CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It was a day of food, fun and family at the Sugar Creek Recreation Center Tuesday afternoon drawing a crowd to a place some often avoid. “The Sugar Creek area, that has been a problem for a number of years. A lot of criminal components that happen happened there. We are well aware of that, to be honest with you. We kind of keep our distance from that area intentionally,” Mehl Renner, Charlotte Resident said. The City of Charlotte is working to change the community perception through the Corridors of Opportunity. Last year, the city of invested at least $10 million dollars to improve the quality of life in six underinvested areas across the city. The city bought two motels on Regan Drive to build an affordable housing complex. City data shows the stabilizing operation resulted in 289 fewer hotel/motel rooms and the creation of 253 new housing units. Councilmember Dante Anderson represents the area. She says the city asked residents to help build a playbook that will serve as a guide for the next 3-15 years. “They wanted more cameras, they wanted it to be brighter. We actually started jump, started a business organization for Sugar Creek. That was a part of the investment to bring all the small businesses together and think about how we can drive more economic development to this area,” Councilmember Dante Anderson, District 1 said. In the event Tuesday, residents saw mark ups of plans for park upgrades, sidewalks and bike trails. Councilmember Anderson says this county/city partnership shows slow but sustained progress. “It takes that energy, that sustained energy and effort into it. What I can say is that there are efforts going on in this corridor right now I can’t even speak about, but once I’m able to speak about it, we will see the improvements that it gains for us,” Councilmember Anderson said. For residents, they’d like to see action come faster. “If it doesn’t happen within the next year or two or so, planning amounts to kicking the can down the road,” Renner said. “Whether or not it happens is due to funding, politics, just a lot of variables. So when you’re seniors like us, when will we ever see it?.” The county is soliciting feedback for park improvements until May 29th. The city is ironing out the final budget for the next year that could increase investments into the Corridors of Opportunity and other strategic investment areas. ...read more read less