CHARLOTTE, NC — Developers are changing the face of a Charlotte neighborhood. But not everyone is embracing the progress in Cherry.
Many residents feel they are being forced out of this historic black community, and they’re looking for a lifeline to keep Cherry’s character alive.
But Cherry is changing, and that change comes at a human cost.
“We fixing to tear it down. We’ll demolish it,” said Cherry resident Elizabeth McCorey.
McCorey and other tenants of Stonehunt Property Management have been told they must be out by August 31.
Stonehunt LLC has plans for the property. These small, rundown apartments on Luther Street will be demolished.
“I went to the city council, they said they opposed them tearing down Cherry,” says McCorey. “They said Cherry is 130-something years old.”
So what happens when these residents are evicted, and these original Cherry homes are torn down?
This historic African American neighborhood is seemingly under siege. This is the new Cherry. A different look. A different vibe. And certainly, a different price point.
“It’s not like the old neighborhood,” says lifelong Cherry resident James Dennis. “You’re putting stuff that don’t even conform with the neighborhood.”
Many familiar landmarks are gone. Small, modest houses are being replaced by high dollar homes and foreign architecture.
“To me, like they’re pushing everybody out,” says Dennis. “You know they’re putting $100,000 houses. $400,000 houses to be exact.”
Several neighborhood groups are pushing to get Cherry added as an historic district, a move that would give the city say over what can be built, and maybe a reprieve for longtime residents to find a way to stay.
“The people that been here the longest, you know what I’m saying? They been here like 60, 70 years. You still got people like that here,” says Dennis.
We called Stonehunt LLC to get a comment on the evictions and demolition of the apartments in Cherry. We have not yet heard back.
