Information Items:
Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA)/City Relationship
Resource:
Ron Kimble, 704- 336-4169 or rkimble@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Attached is information that City Council requested as background on the 2004 merger of the Convention and Visitors Bureau with the Auditorium, Coliseum and Convention Center Authority. We have also included the most recent contract that governs the annual funding and performance measures between the City and CRVA. These materials should address many of the questions posed by City Council at the October 6, 2008 meeting.
Public Meetings for Northeast Charlotte/Interstate 485 Area Collector Streets and Interstate 485/Mallard Creek Road Interchange
Resource:
Tim Gibbs, 704-336-3917 or tgibbs@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Staff from the City and North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will host public meetings. These meetings will be held in the cafeteria of the Mallard Creek High School located at 3825 Johnston-Oehler Road on Tuesday, October 14 and Thursday, October 16 from 4:30 pm until 6:30 pm. The meetings will inform citizens and allow an opportunity to comment on the following topics:
1) Potential collector streets across or near Interstate 485 in northeast Charlotte; and
2) The proposed design for the Interstate 485/Mallard Creek Road interchange.
The projects are intended to enhance connectivity and safety for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
NCDOT staff will show plans for the Mallard Creek Road interchange at Interstate 485. There will be no formal presentations during the meetings. The open house format will allow citizens to ask questions of staff and provide comments on the proposed projects.
Digital Television (DTV) Transition Day and Workshop - October 16
Resource:
Doris J. Boris, 704-336-3064 or dboris@ci.charlotte.nc.us
This is an update and reminder of the Digital TV Day events that will occur in the CMGC on Thursday, October 16, 2008. Council members have been invited to attend all or part of this DTV Day educational program.
The purpose of DTV Day is to educate the public on the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005, which mandates that on February 17, 2009 all full-power television stations in the United States will begin broadcasting in digital format. TVs that receive analog-only signals – without a converter designed to allow the digitally-transmitted signals to be viewed – will not receive any television programming after February 17, 2009. Even with cable or satellite service, TVs that are not DTV-ready will not receive over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts whenever there is a loss of video through these service providers.
DTV Day events include the following:
- 10 am – 5 pm: The FCC, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), local broadcasters, cable operators and other stakeholders will provide DTV Transition educational/informational displays in the CMGC. This informational outreach effort is free and open to the public. Residents are invited to stop by the DTV Roadshow (sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters) which includes a truck in the shape of a TV and a tent with DTV information in front of the CMGC.
- 4 pm – 5:30 pm: A reception will be held in CH-14 of the CMGC. City and County officials are invited to attend; Chairman Martin is also expected to attend the reception.
- 6 pm – 8 pm: A public workshop will be in the Chamber and will be televised to the community live on the Government Channel. Kevin Martin, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to make an appearance at this workshop along with the President/CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, David Rehr. Susan Burgess Mayor Pro Tem, will open the Workshop by welcoming all participants. Jennifer Roberts, Chair of the Board of County Commissioners, will also make remarks.
Business Support Services' Charlotte-Mecklenburg Cable Office is working with the City's Corporate Communications, Solid Waste Services, and the County's Public Service and Information divisions to educate our citizens about the significance of the DTV transition.
Environment Committee: Assessing Environmental Impacts in Rezoning Cases
Resource:
Garet Johnson, 704-336-5993 or gwjohnson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
In reference to a rezoning petition at Council's June 16, 2008 zoning meeting, Council member Carter suggested that environmental criteria be added to the Residential Location and Design Assessment Matrix in the General Development Policies (GDP). Council referred consideration of this suggestion to the Environment Committee. The Committee discussed this matter at its September 15 meeting. Since there are no recommended actions related to this matter at this time, the Committee asked staff to provide the following information report to Council.
At the Committee meeting, staff provided background on how environmental aspects of a proposal are addressed during the rezoning process. Effective with the September 15 zoning agenda, staff has made changes to the rezoning staff analysis to better and more consistently, identify and address potential environmental impacts of proposed developments.
- A new section has been added entitled "Environmentally Sensitive Site Design".
- Staff comments related to environmental concerns are consolidated in this new section to make it easier to determine the potential impacts of the proposed developments.
- A summary of staff's review of the site plan with respect to GDP-Environment Policies has been added.
Finally, the Committee received information from staff about the potential for enhancing the current assessment of environmental impacts with information from an Environmental Features Inventory. Development of this inventory is included in the Council FY09 Focus Area Plan for the Environment.
Attached is the complete meeting package from the September 15, 2008 Council Environment Committee Meeting.
Central Avenue at Eastland Mall Streetscape Project
Resources:
Keith Carpenter, 704-336-3650 or kcarpenter@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Tom Flynn, 704-432-1396 or tflynn@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The City Manager pulled the contract for the Central Avenue at Eastland Streetscape project from the August 25 agenda to answer questions about the project's coordination with the pending redevelopment study of Eastland Mall. Staff is recommending the Central Avenue at Eastland Mall Streetscape Project be put on hold to coordinate with that redevelopment. A related reason to hold the project is potential infrastructure changes associated with possible streetcar service to this area. The principal concern is how much of the project will be impacted during redevelopment, necessitating doing the work again. Combining this work with the future mall redevelopment will allow for one cohesive project. Staff will be assessing the sidewalk condition to determine if work is needed to repair trip hazards and broken sections along Central Avenue providing connectivity to the Eastland Community Transit Center.
Other improvements already completed in that area include:
- Central Avenue Streetscape Phases I, II, III – These three projects were completed between 2002 and 2004 and have improved the Central Avenue corridor with planting strips, wider sidewalks, medians and landscaping between Morningside Drive and Sharon Amity Road.
- Albemarle Road Streetscape – This was completed in 2003/2004. The limits of this project were North Sharon Amity to Regal Oaks. This project included landscape and sidewalk construction.
