A windfall for some needy Charlotte restaurants (free version)
Plus: Myers Park Country Club suspended former county commission chairman for email blast; 'Food hall vibe' headed to Pineville; UNCC will ditch its crown logo; WNBA considers Charlotte for expansion
Good morning! Today is Wednesday, July 21, 2021. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Editor’s note: This is a shorter, free version of The Charlotte Ledger sent to people on our free sign-up list. The complete version for paying memberss went out 20 minutes ago. It included:
The full article with details of which Charlotte restaurants were approved for grants from the federal government’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund — and what that means for the future of local restaurants. We name the 33 local businesses cleared to receive more than $1 million each, with an update on how local restaurants are doing and the identities of the 400+ recipients in Charlotte.
The complete article with the latest on the Myers Park Country Club renovation and lawsuit saga, with new documents that show the club’s board suspended a former local politician who objected to the renovation plans in an email to fellow members.
News of a food court and international market heading to Pineville, with details from the store manager about plans to create a “food hall vibe.” (Eat your heart out, Optimist Hall.)
The full report on changes in the works for UNC Charlotte’s logo … that looks as though it’s about to lose its distinctive crown.
Our members also received our weekly “Ways of Life” newsletter on Tuesday. It shared the story of a “record-spinning, guitar-playing teacher from Mint Hill” named Steve Hunt, who blessed the lives of students at Piedmont Open Middle School and Butler High. “He was so cool,” one of his former students told us.
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More than 400 Mecklenburg food and beverage spots win approval for generous Covid relief, while others are shut out; ‘luck of the draw’
by Tony Mecia and Lindsey Banks
Buffets, caterers and uptown restaurants were some of the biggest local recipients of federal grants awarded this spring to food-service businesses to help them recover from the Covid pandemic, according to data released this month.
The grants from the federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund give some indication of what kinds of businesses suffered the biggest losses when diners quickly shifted to eating at home last year.
In Mecklenburg County, 421 restaurants, caterers and bars were approved to receive money from the program, with 33 taking in more than $1M each. That represents only a fraction of local restaurants that were eligible: The county says there are about 3,700 permitted restaurants and food stands in Mecklenburg County. Nationally, fewer than one in every three applicants received money from the program, which doles out cash to small businesses in a formula designed to offset drop-offs in sales in 2020 — which can wind up being a substantial sum, especially for those that suffered the biggest declines in business.
Biggest winners: According to data from the Small Business Administration, the biggest recipients in Mecklenburg were
Myers Park Country Club suspended former county commissioners chairman for emailing objections to renovation plan
Myers Park Country Club suspended the club privileges of a 79-year-old former chairman of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners for a month earlier this year, after he sent an email to other club members objecting to a controversial renovation plan.
According to documents filed this month in a lawsuit against the club in connection with the renovation, the club’s grievance committee suspended
Related Ledger article:
“Teed off: A lawsuit at the country club” (🔒, April 14)
Pineville goes global: International grocery store and food court headed to former Kmart
Work is underway on a new Super G Mart in The Centrum shopping center in Pineville — a 100,000 s.f. former Kmart store that will be part international grocery, part food court showcasing cuisines from around the world.
When it opens in late 2021 or early 2022, the store will be the third Super G Mart location. The Charlotte-based company has operated a store on Independence Boulevard for 11 years and has another store in Greensboro.
Long line for tats in Plaza-Midwood
More than 50 people waited in line outside of Seventh Sin Tattoo Co. on Tuesday morning, in hopes of making an appointment in the next several months with popular tattoo artist Hannah Mckee. Seventh Sin wrote on Instagram just before 1 p.m. that “Hannah’s books are going to be completely full after we take care of the people in line.” On its website, Seventh Sin says her “bright colors and new school style truly knows no bounds” and that she produces “some of the best and brightest tattoos in the Queen City.”
Switch to paper bags for yard waste is going smoothly, city says
Two weeks after new rules on yard waste collection went into effect, the city says it hasn’t had to issue any fines yet.
Earlier this month, the City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services started enforcing its new paper bag mandate requiring residents to use compostable paper bags or reusable containers for yard waste collection.
City spokesman Cory Burkarth told The Ledger that the city is receiving positive feedback for the switch: “The community has been overwhelmingly supportive of the switch to paper bags. We’ve seen a lot of paper bags and personal containers at the curb, which tells us that people are following the new rules.” He said the city had received no complaints.
The city switched to paper bags because it’s better for the environment and allows for quicker processing.
Burkarth said that when they see a house still using plastic bags, they leave a door hanger to remind residents that plastic bags are no longer accepted. In the future, residents who continue to use plastic bags are subject to a minimum $150 fine per incident. —Lindsey Banks
UNCC retiring crown logo this fall as part of rebranding
UNC Charlotte is about to undergo a rebranding that will involve a new logo, a new web address, email addresses and social media handles.
The big unveiling of the new logo and other changes
In brief
WNBA team for Charlotte? WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert says she wants to expand the league, and potential cities have been identified as Charlotte, Houston, Philadelphia and Toronto. Charlotte previously had a WNBA team, the Charlotte Sting, from 1997 to 2007. (Front Office Sports)
Housing struggles: Mecklenburg County staff are having a tough time finding landlords for former residents of the “Tent City” homeless encampment that was dismantled in February. Only 16 former Tent City residents have transitioned into permanent housing, and there are another 40 people who have been approved for housing vouchers and are ready to move out of temporary hotel housing, but the county can’t find landlords willing to accept them. (WFAE)
Mitchell out at R.J. Leeper: James “Smuggie” Mitchell is no longer president of R.J. Leeper Construction, less than six months after he gave up his at-large city council seat to lead the company. The company confirmed that Mitchell’s last day was July 2, but no details were given about the cause of his departure. He told the Charlotte Observer in a statement that he continues to own 25% of the company. (QCity Metro)
Belk headquarters: Belk plans to put its headquarters on Tyvola Road up for full or partial sublease, and its corporate employees may shift to working out of offices within its retail stores. (Axios Charlotte)
Midtown tower: Charlotte City Council members voiced concerns Monday over a proposed tower for Midtown, saying it would create more traffic congestion and fails to add affordable housing to the rapidly gentrifying area. The roughly 2-acre project by developer Tribek Properties would be built along South Kings Drive near Central Piedmont Community College. (Observer) The Ledger first disclosed plans for the tower in February.
More Northlake apartments planned: Real estate developer Evolve Cos. of Greensboro is doubling down on the Northlake Mall area … [join to keep reading]
West Nile virus in Mecklenburg: State health officials say they detected West Nile virus in a mosquito collected in central Mecklenburg County. No residents of the county have been identified as being sickened with West Nile virus, but officials warn people to take precautions to minimize exposure to mosquitos. (Mecklenburg County)
Bar Foundation building: The Mecklenburg Bar Foundation, an organization that supports the Mecklenburg County Bar, is selling its 26,000 s.f. west Charlotte building on Zebulon Avenue. In a statement, President Fred DeVore wrote that “a smaller location with lower operating costs will allow us to be more agile in our approach in a post-pandemic world.” He didn’t say where the new location will be.
Programming note: Ledger editor Tony Mecia appears as a guest on 90.7 WFAE at 6:40 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. on Thursdays for a discussion of the week’s local business news in the station’s “BizWorthy” segment. Audio and transcripts are also available online.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: Lindsey Banks