Charlotte City Council agrees to sell building to house kids’ behavioral health facility
The Charlotte City Council unanimously approved selling an east Charlotte building to a popular local medical provider.
City leaders voted Monday to sell their building on Central Avenue in east Charlotte to Starmount Management, also known as StarMed.
StarMed will use the building for a pediatric and adolescent behavioral health facility, a project that it says will create 124 jobs. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and clinical social workers will be among those brought in.
The city first planned to house IT workers in the building after it was bought in 2018, but city leaders said it would have been too large of an investment.
One Charlotte parent said having the new center will be beneficial for his daughter.
“We had to go to one side of the state and then one side of the country to find care for my daughter,” Adam Flett said. “Anxiety and depression are kind of peeking its ugly head.”
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“There are not too many facilities in the state nor Charlotte that offer what I think StarMed is going to offer,” he added.
According to StarMed, the proposed plans for the building will hold between 30 and 50 beds, offering a variety of services for children.
“Having kids, especially with inpatient behavioral when they come into the emergency departments with behavioral health crisis -- parents can’t find a bed for them,” StarMed President Mike Estramonte said.
Estramonte added the treatment will range from the most serious conditions to a possible outpatient center they can transition into.
“Parents need those resources to understand the process, understand where they can get the best care for their children,” Fleet said.
The building will cost StarMed $2.76 million, which is $500,000 more than the city paid for. The building is planned to be opened in the next year and a half.
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