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South End development forces out Food Truck Friday spot

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The battle between progress and keeping the feel of certain Charlotte neighborhoods continues to unfold across the city.

New development could soon push out some popular hot spots in South End.

When Blake Barnes opened the second location of the popular Common Market in South End, he recognized a good opportunity to be in a growing neighborhood.

Condos soon started sprouting up, and crowds were attracted to popular events, like Food Truck Fridays, on the lot next to his store.

"It kind of woke people up to, 'Wow, this little part of town has a lot of cool vibe to it,'" said Barnes.

He fears that vibe will soon fade as the food trucks are being forced to move out, along with Common Market, to make way for a new office building going in their place. This comes after the famous Tremont Music Hall announced it was closing, likely to ready the lot for development.

"Just one good local business after another is going to get rooted right out," he said.
 
Mayor Pro Tem Michael Barnes said other distinctive Charlotte neighborhoods within a three-mile radius of uptown can expect the same changes happening to them.
 
"There are certain places where you are going to be able to save properties. There are other places where there's going to be a lot of change," said Barnes.
 
He believes as the city grows, it's a hard balance to keeping the old while building new spaces.
 
Residents can speak about development proposals if the property has to be re-zoned. Public hearings allow people to talk to city council before they vote on a re-zoning petition.
 
As for the food trucks, they could be in their current location off Camden Road until construction starts. They are still trying to decide where they'll land next.

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