Will Charlotte Have a Drive-In Movie Theater?

Charlotte has a new drive-in movie theater...well, at least for one weekend it did. According to an online news story by the Charlotte Business Journal, Afshin Ghazi, owner and developer of the wildly popular EpiCentre entertainment complex in Uptown, opened a drive-in movie theater last weekend on property he owns at the corner of Tyvola Road and South Tryon Street. The city says that property isn't zoned for a movie theater and issued Ghazi a citation.

Apparently, Ghazi had been running radio ads promoting the new theater. There's also a website set up for it, charlottesdrivein.com, that touts: "Welcome to Charlotte’s Drive-in! Come out and experience Charlotte’s only drive-in in over 25 years. Enjoy watching first run films on state of the art equipment and listen to the movie on your car stereo. Be sure to stop by the concession stand for marvelous food and drinks." Ghazi already operates the upscale EpiCentre Theaters.

Hopefully, the zoning/permit issues will be worked out because it would be cool if Charlotte had a drive-in movie theater, especially now that summer is around the corner. The only other drive-in in the area is Bill's Belmont Drive-In Theatre in Belmont, which has been operating for more than 50 years.

Click here to read the Charlotte Business Journal article.