The rejuvenation of the Monroe Road corridor is getting noticed by the rest of Charlotte, with multiple MoRA-area businesses receiving BOB (Best of the Best) awards from Charlotte Magazine. Among a list of destinations in Ballantyne, Dilworth, Plaza-Midwood and Southend are a few businesses familiar to MoRA residents.
Who made the cut?
Cinemark Movie Bistro Charlotte, previously called Carolina Cinemas Crown Point, wins for the best movie theater reboot. As a movie buff that has visited almost every movie theater in the Charlotte area, Cinemark Movie Bistro is easily the best theater in Charlotte and the surrounding area. What did Charlotte Magazine have to say? The theater “lured us back with its new reclining seats, and keeps us returning with craft beers on draft and fried brussels sprouts.”
Thirty years have not been kind to the East Side. The widening of East Independence demolished more than asphalt–it took the life from this once vibrant area of Charlotte. And now, there is hope. The Charlotte Checkers have returned to Bojangles Arena, development is creeping in this direction and Hendrick Automotive has purchased darn-near half of the property on the outbound side of 74, making great strides in quickly building modern homes for their dealerships–BMW, Land Rover and many more. Hendrick is simultaneously remodeling the previously vacant ex-BJ’s Warehouse building for their new HQ. And each of their properties has been beautifully re-landscaped. The East Side is looking up. For 2016, there is one development that turns heads of all that pass–The Meridian mixed-use project, featuring M Station Apartments. Kudos to developer Roy Goode and Greystar Apartment Communities for this big leap.
We have covered the surrounding development, but anyone who has driven down Monroe Road, Sardis Road North, or just about any neighborhood can see the stark differences over only the last year. Buildings that have been vacant for a decade are being filled or renovated. New business is trickling in. Homes in the area come off the market in a matter of days, not months. The Meridian development may be the best example of this turnaround, as it brings new apartments, restaurants, shops, and business to the heart of the MoRA area.
Just outside of the MoRA area, the magazine gives the Charlotte Checkers hockey team the award for Best Relocation to the historic and recently renovated Bojangles Coliseum. We are happy with the move too, as residents are a quick drive from affordable and accessible sports. The Charlotte Film Festival, awarded Best Festival Reboot, also has screenings at Cinemark Movie Bistro, among other places.
MoRA needs YOUR help! VOLUNTEER with us on important community projects. Can’t volunteer? DONATE to help make our public art dream a reality. Even a $20 tax-deductible donation will help give the neighborhood a beautiful, defining sculpture that will make residents proud.
