CHARLOTTE CITY COUNCIL · 2022–2025
Public Service. Measurable Progress.
A look at key projects, investments, and initiatives from Marjorie Molina’s time on the Charlotte City Council — and the communities they serve.
PUBLIC SERVICE · 2022–2025
Turning Opportunity into Progress
DISTRICT 5
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
From 2022 through 2025, Marjorie Molina served on the Charlotte City Council representing District 5, an area of East Charlotte where redevelopment, infrastructure, transportation, housing and economic opportunity were closely connected.
The projects presented here highlight selected work undertaken during her tenure, alongside residents, City staff, Council colleagues, community organizations and development partners.
The goal is to document the selected projects and decisions from her public-service record accurately, including the challenges addressed, the actions taken and the outcomes that can be substantiated.
REDEVELOPMENT & ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Eastland Yards
The redevelopment of the former Eastland Mall property represented one of East Charlotte’s most consequential redevelopment opportunities. During Molina’s Council tenure, work continued to move the site from decades of expectation toward visible investment, development and renewed activity.
01 / THE CHALLENGE
The City purchased the former Eastland Mall property in 2012 and demolished the mall in 2013. A larger redevelopment plan was already underway when Molina took office, but the future of the remaining eastern 29 acres was unresolved after earlier plans for that portion of the site fell through.
02 / THE WORK
In 2023, Council considered competing proposals for the remaining 29 acres. On August 28, Council directed City staff and the two development teams to determine whether the concepts could be combined and return with a collaborative proposal.
On October 9, 2023, Molina made the motion authorizing the City Manager to move forward with the newly combined proposal and negotiate agreements supporting up to $30 million in public infrastructure and indoor/outdoor amateur-sports improvements.
On September 9, 2024, Molina again made the motion authorizing the master development agreement and updated reimbursement structures, including caps of $18.994 million for public infrastructure and $22.334 million for sports facilities and other public improvements. Those figures are updated reimbursement caps, not $41 million of entirely new funding.
03 / THE OUTCOME
The remaining acreage moved from competing concepts to an executable collaborative development agreement. During Molina’s tenure, Evoke Living opened in November 2024 as Eastland Yards’ first completed phase. The Eastland Sports Campus later broke ground in March 2026, after her Council service.
04 / WHY IT MATTERED
The remaining 29 acres had become one of the most consequential unresolved pieces of the Eastland redevelopment. Moving competing teams toward a combined path allowed the City to advance a sports, recreation and community-oriented development while the larger site began producing visible housing and investment.
HOUSING PRESERVATION & AFFORDABILITY
Peppertree Apartments
The investment preserved 292 existing apartments under a long-term affordability structure amid increasing market pressure. In April 2025, Peppertree also became the site of Charlotte’s electric-vehicle car-share program, connecting affordable housing preservation with transportation access.
01 / THE CHALLENGE
Peppertree is a 292-unit naturally occurring affordable housing community on Central Avenue in an area experiencing significant redevelopment and property appreciation. The City identified the property as being at risk of market pressure and potential resident displacement.
02 / THE WORK
On September 12, 2022, City Council approved an $8 million allocation for acquisition and rehabilitation of Peppertree Apartments, along with a long-term rental-subsidy structure. The preservation agreement included a 20-year affordability requirement covering the 292-unit property, including deeply affordable units for lower-income households.
03 / THE OUTCOME
The investment preserved 292 existing apartments under a long-term affordability structure amid increasing market pressure. In April 2025, Peppertree also became the site of Charlotte’s electric-vehicle car-share program, connecting affordable housing preservation with transportation access.
04 / WHY IT MATTERED
Peppertree demonstrates the value of preserving affordability amid increasing market and displacement pressure. It also became an example of connecting housing, transportation and access to opportunity in one location.
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Far East–Harrisburg Strategic Investment Area
Far East–Harrisburg is one of Charlotte’s first two Strategic Investment Areas, part of a new approach to coordinating infrastructure improvements in growing neighborhoods. The initiative brings together investments in sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, streetlighting, transit access and roadway connections to improve mobility and expand access to opportunity in East Charlotte.
01 / THE CHALLENGE
The Far East–Harrisburg area includes growing neighborhoods along a corridor where major gaps remained in sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, streetlighting, transit access and other mobility infrastructure.
02 / THE WORK
In 2024, City Council adopted and voters approved a $55 million capital bond pilot covering two Strategic Investment Areas: Far East–Harrisburg and Arrowood.
At the August 11, 2025, Council meeting, Molina noted approximately $20 million directed toward the Far East–Harrisburg work and explicitly credited the Council collectively for that investment.
03 / THE OUTCOME
The Far East–Harrisburg plan included approximately 2.2 miles of new sidewalk, three signalized pedestrian crossings, four bus mobility-hub improvements, 5.7 miles of streetlighting, four miles of traffic-signal fiber, new traffic signals and intersection/pedestrian upgrades in an area surrounding approximately 6,300 existing households.
04 / WHY IT MATTERED
Far East–Harrisburg and Arrowood became Charlotte’s first two pilots for a new Strategic Investment Area model. The City’s stated plan is to apply lessons from those pilots as the approach expands across all 22 Strategic Investment Areas.
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Robinson Church Road
Robinson Church Road is a major infrastructure improvement project in far East Charlotte, addressing roadway capacity, pedestrian safety and multimodal connectivity in a rapidly growing area. During Molina's Council tenure, the project advanced through important funding decisions supporting the modernization of this corridor.
01 / THE CHALLENGE
Robinson Church Road serves a growing part of far East Charlotte where roadway capacity, pedestrian infrastructure and multimodal connections have not kept pace with development.
02 / THE WORK
As of 2026, the City’s two-phase project budget is approximately $72.5 million.
On May 12, 2025, Molina made the motion authorizing the City to accept $6.227 million in State Highway Trust funding for Phase 1. That phase includes improvements between East W.T. Harris Boulevard and the Plott Road/Highland Avenue intersection, including roadway improvements, shared-use paths, planting strips and a roundabout.
03 / THE OUTCOME
Phase 1 advanced with state and local funding toward a major modernization of the corridor. The larger two-phase project continues beyond Molina’s term, with subsequent construction and design work extending beyond her Council service.
04 / WHY IT MATTERED
Robinson Church Road represents the scale of infrastructure investment required in parts of Charlotte that grew without the same roadway, pedestrian and multimodal network available elsewhere in the city.
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
Katie Blessing Center
The Katie Blessing Center is a pediatric and adolescent behavioral-health facility planned for East Charlotte, bringing multiple levels of care together in one location. During Molina’s Council tenure, the City approved a $2.5 million contribution toward the project, supporting an effort to expand access to specialized mental-health services for children and families.
01 / THE CHALLENGE
East Charlotte and the region faced a significant gap in dedicated pediatric behavioral-health services, particularly a facility capable of providing multiple levels of care in one location.
02 / THE WORK
The City had previously sold the 5516 Central Avenue property at market rate for development of a pediatric and adolescent behavioral-health facility.
On June 24, 2024, Molina made the motion approving a $2.5 million City allocation from FY2025 Pay-As-You-Go funds toward the Katie Blessing Center capital campaign. The Center was planned as an approximately 70,000-square-foot facility providing behavioral-health urgent care, acute inpatient care, residential treatment and traditional outpatient services.
03 / THE OUTCOME
The Council action established a significant City funding commitment as part of a broader public-private capital effort. The project broke ground in April 2025 and continued into development after Molina’s tenure.
04 / WHY IT MATTERED
The project addressed a major gap in care for children and families by bringing multiple levels of pediatric behavioral-health treatment together on one East Charlotte campus.
CITYWIDE GOVERNANCE
Serving District 5. Governing Charlotte.
District representation was one part of the work. As a member of Charlotte City Council, Molina also participated in major decisions shaping the city’s long-term economic, transportation, housing and infrastructure future.
Economic Development
Bank of America Stadium Modernization
In June 2024, City Council authorized up to $650 million from the Convention Center Capital Fund for stadium improvements and a new Field House. Molina served on the Jobs & Economic Development Committee, which unanimously recommended the project. The agreement included a 20-year non-relocation commitment for the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC.
Transportation
Regional Mobility Transformation
On September 3, 2024, Molina seconded two Council motions: one advancing the process for a proposed one-cent transportation sales tax and another authorizing a $91 million acquisition of rail and station-area property for the future Red Line. Both passed 10–1. The sales tax was subsequently approved by Mecklenburg County voters in November 2025.
Public Investment
2024 Historic Bond Package
In 2024, City Council advanced a $400 million bond referendum, including $238.3 million for transportation, $100 million for housing and $61.7 million for neighborhood improvements. Molina voted in favor of placing the package before voters, who approved it in November 2024.
COMMUNITY & INFRASTRUCTURE
Selected Additional Work
01
IKE Smart City / Digital Kiosks
On October 27, 2025, Molina made the motion authorizing the City to enter into a long-term agreement with IKE Smart City for up to 30 interactive digital kiosks in City-maintained rights-of-way. The kiosks are intended to expand access to information, wayfinding, public-safety messaging, local-business visibility and civic resources. The first Charlotte kiosk was activated in 2026, after Molina’s Council service.
02
Albemarle Road Pedestrian Safety & Connectivity
On October 23, 2023, Molina made the motion accepting $1.756 million in NCDOT Transportation Alternatives Program funding for the Albemarle Road Pedestrian Safety and Connectivity Project.
The planned work included pedestrian hybrid beacons, closing sidewalk gaps along Wilora Lake and Albemarle roads, and two CATS mobility hubs connecting transit, rideshare, bicycle and micromobility options.
03
Spark Centro
During Molina’s tenure, the City awarded the Latin American Chamber of Commerce $1.5 million through the Corridors of Opportunity Business Opportunity Hub program for Spark Centro in the Albemarle/Central Corridor. The hub was designed to provide resources for emerging retailers, entrepreneurs and job seekers, with particular attention to minority-owned businesses.
PUBLIC SERVICE · 2022–2025
A Record of Shared Progress
The work featured here represents selected projects and decisions from a broader record of service. Public progress is collective work — shaped by residents, City staff, Council colleagues, community organizations, institutional partners and the people who continue the work long after any one term ends.