How Gastonia is connecting with its past to build its future

GASTONIA, N.C. — Gastonia Mayor Walker Reid III worked in the old Sears building in west Gastonia when he was in high school. Growing up in the area, he has seen firsthand what the decline of the textile industry did to Gastonia and how the city has been forced to reinvent itself.

Reid had long held out hope for the struggling Franklin Boulevard corridor — where the Sears building sat vacant for years.

Now, the city of Gastonia is embarking on one of its largest-ever development projects — the Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment District, or the FUSE District.

It is centered on a publicly funded $26.2 million multipurpose baseball stadium, which will be anchored by a new team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The stadium started construction in October and is expected to open in spring 2021. Surrounding development is adding retail, residential, office and restaurant space.

Read CBJ’s cover story here for an in-depth look at what’s happening there.

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