Information Items:
Charlotte Coliseum Disposition Process
Staff Resource: Curt Walton, 704-336-5019
The proceeds from the sale of the existing Charlotte Coliseum and its 154-acre site are part of the financing package for the new arena. The contract between the City and the Charlotte Bobcats allows the City to sell the property at any time following 30 days after which the Bobcats have begun playing home games in the new arena. The time lag is to allow the Bobcats, as well as the CRVA, to relocate to the new building. Therefore, a process has been developed for sale of the Coliseum which will enable closing sometime between December 1, 2005 and January 31, 2006.
The City has an agreement with Crescent Resources to provide the opening bid for the property. Crescent has offered $16.5 million ($19.5 million less $3 million as Crescent's cost for demolition of the Coliseum) as its opening bid. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) has been issued to both local and national brokerage firms to provide advertising and marketing of the property. Proposals are due back in late May and staff's recommendation regarding the brokerage firm will be on your June 13th agenda. By North Carolina statute, the property has to be sold through a competitive process, either upset bid, sealed bid or public auction.
The City's agreement with Crescent does not preclude consideration of alternative minimum opening bids from others. Should any be received, the Mayor and Council will be asked to take action to establish the minimum opening bid. Since the opening bid and the terms of that bid will be an important part of the marketing of the property, any alternative opening bids must be received prior to selection of a broker, as advertising and marketing are to begin immediately.
The schedule calls for marketing of the property until October 2005. That period coincides with the due diligence period for anyone interested in purchasing the property, which will allow us to go directly to closing with the highest bidder within 60 days of the completed bid process.
Trade Street Retail at the New Arena
Staff Resource: Curt Walton, 704-336-5019
The new arena includes approximately 8,000 square feet of retail space along East Trade Street. The building was designed and built for that retail space to be divided among four retail establishments.
The contract with the Charlotte Bobcats gives the Bobcats the right to lease that space. If the Bobcats do not choose to manage leasing the space, then that responsibility falls to the City. The Bobcats have notified the City that they do not wish to lease the space, so City staff has begun developing plans to lease the space in collaboration to local retail space brokers.
The contract specifies that the retail space may not include any businesses that directly compete with goods or services provided in the arena, are in conflict with sponsorships or promotional rights negotiated by the Bobcats, or detract from the image the Bobcats as operators of the building have established for the arena. City staff and the Bobcats have discussed the limitations the contract places on successful marketing of the space and we are working very collaboratively to ensure the space is leased. It does not appear at this point that the contract will be any impediment whatsoever to leasing the retail space.
The Bobcats have expressed a preference for one large restaurant or sports bar in a portion of that space, approximately 5,000 to 6,000 square feet, and that would be the City's preference, as well; however, since the space was designed and built for four smaller spaces, it is not clear that electrical supply to that portion of the building is adequate to support such a large restaurant. Over the coming weeks, City staff will be working with the County electrical inspectors, and possibly with the North Carolina Building Commission, to make that determination. We will keep the Mayor and Council informed as the process for moving forward becomes more clear.
Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners Storm Water Public Hearing
Staff Resource: Tim Richards, 704-336-4555
On Tuesday, May 3, 2005, the Mecklenburg Board of Commissioners conducted a public hearing related to the proposed 7.5% increase in the City's storm water fee. There were no speakers. You may recall that Council voted to amend the Interlocal Agreement with the County to not require City Council to be present at this hearing.
The City's Budget Public Hearing, scheduled for Monday, May 9, 2005 includes the Storm Water budget as well. Staff anticipates members of the Storm Water Advisory Committee will speak at the May 9 public hearing to encourage Council to adopt a more aggressive Storm Water capital program.
MUMPO Air Quality Conformity
Staff Resources: Norm Steinman, 704-336-3939 and Eldewins Haynes, 704-336-7621
On April 16, 2005 Mecklenburg County became non-compliant with Federal air quality conformity standards. Non-compliance with these standards means that no roadway construction contracts or capital funds for transit expansion could occur during the non-compliance period. However, no contracts or funding arrangements were scheduled or affected.
To end the non-compliance period, the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) approved its 2030 Long-Range Transportation Plan and 1-Hour Ozone Standard Conformity Report on April 20. This week, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) forwarded a conformity determination letter stating that the long-range transportation plan for Mecklenburg County now meets the 1-hour ozone standard. As of May 3, 2005, federal-aid funding of roadway and transit projects in Mecklenburg County can resume.
On June 15, 2005 a new 8-Hour Ozone Standard will become effective, replacing the 1-Hour standard. To meet the 8-hour standard, MUMPO will not need to adopt a new long-range transportation plan, but will need to adopt a new conformity determination. CDOT staff worked with the Gaston and Cabarrus-Rowan MPOs and the Lake Norman and Rocky River Rural
Planning Organizations (RPOs) to develop a regional, 8-hour conformity analysis and determination report. The public involvement period for consideration of this 8-hour conformity report began on May 2 and ends on May 31. After MUMPO and the other Charlotte area MPOs and RPOs in North Carolina submit the 8-hour conformity report to the Federal review agencies, staff expects that the USDOT will forward a conformity determination letter stating that the region meets the 8-hour standard by June 28. This schedule implies a two-week non-compliance period that should not impact any projects awaiting Federal or State funding.
Briar Creek Sewer Improvement Project Update / Public Meetings
Staff Resource: Doug Bean, 704-391-5070
Utilities staff met with the Selwyn Neighborhood Steering Committee Monday, May 2, to review alignment alternatives for the upgraded Briar Creek sewer pipeline project. A number of neighborhood residents attended the Monday Citizens' Forum.
To continue open discussion with property owners and ensure citizens are receiving frequent updates on the project design, staff will mail a newsletter to residents and businesses in the Phase 1 area (on both sides of Briar Creek) on May 11. In addition, Utilities is mailing letters with detailed maps of the proposed sewer pipeline alignment and alternatives under review to properties directly along both sides of Briar Creek.
Both the letter and the project newsletter will encourage citizens to attend upcoming community meetings to review pipe alignment alternatives that may impact their property. Meetings are tentatively scheduled to discuss the alignment along properties on the roads below:
May 19 - Fairfax, Michael Baker and Hassell Roads at 6:00 pm (Mouzon Church)
- Windsor and Sunnymede Roads at 7:30 pm (Mouzon Church)
May 24 - Lila Wood, Moncure and Inverness Roads at 6:00 pm (Mouzon Church)
June 2 - Scotland, Hungerford, Sharon and Chilton Roads, at 6:00 pm (location to be announced)
June 7 - Phase 1 Community Meeting at 6:30 pm (location to be announced)
Utilities staff is meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers and NC Division of Water Quality to discuss permitting issues related to the alignment alternatives.
National Traffic Signal Report Card
Staff Resource: Liz Babson, 704-336-3916
Several weeks ago we reported to the Mayor and City Council that more detailed information would be forthcoming about the national traffic signal report card, which had been compiled by the National Transportation Operations Coalition. That detail has now been released and a summary of the report is attached.
Charlotte scored 88.5 out of a possible 100 in the survey, which is a comparatively high score, due in large part to City and State emphasis on funding traffic signal operations. Our lowest score was in the area of maintaining detection systems, which is related to the challenges we face repairing and maintaining detection loops in the roadways used for traffic signal operations.
Maintenance of detection systems is part of CDOT's operating budget. CDOT will be working to determine how improved maintenance of detection systems may be addressed within the existing allocation of funds.
