Artisan Gelato (Suite 122) and a coffee/food tenant. Tenants and proponents told council the businesses will provide services and programming for East Charlotte, create jobs and help animate a park and public space adjacent to the development.

Several council members voiced support but also pressed staff to ensure the city prioritized outreach to local vendors and merchant associations already serving the East Side. Council member Luana Mayfield said she had concerns about franchise or nonlocal operators being selected before long-time neighborhood merchants and asked staff to document local outreach and alternatives.

Council member J.D. (Masuda) Arias and others responded that the recommended tenants have been selected after a multi-year process involving community partners and that staff will continue to work with merchant associations to strengthen local participation. A number of council members thanked Eastland advocates and long-time neighborhood leaders for their persistence in advancing the project.

The votes: Council approved the sublease resolutions by majority vote; one council member recorded a dissent on at least one parcel, citing the need for a stronger local-first strategy.

What happens next: The city manager was authorized to negotiate and execute sublease documents. Staff and the Eastland partners said they will continue outreach to merchant associations and local small-business networks as more retail spaces are filled.