Calendar Details:
Monday, January 12
7:45am - Mecklenburg Delegation Breakfast, Room 267
2:00pm - Environment Committee Meeting, Room CH-14 (NOTE TIME CHANGE) AGENDA: Pledge for the Environment; Revisions to Tree Ordinance; Focus Area Plan
3:30pm - Transportation Committee Meeting, Room 280. AGENDA: Arrowood Station Area Plan; Overview of MPO and RPO Structure; Overview of the Transit 2030 Corridor Plan
5:00pm - Council Dinner Briefing, Room 267
6:30pm - Council Business Meeting, Chamber
Wednesday, January 14
12:00pm - Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee, Room CH-14. AGENDA: Housing Charlotte 2007 Report, Focus Area Plan
Friday, January 16
2:00pm - Community Safety Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: Focus Area Plan; Rental Property Ordinance
Agenda Notes:
Agenda Item # 14 - Public Hearing on a Resolution to close a 10 foot Alleyway off Dotger Ave.
Staff Resource:
Linda Poissant, Charlotte Department of Transportation, 704-336-2562, lpoissant@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On January 9, 2009, staff met with residents of the Crescent Heights Community and developer to discuss issues related to agenda item # 14. As a result, it appears that the two parties will resolve their issues. Staff requests the public hearing for Agenda item #14 be opened and February 23 Council Meeting. This allows the developer and abutting property owners more time to resolve concerns related to the proposed development plan.
Agenda Item #19: Coca-Cola Recycling Agreement
Staff Resource:
Julie Burch, City Manager's Office, 704-336-3187, jburch@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The Mayor has moved this item to first under the Policy Agenda at the request of Lauren Steele, Coca-Cola.
Information items:
January 29, 2009: BusinessFirst Charlotte 2008 Annual Meeting
Staff Resource:
Emily Westbrook, Economic Development, 704-432-2076, ewestbrook@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Council members are invited to attend the BusinessFirst Charlotte Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 29 from 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. at Duke Energy's Miller Auditorium. The purpose of the meeting is to share findings from interviews with over 400 local business leaders in 2008, and will feature a presentation by Dr. Harry Campbell of UNC-Charlotte on the competitiveness of Charlotte's business climate. Breakfast will be served.
Duke Energy's Miller Auditorium is located at 526 South Church Street. Parking is available in the Mint Street Parking Garage. Please RSVP to Emily Westbrook by January 19.
BusinessFirst Charlotte is the City's business retention partnership with the Charlotte Chamber.
Gov. Easley Appoints Maeneen Klein to State Irrigation Board
Staff Resource:
Doug Bean, Utilities, 704-391-5070, dbean@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Gov. Mike Easley has appointed Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Water Conservation Manager Maeneen Klein to serve on the newly formed North Carolina Irrigation Contractors' Licensing Board.
The board's charge is to develop a licensing process for irrigation contractors to ensure properly designed irrigation systems that conserve potable water. Klein is the "public" representative on the board and was nominated by the N.C. Green Industry Council.
Please see the attached news release distributed Thursday.
Neighborhood Stabilization Program Update
Staff Resource:
Richard Woodcock, Neighborhood Development, 704-336-8572, rwoodcock@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On November 24, 2008 City Council approved the submission of grant applications for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to both the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the State of North Carolina. The U.S. Congress appropriated $3.92 billion for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) for state and local jurisdictions across the country. As part of a formula allocation, Charlotte was allocated $5,431,777 funded directly from HUD. HUD staff has informed us that the application has been approved with an effective date on or about January 15, 2009.
The State of North Carolina is currently administering a competitive process to distribute the $52.3 million received from HUD. The City will apply for $5,250,000 of the State's NSP funds.
However, funding from this program is not guaranteed. The North Carolina Department of Commerce published instructions for applications for NSP funding on December 19, 2008. The State's grant requirements are slightly different than those issued by HUD. The City must submit its State NSP application by February 3, 2008. In order to meet the grant application deadline and to comply with the State's grant requirements, a public hearing will be held at City Council's meeting on January 26, 2009.
The State NSP program is very similar to the federal NSP program and will include a down payment assistance/rehabilitation program that will apply to the designated area of greatest need and a neighborhood revitalization program that will concentrate home purchase and resale efforts and possible infrastructure improvements in target neighborhoods.
Johnston and Mecklenburg Mills Redevelopment Update
Staff Resource:
Stan Wilson, Neighborhood Development, 704-336-3337, swilson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On Monday December 29, 2008 Nancy Crown, of the Banc of America CDC (c/o NoDa Mills, LLC) sent a letter to the City terminating the agreement to acquire the site. This letter was required as NoDa Mills, LLC was unable to satisfactorily complete the due diligence within the time period of the agreement (on or before December 30, 2008). See the attached letter from Banc of America.
There were two primary reasons for the delay in completion of the due diligence. The first was portions of the Mill buildings encroach into the Norfolk Southern Railroad right of way. This item was identified up front in the Request for Proposal and the development agreement as an item requiring further investigation.
The second reason, which is a new issue discovered as part of the due diligence process, is that the ownership of a 2.14 acre parcel adjacent to the Mills site (7.22 acres), on which a large portion of the former boxing academy is located is in question. The City's 1991 loan, which was foreclosed in January, 2006, was secured by a deed of trust from Trenton Properties, Inc. that included the parcel in question. Further research indicates ownership was transferred to Norfolk Southern in December 1906 by Southern Railway. No information has been found that it was ever conveyed to Trenton properties, Inc. As a result there are recorded deeds to both the Norfolk Southern and the City containing the parcel in question.
As stated in the letter, NoDa Mills remains committed to continued negotiations regarding the redevelopment of the property. Staff would like to take 60 days to work on the Railroad related issues associated with the site. After this period, staff will provide a recommendation to City Council for the next steps.
Background: On July 28, 2008 City Council approved the purchase and sale agreement between the City of Charlotte and the NoDa Mills, LLC for the sale of the Johnston and Mecklenburg Mills and the adjacent properties for $475,000. NoDa Mills LLC is a partnership between Banc of America Community Development Corporation and Tuscan Development. NoDa Mills was selected as the developer through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
The Request for Proposal (RFP) and the purchase and sale agreement outlined the City's intention to sell the Mill properties "as is" encouraging developers to conduct their own investigation of the property. The purchase and sale agreement with NoDa Mills also outlined the sale of the property "as is" and the agreement included a provision giving NoDa Mills a 120-day due diligence period to complete the environmental review and other engineering work. The agreement also allowed an additional 120-day extension of the due diligence period with a closing on the sale of property to occur on or before December 30, 2008.
December 17, 2008 MTC Meeting Summary
Staff Resource:
Keith Parker, CATS, 704-336-3855, kparker@ci.charlotte.nc.us
At its meeting on Wednesday, December 17, 2008, the MTC took action on the FY2010/11 Legislative Agenda and Fare Zones. The Committee also received information on the proposed March service change. In addition, the MTC directed the CATS CEO to discuss opportunities for partnerships with CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman. Meeting details follow.
MTC Legislative Priority Review: Lobbyists Holland & Knight submitted a memo to CATS that summarized their perception of the current environment in Washington:
- President-elect Obama intends to introduce a stimulus package shortly after taking office.
- Transit will be viewed as a "green infrastructure investment."
- Early indications for transit:
- $8 billion for "ready to go" transit projects
- $32 billion in longer term stimulus bill
- Possible operating assistance for systems impacted by decline in local revenue
The MTC unanimously approved staff's recommended list of funding priorities for Federal fiscal years 2010/2011 (attachment 1- sheet 1). The approval also included a list of projects to be included in the new Surface Transportation Bill (attachment 1- sheet 2) and a list of "ready to go" projects in the event economic stimulus funds are available (attachment 1- sheet 3). The dollar amounts are placeholder estimates. The estimates are higher than the adopted 2030 Transit Plan to account for potential scope changes and inflation in the event projects are built later than originally anticipated. Preliminary engineering must be completed before final dollar amounts can be calculated.
The MTC directed the CATS CEO to work cooperatively with the North Carolina congressional delegation and other appropriate parties in promoting the adopted legislative agenda. The MTC signed a letter to the Mecklenburg Congressional delegation and the Governor-elect urging support of the region's transit projects.
Update on Proposed Spring 2009 Service Adjustments: Staff updated the MTC on the proposed service adjustments scheduled to be implemented in March 2009. Due to current economic conditions, CATS ½ percent sales tax revenues are anticipated to be lower than expected. In response, staff has taken a number of steps to reduce operating costs, including the proposed reduction or elimination of some lower ridership routes.
The service proposals have been reviewed by the CATS Service Change Committee and the Transit Service Advisory Committee. CATS held a total of twelve public meetings between November 20, 2008 and December 23, 2008 to get public input regarding these proposals. Final decisions on the proposed service changes will be announced in mid-January 2009.
Transit Fare Zones: Fare zones are clearly delineated areas of a platform reserved for LYNX patrons possessing a valid ticket, or are in the process of purchasing a valid ticket. Fare zones would be generally off limits to anyone not using the LYNX system. Fare zones would be focused to the stations and areas that need them and would be particularly beneficial during high volume times or events. Anyone willfully violating the fare zone would be subject to a $50.00 civil citation or criminal prosecution. The MTC unanimously approved the implementation of fare zones. [City Council approved Fare Zones at its January 5, 2009 meeting]
CEO Report
Under the Director's report, Mr. Parker discussed the following:
1. Budget Update: During the economic downturn, CATS staff is providing monthly budget updates highlighting significant issues such as sales tax revenue (attachment 2).
2. Ridership: Declining fuel costs and the shift in calendar days affected ridership for the month of November 2008. Ridership for the month of November increased 12.4% across all services, as compared to November 2007. The LYNX Blue Line marked its first year of service with over 5 million trips since opening. CATS FY2009 ridership is up 33.5% year-to-date as compared to the same year-to-date period last year.
3. Annual Report: A copy of the CATS' Annual Report was distributed to MTC members.
4. Silo Insurance Payment: CATS received a check for $128,053 to fully recover its expenses associated with the Silos falling on the LYNX tracks this past spring.
5. Fuel Contract: Currently CATS is working on a fuel contract to stabilize the cost of purchasing fuel. The contract will be a six months to one year term that will insure a "price certain". It is hoped that the contract can be presented to the City Council in January 2009.
6. Bus Operator's Death: Mr. Parker expressed sympathy for the family of Gabrielle Kinard, a CATS bus operator, who was killed in her home. Employees, neighbors, and friends held a candlelight vigil to honor Ms. Kinard.
Monthly Project Update for the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Staff Resource:
Jim Schumacher, City Manager's Office, 704-336-3656, jschumacher@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Attached is the January edition of the Project Update newsletter for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. At Council's request, this document will be provided to City Council each month through completion of the project. It includes a table of expenditures to date, key milestones completed, and a look ahead at upcoming milestones.
