Luxury Apartments Help Revitalize 'Freemore West'

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — The grand opening of a luxury apartment complex marked the latest step in the push to revitalize a west Charlotte community.

SLIDESHOW: Luxury Apartments Help Revitalize West Charlotte Community

The Wesley Village complex is in the Freedom Drive/Morehead Street area, which the Charlotte City Council has identified as one of five priority corridors. The city provided financial support for a road along the complex's greenway, which is complete, and for the construction of Bryant Park Drive from Wilkinson Blvd. to Morehead, which is scheduled to begin before the end of the year.

Community groups like the Westside Boosters and the newly-formed Freemore West Neighborhood and Business Association have pushed to revitalize the area, even re-branding it as "Freemore West."

Wesley Heights, located on Wet Stone Way, is a major marker on the community's path of change. The complex offers amenities like a pool, an on-site dog park and a business lounge to its residents. A police officer who patrols the area said it's a big change for the property, which he said used to be home to an abandoned warehouse that housed drug and prostitution activity.

The community saw another milestone in May, when the redevelopment of an iconic building in the area began. After months of delays over city zoning, building permits were finally issued to turn an old garage with a Volkswagen bug on top of it, located at the corner of Morehead Street and Freedom Drive, into a restaurant called Pinkie's. Greg Auten sold his interest in the popular Penguin restaurant in Plaza Midwood and took on the project.

Previous Stories: May 14, 2010: West Charlotte Community Hopes New Restaurant Will Spur Development

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