Attachments:
- Economic Dev. & Planning Committee Summary -- 5-19-04

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As Council is aware, on April 15, the EPA declared Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the surrounding urbanized region as "non-attainment" for ozone. City staff has been working for a number of months with the Centralina Council of Governments and staff throughout the region to submit an air quality transportation conformity plan to the EPA by early 2005.

     - The Mecklenburg County Division of Air Quality is proposing mandatory ozone emission controls on "Ozone Action" days, starting in summer 2005. Ozone Action days are those forecasted for orange, red or purple, each color signifying increasingly worse air pollution.

     - The program would apply to businesses, industry and governments with 20 or more employees. Participants could select from a number of options to help reduce ozone, including: employee bus ridership, carpooling or vanpooling; alternative work schedules; different fueling and idling practices for fleet vehicles; and closing drive-through lanes.

     - County staff briefed the County Commission on the mandatory proposal on June 1. The Commission will hold a public hearing on September 8.

     - To raise public awareness and test the effectiveness of ozone reduction actions, the County is recruiting businesses and governments to participate in a voluntary program this summer.

     - The County will be participating in the pilot and has asked the City to do so. We have tentatively agreed; details about the extent of our participation are not yet developed. We have asked the County to provide us a copy of its voluntary plan so we can have a model to follow.

     - The County will be publishing a recruitment announcement for companies in the Observer next week. The City will be listed as a participant.

     - Staff will keep Council advised as details about the voluntary pilot program become clearer.

Princeton at Southampton Roll-out Collection Service
Staff Resources: Wayman Pearson, 704-336-3410 and Mujeeb Shah-Khan, 704-336-5803

      -  Princeton at Southampton ("Princeton") is a 172-unit town home development located between Marvin Road and Audrey Kell Road. Princeton was annexed into the City in 2003.

      -  Under the City's solid waste policy, planned multi-family developments such as Princeton are eligible for dumpster collection and not for rollout. Council reaffirmed this policy in December 2001. Rollout collection is provided only to single-family homes, or to duplexes, triplexes, or quadraplexes if they are not part of planned multi-family developments larger than 30 units.

       -  The Princeton owners' association objected to the City's policy and requested rollout collection. The association had contracted for rollout collection by a private company since the opening of the development.

      -  Representatives and attorneys from the owners' association met with City staff several times over the past year to discuss the policy and why it did not allow for rollout service at developments like Princeton. Based on the policy, staff was unable to grant Princeton's request or to reclassify Princeton so it would be eligible for rollout. Doing so would open the door to numerous other planned multi-family developments desiring rollout collection at considerable additional cost to the City.

       -  The Princeton association determined that they could utilize the Innovative provisions of the MX zoning classification to pursue a change in garbage collection. Under these provisions, Princeton could create individual lots on private streets. Each lot would contain only one building. By making these changes, Princeton would no longer meet the zoning ordinance definition of planned multi-family development and thus would become eligible for rollout collection.

     -  Using the Innovative provision under the MX zoning classification only requires approval from the Planning Commission's Zoning Committee. It does not require formal rezoning approval by the City Council.

      -  Princeton chose to pursue the Innovative option. This required the association to resurvey the entire development and employ a land design consultant, at an estimated cost of over $10,000.

       -  On December 17, 2003, the Zoning Committee approved an innovative site plan as allowed under the MX zoning district. As a result, Princeton could re-subdivide the property so that each existing building is shown on an individual lot of record. This means that Princeton no longer meets the Zoning Ordinance definition of "planned multifamily development where there is a group of two or more attached, duplex, triplex, quadraplex or multifamily buildings constructed on the same lot."

       -  Because of this change in the site plan, Princeton is now eligible for City rollout collection. This service will begin on July 5.

       -  Staff is currently reviewing the possibility of a text amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to restrict the use of the Innovative provisions solely for pursuing a change in City garbage collection services. Continued use of this provision could result in a significant financial and operational impact to Solid Waste Services. Staff intends to present the text amendment for review and consideration by the Council within the next 90 days.

Third Quarter SBE Utilization Report
Staff Resource: Tiffany Capers, 704-336-3862

Please find attached a copy of the Third Quarter SBE Utilization Report. The Report includes SBE utilization for informal purchases and KBU achievement of SBE Utilization Goals. The report also highlights SBE Utilization on formal procurements. Additional information on SBE utilization for formal procurements by ownership will be available with the calendar year 2003 disparity analysis.

Through the first three quarters of fiscal year 2004 (July 2003 through March 2004), the City has spent $3.65 million with SBE firms for informal purchases and has projected $6.66 million in expenditures with SBEs on formal contracts.

Quarter	Percent Expended (Informal Purchases)	Dollar Expended (Informal Purchases
1st Quarter	6.71%	$573,848
2nd Quarter	7.09%	$1,198,690
3rd Quarter	9.12%	$1,873,434

Utilities Receives NC Department of Labor Safety Awards
Staff Resource: Doug Bean, 704-391-5070On May 20, 2004, the North Carolina Department of Labor recognized 14 workgroups within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities for achievements in safety and health. Five of the workgroups received awards for the fourth consecutive year. The safety achievements awards are presented to industry and public sector employees annually based on a formula that includes hours worked, lost workday cases and cases with days away from work.

Attachment:
     -  Economic Dev. & Planning Committee Summary -- 5-19-04