Institution

Evergreen Nature Preserve is a 77-acre urban forest with streams, trails, and a great place to catch a view of migratory birds. Eastway Middle School is across the street from the Preserve entrance on Norland Road. The north border is Evergreen Cemetery and the Sheffield neighborhood and Winterfield Elementary School form the south and east borders to this urban forest. It is a mixed hardwood forest with a flood plain along Edwards Branch. It is a great habitat for wildlife in the middle of a dense urban area. County Park and Recreation recently completed upgrades to the Preserve. There are now bathroom facilities, a covered area with picnic tables, a grill, and parking spaces.Norland Road is a narrow 2-lane road needs the safety upgrades for pedestrian and bicyclists. This will be a welcomed alternative transportation route. As we will soon see it is a connector road to Eastway Drive.Attached are photos of the Evergreen Nature Preserve entrance, a bicyclist riding in the vehicle travel lane because there is no protected bike lane and the new restroom and picnic facilities.

Bicyclist riding past the Preserve toward Central Avenue in the traffic lane.

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We will continue our walk across Central Avenue along Norland Road to Evergreen Nature Preserve.  There are no bicycle lanes now but they are included in the CNIP.  Along the way, we will pass Evergreen Cemetery.  It is a City-owned cemetery.  The entrance on Central Avenue has a large memorial to World War II soldiers. 

Evergreen Nature Preserve

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Take a walk with CharlotteEAST and experience some of the exciting changes happening now in this vibrant community. Visit two very special urban parks, a colorful historic shopping center and Potters Place, all part of the City of Charlotte’s Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program (CNIP) which will provide safer pedestrian and bicycle connections to the many diverse, independent businesses and gathering places along Central Avenue, Eastway Drive, Kilborne Drive and Norland Road. We are excited about the future of this established East Charlotte neighborhood, so please join the tour and see for yourself!

Kilborne Park is a 51-acre county park lush with wildlife and amenities for those of all ages and interests. Kilborne Drive is the main entry point to the park which limits non-vehicular community access to this large park in an urban community with growing density. This large public park is an amenity for the surrounding community as a place to enjoy the outside spaces, meet friends, and for neighborhood groups to gather. It has a popular 18-hole disc golf course, ball fields, tennis courts, picnic shelter, trails, and playground. Please view the below video of Joseph Phillips, co-owner of Another Round Disc Golf and Tap Room located on 36th Street in NoDa. The first attached picture of the park entrance on 2600 Kilborne Drive shows a non-protected bike lane next to a traveling car. The second attached picture shows the absence of a pedestrian crosswalk. Better non-vehicular connectivity will make this park an even better public space accessible to all.

The Central Avenue, Kilborne Drive and Norland Road area is undergoing a Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program (CNIP) through the City of Charlotte.  We will have safer pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between Kilborne Park and Evergreen Nature Preserve,  surrounding neighborhoods, and businesses.  There are future plans for more East Charlotte connectivity to the Briar Creek Greenway and Commonwealth Avenue into Center City and east on Central Avenue to the Eastland area.  This tour will highlight the community's public spaces and areas of economic renewal.  

We start our tour at Kilborne Park, a county park, walk to the corner of Kilborne Drive and Central Avenue to view the plans for the future Potter Place Park, a City pocket park, across Central Avenue down Norland Road to Evergreen Nature Preserve, a County Park.  From Evergreen Nature Preserve we will connect to Eastway Drive to visit the Eastway Crossing Shopping Center which is undergoing an exciting retail renewal. We will visit some of the independent small business shops to sample the variety. From Eastway Crossing we will cross back over Eastway Drive at Central Avenue and head back to Kilborne Park via Arnold Drive.  A safe crossing is needed at Arnold Drive to serve the neighbors on both sides of Eastway Drive.

Kilborne Park

As it is now the site is not exactly an inviting City pocket park. First, let's explore the history of this site. The site includes a remnant of Old Potter Road. Back in the 18th century, there were 2 main intersecting roads in what is now Mecklenburg County, the Great Wagon Road, and Old Potter Road. These roads intersected at Eastway Drive and North Tryon Street, not far from here. There is also a remnant of Old Potter Road in Evergreen Nature Preserve. The initial investigation into the history of the name is that it was thought to have been a commercial pottery route from Lincoln County, NC to markets in Charleston, SC. Later historical review by Jim Williams found the name existed prior to the pottery business and was named for 1780 settler Gordon Potter. The City began conducting community meetings to plan the park in June 2017. From the meetings, a theme of "Memory Lane" developed. Historical information about the area will be displayed on colorful panels alone the Old Potter Road remnant. This area will include a walkway and seating. Community representatives ranked their top community destinations: (1) restaurants, (2) pharmacy, (3) nature preserve, and (4) park. There was also strong feedback to retain the local unique and diverse character of the surrounding neighborhoods. In addition to the historical marker, the site will include space for outdoor dining, public art, and community events. This area between Kilborne Drive and Sharon Amity is home to over a dozen small independent international food establishments representing seven different countries. The City is beginning the real estate acquisition phase and currently designing the electrical system that will include WiFi at the Potter Place Park. The construction is planned to begin in the Fall of 2022. This is going to be a great community place for neighbors and local businesses! Please see the first attached picture of Manolo Betancur, owner of Manolo's Bakery, whose bakery is adjacent to the future Potter Place Park. The second picture is Manolo standing on the site of the planned Potter Place Park with a poster of the history of Old Potter Road. The third picture is Manolo with a poster of the plans for Potter Place Park. In the below video Manolo shares his thoughts of what Potter Place Park means to the community and the surrounding businesses.

As mentioned the CNIP will include safer pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between Kilborne Park and Evergreen Nature Preserve. The intersection at Kilborne Drive, Central Avenue, and Norland Road will be improved to make it more welcoming and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Traffic calming and better lighting will be installed on Kilborne Drive and Norland Road. The goal is to create a more holistic and connected multi-modal network.  So let's head along Kilborne Drive on the sidewalk to the future site of Potter Place Park at the corner of Kilborne Drive and Central Avenue.

Potter's Place

East Charlotte was home to a generation of baby boomers during the 1950s and ’60s when families flocked to the sprawling new neighborhoods in the area. This migration from center city brought about the development of large shopping centers which were closer to home and more convenient than downtown retailers.Eastway Shopping Center was built in 1960 in the heart of East Charlotte, providing food, medicine, fashion and fun to the surrounding neighborhoods. Colonial was the original grocery store, and it was rebranded as Big Star grocery in 1969. Winn-Dixie joined the shopping center during the late 1960s, beginning a forty year run there until the chain exited Charlotte in 2005. The Atlantic Farmers Market is a large international grocery store currently located at Eastway Crossing.Kiser Drug Store provided the first pharmacy and served delicious burgers at their lunch counter. Kiser later became King Drugs in the early years, and a local doctor practiced family medicine at the current site of EastSide Local Eatery.Ruth’s Fashion Shop was a lovely dress shop for women in the 1960s, and clothing stores such as Cato’s have always been part of the Eastway lineup. Other small local businesses have included boutiques, pet shops, restaurants, beauty salons, video stores, and family-owned Eastway Paint, a Charlotte treasure in the shopping center since 1988.In the late 1980s Walmart moved into the shopping center where Chef’'Store now resides. There have been many changes throughout the years, but Eastway Crossing Shopping Center today is exploding with excitement and possibilities for the future.There are 11 brief videos below. The first is an introduction to the sampling tour of the center with CharlotteEAST board member Michael Haithcock. In the next 9 videos meet the store owners or managers:1-Tommy's Pub2-TAJ Essentials3-Portofino's4-VisArt Video5-EastSide Local Eatery6-Dairy Queen7-Armada Skate Shop8-Bart's Mart9-Skrimp ShackMichael ends the tour with the wall murals in the final video.

Let’s head on over to the Eastway Crossing Shopping Center and meet some of the small independent shop owners that are seeing opportunity and potential in this newly reinvigorated shopping center.  You will be surprised to find an array of art and culture that is sure to delight visitors!  

Continue your walk on Norland Road to Dresden Drive West. There is a sidewalk on the right hand side of Dresden Drive, a street in the Eastway/Sheffield Park neighborhood.  Take a right on Woodland Drive to Eastway Drive and cross Eastway Drive at the traffic light and head north on the sidewalk along Eastway Drive.  You will quickly notice the fast paced impact of vehicle traffic on Eastway Drive.  Eastway Drive is not pedestrian or bicyclist friendly although you will frequently see pedestrians, motorized wheel chairs and bicyclists.  The sidewalk is narrow and not well maintained.  There are no bicycle lanes on Eastway Drive.  

There is frequent bus access around Eastway Drive and Central Avenue.  Bus route #9 on Central Avenue has the highest ridership in the City.  The future CityLynx Gold Line will run from Rosa Parks in West Charlotte, through Center City and down Central Avenue past Eastway Drive to the Eastland Community Transportation Center.  This area is ripe for a strategic mobility plan for multi-modal transportation to support this dense, diverse urban community.

The first attached photo is the main entrance to the shopping center on Eastway Drive.  The second photo is the entrance on Central Avenue.

Eastway Crossing

City Walk presents as an opportunity to highlight an important policy concern in Charlotte about neighborhood connectivity and mobility. The City of Charlotte does not have a Park and Recreation Department. Mecklenburg County serves as the park and recreation agency for the City.The Meck Playbook Park and Recreation Master Plan is in the implementation phase. This County document for the first time integrates greenway trails into the Master Plan for parks, preserves, and facilities. This integration and connection to the City CNIP program and 2040 Comprehensive Plan are designed to support safer and greater access to multi-modal connections in our City. The City and CDOT (Charlotte Department of Transportation) conducted an Eastway Drive Streetscape and Pedestrian Improvement Study that was completed in April 2018. The City recognized the Eastway and Arnold Drive crossing as a priority for a light and safe crossing. However, there is no current funding for any of the recommended projects.This concludes the East Charlotte Arts, Parks, and Culture City Walks tour. City Walks Charlotte would love to hear from you about your experience participating in this year's tours. To take a brief survey, please click the survey link at the bottom of this page.

We conclude our tour by returning to Kilborne Park using the sidewalk along Eastway Drive to Arnold Drive.  Cross Eastway Drive on Central Avenue and continue north on Eastway Drive.  

The Arnold Drive entrance to Kilborne Park is a critical link for connectivity to the planned Briar Creek Greenway/Merry Oakes Neighborhood/Kilborne Park and the Central Avenue corridor to the Eastland Crossing site. However, the access has no parking, limited signage, and is part of an established small neighborhood. So, if you are willing to cross Eastway at Arnold Drive and walk to the end of the road past the bend onto Markham Drive and ahead on your right you will find the small entrance sign to the park in the clearing. Enter, it is worth it.  See the entrance in the photo attached below.

To quote a Merry Oakes family attempting to cross Eastway at Arnold Drive to get to Kilborne Park.  "After waiting for several minutes, we got frustrated and decided to turn back. The kids were upset and said 'Bummer. We just want to go to the park!'”  See the first attached video.  The second video demonstrates the difficult limited access to our public parks for some residents.  The signs says all are welcome, but can you safely get there?


East Charlotte Arts, Parks, and Culture

Evergreen Nature Preserve

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Additional Information