Monday, January 14
5:00 pm - Council Dinner Briefing, Room 267
7:00 pm - Council Meeting, Chamber
Wednesday, January 16
4:00 pm - Economic Development & Planning Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: Former Coliseum Property on Tyvola Road; Bryant Park; Residential Pedestrian Lighting Process
Agenda Notes:
On Council's dinner briefing agenda for Monday night is an update on the 311 customer service call center. You will receive a presentation on this topic Monday night. Attached is a memorandum that provides additional information in advance on this topic.
Policy Agenda Item #7: Hotel/Motel Ordinances
Staff Resource:
Ron Kimble, 704-336-4169, rkimble@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Council's Community Safety Committee met on January 10 to discuss issues with the proposed hotel/motel ordinances that have arisen since the December 10 dinner briefing on the ordinance. Council members Turner, Kinsey and Dulin were in attendance; Council members Mitchell and Peacock were absent.
The Committee voted 3-0 to make the following recommendations:
- Amend Chapter 15 of the City Code, which will establish requirements that all hotels/motels must meet. These standards will assist CMPD in its enforcement and crime prevention efforts at lodging establishments.
- Amend Chapter 11 of the City Code to give Neighborhood Development authority to inspect those lodging establishments that are not regulated by the County or State.
- Readdress Chapter 11 when the City reviews Senate Bill 556 and/or when additional State Legislation originating from the statewide hotel association moves forward.
The Committee discussed the fact that the changes to Chapter 11 were not as strong as those proposed in the initial drafts of the ordinance since they now pertain to only those hotels/motels not currently regulated by the County or State. The statewide hotel association is considering statewide legislation that would result in more stringent standards for all hotel/motel properties in the state. There is also Senate Bill 556 which could impact physical standards for lodging establishments.
The Committee ultimately felt that passing the amendments to Chapter 11 in their current form would be an appropriate step toward making hotel properties safer and is recommending that Council approve them. Neighborhood Development will make a dinner presentation to Council in February regarding the ramifications of Senate Bill 556. Staff will also remain in contact with the statewide hotel association regarding any legislation they may propose. The proposed amendments to Chapters 11 and 15 would go into effect April 1, 2008; if they are approved, the Committee will evaluate the effectiveness of the ordinances once they have been in effect for a year.
Further investigation has revealed a local vendor which would be interested in bidding. We believe allowing this vendor to bid may be in the best interest of the City regarding pricing and availability of materials; however, more research is required at this time. Therefore, staff is requesting this item be pulled from the Council agenda.
Information Items:
Compass Airlines, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, Inc., began twice daily service between Charlotte and Minneapolis on January 7, 2008. Compass will operate as an express carrier for Northwest Airlines and will not have any leased premises or staff of its own here in Charlotte. These are not additional flights for Northwest. They are simply an operational change (seasonal) to downsize their equipment needs. The airline will be permitted to operate under the same terms and for the same rates as similar carriers at the Airport. The landing fees Compass will pay are anticipated to be approximately $24,000 annually.
Charlotte Region Fast Lanes Study Key Stakeholders Workshop - February 12
Staff Resource:
Tim Gibbs 704-336-3917, tgibbs@ci.charlotte.nc.us
In May 2007, Council voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with municipal, regional and state transportation planning agencies in the Charlotte region to initiate a study to examine ways to address traffic congestion on the region's highway network. The original name of the study - Charlotte Region HOV/HOT/Managed Lanes Study - was changed to the Fast Lanes Study in order to more clearly identify a major benefit of the potential recommendations.
The Fast Lanes Study includes analysis of the viability of adding additional high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes (similar to those currently operating on I-77 between North Charlotte and Huntersville), high occupancy-toll (HOT) lanes (which could potentially be used by motorists willing to pay for travel time advantages), truck only-toll (TOT) lanes, and other congestion management techniques along the region's highways.
A workshop will be held on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 from 9:30 am to 1:45 pm at the Carole Hoefener Center, 610 E. 7th Street in Uptown Charlotte, to review information from the initial feasibility analysis. Council members and interested City staff are invited to attend the workshop, which will include other elected officials, media and interested local and state staff from throughout the Charlotte region. Lunch will be provided.
During the workshop, information will be discussed about: 1) where the potential exists for a system of "fast lanes" in our region; and 2) how the screening methodology and potential policy options (vehicle eligibility, hours of operation, tolling policies and types, etc.) will be used in defining corridors for further study.
The study's final report is due out next summer. Information pertinent to the study may be accessed at
www.fastlanes.org.
Please contact Carolyn Green at
cgreen@ci.charlotte.nc.us or (704) 336-3906 by Tuesday, February 5th if you are interested in attending the workshop. Participants are welcome to attend all or part of the workshop.
The agenda and directions to the Hoefener Center are attached.
