CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drive through Plaza Midwood and you will see all the construction. The city is working toward putting in sidewalks and new parking.
Eyewitness News found that the city isn’t the only one investing in that area on Commonwealth Avenue.
The sounds, the orange cones and the signs all signify that change is coming to Plaza Midwood.
“It’s going nowhere but up,” said Bob Smithwick, owner of LEAP Design.
Smithwick lives and works in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood. Construction of new sidewalks, parking and landscape is revving up right outside his door.
Across the street from his business, a restaurant has been reborn and a new one is about to open and in a field nearby.
“A developer is putting a rental unit here,” Smithwick said.
“The whole area is really changing fast,” said Tom Russell, senior project manager for the City of Charlotte.
Ever since the city has been working to invest in the area, Russell has seen private business renovation and development pick up and build momentum.
He said that the Diamond restaurant has done some renovations, the Penguin restaurant is planning to build an outdoor patio, Jacks Across the Track will open within weeks and Harris Teeter is planning to expand.
“I think people are willing to make more of an investment when they know the city is investing in the area,” Russell said.
Smithwick agreed, and said he hopes the change on his street continues.
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