Monday, June 4
4:00 pm - Governmental Affairs Committee Meeting, Room 280. AGENDA: Latest Update on Legislative Session
5:00 pm - Council Workshop, Room 267
7:30 pm - Citizen's Forum, Room 267
Wednesday, June 6
12:00 pm - Economic Development and Planning Committee Meeting, Room 280. AGENDA: University City Area Plan, Bryant Park Land Use & Streetscape Plan, ED Grant for IKEA
Thursday, June 7
9:00 am - Redistricting Committee Meeting, TBD
Agenda Notes:
At the June 11, 2007 Business Meeting, City Council will be asked to approve a ground lease for Charlotte Trolley Inc. (CTI) for a fifty-year term with (3) ten-year renewals on land that is located adjacent to the Charlotte Art League. CATS purchased the 60' wide lot for a pedestrian sidewalk between the Bland Street Light Rail Station and Camden Road. The lot is wide enough to accommodate the construction of the City's sidewalk as well as the new CTI facility. The walkway and the CTI facility will each be approximately 30' wide by approximately 130' long.
CTI's existing facility in Atherton Mill property is under a lease and expires at the end of this year. In August 2006, staff advised Council that there would be a public design charette to discuss the proposed new location for CTI and to plan the open spaces at the Bland Street Light Rail Station. During the charette, staff learned that the public is in favor of having the CTI at this new location.
CTI's facility will have two levels and will consist of approximately 5,000 sq. ft. CTI's budget for the new facility is approximately $815,000. Mecklenburg County has promised CTI approximately $700,000 toward their budget. CTI will close the funding gap by various pledges and fundraising events. The City is not expected to contribute any additional funding for the project. At the expiration of the proposed ground lease, the building becomes City property.
CTI is a volunteer-driven non-profit that has been an icon to the SouthEnd area as well as a tourist attraction for Charlotte. Their facility is partly a museum and partly an education center explaining Charlotte's historic past. The new Barn would not rebuild trolleys. Should they continue to restore trolleys, it will be at a presently undetermined location. Their main objective will be to educate the public on Charlotte's historic past and host special events and school outings.
The BizHub is a joint venture with the City, County, CPCC and the Chamber. Created in 2004 as a small business resource center, the BizHub provides on-site counseling and an online resource tool (Resource Navigator) to connect small business owners with government and non-profit services in their area.
In conjunction with our contract review, the BizHub Board is developing a proposal for the City regarding how it can build upon its success, increase effectiveness and strengthen services. In discussing the BizHub's future with the Board, we have encouraged them to consider:
- Access to BizHub services in business corridors
- Cost sharing with partners
- Funding requests for specific and measurable services
We will update you once we have received and reviewed the proposal from BizHub.
A re-inspection of the former Knight's Inn, located at 2909 Boxmeir Drive, confirms that the new owner has demolished the units in accordance with Code Enforcement's order.
In October 2006, the City's Code Enforcement Division initiated enforcement action pertaining to the abandoned motel at 2909 Boxmeir Drive. The former Knight's Inn was the subject of critical issues associated with public safety, fire safety, and code enforcement. The severity of these conditions spawned the City's current review of hotel/motel issues, and the consideration of a new ordinance to address both physical decay and public safety issues associated with these businesses. The ordinance will be discussed at the June 11 Council dinner briefing.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities continues to meet unusually high customer water demand and is preparing for next steps if demand and drought progress.
This week brought three consecutive days of record-level demand on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday was the highest demand in Utilities history at 167.2 million gallons. This represents more than a 50 percent increase over an average day of 110 million gallons a day.
Lake levels still hold steady, largely due to Duke Energy's responsible management and reduction in hydroelectricity. A more pressing issue is the continued high demand and the stress it causes to our delivery system. If dry weather and high demand continue to escalate, we may need to consider mandatory water restrictions. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully.
Our voluntary water conservation message continues, which encourages customers to irrigate after 10:00 pm and before 6:00 am on weekdays. Following this schedule will better distribute demand throughout the day to avoid excessive peaks, which risk low pressure problems.
Excessive lawn irrigation is the source of this increase in demand. Utilities is working closely with Engineering and Property Management and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation to be sure we set positive examples in responsible irrigation. Utilities has curtailed flushing water lines and is suspending some water connections. Crews also are working overtime to repair leaks.
