Calendar Details:
Mayor's Youth Employment Program Celebration Lunch – August 15
Staff Resource:
Dawn Hill, 704-336-4445, dhill@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Council members are invited to join us for the Mayor's Youth Employment Program (MYEP) closing celebration lunch to be held on Friday, August 15 at 11:30 am at the Crown Plaza Charlotte, located at 201 South McDowell Street. MYEP interns and their immediate supervisors will join us to celebrate another successful year of youth employment and community partnership.
Please RSVP to Dawn Hill by Friday, August 8, 2008 if you plan to attend.
Information items:
North Carolina Legislative Summary
Staff Resource:
Boyd Cauble, 704-336-2009, bcauble@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Attached is a summary of the 2008 Legislative "Short Session" initiatives impacting Charlotte.
This "mostly defensive" legislative session did not negatively impact us in a major way. The most significant positive results were additional funding for our criminal justice system; a start to better address gang activity; a commitment to dedicate approximately $25 million per year for the Monroe by-pass toll project; and additional capital funding for UNCC.
Numerous negative initiatives failed to pass but will surely reappear next year. Now is the time to begin to develop our strategy for the 2009 legislative session.
2008 Neighborhood Quality of Life Study
Staff Resource:
Stanley Watkins. 704.336.3796, swatkins@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The 2008 Neighborhood Quality of Life study has been released to the public. The biennial study details the social, the crime, the physical and the economic conditions in 173 Neighborhood Statistical Areas (NSA) within Charlotte and the city's future annexation areas.
The study employs 20 local variables to classify each NSA as either "Stable", "Transitional" or "Challenged". The results from the 2008 study show 90 "Stable" NSAs, 63 "Transitional" NSAs, and 20 "Challenged" NSAs. When compared to the 2002 study, this represents a 10% decline in Stable NSAs, 54% increase in Transitional NSAs and 38% decline in "Challenged" neighborhoods. This year the study showed a record low number of 20 "Challenged" NSAs, which exceeded City Council's objective of 22 NSAs for 2008.
Because there was insufficient time at last Monday's dinner session, the City Manager is scheduling a presentation for the City Council at the September 2, 2008 Workshop. In the meantime, Council members are encouraged to contact the Neighborhood Development Office to arrange a detailed review of the study. The public can access information about the study on the city's website at http://neighborhoods.charmeck.org. City staff is also available to meet with neighborhood groups to explain the study and how changes may impact their neighborhood.
Update on Partners in Out of School Time (POST) Middle School Matters Program
Staff Resources:
Ken Miller, 704-432-0429, kmiller@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Ruffin Hall, 704-336-2306, rlhall@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The City's FY2009 operating budget includes an allocation of $576,768 for Partners in Out of School Time (POST) Middle School Matters Program to provide "out of school time" programming for approximately 600 students at six sites. The City contributed $282,204 in FY2008 towards funding needed for three program sites. The Middle School Matters Program is supported by a combination of City funds, County funds, and private donations.
POST requested funding from Mecklenburg County in FY08 of $282,204 and received $200,000. In FY2009, POST requested County funding at a level of $400,000 as part of the expansion from three to six sites and received $200,000. Due to funding constraints and limited vendor responses, it is unlikely POST will implement six sites in FY2009. The FY2009 proposed contract scope of work approved by the City Council in June 2008 assumed six sites with a City contribution of $576,768. Due to the decrease in number of program sites, the level of funding provided by the City will decrease to correspond with the reduced scope. Staff estimates that funding the revised goal of four sites in FY2009 equals a program funding level of $435,315 from the City.
Staff has proposed the lower contract amount of $435,315 to POST and is awaiting their response.
Thomas Avenue Public Parking Lot
Staff Resource:
Timothy O'Brien, 704-336-3149, tobrien@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The City is proposing to go to two-hour parking in the public parking lot at the corner of Central Avenue and Thomas Avenue. The City developed the public parking lot many years ago when the on-street parking was removed due to capacity needs. Since that time the Plaza Central Business District restaurant and business trade has significantly increased. Staff have found that several of the neighboring businesses are now sending their employees to the public lot to park all day, and reserving spaces at their business for their patrons. The Central Avenue businesses on the outbound side of the street (John's Country Kitchen and the other neighboring stores) have reached out to our Economic Development Office for assistance because they have no parking other than the public lot, and those spaces turnover infrequently. The outbound businesses indicate lack of parking is hurting their businesses.
The Real Estate Division, Economic Development, and the Transportation KBU worked together to develop a proposal to create "two-hour parking only without decal" in the lot to try to achieve greater turnover of parking spaces. The effective hours will be 6 AM to 5 PM daily. Notification to the business owners is expected to go out this week. The signs are scheduled to be posted on or about September 1, 2008. Staff will monitor the parking lot and work closely with the Plaza Central Business District merchants to see if the program is successful and, if necessary, modify or end the program if it is not performing as expected.
Street Name Change: J.A. Jones Drive to Piedmont Row Drive South
Staff Resource:
Doreen Szymanski, 704-336-7527, dszymanski@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Some months ago, CDOT was contacted by a property owner on J.A. Jones Drive who requested the street be renamed. J.A. Jones Drive intersects with Fairview Road, and the opposite side of the intersection is Piedmont Row Drive. As is the CDOT practice, staff suggested the same name as the street on the opposite side of the intersection: Piedmont Row Drive. The CDOT has been following this practice for a number of years at the request of emergency services (Police, Fire, Medic), since it eliminates confusion during emergency response.
The petitioner for the street name change has followed all City requirements to rename the street, including collecting the required support from other affected businesses on J.A. Jones Drive.
When CDOT was ready to announce the street name change, staff was contacted by the Piedmont Center Homeowners Association, who informed us they oppose the street name change to Piedmont Row Drive. They voiced the following concerns:
1. The street name change will create confusion for emergency services. Staff explained that emergency services prefer the same street name to eliminate confusion during emergency response.
2. That the street name change will create more cut-through traffic. Staff explained that the through traffic will be there regardless of the street's name. They do have a significant number of vehicles traveling through their development during a.m. peak, and CDOT is unable to discourage it without removing the traffic signal, removing turn lanes and prohibiting movements into the Center, which would affect the retail.
3. They felt the name Piedmont Row is exclusive, but were unable to support the claim when it comes to street names. Legally, street names cannot be exclusive.
The CDOT met with the homeowners association, and at the suggestion of the lead petitioner, offered to change the street name to Piedmont Row Drive South. The homeowner's association asked if staff could ensure distinctly different block numbers on the opposite side of the street (i.e. 5000 block instead of 4000). Staff subsequently checked with emergency services, and they support the suggested changes.
The homeowners association remains unhappy. In the meantime, there is an expectation from the lead petitioner to move forward with the renaming. The businesses that border J.A. Jones have expressed concern that the renaming is taking so long since they need to move forward with all the business changes that a new street name will require. To accommodate the petitioner and businesses, staff plans to rename the street Piedmont Row Drive South effective August 15, 2008.
