Monday, March 26
3:00 pm - Transportation Committee Meeting, Room 280. AGENDA: Enterprise Fund Review: Aviation; 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan; CATS Route Performance Monitoring System; Update on Wayfinding Signs
5:00 pm - Council Manager Dinner Briefing, Room 267
6:30 pm - Citizens' Forum, Meeting Chamber
7:00 pm - Council Business Meeting, Meeting Chamber
Tuesday, March 27
5:30 pm - District 2 Neighborhood Meeting, Assurance United Methodist Church, 9700 Mt. Holly Huntersville Road
Wednesday, March 28
5:30 pm - Metropolitan Transit Commission Meeting, Room 267
Thursday, March 29
3:00 pm - Budget Retreat, Room 267
AGENDA: Employee Pay & Benefits; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Budget; Property Tax Update; General Fund Update; Budget Reduction Suggestions; Other Council Topics; Additional Information - Questions & Answers from
March 7th Retreat
Saturday, March 31
8:00 am - Neighborhood Symposium, Charlotte Convention Center, 501 South College Street
In 2002, the Midtown Square Mall property and the Cinema Theater property were rezoned to pave the way for a new mixed-use development known as the Metropolitan. At the time of the rezoning, the City's contribution was for $6.9M of road, intersection and bridge improvements in the immediate area of the project, funding the local match for a future federally funded replacement of the Baxter Street bridge, and a 10-year economic development grant at 90% of property taxes paid on $117M of tax base created by the project. The County pledged to purchase greenway land, provide greenway improvements, and also participate in the same 10-year economic development grant.
As a result of four years worth of design enhancements, further refinement of plans, and a higher level of private sector investment, the project is now proceeding swiftly. The entry in 2006 of Colonial Properties as a new equity partner with Pappas Properties has allowed the scope and impact of the project to grow, and recent estimates show as much as $230M of total new development planned.
The public street, intersection and bridge improvements funded initially will be complete this spring, and Mecklenburg County is scheduled to begin greenway improvements this spring. Work on the realignment of Baxter Street and replacement of the bridge has not begun. However, the bridge does not provide sufficient clearance to allow the greenway trail to pass beneath the street, and its elevation adversely affects flood heights along Little Sugar Creek. The bridge has not yet been deemed deficient from a bridge rating perspective so that it could become eligible for federal bridge replacement funding. It has been rated marginally sufficient every two years in 2002, 2004, and 2006 in our biannual bridge rating process. This means we cannot count on 80% federal funding for the bridge replacement.
The new higher span Baxter Street bridge will be a functionally better improvement for the greenway to pass underneath it, a safety improvement in that it reduces flood elevations, and an aesthetically more attractive improvement in this signature piece of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. Additionally, moving the bridge now will allow the greenway improvements to be made in a more cost effective, one phase approach, rather than a more expensive, two phase approach.
The timing of removing the Baxter Street bridge issue is critical right now. The ability to move forward as soon as possible on this phase of the project will avoid construction remobilization costs on both the private and public sector contracts. Additionally, Phase III of the development project (the residential tower component) can only proceed once the existing Baxter Street bridge is removed, getting this private investment on the ground sooner and letting property taxes flow sooner.
County and City staff have discussed a revised funding plan requiring no funds beyond those already budgeted for bridge improvements by the City, and one which leverages federal funding obtained by the County for Little Sugar Creek greenway improvements. City staff intends to present this revised funding plan for Council consideration in April.
