When I talk about Cherry, people give me a look of confusion that suggests not everyone is familiar with the historic neighborhood nestled between Elizabeth and Dilworth. So let’s define some boundaries.

Cherry is located directly across the street from The Metropolitan bordered by Queens to the east, South Kings to the west, 4th to the north and Henley to the south. It’s a small, quiet neighborhood with a killer location that’s made it a prime candidate for redevelopment as of late.

Cherry is one of the oldest surviving black residential areas in Charlotte, platted in 1891 by John and Mary Myers “to provide home ownership opportunities for laborers and working class African-Americans.”

Cherry’s rich history has been heavily documented by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission. Current construction projects and continued rezoning make its future less certain. Here’s a look at the neighborhood as it is today.

Retail

Cherry’s main retail block in the heart of the neighborhood on Baxter is home to a barbershop, convenience store, wing joint and a forthcoming laundromat. A couple blocks north you’ll find Charlotte Energy Solutions, a eco-friendly business specializing in green transportation, energy conservation and water conservation. There are newer retail strips on the north and south end of the neighborhood, including Kings Court which houses Mahrani Indian Cuisine, Great Harvest Bread Co., Clothes Mentor, Run for Your Life and a sneakily hidden Melting Pot, among others. And, of course, there’s The Metropolitan shopping center, home to big box giants like Best Buy, BJ’s and Target, directly across the street.

Recreation

Also located at the heart of the neighborhood is Cherry Park, a small 2-acre park with a baseball diamond, playground and basketball court. Little Sugar Creek Greenway is right across the street, as is a B-cycle station at The Metropolitan.

Education

Community Charter School is a free, public charter school serving grades K-5. It’s housed in the original two-story red brick Morgan School built in 1925 for $36,309.

Religion

Myers Tabernacle A.M.E. Zion Church and Pleasant Hill Baptist Church both have a dominant presence on opposite sides of the park. On Luther Street, the old Myers Chapel (built in 1902) is still standing but today it serves as the office for DeConti, Odden & Griffith.

Residential

Most of Cherry is made up of single-family homes but there are also two small apartment complexes and a handful of duplexes. New development of massive $600,000+ homes are changing the neighborhood in a big way, dwarfing the older original bungalows built in the early 1900s with towering, modern architecture.

Rezoning

Even bigger changes are in store for the Cherry neighborhood and not everyone is happy about it.

Earlier this month, City Council approved a new project that will bring a hotel, apartments, retail space and a parking deck to the neighborhood. The project, which was opposed by neighborhood residents, was originally voted down but then passed in a revote when the builder agreed to lower the building height from 106 to 100 feet.

Nearby walkable locations:

Midtown Park and Little Sugar Creek Greenway – 0.4 mi, 7-min walk

Elizabeth Avenue and the Gold Lynx trolley line – 0.5 mi, 10-min walk

CPCC – 0.6 mi, 12-min walk

Shops at 7th & Pecan – 0.8 mi, 17-min walk

Manor Theater – 1 mi, 19-min walk

Uptown – 1.2 mi, 25-min walk