Reclaiming Space: How Black Third Spaces Preserve Culture and Build Economic Power
Continuing Education Credit Eligibility: AICP CM | HSW | CPC/ PDH
Black third spaces (clubs, cultural institutions, gathering places, neighborhood hubs, etc.) have long served as places where Black communities build culture, relationships, political power, and economic opportunity. But as neighborhoods change and development accelerates, many of these spaces face displacement, disinvestment, or redevelopment.
Reclaiming Space examines what it takes to preserve, reimagine, and build power around culturally significant places. Through perspectives from development, planning, zoning, housing, and community leadership, this conversation explores how Black professionals and communities can shape development while protecting cultural identity, creating economic opportunity, and ensuring that investment benefits the people and places that made these communities valuable in the first place.
Shawn Kennedy (Panelist)
President, Kennedy Properties & Development
Shawn Kennedy is a Charlotte-based real estate developer and entrepreneur focused on creating development opportunities that strengthen communities and expand economic opportunity.
As President of Kennedy Properties & Development, Kennedy has built a portfolio centered on attainable housing, community development, and projects designed to generate long-term neighborhood impact. His current work includes the redevelopment of the historic Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford Road, a landmark that played a significant role in Charlotte’s Black social, cultural, and political life.
Working with Crosland Southeast, Kennedy is leading an approximately $8.3 million effort to reimagine the Excelsior as a community and entertainment destination, with plans for gathering space, dining, live entertainment, and programming that honors the site's history while creating a new chapter for the community. The project combines private investment with public support and reflects Kennedy's approach to development as both a business opportunity and a vehicle for community impact.
J'Tanya Adams (Panelist)
Founder & Executive Director, Historic West End Partners
J’Tanya Adams is the founder and executive director of Historic West End Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the economic and cultural vitality of Charlotte’s historic West End.
For years, Adams has worked at the intersection of neighborhood advocacy, community development, cultural preservation, and economic investment. Her work has included helping transform underutilized properties and public spaces, supporting local businesses, creating community amenities, and advocating for development that reflects the priorities and identity of longtime residents.
Adams was instrumental in the development of neighborhood initiatives that brought new retail, cultural programming, public art, community gathering spaces, and investment into the West End. Her work has also included the development of Mosaic Village and other efforts designed to keep economic activity and opportunity within the community. NeighborWorks America recognized her with its 2018 Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership for her community leadership and neighborhood development work.
Today, Historic West End Partners is leading a major mixed-use development initiative that includes 145 housing units and a cooperative grocery store, with the organization owning the property. The organization recently closed on additional parcels for the project, advancing a community-centered approach to development in the West End.
Toccarra Thomas (Panelist)
Housing, Land Use, and Development Strategist, Former Assistant Vice President of Housing and Development with Smart Growth America
Toccarra Nicole Thomas, AICP, is a recognized speaker and thought leader in the housing, land use, and development space. Most recently she served as the Assistant Vice President of Housing and Development at Smart Growth America, where she also served as the Executive Director for the Center for Zoning Solutions and works on national initiatives advancing housing opportunity, zoning reform, and equitable development.
Thomas brings an interdisciplinary background spanning urban planning, housing, finance, and development. Her work focuses on helping communities develop policies and strategies that create more inclusive, prosperous, resilient, and healthy places. Before joining Smart Growth America, she worked on housing and planning initiatives in California, including housing-element development, accessory dwelling unit permitting, and strategies to expand workforce housing in rural communities.
Thomas holds a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Florida, where she was a HUD Scholar focused on affordable homeownership. She has become a prominent voice in conversations around zoning and housing policy, including the relationship between land-use regulations, housing availability, and equitable community development.
Byron Nicholas (Moderator)
Chief, Hudson County Planning Division
Byron Nicholas, PP, AICP, is Chief of the Planning Division for Hudson County, New Jersey, and the founder of Black + Urban, an online platform created to document solutions to the challenges facing communities of color and provide a space for planners and forward thinkers to share ideas.
Nicholas has more than a decade of experience in planning, transportation, policy, funding, and design at the regional and municipal levels. Prior to his current role, he served as Supervising Transportation Planner for Hudson County, where he managed the county's transportation planning program and represented the county at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. His work has included equitable transportation policy, infrastructure investment, ferry planning, and regional transportation initiatives.
Through Black + Urban, Nicholas has also developed a platform for exploring the ways planning and development practices can better respond to communities of color. The platform includes resources such as 10 Step Guide to Resist Anti-Black Planning and highlights community-centered approaches to planning, design, and development.
