The Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte is working to raise $20 million to open an economic development center in Charlotte’s Albemarle Road Corridor. The Spark Centro would house nonprofit organizations focused on workforce development, entrepreneurship training and recruitment.
The Chamber hopes to begin construction in 2024 and open in 2025.
The idea behind the center is to support local retailers, entrepreneurs and job seekers to drive economic growth in the community, LACCC says. The center would serve all residents in the corridor with priority given to Latinos, the county’s fastest-growing demographic.
LACCC says it has secured $4 million in investment so far. Part of that investment is from the city of Charlotte, which included the Spark Centro among six recipients of its $4.45 million Business Opportunity Hub grant in November. The grant is meant to support small businesses in the city’s designated Corridors of Opportunity.
To build the center, the Chamber is looking to renovate a nearly 9-acre site that includes 34,000 square feet of retail space.
The location includes the current site of Fever Nightclub on East W.T Harris Boulevard. That address and an adjoining vacant lot on Lawyers Road are listed for sale for $3.2 million. Both properties are owned by Paul A. Scoggins of Monroe.
