Information Items:
NASCAR Hall of Fame Advisory Board
Staff Resource: Pamela A. Syfert, 704-336-3185 - psyfert@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The NASCAR Hall of Fame Agreement contains a provision for establishing an eight-member Advisory Committee that will assist the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority in operations of the facility. That eight member Committee is set up as follows:
NASCAR -- 2 Members
Mark Dyer and Black Davidson (already appointed by NASCAR)
Bank of America - 1 Member
Cathy Bessant (already appointed by Bank of America)
Wachovia - 1 Member
John Tate (already appointed by Wachovia)
CRVA - 2 Members
Tim Newman and Ted Lewis (already appointed by CRVA)
City of Charlotte - 2 Members
Because of their involvement in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Project, I suggest that Ron Kimble and Jim Schumacher be appointees of the City for an initial period of three years. This would carry the project up to or near the scheduled opening date of the Hall of Fame. The City Council could then reevaluate the needs of the CRVA to determine subsequent membership on the Advisory Committee. This item will be included in the appointment section of your May 8 City Council Business Agenda.
Charlotte Center City Partners Inaugural Visions Awards - May 11 Staff Resource: Emily Westbrook, 704- 432-2076 - ewestbrook@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On May, 11, 2006, Charlotte Center City Partners will host their inaugural Center City Vision Awards. The Vision Awards will acknowledge the remarkable achievement and contributions of individuals, businesses, and organizations that help make our urban core more memorable and vibrant. The evening will be a celebration of the accomplishments and highlights of the last year and the opportunities ahead as we move toward FY2007.
The City of Charlotte has purchased a table for the evening and the City Manager and City Council members are invited to attend. The event will be held at the Marriot City Center Hotel from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Please RSVP to Emily Westbrook, by Monday, May 1, 2006.
Scaleybark Transit Oriented Development RFQ Update
Staff Resource: Tracy Finch, 704 432-3025 - tfinch@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On Tuesday, April 25 staff finalized the purchase of land in the Scaleybark Station Area. This eight acre site, adjacent to the CATS Park and Ride, is intended to be redeveloped for a mixed-use and mixed-income transit oriented development (TOD). Staff issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to solicit a private sector developer which was due on April 21, 2006. Eleven responses were received.
A letter has been sent to all respondents requesting additional information on their participation in SBE or MWBE type programs. This information will be included as part of the evaluation criteria for the selection of firms to move forward to the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage, where more detailed SBE participation plans will be included in their submissions.
By May 12, a staff team will review and select the most qualified developers to receive the RFP's. Staff will update Council once the developers are chosen for the RFP process in mid May.
Sidewalk Program Petitions
Staff Resource: Vivian Coleman, 704-353-0481 - vcoleman@ci.charlotte.nc.us
As part of the Sidewalk Retrofit Policy process, petitions have been sent to lead petitioners requesting sidewalk on six local residential streets (Anthony Circle, Bucknell Avenue, Crestview Drive, Pinehurst Place, Shasta Lane and Wintercrest Drive). Staff have received a few calls from residents on one street, Bucknell Avenue, questioning why more weight is not given to citizens who live on the side of the street where the sidewalk is proposed for installation.
The Sidewalk Program Retrofit Policy was approved by City Council on May 23, 2005 and was endorsed unanimously by the Stakeholder Team that helped to evaluate options for the new program. That team included residents both for and against specific controversial sidewalk projects deliberated during the summer of 2004. The Stakeholder Team endorsed the new policy as being fair, reasonable and equitable. Attached is a summary of the approved Sidewalk Retrofit Policy.
The new policy directs most program funds to sidewalks at locations where staff has determined that safety or use deem the project to be a high city priority. The remaining program funds go to locations identified by neighborhoods. These require a petition process where 60% of property owners on both sides of the streets involved approve the installation. The petition states the side of the street which has been determined for installation of the sidewalk. Bucknell Avenue is one of these.
The City established that 60% property owner approval on both sides of the street was appropriate to satisfy the petition process for the following reasons:
1. Sidewalks are evaluated for potential on both sides. Resident comments and engineering judgment are used in determining the appropriate side for installation.
2. Residents from both sides will have the ability to use the sidewalk.
3. In many cases there may be a resident(s) who lives on the proposed installation side who may oppose the sidewalk. If the City switched sides, the same situation may apply. Therefore, the policy allows for the side to be chosen by City staff after evaluating resident input and using engineering judgment. Residents then have the opportunity to decide if they want to support the petition or not.
4. The petition process and approval standard are the same as used for the Traffic Calming Program.
Summary of the 11th Annual Neighborhood Symposium
Staff Resource: Stephanie Small, 704-336-2929 - ssmall@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The 2006 Neighborhood Symposium was held on Saturday April 22, 2006 at the Charlotte Marriott City Center. The tally of pre-registered attendees boasted record numbers, with more than 600 participants, exhibitors and other guests having pre-registered for the event. Preliminary records indicate that 440 people attended the event. Additionally, over 30 City, County and non-profit agencies were represented at the event.
Mickey Fearn, Senior Policy Analyst for the Mayor of Seattle, Washington was the keynote speaker. Mr. Fearn discussed civic engagement and relationship building between citizens and city government.
With the theme, "Standards of Excellence: Showcasing Model Neighborhoods," the Symposium featured Neighborhood Networking sessions, where neighborhood leaders made presentations and answered questions about their achievements in several areas of neighborhood and community development. Other workshops included informational topics such as the re-zoning process, the Quality of Life Study and neighborhood covenants. The most popular afternoon session was on neighborhood problem solving. Staff will produce a Proceedings Report to document the day's activities. The report will be distributed in May.
