Charlotte City Council tasks developers to combine plans for Eastland Yards: Tuesday, August 29

The Charlotte City Council was expected to decide at Monday night's council meeting which project proposal it prefers for Eastland Yards.

However, instead of voting for one plan, councilmembers voted unanimously to task the developers behind the two final proposals to collaborate on one new vision.

The future of the 29-acre site of part of the old Eastland Mall property could finally be determined after what some community members have called a drawn out process.

City leaders have previously said they're taking their time to make sure they find the right fit for the site but neighbors are tired of the site sitting vacant.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/charlotte-city-council-discuss-eastland-yards/275-0a7c246e-e7e5-4457-ad37-134f23c9900c

Monday, a Gastonia church closed its encampment where dozens of homeless people lived. Some have been there for months, some even a year.

This is the same church in a legal battle with the city of Gastonia.

Faith Hope and Love Community Enrichment Ministries said they were between a rock and a hard place. They continued to face fines from the city and with the lawsuit looming, closing the encampment was the only thing they felt they could do.

Pastor Moses Colbert is the executive director of the ministry.

“It is heart-wrenching because we have all of these people and we have to put them off the property and they have nowhere to go,” Pastor Moses Colbert said.

Many people lived in tents on the property. Pastor Moses Colbert said the population reaches over 100 at night. They were all told they had to vacate by Monday morning.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/gastonia/gastonia-church-closes-homeless-encampment/275-ffd1377f-d60c-40ba-a93f-e00ef2d89c12

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!