Monday, July 23
3:00 pm - Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee Meeting, Room CH-14. AGENDA: Sign Ordinance; Foreclosures; Housing Charlotte 2007: Information on Affordable Housing Review Process
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, July 24
10:00 am - Charlottetowne Avenue Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Near Wendy's Restaurant
Wednesday, July 25
5:30 pm - MTC Meeting, Room 267
Agenda Notes:
Staff has added a topic on a trial basis to Monday night's dinner meeting agenda. At the start of the dinner meeting, the Mayor and Council members are invited to identify any questions you may have about items on the Consent Agenda. During the dinner meeting the staff will work to address as many of those questions as possible and we will report back out on those answers at the end of the dinner meeting. This approach is suggested as a way by which to get to the policy and business agenda items more quickly. If the preference going forward is to continue handling all questions on Consent Items on-camera during the meeting, then future agendas will not include the consent portion of the dinner meeting.
On Thursday, July 19, City staff hosted two public briefings on the proposed Urban Street Design Guidelines (USDG). At the 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. briefings, the public heard from staff about the USDG and had the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments.
Seventy-four people attended the two briefings, representing a wide variety of groups interested in how Charlotte's streets are planned and designed. While a complete listing of comments from the briefings will be compiled and distributed by early August, the following types of comments or questions were raised:
- How quickly will/can the USDG be implemented (when will new land developments be reviewed using the USDG recommendations)?
- When will City Council vote on the USDG?
- How will the USDG be implemented (what is the difference between guidelines and standards)?
- How will the USDG be applied in existing neighborhoods (what kinds of processes will ensure that these designs are used in existing neighborhoods)?
- Can we get more bike lanes, sooner?
- How will the six-step planning and design process be used - what will it mean for neighborhoods and what will it mean for developers?
- Why were the block length recommendations changed
- Will City Council be told about costs related to the USDG?
- Will the USDG make the development process more time consuming?
- Will street stubs be required, even when sites are located next to existing development?
Attendees provided responses to a brief survey. The results of that survey are being compiled and will be provided in a subsequent Council-Manager Memo, although an initial scan of the results indicates generally favorable to very favorable responses.
Attendees also received information about various other ways to participate in the public review of the USDG, including the opportunity to comment during Council's upcoming July 23 Business Meeting. Staff encouraged the public to visit the USDG webpage for updates on the review and adoption process and/or any revisions to the USDG document. The
USDG document and related materials are available on-line.
On August 27, staff will be providing additional information about the results of the briefings, the attendee survey, a web-based survey, and all other comments from the public to the Transportation Committee.
At their July 19 meeting, City Council's Economic Development and Planning Committee voted 4-0 (members Lassiter, Dulin, Carter, and Mitchell in attendance) to recommend that City Council approve the draft Bryant Park Land Use & Streetscape Plan, Concept Plan, with revisions as proposed in the separate document. The item is on the agenda for July 23 Council meeting.
There was a question about the transfer of old Fire Station #10 on Remount Road, north of Wilkinson Boulevard, from the City to the County. This was approved by City Council at the February 12, 2007 meeting, and subsequently by the Mecklenburg Board of Commissioners. The purpose was for demolition and assemblage with the Old Dowd House parks facility. There was no payment proposed, nor credit on the property ledger, because the projected cost of asbestos and underground tank removal exceeds the value of the property. Deed preparation is underway.
There also was a request for Bryant Park Plan buildout statistics, which will be provided to
Council at the meeting Monday night.
When the Council Agenda was completed on Wednesday, we did not have all the information from the petitioner to complete the resolution for the Amber Leigh Voluntary Annexation involved with this agenda item. Attached is the resolution that would have normally been part of the attachment for this item.
Information Items:
A public hearing will be held for the proposed hotel-motel ordinance at the August 27 council meeting. Originally, the public hearing was to occur at the July 23rd council meeting; but, scheduling difficulties necessitated a delay. Staff will continue to meet with stakeholders over the next month.
Neighborhood Improvement Program -
Public Involvement Meetings
Staff Resource: Pamela W. Lopez, 704-336-2735 - pwlopez@ci.charlotte.nc.us
City Council approved 14 neighborhood improvement planning contracts with seven engineering firms at their May 14, 2007 meeting. These neighborhoods include: Sugaw Creek/Ritch Avenue, Revolution Park, York/Cama, Enderly Park, Tryon Hills, Colonial Village Sedgefield, Lincoln Heights/Wilson Heights, Nevin, Eastway/Sheffield, East Forest, Farm Pond, Autumnwood, Delta Lake and Linda Lake.
City staff and engineering firms are holding a series of public meetings in these neighborhoods. The purpose of the public meetings is to enhance resident's understanding of the neighborhood improvement program, receive input from residents on recommended infrastructure improvements and establish project timelines. The upcoming public meeting schedule is:
Revolution Park Neighborhood
Thursday, July 24, 2007
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Greater Mt. Sinai Baptist Church
1243 West Boulevard
Nevin Neighborhood
Thursday, July 26, 2007
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Nevin Community Center
3315 Lake Road
York/Cama Neighborhood
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Piedmont Natural Gas Cooking Technology Center
4301 Yancey Road
Sugaw Creek/Rich Avenue Neighborhood
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church
101 Sugar Creek Road
Gang of One Provides Training To Students At Derita Alternative School Staff Resource: Rev. Fran Cook, 704-336-7331
Gang of One (GO1) provided gang resistance training to more than 200 students at Derita Alternative School Tuesday, July 17, 2007 as part of a 4-day Gang Prevention Workshop. Students also learned about the connection between gangs and drugs, music, and violence in three additional seminars. A majority of students expressed the belief that Charlotte does not have a problem with "real" gangs but with youth who are imitating gangs and causing problems. They stated that these youth become involved with gangs because of a lack of family ties, love, and too much time with nothing to do. Students identified a need for more free activities and programs for youth to combat this problem. Parents and guardians are invited to a follow up session and catered lunch at Derita on Wednesday, July 25, 2007. At the luncheon, GO1 will talk with parents about ways they can support their children in staying out and getting out of gangs.
Since February 2004, the GO1 Hotline has received more than 1,300 calls and GO1 has provided over 300 gang education and gang resistance trainings for adults and youth, reaching over 19,000, and supported 85 youth in gang disassociation. In 2006-2007, GO1 partnered with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to implement Dangers Involved with Gangs (DIG), a gang prevention program for 5th graders that was implemented in 10 elementary schools and No Easy Walk (NEW), an outdoor leadership gang resistance program that was implemented at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School. In 2007-2008, GO1 will expand the DIG and NEW programs and add a new Truancy Reduction Project at MLK Middle School and West Mecklenburg High School.
Each year the MetLife Foundations solicits nominations for its Neighborhood Revitalization Award which recognizes neighborhood revitalization efforts that are the result of partnerships among residents, police, and economic development entities. CMPD submitted a nomination regarding the work done in Druid Hills and has been notified, through the attached letter, that Druid Hills was the first place winner out of over 400 nominations.
The nomination submitted by CMPD emphasized the work done by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership and Neighborhood Development, as well as police in working with residents to build a safer neighborhood, improve housing, and increase community involvement. The nomination also highlighted the work of the Neighborhood Action Team in revitalizing Druid Hills.
CATS is currently conducting extensive testing/training along the northern section of the light rail line (South Boulevard Light Rail Maintenance Facility to 7th Street). Because the trains themselves operate very quietly, train horns/bells and grade crossing equipment (gates/lights/bells) are designed to notify the pedestrians and motorists of approaching trains and to allow for the efficient operation of the trains. During testing, staff is sounding the bells and horns as the trains move through at-grade street crossings. This activity has generated some inquiries from nearby residents as well as developers of future projects concerned about the level and frequency of warning noise from the trains and grade crossing signal equipment.
CATS staff met with representatives from 3030 South at the New Bern Street grade crossing on July 18, 2007 because of concerns expressed by the developer and some residents. The group listened to the sounds from the light rail vehicle's bell and horns. CATS operating policy to date has been to sound the light rail vehicle bell at all the crossings from New Bern Street north to 7th Street (except at Remount where horns are used due to the 55 mph operating speed). The opinions at the meeting were that the low horn sound is less intrusive than the bell, even though the horn has a somewhat higher decibel level.
CATS staff also met with staff of the Hanover Company on July 18, 2007 and has provided noise level information to the Hanover Company's consultants. The Hanover Company is planning a residential development at the corner of Tremont and Camden immediately next to the LYNX Blue Line and the Tremont grade crossing. The information provided to them is useful as they plan and design their project. The best way for proposed development (particularly residential) in proximity to the LYNX Blue Line to remediate potential noise impacts is for developers to incorporate noise-dampening windows and insulation into their projects,
Council members may hear about this issue as we continue testing and prepare to move into revenue operation later this year. CATS is committed to being a good neighbor to existing businesses and neighborhoods while at the same time running a very safe system. In the months ahead, we will be testing various warning signal arrangements at the grade crossings and in the station areas. We also need to educate pedestrians and motorists on the existence of light rail trains operating along the tracks to minimize the potential for accidents. The testing will utilize the input we have received from stakeholders along the alignment. The testing will help us establish what the normal warning protocols will be when LYNX Blue Line service starts. We will continue to work with stakeholders during the testing process.
As part of the process we will look at the idea of quiet zones in the South End and Uptown where appropriate. That process will involve the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) which is the federally-designated safety oversight agency. NCDOT would be required to approve any quiet zone requests. We believe, however, that the LYNX Blue Line needs to complete the testing/training period and operate in revenue service for a reasonable period to establish a safety history at crossings before a quiet zone designation could be sought. Obtaining a quiet zone designation may require improvements at the grade crossings such as additional crossing gates, raised medians, and other geometric improvements.
