CHARLOTTE (AP) — A developer says he needs about $25 million from Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to turn an old mall into a movie studio, hotel and retail space.
A Charlotte economic development committee was told Thursday about Bert Hesse’s Studio Charlotte Development group plans for the old Eastland Mall.
Hesse wants the city to give him 80 acres the city bought last year for about $13 million. The city is spending about $1 million to demolish the old mall that closed in 2010.
The plan calls for eight sound stages for movie and television production. Other parts of the project include 125 residential lofts, a hotel and movie theater and space for retail and commercial projects, as well as a school.
No decision by the city is expected until next year.