That low-slung county building at 2324 LaSalle St. in west Charlotte is about to trade its quiet past for a much louder mission. The site is being reimagined as Urban Spark, a compact community hub that will focus on helping high-school students and nearby families in the 28216 and 28208 corridors land college acceptances, internships and industry credentials.
The Urban League of Central Carolinas rolled out the plan to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners at its July 7 meeting, pitching a five-organization nonprofit partnership that would share the space. Organizers told commissioners the hub would host everything from pop-up placement fairs and leadership workshops to creator showcases, and county leaders signaled they are prepared to ready the property so programming can begin. The endgame is straightforward, even if the work will not be: deliver measurable gains in workforce readiness and postsecondary outcomes for residents in the west corridor.
The proposal would turn the 3,667-square-foot former North Branch Library and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools administrative site into a one-stop community center, according to The Charlotte Observer. The paper notes the building sits just around the corner from West Charlotte High School, which makes it a short walk for many students. Commissioners are expected to pick up the renovation tab, while funding for programs themselves will be hammered out among the nonprofit partners. The concept caps months of debate over how to repurpose the LaSalle property for community use.
Who is running it and what they will offer
The collaboration brings together the Urban League, Road to Hire, Year Up United, My Brother’s Keeper and Do Greater Charlotte, with the Urban League serving as lead operator. WBTV quoted Urban League CEO Robyn Hamilton saying the group wants to track “upward mobility” using concrete benchmarks such as completed interviews, industry-recognized credentials and 90-day job retention. Hamilton said the partners intend to start measuring outcomes on day one, rather than waiting years to see whether the model works.
Why the west corridor was targeted
County data shared in the presentation show the 28216 zip code lags the countywide average on key indicators such as bachelor’s degree attainment, high-speed internet access, homeownership and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools graduation rates. Median household income there sits at about $34,242, compared with roughly $83,765 across the county.
Per The Charlotte Observer, commissioners cast Urban Spark as a targeted play to chip away at those mobility and achievement gaps. The first-year goals are specific: 75 industry credentials earned, 50 placements into high-wage jobs and 80% of participating families completing the FAFSA, all intended to provide early proof that the investment is moving the needle.
Origins and what happens next
The county first began looking for a nonprofit tenant for the LaSalle site with a December RFQ, and agenda documents show the building has been on commissioners’ radar since at least September 2025. Mecklenburg County published the RFQ in a public news release, and a follow-up item on the property appears in the county’s agenda portal on Legistar. Local coverage of the move ran under a story on the county’s search to seek a nonprofit partner for a youth and family services hub.
According to county staff and nonprofit leaders, the immediate to-do list includes forming an advisory council, finalizing a program calendar, confirming a lease and kicking off renovations, all while partners negotiate how to pay for the programming that will fill the newly revamped space.
