Monday, May 14
5:00 pm - Council Manager Dinner Briefing, Room 267
7:00 pm - Council Business Meeting, including Public Hearing on Recommended Budget, Meeting Chamber
Closed Session: Handling of Claim and City Manager Hiring Process
Wednesday, May 16
3:00 pm - Council Makes Adjustments to Manager's Recommended Budget, Room 267
Thursday, May 17
6:00 pm - District 3 Town Hall Meeting, CPCC Harper Campus, 315 W. Hebron Street
Extending City Boulevard from I-85 to US 29 (Tryon Street) is a portion of the City's on-going capital project to improve the intersection of US 29 and NC 49, and create safer traffic movements between I-85 and those two highways. Funding is already in place for the project through previous bond referendums.
The scope of the City's improvements was approved late last year by the NCDOT. Design, right of way acquisition and construction is scheduled to take place over the next 4 to 5 years.
Crescent Resources is working to develop an IKEA retail store on a 165-acre tract of land in the northeast quadrant of City Boulevard and I-85. The primary access to the store site would be from the extension of City Boulevard. Crescent has requested to construct the extension of City Boulevard ahead of the City's schedule in order to have it is place and functional for the opening of the IKEA store, with costs reimbursed by the City from the project budget.
Attached is the Council agenda item, a map showing the project, the development agreement and the budget ordinance.
Agenda Item #15: Relocation of Abandoned Private CemeteryStaff Resource: Julie Burch, 704-336-3187 - jburch@ci.charlotte.nc.us On Monday evening, Council is asked to approve the request of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority to relocate an abandoned private cemetery at CMC-Mercy, formerly Mercy Hospital, 2001 Vail Avenue. The CMC relocation plan must also receive approval from the Office of State Archaeology. CMC received approval on May 2. A copy of the plan and the State's approval letter are included in Attachment 9.
Attached is the RCA for the Closed Session to consider and give instructions to the attorneys concerning the handling of a claim. A confidential memorandum will be included in your packet.
Cane Creek Sanitary Sewer Outfall, Item #17B, page 21 of Consent I is being pulled by Staff from the May 14 Council agenda due to technical issues with the letter of credit being used by the developer to fund the construction contract. The developer is working with an out of town bank that was not able to make arrangements with a local bank to issue the letter of credit prior to the May 14 Council meeting, in accordance with Council-approved policy. City staff has been assured that the letter of credit will be issued in acceptable form so that the award of the construction contract can be placed on the May 29 agenda.
Information Items:
This is an update on the design of the Pedestrian Wayfinding Signs for Uptown Charlotte. At the dinner briefing for City Council on March 26, 2007, several Council members expressed a desire to change the design of the top of the signs to replace the leaf with the City Crown logo. The attached revised design concept (right) has been approved by Corporate Communications and is provided for your information. Charlotte Department of Transportation staff will ask City Council to approve a contract for sign fabrication and installation at an upcoming business meeting.
City Council approved the Neighborhood Liaison Program and three new Neighborhood Specialist positions in the FY 07 budget. The Neighborhood Liaison Program is designed to proactively address issues in declining neighborhoods outside of the City's revitalization neighborhoods. Prior to this program, residents sought help on their own, based on their knowledge of City, County and other non-profit services. This program focuses on neighborhoods located within 12 identified declining Neighborhood Statistical Areas and provides neighborhood based problem-solving and organizational development services. The objective is to engage neighborhoods that are experiencing the onset of decline, in order to halt or reverse the decline of neighborhood indicators. A summary of the program is attached. A more detailed report will be provided to Council by May 30.
UNC Charlotte Report on CATS Bus Operations and Light Rail Project
Staff Resource: Ron Tober, 704-336-7245 - rtober@ci.charlotte.nc.us The Center for Transportation Policy Studies at UNC Charlotte issued this week an independent report entitled "Analysis of CATS Transit Operations and the South Corridor Light Rail Line".
A copy of this report dated April 30, 2007 is attached.
The authors of the report did an analysis of CATS operating costs compared to other transit systems nationally and within North Carolina using a wide variety of metrics. The findings include:
- CATS operating efficiency compares favorably to that seen in other cities;
- There are other transit operations in North Carolina whose operating costs exceed those of CATS;
- The cost of the South Corridor Light Rail Line is less per mile than other new light rail lines being constructed; and
- Other large transportation construction projects in this region have experienced cost growth in excess of what has occurred on the South Corridor Project.
The report also documents the increased investment that has occurred in the Uptown and South Corridor since 1998. Finally, the report reviews what the impact would be if the repeal of the transit sales tax is successful and what options might be available if this occurs.
The City's only involvement with this report was to provide information in response to specific questions or requests from the authors.
Companies participating in the pilot stage of the program include:
- PBS&J (engineering, architecture & consulting) with Capstone Civil Group (engineering, testing & consulting)
- PSI (engineering, testing & consulting) with Access Consulting (janitorial services)
- STV/Ralph Whitehead Associates (engineering & consulting) with Geological Resources (engineering & consulting)
- Sanders Utility Construction Co., Inc. (utility construction) with Perry's Lawn and Landscaping (lawn and landscaping services)
The Mentor-Protégé Program already has a waiting list of over 20 SBE firms anxious to become protégés. On May 9 the program hosted a Mentor Recruitment Breakfast to recruit additional mentors.
The Council Agenda for May 14 includes two contracts in which mentors are utilizing their protégés. Sanders Utility Construction Co., Inc. is using their protégé, Perry's Lawn and Landscaping on a Utilities project and PBS&J is using their protégé, Capstone Civil Group, on an Engineering and Property Management project.
Staff presented the first ever Annual Report about the implementation of the Transportation Action Plan (TAP) to City Council's Transportation Committee in February. That report, and subsequent annual updates, will provide an opportunity for residents, elected officials and staff to reflect on the City's transportation achievements, to discuss our transportation challenges and to identify refinements or new ways to meet our transportation goals.
The 2006 Annual Report identifies how the City is progressing towards achieving the five TAP goals in the year since Council adopted the TAP in May 2006. Some of the achievements identified in the report include:
- The City adopted the Centers, Corridors and Wedges Map as part of the TAP to help in implementing the City's Centers, Corridors and Wedges growth management strategy.
- During 2006, the City designed and implemented a number of key transportation projects, including continued construction of the City's first rapid transit line.
- The City revamped the Capital Investment Plan to be consistent with the TAP.
- Last November, Charlotte residents passed the 2006 bond measure which will help the City begin to implement key TAP programs and projects.
Some of the issues and challenges identified in the 2006 Annual Report include:
- The City met its Centers and Corridors land use goals for locating office and employment developments in 2006, but did not meet its land use goals for locating households and multi-family units in the Centers and Corridors.
- The TAP relies on adoption of the Urban Street Design Guidelines (USDG) to enable the City to meet its street quantity and quality goals.
- The lack of a regional transportation planning agency for the entire air quality non-attainment area continues to require ad hoc arrangements to accomplish basic regional transportation planning and air quality functions.
- The City needs to continuously communicate the importance of implementing Charlotte's transportation and land use vision to accommodate the growth for the city and region, while preserving our quality of life.
- The City has not identified a long-term dedicated transportation funding source which will make it increasingly difficult to keep pace with continued growth and increased travel demand.
The Transportation Action Plan - 2006 Annual Report is attached for your review.
