Calendar Details:
Wednesday, July 16
12:00 pm - Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee, room 280. AGENDA: Local Support Initiatives Corporation (LISC) Update; Status Report on Gentrification; Committee Schedule
1:45 pm - Transportation Committee, room 280. AGENDA: Bicycle Plan; Station Area Plans A) Scaleybark Station Area Plan, B) Woodlawn Station Plan
3:30 pm - Economic Development and Planning Committee, room 280. AGENDA: First Ward Park and Parking; North Tryon Revitalization Plan
Information Items:
Effects on Transportation of State Implementation Plan for Ozone
Staff Resource: Eldewins Haynes 704-336-7621 or ehaynes@ci.charlotte.nc.us
At Council's dinner briefing on June 9, staff from the NC Division of Air Quality (NCDAQ) presented information about the ozone problem in the Charlotte area. Time constraints only allowed a partial overview of the many complicated, but related air quality issues. Since the effects of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) on the development of our transportation system were not discussed on June 9, this memo addresses that topic.
Through the SIP, development of an area's transportation system is affected by an area's Motor Vehicle Emissions Budget (MVEB). An area's MVEB is that portion of the allowable emissions defined in the SIP allocated to on-road (highway and transit) vehicle emissions. The MVEB should be linked to the air quality strategy pertaining to motor vehicle emissions. Showing that total daily "on-road" motor vehicle emissions do not exceed the MVEB provides the necessary evidence that the future transportation system may continue to develop as proposed without an adverse impact on air quality. That evidence, called the Transportation Conformity Document, allows Federal funding to continue for highway and transit capital projects. Federal dollars cannot be spent if motor vehicle emissions associated with travel on the future transportation system exceed the MVEB, since the Clean Air Act seeks to reduce emissions to improve air quality.
"On-road" motor vehicle emissions account for only about 55% of all ozone-causing emissions in Mecklenburg County. Thus, keeping "on-road" motor vehicle emissions within the MVEB – or not within the MVEB -- does not , by itself, guarantee that ozone air quality will get better or worse in the Charlotte area.
NCDAQ released the SIP to public comment in April, 2007. CDOT and MUMPO staff raised concerns that the MVEB in the SIP were set too low for Mecklenburg, Union, and Iredell Counties. Nevertheless, NCDAQ submitted the SIP to EPA in June, 2007. Subsequently, NCDAQ agreed to work on a revision to the SIP in response to comments. EPA suspended its review of the SIP, anticipating receipt of a revision. However, in May, 2008, NCDAQ announced that they would no longer pursue a revision to the MVEB included in the SIP for ozone. That letter from NCDAQ is attached. EPA has since reopened its review and is expected to reach a decision about the SIP in the last quarter of 2008.
By deciding not to pursue the SIP revision, NCDAQ stated, "If [Mecklenburg, Union, and Iredell Counties] that would have had higher MVEBs with the new data are not able to demonstrate conformity… in May, 2009, the Transportation Conformity Regulation … allows for a one-year conformity lapse grace period." During the grace period, projects currently underway or listed in the MUMPO 2009-2015 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) would be allowed to continue. However, proposed projects not in the TIP, such as the Monroe Bypass, would not be eligible to receive any Federal funding until Transportation Conformity can be demonstrated. If Transportation Conformity cannot be demonstrated by May, 2010, then Federal funding for new highway and transit capital projects would be suspended for Mecklenburg, Union, and Iredell Counties.
CDOT staff intends to inform MUMPO of this situation at the next regularly scheduled MUMPO meetings in July. The City's representative on MUMPO will be briefed separately prior to the MUMPO meetings. CDOT staff will also respond, on behalf of MUMPO, to the NCDAQ's May letter. The reason for responding to NCDAQ is that, even though several comments on the MVEB allocation were sent to NCDAQ in 2007, the May NCDAQ letter raises a new issue about the adequacy of the SIP to address our ozone problem.
Upcoming Sidewalk Projects
Staff Resources:
Geen Cheng Khoo, 704-336-4492 or gkhoo@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Sonji Mosley, 704-336-3214 or smosely@ci.charlotte.nc.us
A public information meeting will take place on July 17, 2008 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church located at 234 N. Sharon Amity Road. City staff will discuss sidewalk on the following streets:
Another public information meeting will take place on July 22, 2008 from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at the Wedgewood Baptist Church located at 4800 Wedgewood Drive. City staff will discuss sidewalk on the following streets:
Through the guidance of the City's Transportation Action Plan (adopted by City Council in May 2006), the City of Charlotte is committed to becoming a more "walkable" community. The Transportation Action Plan calls for many pedestrian related facilities, including the construction of over 625 miles of new sidewalks by 2030 to provide a safer, more connected and more comfortable pedestrian system.
In May 2005, City Council adopted a Sidewalk Retrofit Policy to prioritize and evaluate sidewalk requests. There are four tiers of sidewalk requests. The sidewalk requested to be built on the streets listed above is a 'Tier 3' request, meaning they are streets with a higher traffic volume and are located in close proximity to a school or to a park.
Once a request nears the top of the priority list, the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) holds a public meeting to provide information about the project and receive public input. The City will build sidewalks along street sections with the highest rating as funding becomes available.
Observer Story on Leaks - Additional Follow Up
Staff Resource:
Doug Bean, 704-391-5070 or dbean@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The Charlotte Observer published an article on Thursday, June 19 that included information related to the number of water main leaks in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities system. When asked by an Observer reporter for the number of main leaks and breaks in our system, we promptly provided a complete set of numbers from our work order system that includes all leak investigations conducted on water lines. While the reporter was mostly interested in main breaks, the information we had readily available also included smaller main leaks, as well as other leaks found to be on private lines, service lines, hydrants, and valves, and duplicate work orders. This report identified 3,133 total leaks for FY2008. This information suggested Charlotte has over seven times more leaks than comparable utilities in Raleigh, Atlanta and Denver.
Since that time, we have conducted further analysis of our data and have provided the Observer with numbers that more accurately reflect repairs made to water mains. This report identifies 1,951 main repairs for FY2008. This follows a June 20 Council Manager Memo whereby Utilities challenged two points in the Observer story. Upon further research and discussion with the reporter and with other utilities involved, we have been unable to conclusively refute nor confirm one of those points of contention - that Charlotte has "seven times as many water main breaks per mile as other similar-sized systems." It is simply unclear whether the comparative information provided to the Observer by the other cities reflects comparable water main repair statistics, and it is difficult to draw comparisons based on this type of data due to the differences in terminology, recordkeeping systems, repair categorization, geography differences, system pressure requirements, system size, etc.
We continuously evaluate the performance of the water system and the causes of leaks and breaks. During the past five years, our capital improvement program has funded more than $30 million in rehabilitation and replacement of water mains. Additionally, our current CIP anticipates an additional investment of $30 million for rehabilitation and replacement of water mains during the next five years. Our rehabilitation and replacement program is based largely on maintaining water quality and capacity for fire protection and good customer service. Much of our work is coordinated with other neighborhood improvement programs to avoid multiple disruptions for citizens. While the number of breaks and leaks experienced recently may be higher than some other systems, there is no clear correlation to age or pipe material that would lead to a large- scale water main replacement program. We anticipate that the Observer will continue their coverage of this issue.
Proposed Newsrack Regulation Program
Staff Resource:
Ron Kimble, 704-336-416 or rkimble@ci.charlotte.nc.us
For several years now, Charlotte Center City Partners has been working on a proposal to address the proliferation of newsracks on City sidewalks. This effort has been undertaken in consultation with City staff and the newspaper and publication industry. This afternoon, Center City Partners held a stakeholders' meeting designed to inform and seek additional feedback from publishers regarding a proposed ordinance and associated program. City staff was in attendance.
Charlotte Center City Partners will be briefing City Council on their proposal at the July 28th, 2008 dinner meeting.
Passenger Vehicle for Hire Board Agrees to Consider Request for Mid-Year Taxicab Rate Review Staff Resource:
Burhan Al-Shaikh, 704-398-6793 or bal-shaikh@cmpd.org
On July 1, 2008, the Passenger Vehicle for Hire Board unanimously voted to review Universal Cab Company's request to consider a midyear change to the rates taxicabs may charge within the City of Charlotte. Universal made the request based on the unexpected price increases in gasoline during the last few months. Universal's request was supported by the Charlotte Taxicab Owner's Association and many taxicab drivers because they believe rate changes are necessary due to increasing fuel prices.
Under section 22-182(b) of the City Code, once more than three-quarters of the Passenger Vehicle for Hire Board agree to review a request from a company for a change in rates, the Board will begin gathering information and making recommendations on changes, if any. The Board will convene a Rates Committee to investigate and make recommendations to the full Board. If the Rates Committee recommends changes in the rate schedule, and the Board agrees to recommend changes, and the Board will notify the taxicab companies of the proposed rate schedules, and will hold a public hearing before considering adoption of any rate changes. There is no deadline for the Board to act on the request, but the Board hopes to consider recommendations between now and the end of August.
If revised rates are adopted, any appeal from the Board's action must be directed to the City Council.
Charlotte's 2008 Little Index Score
Staff Resource
Walter Abernethy, Neighborhood Development
Charlotte's overall score with the Keep Charlotte Beautiful Litter Index improved for 2008. This year's score is 1.63, compared to 1.85 in 2007. Every year in March, Keep Charlotte Beautiful surveys designated locations in Charlotte, rating these locations according to the amount of litter that is visually apparent. Performing the Litter Index is a requirement of Keep America Beautiful to keep the Charlotte affiliate in good standing.
The scale used in the survey includes:
1 = Virtually no litter.
2 = Slightly Littered - A small amount is apparent that one or two persons could easily pick up.
3 = Littered - Visible litter is readily seen and would require an organized effort to remove it.
4 = Heavily Littered - A continuous amount of litter is one of the first things noticed. This may include dumpsites that would require special equipment and additional manpower to remove.
The locations that are surveyed are the same from year to year, in order to measure change through time and the locations are diverse in nature and include Interstate ramps, schools, restaurants, city streets and intersections, shopping centers, county parks, business parks, and other locations all around Charlotte.
