The city of Charlotte plans to open physical hubs in all six of the city’s designated Corridors of Opportunity to connect small businesses and entrepreneurs with resources. The city already partners with several organizations to provide training and access to capital. These hubs would bring those partnerships directly into historically overlooked and underinvested communities and be run by groups located there.
Monica Holmes, who oversees the city’s corridors initiative, says residents will be able to find other help there too.
"Is that housing resources? Is it county resources? Public health? Who are all the other partners to bring to the table so that we are really providing a robust opportunity for our communities to access these different resources," Holmes said.
The plan is to open the hubs in 2024. Charlotte has received 21 applications from groups opening the six hubs, and staff are going through the proposals now. The city will provide three years of funding to get them started.
Holmes also told a city council committee Tuesday that Sugar Creek and Interstate 85 will soon see more real estate deals that will further decrease the number of hotel rooms there. That’s long been a goal of surrounding neighborhoods, where residents say the glut of low-priced hotel rooms attracts crime. The city purchased a dilapidated motel this spring to reduce crime in the area and provide stable affordable housing.
Holmes said another 300 hotel rooms may soon be transformed to a similar purpose by private entities, without the use of city dollars.
