CHARLOTTE vs ATLANTA: SMART SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

CHARLOTTE vs ATLANTA: SMART SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

CHARLOTTE RECEIVES HIGH MARKS FOR SMART SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND URBAN PLANNING.

Sources: DOT.gov, Bloomberg News, Charlotte Center City.org, Youtube

Ten years ago the city of Atlanta, Georgia bypassed the city of Charlotte, North Carolina in population growth and quality of life.

As it relates to business opportunities for Black people, ten years ago Atlanta was deemed to be a "Black Mecca".

Fast forward to the year 2016.

Charlotte is now the place to be!

While Charlotte's population remains right at one million residents versus Atlanta's six million residents, Charlotte receives much higher ratings than Atlanta for Smart Sustainable Growth and Quality of Life.

In the video above I give kudos to Charlotte's leaders for their excellent Development and Urban Planning 

As I mentioned in a previous video, Charlotte is the best venue to host the 2017 NBA All Star games.

***** Appendix: Case Study Profiles

~ Charlotte, North Carolina - Integrated Land Use and Transit Planning

Funding Sources and Amounts: South Corridor received $463 million (47% Federal, 25% State, 28% local sales tax).

South Corridor Infrastructure Program (SCIP) provided $50 million, funded through government-issued bonds. The Smart Growth Fund (for South Corridor) provided $5 million revolving fund to purchase and assemble land around transit stations. General funds.

Years: Mid-1990s–present

Agencies/Organizations Involved: City of Charlotte (Planning, Department of Transportation, Economic Development, Charlotte Area Transit System); towns of Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, and Matthews.

Geographic Area: Mecklenburg County of North Carolina; southern Iredell County (for the North Corridor Transit Line).

Problem to Be Addressed

Between the 1970s and 1990s, Charlotte, NC, experienced tremendous population growth as it slowly rose to become a top banking and financial center. Charlotte knew it needed a strategy to ensure the growth was controlled in a way that enhanced the livability of the city and the metro region.

Objectives of Project

The Centers, Corridors, and Wedges visioning effort was undertaken to map out how Charlotte should grow over time and understand what infrastructure investments are needed to support this growth. The integrated land use and transit planning and implementation projects that followed were a direct response to this regional vision.

Summary of Project

Charlotte's successful transit planning and implementation are direct results of a forward-thinking regional growth strategy, coupled with targeted land use and infrastructure investments and a coordinated transit-supportive land use policy and regulatory framework. The multicorridor transit systems plan has begun to be implemented with the highly successful (both from ridership and transit-oriented development (TOD) standpoints) South Corridor LRT (Blue Line).

Type of Funding Used for Project / Plan

• South Corridor: $463 million (47% Federal, 25% State, 28% local sales tax).
• SCIP: $50 million funded through government-issued bonds.
• Smart Growth Fund (for South Corridor): $5 million revolving fund to purchase and assemble land around transit station.
• General funds.

Population Served and Modes Served

Metro Charlotte region residents; all modes.

Project Details

Integrated Land Use and Transit Planning Key Events and Activities

Charlotte is recognized as a national model for integrating land use and transit planning. Its success story starts with a comprehensive regional vision for growth, a deliberate and aggressive policy and infrastructure response to this vision, and a city organizational structure that encourages a broad-based livability focus. The following are the key events and activities related to Charlotte's integrated land use and transit planning:

Centers, Corridors, Wedges Vision Plan.Originally developed in 1994, Charlotte's regional vision provided the development framework that called for focusing most future growth in centers and along five radial corridors. The plan's main goals were to establish long-term growth management strategies for the region and provide guidance to better link transportation and land use. Central to this strategy are proactive and aggressive investment of accompanying transportation and transit infrastructure that supports the targeted growth areas.

2025 Integrated Land Use and Transit Plan.In 1998 the city advanced the regional vision through a 25-year transportation plan. The goals of the plan were to support the "Centers and Corridors" land use vision, expand choices in mode of travel, develop a regional transit system, and support economic growth and sustainable development. Over an intensive 9-month period, a series of transit/land use alternatives was tested for each of the five corridors called out in the regional vision. An extensive public outreach effort fostered community understanding and consensus around the recommended plan, which called for phased implementation of various transit technologies along the five corridors. This and the prior visioning effort galvanized the community around a common vision of sustainable growth supported by thoughtful land use planning and transit investments. Consequently, a half-cent sales tax was passed through a referendum providing a dedicated revenue source projected at $1 billion over 20 years.

Multicorridor Transit Planning, Station Area Plans, and Regulatory Changes. Detailed planning for the transit corridors started immediately after the sales tax referendum passed. The Major Investment Studies (MIS) for all five corridors were conducted in 1999 and 2000, and these recommended a combination of light rail, bus rapid transit, streetcar, commuter rail, and extensive bus systems serving more than 200,000 riders by 2025.

South Corridor (now called the Blue Line) was the first to be advanced among the five corridors, and it received a "highly recommended" rating from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in 2002. It is important to note that even prior to receiving the full funding grant agreement from FTA and while necessary environmental and engineering studies were being conducted, the city was aggressively crafting land use policies and regulations that would support the land use vision set out in "Centers and Corridors" and were necessary to support the transit system's success. The city developed transit station area planning principles, detailed station area planning efforts, and adopted regulatory changes to enable and encourage TOD to occur.

Station Area Joint Development Principles and Policy. Together with the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC), the city of Charlotte and towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, and Matthews adopted a set of Transit StationArea Joint Development Principles in 2003. The principles provided the framework for developing around station areas, in a manner that would maximize the benefits to a community. The principles address co-location of public facilities around stations, emphasize the necessity of public infrastructure to serve TOD, support development of affordable housing and public/private partnerships, provide private sector incentives for18 Livability in Transportation Guidebook - Appendix TOD, and encourage location and retention of a mix of transit-supportive businesses. Together with the Station Area Plans, the joint development principles provided the guidance for the city's TOD zoning and SCIP.

South Corridor Infrastructure Plan. The city set aside $25 million investments in streets, sidewalks, and intersection improvements to support the South Corridor LRT, before and during its construction. This targeted investment aimed at "building community," enabled the corridor to be transit-ready, and optimized the TOD potential around each transit station.

By 2008, SCIP had funded the following projects:

• 14 miles of sidewalks
• 1.5 miles of multi-use trails
• 10 miles of bicycle lanes
• 8 miles of street widening
• 7 streetscape improvement projects
• 27 intersection improvements

Other Related Initiatives

Smart Growth Funds. Charlotte set aside $5 million to purchase property around proposed Blue Line stations and prepare the properties for development. For the proposed Scaleybark station area, the city used part of the money to purchase 9 acres of underutilized properties. This property was combined with a parcel that the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) already owned (a former drive-in theater) to form a 17-acre property ready for TOD. Part of the money used to purchase this site was from the city's Housing Trust Fund, which required development to meet a minimum affordable housing threshold.

TOD Development Response Activities.Throughout the transit corridor and station area planning process, the city held several "development response" sessions. These sessions, developed on an on-call basis, were collaborative workshops held with property owners who wanted to develop around station areas. The intent of these sessions was to collaborate with the developers at the early stages of a project to arrive at solutions that were mutually agreeable and would support TOD. The city rallied key staff together to provide in-house and consultant technical expertise. Several successful development response sessions reshaped projects to become more supportive of community goals and transit ridership prior to implementation of transit projects. Examples of development response activities include modifying the design and site plan of a Wal-Mart and an Ikea, developing a lower impact and less costly solution to the "weave" at the US 29/NC 49 interchange, and refining 3030 South Development, a successful TOD built along the Blue Line.

Urban Street Design Guidelines (USDG). The city developed and adopted a set of planning and design standards that call for "complete" streets - streets that provide mobility for motorists while also providing safe and comfortable pedestrian and bicycle travel. With these guidelines, the city of Charlotte is using street design to shape its development patterns and provide residents and visitors with viable choices for how they move about the city. The guidelines include innovative policies, implementation processes, and a context-driven set of standards. Some of the policies include recommending block lengths for new development that create a well-connected street network, wide planting strips, and improved crossings and traffic signal timing to better accommodate pedestrians.

The USDG received the 2009 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Smart Growth Award and is a model for expanding conventional thinking to context-based street design that considers multimodal travel, infrastructure, green space, and neighborhood and business impacts. The city has since applied the guidelines to more than 20 streets and 10 intersections, including seven "road diets." The guidelines have facilitated the increase in the bike lane network from 1 mile in 2000 to more than 55 miles in 2009. The City Council adopted the USDG in October 2007, and city staff are working on adopting it as ordinance.

Interdepartmental Coordination. Charlotte has a strong tradition of interdepartmental and interdisciplinary coordination, from the City Council to the staff level. The partnership and coordination is a result of the organizational structure of the city as well as strong policies that encourage this to occur. Each year the City Council establishes five focus areas for targeting community resources, including housing and neighborhood development, community safety, transportation and planning, economic development, and environmental issues. The goals for these focus areas are the basis for budget decisions and operational programs, and directly translate to specific strategies that are overseen by interdepartmental subcommittees. In fact, these focus area goals are also incorporated in staff allocation and staff professional development and review.

Because of this strong institutionalized structure for interdepartmental cooperation, and because planning, economic development, transportation, and transit are all under the city's purview, the programs and resources of the various departments are more easily and closely aligned toward the same "community building" goals. The multicorridor transit effort was not just a transit project for CATS but a community-building project that must address economic development and land use goals for all of Charlotte.

Neighborhood Quality of Life Report. The city of Charlotte's Neighborhood Services Division, in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, conducts a bi-annual study that gauges the quality of life of various neighborhoods around the city. The study evaluates social, crime, physical, and economic conditions, and includes variables such as population characteristics, crime rate, homeownership and value, projected infrastructure improvement costs, access to transit, access to retail, and walkability. The city uses the results of the study to gauge the effectiveness of programs and evaluate changes needed to improve neighborhood conditions. Although not directly related to the transit initiative, this study is an excellent example of the city's holistic approach to performance measurement that includes land use, transportation, and socioeconomic indicators.

Livability Principles Promoted by Project

Promotion	Livability Principles
F	Increase transportation choices
P	Promote affordable housing
F	Enhance economic competitiveness
F	Support existing communities
P	Coordinate Federal policies and leverage investment
F	Value communities and neighborhoods

P: Partly Supports
F: Fully Supports

Challenges

• How to approach station area and TOD planning differently for urban and suburban areas? We push the envelope even more for urban locations to require higher standards related to livability.
• How do we best coordinate station area planning and TOD efforts with the county Parks Department? The Parks Department is under county jurisdiction and the planning, implementation, and maintenance of parks and open spaces around station areas may not always be the department's priority.
• Funding and maintenance of structured parking and shared parking (shared between the transit station and private development) can be quite challenging.

Successes

• Successful implementation of the Blue Line from both ridership and economic development aspects. The Blue Line opened in November 2007 with 15 stations serving Uptown and neighborhoods on the south side of the city. In 2008, a year after its opening, ridership was already totaling 14,000. This far exceeded the 1999 projected average ridership of 9,100 and almost 80% of the projected ridership for 2025. The city estimates that more than $400 million in private sector development was realized prior to the line's groundbreaking, bringing a projected $1.8 billion in new tax revenue between 2005 and 2011.
• The city proactively developed policies, guidance, and regulations that have helped shape land uses along the future transit routes.
• The city successfully influenced a number of development projects that are occurring along future transit lines to become more transit-supportive, and more importantly, align with community goals through the station area planning development response process.
• The city worked through the issues of development densities and scale, and implemented regulations that will protect residential neighborhoods from impacts of proposed new TOD.

Perspectives on Implementing the Project and Its Impacts

Project Status

As of early 2010, the status of the project is as follows:

• Draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the rest of the five corridors has been completed.
• Preliminary engineering for the Northeast Corridor is underway and scheduled to be completed in 2010.
• The city is awaiting MTC's decision whether to advance the Northeast Corridor and/or the North Corridor for applying to FTA for funding.

Applicability of Lessons Learned to Other Projects or Challenges

• Transit Project and Community Building. The joint authorship and ownership of the transit project across various city departments (transit agency, planning, economic development, and transportation) provided a learning opportunity for everyone, broadening the perspective of each department's focus so that transportation is taken as a consideration but not the only driver of community goals. In the end, the transit project became a community-building project and not simply a mobility project.
• Integrated Transit and Land Use Planning. The project is a great example of a regional land use vision that called for phased transit investment to support sustainable growth. The decision to build transit was coupled with complementary land use planning, strategic infrastructure investment, and transit-supportive policies and regulations to ensure the success of the transit project (from a ridership standpoint) and realize the community vision.

Roles of MPOs / DOTs and Policy / Plan Outcomes

The city has a healthy partnership with the local MPO, the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO). The city holds the unique role of maintaining the region's travel demand model for the MPO. The city's understanding of the community's development pattern ensures that a better calibrated model that reflects the multimodal travel demand conditions of an urban setting is used to forecast future conditions. With the Blue Line now built, the Charlotte DOT and CATS are looking at even more accurate data for transit ridership forecasts to plan for the other four transit corridors.

The North Carolina DOT is looking at the city of Charlotte as a case study for how transportation solutions can better respond to the needs and intricacies of urban places. Through the USDG and projects such as the US 29/NC 49 conversion from a grade-separated interchange to a more community and transit-supportive network solution, the city is helping to re-shape thinking toward more context-sensitive transportation solutions at the State level. The city was closely involved in drafting the State's "Complete Streets" policy.

For More Information

Sources and Other Resources:

• http://www.charmeck.org/
• http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/2009-national-award-smart-growth-achievement#policies_reg
• Danny Pleasant, Director, Charlotte Department of Transportation
• Laura Harmon, Assistant Director – Planning Services, Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Department
• Tina Votaw, TOD Specialist, Charlotte Area Transit System 
• Tom Warshauer, Community and Commerce Manager, Charlotte Neighborhood & Business Services

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Van Jones: Eco-Equity, Green Jobs & Urban Renewal (Videos)

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Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Youtube, Google Maps

Charlotte, NC Loses Major Uptown Attraction To Foreclosure (EpiCenter)

This is what happens in a Metropolitan region when the City leaders (including the Black Mayor) refuse to invest money in Black/ Minority Businesses and Urban Planning or Urban Renewal.

ALL of the money (including Stimulus Funding & other Grants) for Economic Development is only invested in ventures to develop or uplift areas utilized by Wealthy, Caucasian citizens or the city's "Elite".

Than when the Economy tanks a HUGE Foreclosure is what that city or county gets in return.

Should have invested some of that $90 Million into Black-Owned & Urban Businesses.

ha ha ha


Charlotte Businesses Surprised At EpiCentre Foreclosure Filing


The morning after Regions Bank started Foreclosure proceedings against the Charlotte EpiCentre, the corridors of the Uptown Entertainment and restaurant mecca were pretty quiet.

But as dinner hour rolls around, restaurant owners say every table will be filled. Clubs and bars are so busy on weekends that customers say they sometimes can’t get in because the lines are too long.

“I thought they were doing pretty good,” said Bobby Wallace, 51, who works in uptown and says he often comes over to the EpiCentre during his breaks. “There’s a lot of businesses out here that bring in a lot of revenue…When you come out on a weekend, it’s pretty loaded. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

But while businesses thrive, the developers of the complex are facing financial difficulties.

Regions Bank began foreclosure proceedings against the EpiCentre after its developer, Afshin Ghazi, and related affiliates failed to make timely payments when a $90 million loan matured in May, according to a notice filed Thursday in Mecklenburg County.

Most restaurant managers said they had no idea about the foreclosure before they saw news reports.

“There was no communication,” John Brush, general manager of Libretto’s Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen, said Friday morning. “I found out about it right here…it’s seven minutes ago that I knew.”

Patrick Bader, assistant manager of Enso Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar, said Friday he hadn’t heard the news at all.

“As far as management, we haven’t heard anything,” he said. “We’ve always known Ghazi has had some problems with the EpiCentre…but we didn’t know the extent of it.”

Work on the EpiCentre began roughly five years ago, when Ghazi bought the old convention center site from Bank of America and the former Wachovia.

The banks had acquired it from the city as part of the Bobcats arena deal. Ghazi worked out an agreement with the city and county to demolish the convention center and got a $6.5 million pledge from local officials for infrastructure improvements and other work.

Ghazi initially secured $62.5 million against the site at 101 S. College St. in May 2005. He twice increased the amount secured by the EpiCentre –first in June 2007, to $88 million. Less than a year later, after retailers and restaurants opened, the loan was increased to $90 million.

But whatever financial problems the developers may be facing, restaurant managers say they haven’t had any problem getting customers.

Brush said Libretto’s gets great crowds at lunch, dinner, and even late night dining as people leave the bars and clubs.

Enso is at full capacity every day and can usually get about 500-600 dinner customers on a weekend. Last weekend, it had around 900 people come in for dinner, Bader said.

“It’s busy,” said Dhaval Doshi, 25, of Charlotte, who was visiting the EpiCentre Friday morning. “I’ve been here in the evenings going to clubs.”

The lack of retail in the complex has made business more challenging for boutique stores like RedSky Gallery, said gallery manager, Ellen Petticrew.

In addition to RedSky, two clothing stores, a fudge shop, an AT&T store, a convenience store, and a CVS round out the retail selections.

“That’s more a fault of the city of Charlotte than anything else…we just need to get retail downtown,” said Brandon Viebrock, owner of the EpiCentre’s Revolution clothing store and co-owner of Mortimer’s Café and Pub. “We’re the only game in town at the moment.”

But Petticrew noted that most of the vacancies in the complex are because a business has yet to come in, not because a company has packed up and left.

Restaurant employees say EpiCentre’s location and reputation as a downtown hangout make it a prime destination for Charlotte nightlife and are key to attracting customers.

“I think the EpiCentre is great because it’s given people one place to go to with plenty of options…there’s no place that compares to it in Charlotte,” said Jason Gilbert, a manager of Mez restaurant.

And that’s why business owners say they’re not worried about what will happen to the EpiCentre if the foreclosure proceedings are completed.

“Even if the bank takes over, I don’t think it will be shut down,” Bader said. “There’s way too much at stake here as far as traffic and what it contributes to downtown.”


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Sources: Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, Google Maps

Obama Promises Internet Access For Everyone & 5000 Jobs

Obama Announces New U.S. Broadband Connection Funding



President Barack Obama on Friday announced new government investments in 66 projects to expand broadband connections in rural and poor areas across the country.

The $795 million in grants and loans funded by the 2009 economic stimulus act will create 5,000 construction and installation jobs, and generate $200 million in associated private investment, according to information provided by the White House.

"We're moving forward" in the creation of a twenty-first century economy, Obama said. "Studies have shown" that such an investment can eventually "lead to hundreds of thousands of new jobs." It will also accelerate the country's switch to a "smarter, stronger, more secure electrical grid."

Over 685,000 businesses, 900 health care facilities and 2,400 schools in all 50 states will benefit from the investment, according to a White House document.

The money will bring broadband services to communities that "currently have little or no access, to help them better compete and do business in the global marketplace," the document said.

"With new or increased broadband access, communities can compete on a level playing field to attract new businesses, schools can create distance learning opportunities, medical professionals can provide cost-efficient remote diagnoses and care, and business owners can expand the market for their products beyond their neighborhoods to better compete in the global economy," the document noted.

In addition, the federal money also will fund public computing centers in libraries, community colleges and other public venues, according to the document.


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Sources: CNN, Google Maps

Charlotte's Progress Hindered By Extreme Racism & Small-Mindedness, No Zoo!

I recently returned to Charlotte, NC (my current place of residence) after vacationing for a week on Long Island, NY. (Suffolk county)

Brooklyn is my native hometown and usual stomping ground, but this time I decided to spend my money elsewhere. Thus Long Island was selected as this year's pick.

If you've never visited Long Island I encourage you to get there right away and see what the fuss is all about.

Its especially beautiful this time of year.

Clean, quiet, somewhat diverse, an abundance of healthy trees, friendly residents, great (although expensive) public transportation including trains (not subways) that run all night, low crime, plenty of businesses, great schools, etc.,

And....it looks like Charlotte, NC!

Yes, for those who can afford to live there year-round, Long Island is the perfect spot.

So what's the real difference between Charlotte, NC and Long Island, NY?

Everywhere my husband and I ventured while on Long Island, the residents (mostly Caucasian population) welcomed us with open arms and were very kind.

These Northeastern, Wealthy White people treated us (two Blacks) with "Southern Hospitality" so often NOT seen in Charlotte, NC.

In Charlotte such demonstrations of "Southern Hospitality" and warmness is usually only reserved for White residents or White visitors but NOT Black citizens!

Black citizens visiting Charlotte are often treated indifferently even by other Blacks, unless of course those Black visitors are attending events such as the CIAA Basketball tournament (a sports event which attracts Black tourists).

Is it any wonder as to why Bob Johnson blasted Charlotte for being "Small-Minded", "Incestuous" and "Racist" on his way out?

Charlotte's landscape while lovely like Long Island's, can't hide the ugly Racial Discrimination eating away at Charlotte's potential to become a World Class city.

Charlotte (nicknamed the "Queen City") should be equal if not more further along than Atlanta.

What's stopping Charlotte from realizing her true potential?

None other than Racism.

Extreme, Ugly Racism and...Small-Minded Black "Leaders" afraid of helping other Black citizens achieve levels of success equal to that of White citizens.

Deep rooted Racism derived from Charlotte's close alliance with the Klu Klux Klan organization.

Black Leaders stuck in time by accepting and allowing a Willie Lynch Mentality to paralyze them from rescuing Charlotte's Minority community.

Rescuing Charlotte's Minority community from Failure and Obscurity.

Charlotte also lacks the Creativity and Urban Planning necessary for this "diamond in the rough" to step into the 21st Century.

In other words refusing to move forward yet expecting results similar to that of cities like Atlanta, Long Island and New York, NY is ludicrous!

Come on Charlotte where's your Zoo??

Atlanta has an Aquarium and New York City has a Real Zoo!

Where's Charlotte's Aquarium or Zoo?? Come on and get with it!

Isn't it time to catch up to the 21st Century?

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

Albert Einstein


For example: Charlotte has a Light Rail system.

(only North Carolina city with a Light Rail system)

This Light Rail system primarily serves which local citizens?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White residents.

The cleaner, more modern city buses service which communities (on time)?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

Better Paying jobs, mainly Managerial positions, are reserved for which citizens?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White citizens.

Local public schools with More Experienced Teachers and Plenty of Resources are filled with type of students?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White students.

The region's best city & county services (trash collection, low water rates, low heating bills, faster Internet speed, low Cable bill rates, etc.,) are reserved for which communities?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

Better priced stores (Clothing, Grocery, Retail) with an abundance of Nice Businesses are found in which communities?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

Bike Trails, Free Wi-Fi, Museums, Nature Trails, Nice Libraries, Nice Parks, Public Swimming Pools, etc., are reserved for which communities?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

While Crime in Charlotte's Black communities skyrockets, Excellent Public Safety efforts and Effective Neighborhood Partnerships with the region's Police dept. are reserved for which communities?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

Fair Business Opportunities and Fair Property Taxes are reserved for which citizens?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White residents.

Last but certainly not least, which local communities will probably NEVER see Affordable Housing units constructed within its perimeters?

That's right!

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

On the other hand Progressive cities like Atlanta, Long Island and New York, NY are reaching out to Equally help ALL of their citizens regardless of Ethnicity and Socio-Economic status.

Now I know you would like to rationalize Charlotte's Indifference and Mistreatment of Minority residents by perhaps attributing it to Charlotte's Wealthier, White residents paying higher Property Taxes right?

WRONG!

Charlotte's Wealthier, White residents do NOT pay extra or more for their city/ county services.

In fact many of them pay far less than Charlotte's Minority residents.

How so?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White citizens are allowed to Legally NOT pay their Property Taxes without being penalized or thrown in jail.

Charlotte's Wealthier, White citizens also haven't experienced a Property Tax increase in 7 years, while Charlotte's Minority residents have received a Property Tax increase each year.

I could continue on on but I believe you comprehend what I'm conveying here.

However just in case you didn't get it, Charlotte's Progress is hindered by Extreme Racism.

What a shame!

Isn't it time for this kind of Regional Ignorance to be eliminated forever?

Doesn't Charlotte, NC have a Black Mayor you ask? (Anthony Foxx)

Yes but Mayor Foxx is just a Token with NO teeth.

He wanted the job more or less for personal gain versus wanting to do what's in Charlotte's Best Interest.

If Charlotte doesn't stop such foolishness it will NEVER rise to Atlanta and New York's fame of being World Class cities.

By the way using precious dollars to establish "Collard Green" Museums is NOT going to fix Charlotte's terrible Race Relations & Lack of Creativity issues.

After reading this post please don't tell me to move!

Instead why not channel some of that energy into improving Charlotte-Mecklenburg's status in comparison to other REAL World Class cities?

In the meantime carry on Atlanta, Long Island & New York with your bad selves! And I do mean good!


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Sources: Brainy Quote, Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Wikipedia, Google Maps

Charlotte's Affordable Housing Debate vs. NC Senate Bill 810 (Videos)

(N.C. Senate Bill 810) N.C. State Law Prevents Charlotte City Officials From Denying Public Housing In Ballantyne


N.C. State law says some neighbors' concerns about a proposed Affordable Housing project in Ballantyne doesn't matter when it comes to voting for approval or denial.

N.C. Senate Bill 810 was signed into Law by Gov. Bev Perdue last fall.

The new Legislation says a development can't be denied simply because it contains Affordable Housing.

It means meetings like one held past Monday at Harrison United Methodist Church are good for airing concerns -- and that's about it.

Warren Cooksey represents the Balllantyne area on the Charlotte City Council.

He listens to his constituents, but says his hands are tied on the vote, thanks to the New Law.

"We run the risk from either side, depending upon what the vote is of Legal Action, saying you didn't do this right," said Cooksey.

Warren Cooksey says the evaluation whether it's an appropriate land use is the issue, not the impact on neighboring property values and not potential concerns about crime.

Police say some of the most crime-ridden areas in Charlotte are Affordable Housing neighborhoods.

At Ballantyne Crossing, about one-third of the 86 units are proposed low-income.

"If crime is perceived to be a shorthand for a perception of Affordable Housing, we are prohibited from Discriminating against Affordable Housing in a land use decision," Cooksey said.

To ease neighbors' concerns, the city says they can request conditions to the agreement, like requesting improved roads, sidewalks, green space and lighting.

People who are in favor of the Ballantyne Crossing complex say there's a need for Affordable Housing for people who work in Ballantyne, who want to live there as well.





Hundreds Of Charlotte Citizens Turn Out Against Ballantyne Affordable Housing Project


The meeting started inside while people were still lining up outside. Hundreds showed up to hear more about a proposed public housing complex in the Ballantyne area. One by one, they fired questions and comments at the developers, Republic Development Group:

"What experience do you have creating something like this?"

"Can you not find a more suitable place than what is the southern gateway to our community?"

"Where I'm coming from is I don't want it here.

My house is over one million dollars and I don't want the crap next to me."

The project took a hit Monday afternoon when the Charlotte Housing Authority issued a statement that it would not participate in the mixed income housing development.

"Questions about certain aspects of the project's structure, including its Density (the total number of apartment units relative to the cost of the land) and funding, prompted our decision," said Jennifer Gallman with the Charlotte Housing Authority.

"We keep going," said Stuart Proffitt of Republic Development.

Proffitt says he still hopes to build the 86 unit complex with another affordable housing developer. A representative from the Crosland Company told News Channel 36 the developer has asked if Crosland would manage the property if it were approved.

One man, who asked not to be identified, said he believed this was a case of "not in my backyard." "I live on the West side and this will be pushed to some other part of town," he said.

But opponents say that's not the case. They point to the fact that the proposed site, south of Ballantyne, off of Johnston Road, has no easy access to public sidewalks, little public transportation and already overcrowded schools.

Cynthia Jennings lives in the Ballantyne area. "People who live in low income housing want the same thing we all do. A nice place to live for their families. But the way the developer came in, through the back door, was sneaky and shady," she said.







Southwest Charlotte Neighbors Move To Block Low-Income Apartments


A proposal to build 90 apartments for working class families is drawing criticism and resentment from homeowners who would live near the development.

More than 4.5 acres of land near the northeast corner of Westinghouse Boulevard and South Tryon was purchased for the rental homes last December.

About 200 residents of the Ayrsley community filled a meeting room Tuesday evening for what the project's developer called a "courtesy meeting".

Several of the homeowners carried signs which read "Save Ayrsley" and "No Low Income Housing"

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, a non-profit agency, would build the two and three-bedroom apartments for families who make less than $32,000 per year.

"We don't have people who are just goofing off," said Patricia Garrett, the agency's president. "They have jobs. They go to school."

Garrett said neighbors are often misinformed about affordable housing communities. She said her managers often screen prospective tenants more thoroughly than at other, privately-run apartments.

Still, some Ayrsley homeowners told NewsChannel 36 they are concerned about the potential impact of more rental units in a community with an abundance of vacant apartments and town homes for lease.

"Build more when you have vacancies all over? "It doesn't make sense," said homeowner Monica Ainslie.

Because another 52-unit apartment community for low-income families, Summerfield, is less than a half-mile from the proposed site, developers must ask Charlotte's city council for permission to build the new apartments. The city's development rules are designed to prevent a heavy concentration of subsidized housing in one neighborhood.

"Nobody here is opposed to Subsidized Housing," Ayrsley homeowner Lauren Widrick told NewsChannel 36. "It's the violation of city council's policy in regard to clustering subsidized housing."

Garrett said her agency believes an additional 90-unit apartment community is not unreasonable for the area and is needed to provide housing for families who cannot afford to lease a home at the market rate.

Vacant apartments in Ayrsley are not eligible for the federal and state tax credits which would pay for most of the $10 million project, she said.

Council is expected to vote on the apartment community next month. An exact date has not been set.

Charlotte City leaders will also be asked to approve $1 million from the city's Housing Trust Fund for the development.

Council member David Howard is a vice-president with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership and part of the development team for the proposed apartments. He said Tuesday he will recuse himself from council's decision.


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, North Carolina General Assembly, WCNC, Google Maps

Deep South Still Isn't Ready To Lead Nation...No Sidewalks, No Innovation, Its Embarassing!

Banking boomtown loses one of its biggest players. Charlotte, N.C. is the country's second largest banking center, but the recent failure of Wachovia has the entire city bracing for fallout from thousands of executive-level layoffs. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A changing, more urbanized South (In Your Dreams!)


You know the images that say "Southern." Kudzu on a red clay bank. A sharecropper's shack abandoned in a field of cotton (or tobacco). Moonshiners vrooming down country roads.

That iconography that has embedded itself in our Southern souls is rural. Even Southern food is the food of rural poverty - the pig parts, greens, sweet potatoes, and corn in multiple manifestations (including distilled into a jug).

Yet a group of Southern leaders and thinkers who gathered last weekend at Davidson College outside Charlotte heard experts describe a region that has become more urban than rural.

Mindsets, though, change more slowly than demographics.

The group was pulled together by a nonpartisan nonprofit group, the Center for a Better South, based in Charleston, for the purpose of devising an Agenda for a Better South - major areas on which Southern leaders should concentrate their efforts. The agenda, still in drafting stages, is to be released in the coming week.

Of course, we talked about education, poverty, race relations, taxes and crime, among other issues. No self-respecting group of "progressives" would otherwise. The agenda's goals are ambitious and admirable. One example, from the draft: To improve health, "each Southern state should increase life expectancy to levels on par with Canada."

Achieving the goals would make this region safer, smarter and healthier. So this isn't a critique of the goal-setting (a process I had to miss). However, I found some of the other topics more thought-provoking.

The South is urbanizing, its demographics changing.

Ferrel Guillory, director of UNC Chapel Hill's Program on Public Life, discussed how in-migration to the South is enriching education and income levels, and for blacks as well as whites.

People are flowing into major metro areas: "The South has shifted from an agrarian to a metropolitan society."

I think much of the Southern leadership infrastructure still puts rural problems ahead of urban ones. Guillory illustrated this: He's been studying South Carolina's poverty-ridden Interstate 95 corridor. Yet, he pointed out, in South Carolina more distressed people live in the city of Columbia than in the I-95 region.

"We're looking at place-based solutions," Guillory said. Instead, maybe we should just focus on people in need, urban or rural.

Should the South forget "Leading"?

Jay Barth of Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., dared ask this. He thinks Southern progress is hindered by several qualities, such as an inability to embrace diversity, including race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Another hindrance, he said, is the South's increasing suburbanization. Much of its 20th-century growth has been suburban, unlike the 19th- and early 20th-century growth in the cities of the North.

Suburbanization allows class and race separation to continue, Barth said, and lets suburban residents disconnect from the larger metro region.

In a similar vein, former U.S. Rep. Glen Browder from Alabama was blunt about how the rest of the world views the South. If you think it's a problem that people see an invisible D(emocrat) or R(epublican) behind your name, he said, realize that Southerners have "an invisible S."

"Our brand is broken," he said. "It's tainted."

"Quit dreaming about leading the nation," he advised. Instead, concentrate on improving your state.

Yet from all this emerged no visions that directly confront an urbanizing region. Had I been in the goal-setting, I'd have pushed for one to reduce vehicle travel, for environmental and wellness reasons, or to openly advocate more money for transit.

Old images die hard. Those sepia-tinted memories of mules and music remain powerful for many Southerners. Somehow, the newer image of a minivan in the Target parking lot hasn't embedded itself in anyone's soul - and isn't likely to.



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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, MSNBC, Wikipedia, Google Maps

GAO Audit Reveals Many States Trying To Use Stimulus Funds To Balance Budgets...Ignoring Poorest Citizens (Stimulus Watch)

MSNBC----

WASHINGTON - Projects in some of the nation's poorest areas don't appear to be getting a fair shake in the spending of $787 billion in stimulus funds, the chairman of the House oversight committee said Wednesday.

Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., chairman of the panel, said he was particularly concerned that transportation projects in economically distressed areas were being left out — even though they are supposed to be a priority.

"There is a substantial variation among states as to what constitutes an economically distressed area," Towns said. "For this reason, it is unclear whether Recovery Act funds are going where they are needed most."

His comments came in response to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report released Wednesday at a hearing before his committee.

Infrastructure ignored?

The GAO said about half the money set aside for road and bridge repairs is being used to repave highways rather than to build new infrastructure. And state officials aren't steering the money toward counties that need jobs the most, auditors found.

The Obama administration intended for the stimulus to jump-start the economy, build new schools and usher in an era of education reform. But government auditors said many states are setting aside grand plans to stay afloat.

The GAO said the stimulus is keeping teachers off the unemployment lines, helping states make greater Medicaid payments and providing a desperately needed cushion to state budgets.

But investigators found repeated examples in which, either out of desperation or convenience, states favored short-term spending over long-term efforts such as education reform.

In Flint, Mich., for example, new schools haven't been built in 30 years but the school superintendent told auditors she would use federal money to cope with budget deficits rather than building new schools or paying for early childhood education.

The 400-page stimulus plan includes provisions for long-term growth, such as high-speed rail and energy efficiency, but their effects will be seen later.

High unemployment:

Since Obama signed the stimulus bill in February, the economy has shed more than 2 million jobs. Unemployment now stands at 9.5 percent, the highest in more than a quarter century.

Robert L. Nabors II, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, testified that 150,000 jobs had been created from stimulus spending. With the stimulus spending, he said the nation is moving down the right path.

"We are making progress, but we still have a long way to go," Nabors said.

The 150,000 figure comes from a formula that White House economists acknowledge was never intended to be used to count jobs. The figure is so murky, it can never be verified.


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Sources: MSNBC, US PovertyChange.org, Google Maps