Smart Growth News

North Carolina

Opposing Building Heights, Project Neighbors Ask for Changes to Redevelopment Plan

To raise cash for affordable housing construction throughout the city, the Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA) envisions mixed-use redevelopment of its underused 17 acres near the LYNX light-rail station in the Dilworth neighborhood into mostly market-rate dwellings, offices and shops, finding the City Council receptive to the idea.

The elderly and low-income residents of the 331 subsidized units in the Strawn Apartments and bungalows on the CHA tract would stay, reports the Charlotte Observer. The agency's profit on redevelopment, either in partnership with a developer or from sale of the land – appraised before the recession at $25 million – would be invested in its other projects.

After year-long work with the Dilworth Community Development Association, CHA officials and consultants allayed most of its concerns, strongest among neighbors from single-family homes, and focused on density and building heights exceeding the 100-foot limit in transit-oriented development zones. In a move toward compromise, the CHA scaled down two proposed high-rises from 200 to 160 and 120 feet, respectively, and one from 120 feet to 100 feet. It also reduced the total footage of the project from 1.3 million to 1.2 million square feet, decided to save more trees, and clarified some other points.

Before the council's public hearing on the CHA rezoning request, CHA Real Estate Manager Jeff Meadows said the plan is now ''35 percent less intense'' in terms of density than the current zoning allows. At the hearing, Axiom Architecture principal David Furman presented project sketches, including drawings of pedestrian-friendly streets, with first-floor retail, and business and offices easily accessible on foot.

But most promising for an amicable solution is the absence of neighborhood opposition to subsidized housing. If anything, some Dilworth residents would like CHA to build additional low-income apartments rather than only market-rate ones on its tract. ''It seems so counterintuitive,'' observed neighbor and former City Council member Sara Spencer. ''Why not seize the opportunity to showcase a great site?''   7/19/2010

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com/

As Developers Look to Build, Community Should Say Where, What and How

A mid-year Ashville Citizen-Times editorial on area progress is carefully optimistic about signs of an upturn amid the post-2008 economic slowdown. Now is the time,'' the editorial says, ''to consider whether we will be ready to plan for smart growth, protect the environment and build more affordable homes for our workforce.''

Noting that May sales of existing homes countywide were up nearly 40 percent over that month last year, thanks largely to a federal tax credit offered this spring, the editorial cites other signs of progress. The county improved and enacted its new zoning. Asheville-based Mountain Housing Opportunities (MHO) community development corporation has implemented Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) principles during renovation of the historic Glen Rock Depot and Glen Rock Hotel into a complex of commercial space, offices and 60 workforce apartments. The City Council supported plans for MHO's new apartment project on a main artery. The city has formed Asheville Riverfront Redevelopment Commission and set aside $556,000 to study a greenway route by the French Broad River. Popularity of the newly opened $17-million Pack Square Park downtown promises to make it the city's ''living room,'' while a public committee is working on implementation of the Downtown Master Plan, which should shape the growth of the central business district over the next 25 years.

As to steep-slope development control, a bill introduced by state Democratic Representative Bruce Goforth passed the General Assembly's environmental committee, but stalled in the finance committee because of budget shortages and must wait for action until next year.

In conclusion, the editorial grades the area's mid-year progress as ''incomplete,'' saying the national and local economies ''will have to pick up more speed for a healthy demand to return in residential and commercial real estate.''   7/11/2010

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com/

Cincinnati and Gastonoia, North Carolina, Named Most Livable Cities

Mayors Mark Mallory of Cincinnati (OH), and Jennifer Stultz of Gastonia (NC), have been awarded first place honors in the 2010 City Livability Awards Program during the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 78th Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City.

This is the 31st year in which cities have competed for the award, which is sponsored by the Conference of Mayors and Waste Management, Inc., the nation’s largest provider of waste management services. The award recognizes mayoral leadership in developing and implementing programs that improve the quality of life in America's cities, focusing on the leadership, creativity, and innovation demonstrated by the mayors.

This year's winning cities were selected by former mayors from a pool of over 200 applicants. ''For more than three decades now, the City Livability Award has been one of the most prestigious awarded by this organization, and one of the most competitive,'' said Conference President Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz. ''Each year, hundreds of mayors and their city governments submit a wide range of programs for consideration, vying for the honor of calling themselves a City Livability Award winner. We thank Waste Management, Inc. for their decades of support in honoring and giving national attention to mayoral innovation and leadership. It is through this partnership that we continue to salute the mayors who have developed the best practices and successful programs that improve the quality of life for all city residents.''

Cincinnati won for its Muralworks program, which employs teens and professional artists to paint at least one mural in each of Cincinnati's 52 neighborhoods. The initiative revitalized the mural site area as well as the community at large. There are now 20 Cincinnati neighborhoods with 26 murals, and seven more are planned for this year. Over the course of the past three summers, 280 teens and 80 professional artists have been employed. The murals are seen by nearly 153 million cars as they drive by. In neighborhoods from lower Price Hill to Over-the Rhine, where once there were bare walls and blighted lots, there are now colorful, vibrant, and lively murals which are instant neighborhood icons, and which have transformed the City as a whole.

Gastonia was chosen for its ''Hope for Gaston,'' a faith-based outreach ministry. It consists of a group of churches, community leaders, and volunteers who work together to strengthen communities. The group comes together on a predetermined day to repair homes in a targeted neighborhood. The housing units are selected based upon age and condition of the structures, and where the repairs are too great for the homeowners to afford. Two projects in 2009 impacted more than 50 homes and provided 1,010 boxes of food to families in need.   6/12/2010

Resource(s): www.usmayors.org/

Charlotte, North Carolina, Proposes $15 Million For Affordable Housing

NEWS14-TV reports that the Charlotte City Council voted to ''add $5 million for a bond on affordable housing to the annual straw vote. If approved, a total of $15 million could be spent towards affordable housing.'' Council members will vote on the issue June 7.

However, homeless advocates would like to see more funding, believing $15 million is only half of what they need. Wendell Parham of the Homeless Helping Homeless organization said, ''I lost my apartment first and then I lost my job. I came to Charlotte to start over.'' The organization feels raising the funds to $30 million would be ''an investment in people like Parham who felt people demeaned him on the streets.'' Parham added, ''If they see you with additional bags, they identify you as homeless. They think you should just disappear.''   5/26/2010

Resource(s): http://charlotte.news14.com/

Are Charlotte’s Design Requirements Too Tough for Developers?

Adopted in 2007, Charlotte’s Urban Street Design Guidelines won a 2009 U.S. EPA National Award for Smart Growth Achievement and may soon become rules. But in the meantime, Mayor Anthony Foxx advises flexibility toward developers who tell horror stories, though City Manager Curt hears only ''horror rhetoric.'' With the City Council looking to strengthen Charlotte’s 32-year-old tree ordinance and make the street design guidelines enforceable too, reports Charlotte Observer writer Steve Harrison, some developers argue that overly rigid regulations could hurt the economy. They also note wider concerns about high housing prices.

City Planning Director Debra Campbell confirmed that guidelines and ordinance requirements increase short-term developer costs, adding between $1,900 and $2,900 to prices of new homes, but she pointed out that the visual and other improvements ''bring economic value.'' Elaborating on his call for flexibility, Mayor Foxx stressed the need for a cost-benefit analysis when development regulations seem particularly cumbersome and for a clear conflict resolution approach to potential clashes between the requirements of three involved city departments – planning, engineering and transportation.

Council Member Warren Turner is comfortable with strong development regulations. ''Is there a list of people who have said, 'We aren’t doing business in Charlotte?''' he asked. ''I like that it may have removed people who didn’t want to do a quality project in Charlotte.''

Read about the EPA 2009 Smart Growth Award for Charlotte at www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/awards/sg_awards_publication_2009.htm.   3/2/2010

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com/

Maintaining Sustainability a Challenge for Cities

Although Smart Growth has been considered a worthwhile goal in many communities, the reality of maintaining momentum over time for creating better communities can become stalled as demonstrated in this article on Citiwire.net. The article discusses three communities around Charlotte, North Carolina, that had adopted smart growth principles and seen tremendous growth over the last decade.

In the early 1990s, new ordinances adopted in Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson, North Carolina, all adopted elements of the smart growth mantra, encouraging density where feasible, planning for complete streets, and trying to avoid typical urban sprawl. The author notes the communities represented ''a remarkable exercise in local and regional planning'' and ''a remarkable vision.''

The author has revisited these towns and tried to see how things have played out. What she found was a mixed result. As the communities changed and new voters immigrated in, the city councils in these areas changed as well, often reflecting a new growth dynamic that disregarded smart growth principles. ''The torch didn’t get well passed,'' said Bill Coxe, transportation planner in Huntersville, a one-time mill-town and railroad hamlet that has grown from less than 3,000 people in 1988 to an estimated 39,000 in 2006.

However, Davidson has held the course and continued to encourage and develop smart growth projects. ''Davidson’s own dynamics, its sense of specialness,'' has, over the years, helped it work through difficulties and keep its eye on its goals, a city official is quoted. The author concludes that communities need ''constant vigilance, constant education, constant programming of public events to keep the issues alive.''   2/28/2010

Resource(s): http://citiwire.net/

Workforce Housing Faces Uphill Fight to Locate Near Million-Dollar Homes

Targeted by Charlotte for some affordable housing, the upscale suburb of Ballantyne is to get its first subsidized apartment complex, but the 86-unit project may stall due to intense local opposition and a sudden pull-out of the Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA), worried about a likely $13-million cost.

The CHA, reports Charlotte Observer writer Steve Harrison, had restated its support for the project – as offering low-income earners the opportunity to live near their jobs – just three days before a meeting of some 300 Ballantyne residents with developers Stuart Proffitt and John Schwaller. The developers were often heckled and their assailants cheered, the writer notes, quoting an anonymous one, who objected to public housing near his million-dollar home. Others feared the impact on traffic and schools, cited inadequate sidewalks and distant transit, and questioned the developers about details of their CHA contacts. “This isn’t a NIMBY (Not-In-My- Back-Yard) issue,” insisted resident Kevin Williams, voicing anger over possible rezoning of the seven-acre parcel from office use to neighborhood services, which would allow the apartments next to a proposed bank. “It’s a 45-minute walk from your site to the bus.” Resident Al Rutherford echoed the objection. “You say there will be strong access to transit,” he said. “I just don’t see that.”

Despite CHA withdrawal, the developers showed no intention of dropping the project, known as Ballancroft. Noting that their newly formed Republic Development Group lacks the experience to secure federal tax credits, they said they are seeking other partners with affordable-housing expertise. They need federal aid to make 26 of the planned 86 apartments affordable to workers who earn 30 percent of the area’s median income, or just under $20,000 for a family of four. The other apartments will be available to residents making 60 percent of the median income, but should their efforts to secure federal assistance fail, they said, they might have to build the apartments for buyers paying market rates.   2/23/2010

Resource(s): http://charlotteobserver.com/

Crosland Banks on Charlotte Light Rail for Its Urban Village Near Scaleybark Station

Since the 9.6-mile LYNX light-rail line between uptown Charlotte and I-485 at South Boulevard opened in November 2007, its monthly ridership has averaged 15,000. In fact, the 10 millionth rider boarded a train last month. These feats are being closely watched by builders eager to capitalize on transit-oriented development once the market improves, with at least one on the move now.

The Crosland real estate company, reports the Charlotte Observer is readying a design for a 36-acre, mixed-use Crosland Greens urban village near the Scaleybark light-rail station, some three miles southwest of uptown. The first-phase groundbreaking is expected later this year. Crosland chief financial officer Stephen H. Mauldin, said his company coordinated its urban village design with a similar mixed-use project planned by Pappas Properties directly across the boulevard, to ensure a cohesive look for development in the Scaleybark Transit District.

Starting with commercial and office space, Crosland Greens, zoned for a minimum density of 17 units per acre, will eventually feature about 700 residences – apartments, condos, townhouses and single-family homes, affordable for all income earners. Also including a grocery store, small shops, restaurants and other services, the village will encourage residents to walk and meet their needs locally without driving elsewhere. Crosland officials, the writer adds, promise to make Crosland Greens a leading-edge example of sustainable development planning and practices.   1/25/2010

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com/

Charlotte Seeks Federal Grant for Streetcar System Construction

With the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) listing a 10-mile Charlotte streetcar line among key priorities in its 2025 plan, the City Council voted 7-4 to seek a $25-million federal grant to build the line’s initial 1.5-mile uptown segment. The request is opposed by one Democrat and all three Republicans on the Council.

The Obama administration has recently let the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provide matching funds for streetcar projects, capping such grants at $25 million per city, reports the Charlotte Observer. The uptown segment of the streetcar line is expected to cost some $37 million, which means Charlotte would have to spend at least $12 million or more if it got a smaller grant. To be on safe ground, City Manager Curt Walton has identified $24 million the city could use – $2.5 million set aside for streetcar design and engineering, $10.5 million from the economic development budget, $7 million from a business corridor revitalization fund, and $4 million in “smart growth” funds.

Democratic Mayor Anthony Foxx, a former two-term council member and vocal streetcar advocate, is hoping for the best. “For every local dollar that goes into the grant, we get two federal dollars back,” he said, with CATS officials estimating ridership for the 1.5-mile uptown segment – which would tie into LYNX light-rail tracks – at 950 daily trips in the first year, and for the whole 10-mile line at 16,000 by 2030. “Implementing the Charlotte Streetcar Project will spur economic development along a key Charlotte corridor, supporting local neighborhoods and connecting diverse areas of the city with the downtown business center,” points out CATS on its web site, calling the project an economic engine. “It will enhance connectivity between regional transit corridors, connect Charlotte’s two downtown transportation hubs, and reduce short inner-city auto trips, parking demand and vehicle emissions.”

On the day of the council’s vote, a Charlotte Observer editorial noted that Democrats, some from neighborhoods on the streetcar route, stress its potential to attract development. It also cautioned against missing the opportunity for federal aid. “Some people don’t think the streetcar is a good idea to start with. Some people think any transit spending is wasteful. We disagree,” the editorial said. “The need for good public transit will only grow stronger as the city grows, traffic worsens, gas prices rise and the city struggles to escape its auto-generated ozone pollution problem.”

Learn more about the streetcar and other CATS plans at www.charmeck.org/Departments/CATS/Rapid+Transit+Planning/Center+City/Home.htm.   1/25/2010

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com/

EPA Recognizes Communities for Smart Growth Achievements

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson presented the 2009 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement on December 1 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Through the awards, four communities were recognized for their comprehensive approach to improving access to affordable housing, providing more transportation options and protecting the local environment for residents.

The four recipients of the 2009 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement are:

Overall Excellence: Lancaster County Planning Commission for Envision Lancaster County. Lancaster County, in south-central Pennsylvania, is known for its historic towns and villages, and its fertile farmland. To maintain the county’s character, its diverse economy, and its natural resources for future generations, the Lancaster County Planning Commission established a countywide comprehensive growth management plan, which protects valuable farmland and historic landscapes by directing development to established towns and cities in the county.

Policies and Regulations: City of Charlotte for Urban Street Design Guidelines. As the central city in a rapidly growing metropolitan area, Charlotte, N.C., is under intense development pressures. Rather than continue the automobile-dominated development patterns of the last 50 years, Charlotte adopted Urban Street Design Guidelines to make walking, bicycling, and transit more appealing and to make the city more attractive and sustainable.

Built Projects: Chicago Housing Authority, FitzGerald Associates Architects and Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation for Parkside of Old Town. Parkside of Old Town sits on eight city blocks that were once home to a public housing complex notorious for criminal activity. The redevelopment has transformed the neighborhood by reconnecting it to downtown Chicago and tying together mixed-income housing, parks, and new shops and restaurants.

Smart Growth and Green Building: City of Tempe, Ariz. for the Tempe Transportation Center. The Tempe Transportation Center is a model for sustainable design, a vibrant, mixed-use regional transportation hub that incorporates innovative and green building elements tailored to the Southwest desert environment. The Tempe Transportation Center is a true multi-modal facility that integrates a light rail stop, the main city bus station, and paths for bicyclists and pedestrians.   12/1/2009

Resource(s): yosemite.epa.gov/

Bipartisan Mayors Launch Piedmont “Megaregion” Alliance

They’re quite a mayoral couple. From Atlanta: Shirley Franklin, Democrat, African-American, spunky, results-focused, no-nonsense. From Charlotte: Pat McCrory, Republican, white, business oriented, driving force of the new light rail system destined to remake Charlotte in the next generation.

Working in tandem, with bipartisanship rare in today’s America, Franklin and McCrory have been pushing for a common action plan to build imaginative and “green” infrastructure systems for the South’s dominant “megaregion” string of metro areas, centered on Atlanta and Charlotte but extending as far as Raleigh on the east, Birmingham on the west.

In late November, with other regional mayors, they gathered in Greenville to steer and name their new organization–the “Piedmont Alliance for Quality Growth – Mayors, Business, Academia.”   11/29/2009

Resource(s): http://citiwire.net/

Charlotte May Delay Light Rail Extension to University City

Charlotte, North Carolina officials are considering a delay in the 11-mile Lynx Blue Line extension to University City.

Revenue from the half-cent transit tax generated $62 million in fiscal year 2009, $14 million below projections.

''If the sales tax recovers, we can revise this,'' CATS interim chief executive John Muth told Charlotte Observer writer Steve Harrison. ''I'm not saying the schedule is 2019. But we've had to revise it a little bit.''

If sales tax revenue recovers, the line could open in 2016. -- The Charlotte Observer   9/15/2009

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com/

Charlotte Light Rail Line Exceeds First-Year Ridership Goals

Opened in November 2007, the 9.6-mile Lynx light-rail line between Charlotte's Uptown and suburban South End has easily exceeded its first-year ridership target of 9,100 weekday boardings, consistently recording more than 16,000 last summer and almost 15,000 a day this June, a slight drop due to higher unemployment and lower gas prices, reports Charlotte Observer writer Steve Harrison, with a recent survey finding 72 percent of the riders new to mass transit, and large majorities better educated and more affluent than bus passengers.

''It shows people that if you build it, they'll ride it,'' said Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Marketing Manager Olaf Kinard of the long delayed $463-million line, with 15 stations in well-off and working-class neighborhoods. ''The demographics say it's a service for everyone.''

The Blue Line passenger survey, conducted for CATS by a marketing firm last December and January, the writer reports, allowed basic characterization of light-rail, express-bus and regular-bus riders in three categories: origin, education and income.

Light-rail, express-bus and regular-bus passengers, respectively, include 72, 69 and 30 percent of Caucasians, or whites; 19, 25 and 62 percent of blacks, and 9, 3 and 5 percent of others; and 69, 52 and 25 percent of the college-educated; with related average household incomes of $65,000, $55,200 and $31,800 -- compared to Mecklenburg County's median income of $62,241.

The survey also found that 21 percent of passengers switched to light rail from buses and 6 percent from carpools or CATS vanpools.

Rail lines, the writer adds, usually ''attract more affluent passengers than bus lines,'' with critics complaining ''that tax dollars being spent on people who don't need transportation subsidy,'' and advocates arguing light-rail investment is important to spur transit-oriented development and reduce car dependency. -- Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Business Journal   7/23/2009

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com/ ; www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/

Apex Officials Receptive to Mixed-Use Development

Ranked by Money Magazine as the best small town in the state and the 14th nationwide in 2007 -- population of 4,900 in 1990, reaching 20,200 in 2000 and 34,800 now -- Apex, some 10 miles southwest of central Raleigh -- has ''jealously guarded'' its 1,000 acres south of the U.S. 1-Highway 55 junction from any ''piecemeal'' development over the past 15 years in anticipation of a wholesome project such as Veridea, now proposed by area-based Lookout Ventures principal Tom Hendrickson, said Mayor Keith Weatherly at their joint press event, both noting that the planned 8,000 housing units, and a total of 15.5 million square feet of offices, stores, businesses and high-tech industry could mean almost $6 billion in new town tax revenue.

''We're creating the footprint for the next generation Research Triangle Park,'' said the developer, who partnered with New York City-based Hudson Realty Capital, reports Triangle Business Journal writer Frank Vinluan, explaining the Veridea name by its Latin roots for verity, verdancy, and idea.

A Wake Forest University School of Law graduate, former state Democratic Party chairman and now major fundraiser, the writer observes, Tom Hendrickson envisions parks, greenways and a mix of apartments, condos and houses -- all likely to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification -- with the first phase of $50 million-$60 million core infrastructure construction possible in 2010 or 2011.

''All of these components should be exciting to any community, particularly the $6 billion in new taxable value,'' commented Mayor Weatherly, with Apex Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Jim Stella convinced that once completed, Veridea would balance the town's precarious 78-22 percent residential-business ratio at a fiscally healthy 59-41 percent, just short of the exemplary 60-40 percent proportion.

Should the population growth continue without more business and commerce, residents would eventually face higher taxes to ensure services, he thought, saying, ''This development is really a precedent-setter and it's going to be a model for the future.''

As to possible local concerns over future traffic, overcrowded schools and other impacts, reports Apex Herald writer Shawn Daley, Mayor Wheaterly pointed out that the state's planned I-540, or Western Wake Expressway, would run just south of the tract and made its eventual development unavoidable.

''One of the primary things people should look at when they think of 1,000 acres and 8,000 homes and say, 'Golly, what are they thinking bringing something like that here?' is that the land would have been carved up in 100- or 200-acre tracts and developed hodgepodge at different times with different concepts,'' he stressed. ''But from a planning perspective it's an opportunity to integrate 1,000 acres and make sure that schools and infrastructure are complementary for that tract.''

More on Apex, including Veridea location sketch at www.apexnc.org, with www.apexnc.org/docs/plan/devPlans/09CZ07.pdf. -- Triangle Business Journal, Herald   6/10/2009

Resource(s): http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/ ; www.theapexherald.com/

Mountain Resource Commission Could Help Western North Carolina Governments Control Growth, Promote Interests

Concerned about the lack of ''organized strategies for what would be called 'smart growth' in the mountains,'' state Democratic Senator Joe Sam Queen crafted a bill to create a Mountain Resource Commission, which could not only help governments in 27 Western North Carolina counties coordinate efforts to control risky development on ridges or steep hillsides, but also lobby for the region's interests in the state and national capitals, Raleigh and Washington, D.C.

Coastal interests are more organized, the senator told Asheville Citizen-Times writer Jordan Schrader, confident that one of the first threats his proposed commission could tackle is development encroaching upon Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway and state parks.

Such regional assets and tourist magnets, along with town parks, farmlands, woods and game areas should be protected and connected, he stressed, adding, ''You don't want to kill the golden goose because you're not paying attention.''

Five other Democratic senators from the mountains support his bill, while Republican Senator Mitch Gilespie fears that one of the commission's ultimate goals would be ''to adopt regionwide zoning.''

With Senator Queen noting that zoning doesn't work well in mountain terrain, Senator Gilespie said he wouldn't fight the proposed commission, but would watch it closely for signs of a wider agenda.

Area planning advocates, including four-county Land of Sky Regional Council Executive Director Joe McKinney and Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Executive Director Penn Dameron, consider the proposal helpful to their efforts.

So does the last Western North Carolina (WNC) Tomorrow chairman, David Huskins, whose group was formed in 1978 but dispersed in the late 1990s due to the lack of resources.

''I think it's a good thing -- except that it does take staff,'' he said, commenting on Senator Queen's bill in the context of an expected $4.5 billion state deficit next year. ''It takes resources and staff to make something like that possible.'' -- Citizen-Times   5/10/2009

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com/

WCU Students Want to Bring Smart Growth to College Town

Evolved since 1889 from a semi-public secondary school through a teachers college into a major academic institution, the fully residential Western Carolina University (WCU) in Cullowhee on the Tuckasegee River between the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge mountains has thrived without a typical college town atmosphere, but now many of its 9,000 students, about twice the number of local residents, would like to stimulate community improvements, interaction and smart growth, reports Waynesville Smoky Mountain News writer Julia Merchant, with the Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavor (CuRvE) group in the lead.

''It's an eyesore,'' said English Assistant Professor and CuRvE Co-Chair Chris Blake about the Old Cullowhee commercial district, with two ethnic restaurants, a barber and an auto repair shop. ''If you drive through, you'll see a number of broken signs. There are no sidewalks, no streetlights. Cullowhee is dark at night. Students don't go to Cullowhee to do much at all.''

A first campus-wide poll he and Political Science Professor Todd Collins inspired and the latter's students devised found just 11.5 percent of students who visit the district weekly, with most students -- 32 percent -- never doing so, but 72 percent willing to frequent it for new businesses, and many if the area was just cleaner.

Although WCU Chancellor John Brado proposed construction of a commercial ''town center,'' with shops, restaurants, entertainment and other services on 22 acres of the 600-acre campus, the writer reports, the faculty voiced objections against the risk of big chain stores, and now the poll showed students sharing concerns over a potential impact on small local businesses.

''A lot of students mentioned smart growth,'' observed professor Collins. ''They didn't want huge chains and strip malls. A lot of people mentioned trying to keep the small-town feel of the area.''

They also would like better access to the Tuckasegee River.

''There was a significant amount in favor of recreation activities, which I didn't anticipate would equal the desire for restaurants and other businesses,'' noted a sophomore political science major Katy Elders. ''A lot of students are interested in hiking, tubing and fishing.''

Many would volunteer to help the community in improvement and revitalization efforts.

''I just really hope that people realize we actually do care about what's going on in the area,'' stressed another sophomore political science major Caroline Wright, ''and that we're not just stereotypical college students who only want to hang out and party.''

Read about WCU at www.wcu.edu. -- Smoky Mountain News   4/29/2009

Resource(s): www.smokymountainnews.com/

Citing Economy, New Bern Postpones Update of Land-Use Rules

Citing the recession's impact, New Bern officials not only gave developers more time to start a 158-lot subdivision and another large project in the city, reports New Bern Sun Journal writer Nikie Mayo, but also postponed a proposed update of its land-use rules with ''livability'' standards, under which each new subdivision would need at least 70 of a possible 100 points on a smart-growth scorecard to get city approval.

''The subdivision ordinance changes are now in a state of flux,'' said Zoning and Community Development Administrator Bernard George. ''We hope to bring them back later in this year, but we want to make sure we aren't putting further burdens on an already-overburdened industry.''

When the ''livability'' changes were first proposed last fall, the writer observes, many developers argued they couldn't afford the new standards and still build houses affordable for the city's working class.

Now many are also worried about the market conditions, with Avolis Engineering firm owner Kevin Avolis saying he has several clients ''in the same boat'' who are ready to request approval or permit-process extensions for their development projects.

Administrator George noted that the city Planning and Zoning Board can only grant six-month extensions on approved projects, but do it up to 12 times, which means builders could have as long as five years to move forward. -- New Bern Sun Journal   2/3/2009

Resource(s): www.newbernsj.com/

Boone Officials Launch Design Charrette for 2030 Land Use Master Plan

Having worked two and a half years on the town's 2006 Comprehensive Plan and now guided by its recent smart-growth audit, Boone (Watauga County) officials are jump-starting their intensive 2030 Land Use Master Plan drafting process through an open seven-day development layout and design charrette, led by the Davidson-based Lawrence Group on October 15, 20-25 and 28, reports Watauga Democrat writer Frank Ruggiero, quoting Boone Planning Director John Spear.

''That's the beauty of the charrette process -- the efficiency, public involvement and the fast turnaround time,'' he said. ''You can do a tremendous amount of planning in a short amount of time.''

A Lawrence Group team of multidisciplinary experts, familiar with town issues thanks to the firm's consultancy on the Appalachian State University's development master plan, the writer notes, prepared an inaugural October 15 presentation on the university campus to outline best practices in traditional urban design, transportation, zoning and preserving community character, followed by ''a hands-on'' design workshop for officials, stakeholders and residents.

''We need to try and engage the community and get as many people here as we possibly can,'' Director Spear stressed. ''The master plan really creates a vision of the future, and we need a high level of public involvement to make it work.''

During the charrette process, planners will also focus on implementation tools such as ordinances, he noted, adding, ''After we're through with the land-use master plan, I envision some pretty serious code reform.''

See planning process details at www.boone2030.blogspot.com. -- Watauga Democrat   10/10/2008

Resource(s): www.wataugademocrat.com/

Charlotte's Eastland Mall May Be Revived as Community Hub

For sale since 2005 and subsidized by Columbus, Ohio-based Glimcher Realty Trust till July, its depressed '70s-era Eastland Mall in Charlotte's eastern section -- where an influx of immigrants in the past 30 years reshaped demographics and helped racial integration -- may eventually be revived as a community hub by Norcross, Georgia-based architects David Schroder and Sean Slater, writes Charlotte Observer Associate Editor Mary Newsom, encouraging all curious about the socioeconomic potential of such a remake to see it at Plaza Fiesta Carolinas, a former outlet mall, which the architects bought and upgraded inside ''to resemble a Latin American village.''

Modeled on their Plaza Fiesta in Atlanta, the redesigned enclosed mall, some 10 miles southwest of central Charlotte, is ''laid out with streets and 'alleys,' a central plaza and a lot of kid- and family-friendly spaces, such as a huge playground and a video arcade,'' the editor reports, finding it during a recent Sunday visit full of people eating, strolling and shopping.

Most interested in ''its role as incubator for small, locally owned (in this case mostly but not exclusively Latino-owned) businesses,'' she notes that the plaza's officials attracted to its open spots some Latino business owners from along South Boulevard in Charlotte.

Architects-owners Schroeder and Slater would prefer Plaza Fiesta were located more centrally and near transit, she observes, ''in a real neighborhood with real streets and real houses instead of fake ones,'' but they said it still gives small entrepreneurs a foothold, attracts crowds with many planned events, and functions well as a gathering place for the area's widely dispersed Latino community.

At their recent presentation at the nonprofit Civic by Design group's forum, Charlotte Economic Development Manager Tom Warshauer ''was intrigued by the concept of a marketplace of small businesses arranged around a plaza, acting as a community gathering area,'' the editor adds, sharing his vision of ''a Plaza Fiesta-type incubator space in a real neighborhood, in a more central and transit-served location -- Eastland.''

See her columns on growth, urban design and other neighborhood issues in the Charlotte region at http://marynewsom.blogspot.com. -- Charlotte Observer   9/11/2008

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com/

Demand for Mixed-Use Projects Grows in Mecklenburg County

Smart-growth advocates have long expounded the need for dense mixed-use development to fight sprawl and pollution, homebuyers have increasingly recognized its advantages in the past few years, and Charlotte residents, ''who want to drive less, are now demanding it,'' reports Charlotte Observer writer Christopher D. Kirkpatrick, noting that mixed-use rezoning requests in Mecklenburg County -- a land-use option since 1992 -- have jumped from four in 1997 to 26 last year, with some of the projects already under way.

''There's an immediate crisis feeling about the price of gas, but there's also a different living preference now,'' said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission economic development program manager Laura Harmon. ''Those of us who might be baby boomers didn't have those options. But now the millennials and so forth want to live differently.''

Indeed, despite the real estate market downturn, developers see strong demand for housing both in older mixed-use sectors uptown and in new projects.

To be sure, the writer observes, conventional Charlotte suburbs dominate and ''make up most of the households in the metro area,'' but ''a mixed-use revolution is underway, helping absorb the area's growing transplant population.''

A builder of mixed-use complexes around the country, including a project near Charlotte's recently opened South light-rail line, Harris Development Group owner Steve Harris, confirms frequent reports on ''a new breed'' of homebuyers.

''It goes way beyond gas,'' he pointed out. ''It's women, single people and empty nesters. They're very much interested in safety and walkability.''

Pappas Properties vice president for marketing J. Brian Roth agrees.

Noting that 58 of the 60 studios and lofts his company is building in the mixed-use Metropolitan complex south of uptown are already sold, he told those who fear such developments may price out middle-income and low-income buyers that a mixed-use, ''blue-collar-style'' project the company is planning for the light-rail Scaleybark station will offer affordable housing units. -- Charlotte Observer   7/27/2008

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com/

Charlotte Transit Ridership Exceeding Projections; Developers Continue Work on Transit Line Projects

Six months after its Lynx light-rail debut, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) fixed initial glitches on the 9.6-mile Blue Line between downtown and the I-485/South Boulevard end station, ridership projected at 9,100 weekday trips in the first year exceeded 13,000 through April, and despite a nationwide housing slump developers were raising or readying all alongside projects with one exception, reports Charlotte Observer writer Steve Harrison, quoting CATS chief executive Keith Parker, who expects the line to reach the agency's 2025 goal of 18,100 weekday trips ''within five or seven years.''

His short-term problem, he told the writer, is to increase capacity at the last station's 1,120-space parking deck, always filled up by the end of rush hour, before the recently ordered four Siemens train cars arrive in two years.

At the price of $462.7 million, three-quarters of it covered by federal and state grants, the writer notes, Lynx operation is cheaper than that of buses, which have been hurt by the fuel price spiral.

The average Lynx trip costs $2.70 in operating dollars -- or about $4.50 if CATS' portion of the rail's capital cost is factored in -- while the average bus trip takes $4.30 and may take more in the future, depending on diesel prices, without including the fleet purchase cost.

With diesel prices constantly rising, the CATS chief called the proposed electric streetcar for central Charlotte increasingly attractive, an assessment which may well influence a prospective LYNX extension to University City and construction of a commuter line to Lake Norman.

The other key part of CATS' long-range plan -- high-density development in transit corridors, with mixed-use clusters around stations, the writer observes, also looks good, with only the Harris Development Group having abandoned a mixed-use project near the Blue Line's end station, and builders of the Chelsea project having switched from condos to apartments.

Former Mecklenburg County Commissioner Jim Puckett, co-leader of a failed effort to repeal the area's half-cent sales tax for transit last November, acknowledged the light-rail line's success.

''I have to admit, they are doing better than I expected,'' he said. ''Our concern was whether we would have a white elephant, and it doesn't seem we do.'' -- Charlotte Observer   5/29/2008

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Regional Charrette to Address Development Trends in Western North Carolina

''As a developer, I know our economy needs growth, but the growth should be smart growth, with plans and guidelines that serve both the developer and the greater community,'' said builder Tim Ryan, whose charrette-guided Sanctuary Village on 24 acres near Main Street in Franklin will feature more than 160 homes, and who hopes a seven-county charrette this spring by the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina under its Mountain Landscapes Initiative, with help from the state Southwestern Commission, will draw similar public input for better land use throughout their whole planning-resistant region.

Another builder, Lewis Penland, said he and many others also want to curb the assault on scenery.

''We need to first of all sit down and agree that we need to do something,'' he pointed out. ''We can't say we are going to totally shut growth off and not do anything or say we are going to let it run free like we are doing now.''

With multimillion-dollar vacation homes not uncommon in southern Jackson County, some counties addressing half their property tax bills to outstate owners, and 4,500-acre development plans being floated in Haywood County, reports Asheville Citizen-Times writer Jon Ostendorff, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina is spending $100,000 for its regional planning pilot project, expecting the several-day charrette to help consultants in their work on a voluntary growth-management ''toolbox'' for local jurisdictions.

Later, the foundation will offer them grants to customize the toolbox concepts and guidelines to specific local needs.

''The current unprecedented growth is changing the look and feel of our beautiful landscapes and our communities,'' observed Foundation President Pat Smith. ''Many residents are afraid that we are losing the very qualities that we all value about life in Western North Carolina and that have contributed to our economic success.''

Calling the foundation's push ''the most important policy initiative we have ever worked on,'' Southwestern Commission Director Bill Gibson said he would consider it a success if only more people realized the need for a new direction.

''I just hope that we move the value needle,'' he said. ''I am hoping that we move the needle some on recognizing and maturing values that are in local people toward preserving their landscape, toward having development that sets well and meshes well with our landscape.''

Aiming the pilot planning process at the state's seven most western counties, the writer adds, its organizers would like it to eventually expand east to 11 others across the Appalachian national forests and parks. -- Citizen-Times   2/10/2008

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com/

Boone Officials Hope Smart Growth Audit Will Encourage More Public Involvement in Planning Process

Contracted by the Boone Town Council last June to review the town's land-use and development documents, identify its assets and weaknesses, and help it set the optimal smart-growth course, the St. Louis, Missouri-based Lawrence Group concluded in a ''Smart Growth Audit'' that ''the major disconnect for Boone appears to be that the local implementing programs and ordinances are leading to a future markedly different than the vision of the long range plans and policies.''

Having posted the audit online, reported Boone Mountain Times writer Frank Ruggiero earlier this month, town officials, including Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Mason and Development Services Director John Spear, called for further public involvement in the planning process and for feedback on the document.

''I really encourage people to come out and learn what smart growth is and what it is not,'' the mayor said. ''It has some really exciting potential for our community.''

To realize that potential, reports Mountain Times writer Scott Nicholson, Lawrence Group planner John Cook advised the subsequent Boone Area Chamber of Commerce's ''Lunch and Learn'' session to align practical measures with policies, calling smart growth prospects ''fantastic because of a perfect storm of local issues and global issues,'' such as energy use, environmental protection and demographic shifts.

''Your policy plans support smart growth either implicitly or directly. The implementation plans and ordinances are going in the opposite direction,'' he observed. ''The good news is and the bad news is, this is the way it is in most communities in America.''

Elaborating on the audit's top-priority recommendation for completion of a strategic land-use master plan and revision of the Unified Development Ordinance, he stressed the need to draw up ''parcel-specific'' regulations, which would protect targeted areas and reenergize others, with mixed uses, taller buildings, higher densities, affordable housing, and such features as public art.

Since the town already encourages mixed uses and worries about affordable housing, mixed-use development and multi-family projects, including apartments, duplexes and cottages, should be allowed ''by right,'' the planner said, suggesting lower parking requirements for those areas and further improvement of the town's ''good'' sidewalk plan, which would help small businesses and foster walking.

He also pointed out that commercial design standards should enhance the town's identity and sense of place, that an open space and ''green'' infrastructure plan should preserve some areas while offering transfer of development rights or trade of concessions in exchange for greater density, that growth should be channeled to transportation, utility and service corridors, and that the development process should be straightforward and predictable.

''Make it very clear (to developers) this is the type of development we want in Boone,'' he said. ''If you meet these standards, you can develop by right and not go before the town board. You can be permitted at staff level.'' -- Mountain Times   1/1/2008

Resource(s): www.mountaintimes.com/

River Bend Group Wants Leaders to Study Smart Growth Before Making Development Decision

As River Bend officials prepared to hire a zoning administrator to help them on coastal land-use issues in this largely retiree community of almost 2,800, some five miles southwest of New Bern, the grassroots Friends of River Bend group passed a motion to ask for studies of smart growth principles and the state's 2004 Coastal Habitat Protection Plan before they contemplate development on 400 open acres in the town's northwest section, with the group's president, John Ackerman, cautioning against ''any message that is penny wise and pound foolish.''

Worried that officials may focus too much on new roads and overlook the consequences of more asphalt, reports New Bern Sun Journal writer Nikie Mayo, he advocates ''low-impact development'' for the community.

''We need to be looking at ways to reduce the percentage of impervious surface space in any given development,'' he points out, ''and be looking for ways to promote alternatives to automotive transportation.''

Group member Jim Dancy, unsuccessful in his bid for a town-council seat last month, added, ''Frivolous spending is something that needs to be looked at and if we're not careful, that could happen here.'' -- Sun Journal   12/15/2007

Resource(s): www.newbernsj.com/

Foreclosures Taking Toll on Charlotte's New Suburbs

In a downward economic sequence from sub-prime interest rates and rapid construction of mostly starter-home subdivisions around Charlotte to a rate and mortgage payment climb, many new suburbs locally and nationwide are reeling under a wave of foreclosures, neglect, vacancies and crime, report Charlotte Observer writers Liz Chandler and Ted Mellnik, whose newspaper found more than 50 such suburban neighborhoods with 15 to 51 percent foreclosure ratios near the city.

In the 10 hardest hit, all built since 1997 -- with homes priced at $150,000 or less -- crime jumped 33 percent in 2003-06. The demand for starter homes was high, land cheap and project approval easy, they write.

Newcomers poured in, investors sought houses for rent, and lax lending practices lured moderate-income earners and some with shaky credit.

Many committed themselves beyond their means to become owners.

''The houses are close together and look similar, with vinyl siding in neutral colors,'' the writers note. ''The neighborhoods are tucked between established communities and more affluent subdivisions. Some adjoin industrial plants, interstates and power lines.''

One of them is five-year-old Windy Ridge, where 81 of the 132 homes are foreclosed, some already vacant or boarded up, and eight-year-old Kordell Mitchell tells the writers, ''People bust windows. People throw rocks at houses. People shoot.''

The suburban decline hurts all Charlotte taxpayers, who must shoulder higher service costs, including increased police presence and housing inspections, while tax revenue shrinks because of falling home values.

Focused on strengthening of the city core for the past several years, the writers report, officials and planners are taken aback by the rapid suburban deterioration.

''Within five years we're reaching the need for revitalization strategies that used to take a neighborhood 25 years to reach,'' says Charlotte Planning Director Debra Campbell, addressing the challenges in helping families keep their homes and neighborhood groups to enforce standards.

''We can build hard core infrastructure,'' she points out. ''What happens inside the house -- that's where the public sector falls short.''

In the four-year-old Peachtree Hills subdivision, resident Stacy Hall does her part to help.

Having bought her home for $129,000 early last year, the medical claim processor and single mother of a three-year old has revived the homeowners' association, which persuaded Duke Power to keep Peachtree's street light on line despite its $4,000 in late payments and which sent all owners a letter to pay their dues or face liens.

''I'm not giving up,'' she says as she and other work for improvements. ''I love my home. I just want things to get better.'' -- Charlotte Observer   12/9/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Riders Generally Pleased with Opening of Charlotte's First Light Rail Route

After more than 100,000 free inaugural-weekend trips on Charlotte's first light rail route, from uptown 9.6 miles south to I-485 in Pineville, the rides tapered down to between 4,500 and 5,000 on the first day of the regular $1.30 one-way service, reportedly due to rain, ticket sale glitches, and incomplete adjustment of bus connections, with Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) personnel working to correct the technical and other snags to ensure the 9,100 workday boardings projected for the line's first year and expected to reach 18,100 daily by 2025.

''We had a good first day given the weather,'' said CATS CEO Ron Tober. ''The biggest issue we had is that some ticket vending machines weren't working.''

Lacking turnstiles at stations and operating on a proof-of-payment principle, the modern and quiet Lynx Blue Line trains, with comfortable seats and huge windows, need about 25 minutes to travel between uptown and the southern suburb.

Nevertheless, report Charlotte Observer writers Steve Harrison and Mark Price, some commuters who needed their cars to reach light-rail stations found their trips longer than usual, a difference they don't mind.

''It saved me a lot of money,'' said Duke Energy contract worker Deanna Hellis. ''I was paying $10 a day to park. Now I will pay $36 a month for a (discounted) pass.''

Bank of America's uptown branch employee Anne Marie Neely is equally cheerful.

''I was 30 minutes late for work, but according to the schedule, I should get here on time,'' she pointed out. ''I'm not complaining. I really like this ride. I love that I don't have to put up with traffic in the morning.''

And another Bank of America employee, Jerod Laughlin, who bought a home near the line's New Bern station, sounds enthusiastic.

''For the past year, I've been either driving into work or taking my motorcycle, depending on the weather, and it was $45 a month to park and $25 to $30 a week for gas,'' he said. ''Today, it was a 200-foot walk to the station and it was a nine-minute ride. I'm happy. My only complaint is about ticket options. I'd like a three-month or a six-month pass.''

CATS, the writers note, offers daily, weekly and monthly passes, valid for unlimited light-rail and bus rides, with officials hoping the savings and traffic frustration release will gradually take more and more commuters from their cars, while inside bike hooks will make life easier for cyclists. -- Charlotte Observer   11/27/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Voters Send Strong Message in Support of Charlotte Transit

In a strong statement on the need for Charlotte-Mecklenburg area transportation choices and on a half-penny sales tax as a good way to fund them, the 70 percent of voters who ensured the tax's continuation made it clear, says a Charlotte Observer editorial, that ''a fast-growing region where 1.4 million people live cannot accommodate traffic and commerce without choking on congestion and asphalt'' and that voters can ''distinguish between the big picture and the problems with construction of the South Corridor, the city's first light-rail line.''

Nothing that the tax repeal drive was launched at the time the South Corridor was ''plagued by cost overruns and lengthy delays,'' which fed public ''angst'' and helped light-rail foes, the editorial points out that the vote ''did not give transit officials and elected leaders carte blanche to build every piece of a 25-year plan for transit,'' though it did leave the planning in hands of a board with mostly county and municipal representatives.

The tax repeal ''would have hit bus riders hardest,'' since two-thirds of the $77 million raised annually pays for expansion of the bus system, ''the backbone of the mass transit plan,'' the editorial reiterates. ''The vote showed firm backing for a transportation future that offers alternatives to driving.'' -- Charlotte Observer   11/7/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Margin of Victory Surprises All Sides in Charlotte Transit Vote

Despite an aggressive campaign to discontinue Mecklenburg County's half-cent sales tax for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), 70 percent of county voters upheld the tax, passed by 58 percent in 1998, to raise and invest some $70 million a year in bus, light rail and other long-term CATS service expansion plans, reports Charlotte Observer writer Steve Harrison, with the margin of victory stunning even transit advocates, especially since many residents often showed anger at cost overruns for the city's first light-rail line, which will open later this month, and since the 37,000 votes for tax repeal didn't even reach the 48,000 signatures under the petition that put the anti-tax proposal on the ballot.

With most of the half-cent tax revenue going to CATS' extensive bus system, the writer observes, the Vote Against Repeal Committee warned voters that they would face worse traffic congestion, bus service cuts and likely property tax increases.

The argument resonated with residents, particularly in African-American communities near uptown. Some that voted almost 70 percent for the tax in 1998, but strongly backed the repeal petition and favored the ballot proposal as late as August, rejected it at the booths by more than 70 percent.

The reasons were clear, the writer notes, quoting air conditioning and heating firm employee Annie Cox, who told him she voted to keep the tax because bus service cuts would hurt low-income residents.

CATS, he adds, is planning a commuter rail to the Lake Norman area, extension of the first light-rail line northeast to University City, a streetcar through central Charlotte, and either a bus or light-rail service down Independence Boulevard southeast. -- Charlotte Observer   11/7/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Editorial: Charlotte's Transit Tax Foes On the Wrong Track

''If you think the November 6 vote on repeal of Mecklenburg's transit tax is just about light rail, think again. It's also a clash of philosophies about government,'' writes Charlotte Observer editorial pages editor Ed Williams, confident that those seeking to kill the half-cent transit tax will lose, because ''their philosophy is not the one that has made the Charlotte region grow and prosper'' and because they ignore Smart Growth populist roots and see it as governmental coercion.

In contrast to ''keep-the-tax'' advocates, who want their government to ''use the powers granted by state law to try to build an urban region that works well,'' the editor points out, transit tax foes think ''light rail is folly; government is too big, even oppressive; taxes are unacceptably high; government planning is improper meddling with property rights.'' All these views are championed by the Raleigh-based John Locke Foundation and its key founder Art Pope, a wealthy Republican lieutenant-governor aspirant in 1992 and two-term state House member until 2002, whose family's retail company owns almost 600 discount stores nationwide.

His foundation is leading and financing the campaign to repeal the transit tax, the editor writes, quoting two related paragraphs from its 2006 policy agenda.

They read: ''Building rail systems in Charlotte, the Triangle and the Triad is not likely to have the promised results. As projects in other states show, mass transit is almost invariably a wasteful attempt to entice or coerce commuters out of their personal vehicles and into buses and trains. The percentage of commuters willing to use buses or trains is far below 10 percent, and is likely to stay that way regardless of expenditures on transit -- unless, of course, transit advocates are successful in using Smart Growth policies to force families to live in densely packed neighborhoods.''

When Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Planning Director Debra Campbell told the Governing magazine earlier this year that the region ''saw transit as a means, not an end'' and that the ''real impetus for transit was how it could help us grow in a way that was smart,'' transit foes cried foul, while the editor appreciated the statement.

''A belt road around Charlotte promotes a suburban population boom. A light-rail line along South Boulevard encourages residential development by providing people a way to get uptown and back without driving a car at rush hour,'' he stresses. ''To me, it's smart to consider how such decisions affect the goal of having a livable urban region.'' -- Charlotte Observer   10/14/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Charlotte Referendum on Transit Tax Will Define Future of City's Transit-Oriented Development

Well aware of how high-density housing along Charlotte's 9.6-mile South Boulevard light-rail line is reviving this long-ignored corridor even before the trains move late next month, city and Mecklenburg County residents facing a November 6 vote on repeal of their 1998 half-cent transit tax -- based on the 2025 Integrated Transit/Land-Use Plan and crucial for further light-rail, streetcar and bus service expansion -- will basically decide whether the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) should just follow development with buses wherever it goes or continue to steer much of it into another four prospective mixed-use light-rail corridors, helping commuters, shoppers and others reach most destinations without cars.

Charlotte's ''transit-oriented development'' zoning, reports Charlotte Observer writer Steve Harrison, requires developers to build at least 20 housing units per acre within a quarter-mile of a rail station and at least 15 units per acre within a half-mile, with building heights up to 120 feet.

City, CATS and business leaders believe the area's quality of life and sustainability depend on such transit and land-use integration, but transit sales-tax repeal proponents contend that some high-density development along South Boulevard was bound to happen without light rail as similar projects far from the line show, and that it can't be replicated in the other projected transit corridors without massive subsidies, among which they list the $462.7 million line construction costs and $70 million put into improvement of nearby streets.

Appearing last month at a Charlotte debate on the transit tax, Los Angeles-based libertarian Reason Institute urban and land-use policy director Sam Staley called the transit role in spurring development overstated nationwide and attributed most of the South Boulevard projects to the city's housing deficit and its high-density zoning for the corridor, where property values have gone up by 52 percent since 2000, a full 12 percent more than in the city as a whole.

At the same time, County Commissioner Dan Bishop told his colleagues that he sees CATS's land-use involvement as a sign of government willingness ''to control how you live.''

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory dismissed the notion.

''We aren't going to force people to live in high densities,'' he stressed, ''that's one of the most inaccurate statements I've heard.''

Local developer Steven Harris, whose two large projects at the line's last station and the third from the end account for $650 million of the $1.6 billion in new proposals, was clear about what's behind the rush.

''Without light rail, none of this stuff would have happened for years,'' he pointed out, while developer Monte Ritchey said he primarily focused on an urban location for his Lowe store and 69 housing units under construction on South Boulevard, but the proximity of two light-rail stations has made the units easier to sell. -- Charlotte Observer   10/7/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Franklin Town Board Set to Enact Comprehensive Growth Guidelines

In the first but giant step from its 1950s era almost-anything-goes development toward public-input-based smart growth, the Franklin Town Board is about to pass a comprehensive set of guidelines for commercial construction and expansion downtown and in ''mixed-use neighborhood districts,'' with big-box stores of over 30,000 square feet and strip malls having to seek special use permits and town leaders able to impose any restrictions or requirements necessary to make the projects match area character.

''We have what every developer is foaming at the mouth to get a hold of,'' said Alderman Bob Scott about his town amid picturesque mountains and forests. ''If a town board does not say, 'This is the way we want you to go,' they are going to do whatever they darn well please.''

He would prefer to start with more stringent requirements, also applicable to smaller businesses such as fast food restaurants, including their appearance, reports Waynesville Smoky Mountain News writer Becky Johnson, but agrees with Alderman Verlin Curtis and town planner Mike Grubberman on the need to control big projects now, confident that others will see similar regulations later.

''The little hairdresser does not have as large an impact as Wal-Mart or a guy who is building a strip mall,'' planner Grubberman observed, emphasizing the importance of the special permit process and developer response to concerns from neighbors within a site's 400-foot radius.

''The developer has to come to that meeting or the project doesn't move one inch beyond that.''

Under the incoming ordinance, the writer notes, every commercial development in currently targeted areas must include sidewalks, leave 10 percent of land as open space, and hide dumpsters.

New commercial buildings downtown must meet architectural and aesthetic standards, be aligned with adjacent structures, and enhance streets with rows of trees.

The requirements ''can be summed up in one word: 'streetscape,''' the planner pointed out. ''You want to have a look that everything is close and walkable, everything is kind of cohesive.''

With small commercial projects for mixed-use neighborhood districts having to stay on the edges of residential areas and blend in architecturally, he stressed, ''If someone wants to come into a neighborhood mixed-use district, they have to fit the neighborhood and not just be this sore thumb sticking out.''

See the ordinance and a zoning map at www.franklinnc.com/ordinances.html. -- Smoky Mountain News   9/26/2007

Resource(s): www.smokymountainnews.com/

Charlotte's Impressive Transit Growth Demonstrates Importance of Services to Region, APTA President Says

Charlotte transit ridership and the area's express bus service have grown by 67 and 300 percent respectively since 1998, stressed American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President William M. Millar before its 2007 Annual Meeting in the city October 7-10, saying these numbers demonstrate the importance of transit for this metro area, whose residents ''need it, want it, and use it.''

The conference's program covers such subjects as ''green'' public transit systems; transit security and disaster risk management; technological advances, including emerging software technologies; recruitment and retention of the Generation X, Y, and Millennium workers; and pursuit of new energy efficiency and land use goals.

Specifically, the program includes three key presentations and sessions -- ''Public Transportation's Future -- an Economic and Political View,'' ''Sustainable Policies, Practices, and Standards for Transit,'' and ''Linking Smart Growth, Transit-Oriented Development, and Placemaking.''

Details at www.apta.com.   9/24/2007

Resource(s): www.expertclick.com/

Trailer Classrooms: Columnist Asks Why We Can't Build Quality Schools for U.S. Students

Are classrooms in trailers the ''best we can do'' for children in this ''richest country in the world,'' asks Charlotte Observer community columnist and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district employee William Blackburn, both saddened and embarrassed by the frequent ''lip service'' to youth's needs and by ''society's unwillingness'' to emphasize the importance of quality buildings for quality education.

''We build new restaurants, new state-of-the-arts arenas, new multi-million-dollar neighborhoods, new office buildings, new mega churches . . . but not enough new schools,'' he writes. ''So 1,600 students walk the halls of a school built for 800. Trailers account for a good portion of the classrooms.''

In Charlotte, he continues, someone has apparently miscalculated its tremendous growth, especially fast in the north, ''and now children across the area sit in trailers while still being urged to be the best they can be'' but deprived of ''the proper classroom environments to do the work'' and pass the tests.

''We applaud and honor celebrities, organizations and corporations for their contributions in other countries, but we're failing to make the grade in our own cities,'' he stresses. ''One trailer is too many, and for a school to have some 30 to 40 trailers is an indictment on our rich society.'' -- Charlotte Observer   9/4/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Mixed-Use Projects Will Transform Charlotte's Southern Industrial Areas Ahead of Light Rail Line

Well ahead of best predictions for transit-oriented development (DOT) near the end of Charlotte's 9.6-mile southern light-rail line, scheduled to open this November, reports Charlotte Business Journal contributor Julie Bird, Harris Development Group principal Steve Harris is pioneering dense mixed-use transformation of industrial areas around the Arrowood and I-485/Westinghouse stations, with a total of more than 2,500 apartments, condominiums and townhouses.

His 60-acre Arrowood project will feature 673 apartments, 315 condos and 253 townhouses, with the highest density next to the station and tapering off outward; the 70-acre Westinghouse project will offer 556 apartments, 640 condos and 130 townhouses, with building heights also decreasing toward the adjacent neighborhood.

Both projects, the writer notes, will include green space, swimming pools and other amenities, targeting mainly 22-to-35-year-old professionals, who look for an urban lifestyle, transit and ''an affordable alternative to center-city living.''

At the same time, Charlotte Planning Director Debra Campbell expects the projects' diversified housing to reduce pressures for redevelopment in established single-family neighborhoods in the area.

''If we are to grow and maintain the quality of life, we have to be a little more strategic about where we place higher-density development,'' she pointed out, recalling local input in the planning process. ''We didn't want 12- and 13-story buildings butting up against very low-density communities.''

Both Steve Harris and his counterpart from a private nonprofit, Housing Partnership CEO Fred Dodson, give a lot of credit to Director Campbell and city rezoning chief Keith MacVean for the City Council's approval of TOD zoning around light-rail stations in 2003.

They had ''a vision about how to do this development long before we developers did,'' said the former.

''The city has done a good job with its TOD policies,'' the latter agreed. ''It's a forward-thinking thing to do, and it does encourage affordable development.''

The partnership's South Oaks Crossing project near the Arrowood station, the writer adds, will have 192 two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, including 92 market-rate units.

The rents will range from $615 to $925 per month, with occupants expected to move in before the trains run. -- Charlotte Business Journal   8/27/2007

Resource(s): www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/

Controversies Erupt as Referendum Nears for Mecklenburg County's Regional Transit Tax

In this crucial time for Mecklenburg County's upcoming referendum on whether to repeal or uphold its 1998 half-cent sales tax for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), with some 35 percent of revenue dedicated to light-rail projects, ''Stop the Train'' activists and other rail foes accuse University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC) Chancellor Phil Dubois, UNCC's Center for Transportation Policy Studies Director Dr. Edd Hauser and others of a breach of academic ethics by skewing the center's recent taxpayer-funded study toward area transit and subsequently helping the business-based Charlotte Chamber and its polling firm use the data in a telephone ''attitude survey,'' allegedly crafted to elicit responses largely favorable to light rail.

Rail opponents, report Charlotte Observer writers Steve Harrison and Victoria Cherrie, dramatize newly-released e-mails exchanged this spring among Chancellor Dubois, Dr. Hauser, university official Dennis Rash and Chamber President Bob Morgan.

They especially savor a March 22 exchange between Dennis Rash and Chancellor Dubois over how to tell the public about the initiative for the UNCC transit study, which found cost overruns for Charlotte's 9.6-mile south corridor light-rail line, scheduled to open in late November, like those elsewhere in the country.

The writers quote both e-mails.

Dennis Rash wrote: ''(Bob Morgan) asked my opinion about who should ask for this research to be done. We quickly agreed that it should not be CATS or the Chamber.''

The chancellor replied: ''Why not just have Edd announce it has an initiative of the institute 'in the public interest.' We have an obligation to serve as a forum for the debate of important public issues, yada, yada, yada.''

A vocal supporter of a planned light-rail line to the campus, Chancellor Dubois rejects accusations and innuendos from rail foes.

''If they have a problem with the study, they should criticize the study -- as opposed to how it was generated,'' he pointed out. ''There isn't an e-mail that suggests we tried to influence the outcome of the study.''

With the school already investigating the allegations, the chancellor welcomed similar investigation by University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles' staff attorney David Harrison. -- Charlotte Observer   7/26/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/ ; www.wsoctv.com/

Greensboro One of Six Communities Selected for EPA's Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Grants

''The redevelopment of Greensboro's downtown will result in preservation of open space,'' said EPA's Development, Community and Environment Division (DCED) Director Geoffrey Anderson, commenting on the agency's selection of the city as one of six recipients of its 2007 Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) grants for work with multi-disciplinary teams of private experts, pointing out that compact neighborhoods make it easy to walk everywhere, reduce car use and tailpipe emissions, and limit the need for costly infrastructure extension.

Commending the city for having become a smart-growth leader with its mixed-use Southside neighborhood, whose blend of new and restored housing near downtown brought it the American Planning Association's 2003 Award for outstanding planning and implementation, reports Greensboro News-Record writer Taft Wireback, Director Anderson said previous winners greatly benefiting from the SGIA grants ranged from tiny McCall, Idaho to huge Houston, Texas.

With 66 communities from 30 states seeking the six 2007 SGIA grants, Greensboro's neighborhood planning manager Sue Schwartz voiced excitement over its selection.

''We didn't realize competition was so tight,'' she said about the nationwide need for assistance from EPA and EPA-assembled teams. ''We see this grant as an opportunity to get people educated. We'd like to get folks who deal with nuts and bolts talking to people who know nuts and bolts.''

According to the DCED web page, Greensboro's grant application sought ''assistance for public workshops focusing on infill-related design issues in four neighborhoods, addressing topics related to universities, neighborhood planning, housing shortage, historic preservation, and pedestrian amenities.''

Now Greensboro planners and DCED experts are working on assistance details, aiming for a several-day city conference late this year or in early 2008.

Other winners of the EPA's 2007 smart-growth assistance awards, the writer adds, include the Atlanta Regional Commission, the California Department of Transportation, the city of Denver, Sanitation District No. 1 in northern Kentucky, and Valley Metro Transit, Arizona, with the cities of Phoenix and Mesa.

See www.epa.gov/dced/sgia2007.htm and www.terrain.org/unsprawl -- News-Record   7/23/2007

Resource(s): www.news-record.com/

Editorial: Debate Over Charlotte Transit Funding Misses the Point: Transit Revenue Is Needed

The brouhaha over the alleged impropriety of a University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC) transit funding study that found normal the gradual cost increases for Charlotte's 9.6-mile light-rail line -- from an estimated $227 million in 1998 to $331 million in 2000 and some $462 million now -- obscures the key question about whether to retain the area's 1998 half-cent sales tax for transit this November, says a Charlotte Observer editorial, convinced that the need for this revenue is clear.

''Charlotte and Mecklenburg County will keep on growing,'' the editorial points out. ''Without a healthy mass transit system to take pressure off the already inadequate street and road network, the city will strangle on traffic congestion. The wisest way to build a strong transportation system for the future is to keep the half-cent sales tax for transit.''

As to the two obscuring questions, ''whether the study itself is biased'' and ''whether it was proper for UNCC to do the study,'' the editorial finds no evidence of any wrong intended or done, except from the appearance that UNCC and Charlotte Chamber officials have tried to ''misrepresent the study's origins'' though there was nothing to hide.

''And when you look as if you're trying to keep things secret, people get suspicious,'' the editorial observes. ''Those suspicions hurt UNCC, and they hurt the public debate on a very important issue.''

In conclusion, the editorial returns to the question of transit tax repeal or continuation.

''That's the important issue for voters,'' it reasserts, ''not what Bob Morgan may have said to Phil Dubois.'' -- Charlotte Observer   7/18/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Fayetteville, Cumberland County Unveil Joint Urban Planning Agreement

After decades-long discords and inability to direct development, Fayetteville and Cumberland County have finally recognized that their separate ways were ''ferociously expensive,'' that developers became planners ''by default,'' and that it's time to move together ''into the 21st century,'' writes Fayetteville Observer editorial page editor Tim White, hailing the newly-unveiled city-county agreement on joint urban planning as a blueprint for smart growth.

Until now, developers decided for themselves where they'd enlarge populations, and officials accepted their requests to rezone rural land or refusals to share infrastructure costs.

As a result, Fayetteville's ''Bing Bang annexation'' will cost it more than $150 million ''to retrofit the Big Bang area with the services it needs,'' the editor observes, considering it neither ''a smart way to grow'' nor ''a smart way to run a government.''

Realizing that the county's 2030 plan offered ''a nice vision for our future, but no mechanisms to make sure it happened,'' the City Council and the Board of Commissioners unveiled a plan that details where and how development will proceed.

''First, the municipal infrastructure is extended,'' the editor writes. ''Then the area is opened to urban-scale development. The growth areas are clustered around existing development. Areas subject to future annexation are clearly marked. And there will likely be incentives added to encourage infill in rundown areas that are already served by sewer and water. Those 'municipal influence areas' outside current city boundaries will still be governed by urban development specifications. They will have proper storm drainage, concrete curbs and gutters, sewer and water lines, and recreation areas.''

Hammered out with help from many stakeholders, including developers, this city-county agreement makes everyone win, the editor points out, adding, ''Welcome to the 21st century.'' -- Observer   7/8/2007

Resource(s): www.fayobserver.com/

Fayetteville Mayor Calls New Map for City-County Development ''Giant Step'' Toward Smart Growth

In preparation for public hearings on their 2030 Growth Management Plan, Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne and Cumberland County Commissioner John Henley unveiled a newly agreed-upon map of areas targeted for preservation and for gradual development, dependent on sewer presence or easy extension, with the mayor writing in a Fayetteville Observer blog that much more has to be addressed, including ''economic development and transportation,'' but the agreement ''represents a giant step forward'' in working together for Smart Growth.

The map, the mayor wrote, identifies and protects the county's key rural parts from ''urban-level development,'' also identifying areas ''logical'' for urban growth.''

It ensures their development to ''urban-type standards,'' guarantees sewer lines ahead of development, standardizes county and city zoning options, provides ''a local approach to annexation as density occurs,'' and includes a process for joint planning.

The prospective urban and municipal influence areas, reports Fayetteville Observer writer Don Worthington, should be developed to a county-city common standard for sidewalks, sewer service and stormwater controls, with denser residential projects possible in rural areas, but only if agreed to by both governments.

Both would keep their own planning and zoning boards, which would meet quarterly to discuss long-term strategies, with the city adopting financial incentives for development with infrastructure in place.

The agreement, worked out by Mayor Chavonne and Commissioner Henley with help from City Council members Juanita Gonzales and Wesley Meredith and County Commissioner Diane Wheatley, became possible, said Commissioner Henley, because ''(w)e did the political part first and then overcame staff resistance.'' -- Fayetteville Observer   6/30/2007

Resource(s): www.fayobserver.com/

Land and Water Conservation Bond Act Would Provide Funds to Protect North Carolina's Open Spaces

''North Carolina's signature woodlands, farmlands, and open spaces are disappearing at an alarming rate,'' warns the Environment North Carolina advocacy group in its Losing Our Natural Heritage report, urging legislators to pass the bipartisan Land and Water Conservation Bond Act (H 990 and S 1522), which authorizes a state bond referendum to spend $1 billion on land and water protection over the next five years.

Based on U.S. Census and Natural Resources Conservation Service data from the last 20 years, the report shows that if the current development pace continues, the state will lose another two million rural and forest acres by 2027, while its developed area will expand by 38 percent.

The proposed $1 billion conservation investment over five years -- less than one percent of the state's budget -- would save 740,000 acres of forests, farmland, trails, parks and other countryside, while protecting more than 6,000 miles of river and stream buffers statewide.

Environment North Carolina Director Elizabeth Ouzts, the report's main author, stressed that lawmakers ''still have the chance to protect our state's most important natural areas.''

Land For Tomorrow Director Kate Dixon added, ''Once the forests have been turned to concrete there will be no more seedlings. Once the farm families have been pressured off their land, they aren't coming back.''

One of the bond act's primary sponsors, Democratic Representative Lucy T. Allen, said, ''This report shows that we must act now -- there will be no second chance.''

Nevertheless, Raleigh News&Observer writer Wade Rawlins notes that concerns about the stated debt stalled similar legislation last year, and that now several interest groups ''are competing for bond money to build affordable housing, schools, and water and sewer systems.'' -- Environment North Carolina, News & Observer   4/25/2007

Resource(s): http://media.newsobserver.com/ ; www.environmentnorthcarolina.org

Chapel Hill Town Council Hopes to Stem Sprawl By Permitting Buildup of Downtown Area and Transit Corridors

To ''spare rural Orange County from sprawling cul-de-sacs,'' reports Raleigh News & Observer writer Jesse James DeConto, the Chapel Hill Town Council decided to build up in the downtown area and along transit corridors, approving seven- and 10-story Greenbridge mid-rises with 99 condos for the trendy West End and a complex of seven six-story buildings with shops, offices and 203 condos for an N.C. 54 stretch two miles east, a decision decried by some nearby residents as bad for local character.

''This is a massive change to the soul of Chapel Hill,'' complained Greenbridge critic Ken Brooks. ''We always called ourselves the village, and I don't want to see that change. I say turn back. That's not my town. That's not Chapel Hill.''

He was backed by East 54 complex opponent Jane Hare, who told the council, ''Thinking of buildings that are 70 feet high really is kind of mind-blowing to me.''

Others saw denser urban development and higher buildings as the wave of the future.

''Chapel Hill's going to grow,'' observed resident Steve Wright, who lives within a block of the Greenbridge site. ''It can go up or sprawl.''

Councilwoman Sally Greene thought a planned regional express bus line, which will run directly behind the East 54 site, makes the location ''very ripe for more density.''

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Aaron Nelson cited the environmental advantages of both projects.

''I don't think that they're a change to our soul; I think that they're an expression of our soul,'' he said. ''We protect the environment by going dense on the things we've already messed up.''

And West End coffee shop owner Lex Alexander pointed to revitalization of downtown Carrboro as ''a real vibrant and walkable community,'' stressing the business need to restore central Chapel Hill energy and build housing for the many who can't afford scarce downtown homes.

''Downtown is a great place for students under the age of 20, and it's a great place for people who came here 35 years ago,'' he said. ''We desperately need people living in downtown. I've been counting on it.'' -- News & Observer   3/1/2007

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/

''Stop the Train'' Petition Drive Could Jeopardize Mecklenburg County's Public Transportation System

Passed by 58 percent of Mecklenburg County voters in 1998, the half-cent sales tax for transit has enabled the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) to expand bus service, increase ridership by 62 percent, and launch construction of the 9.6-mile South Boulevard light-rail line, but it is now threatened by the ''Stop the Train'' petition drive.

Its organizers, who need roughly 48,000 registered voters to put the tax repeal question on the November ballot, reports Charlotte Observer writer Richard Rubin, already submitted some 33,000 signatures to the Mecklenburg Board of Election, with about 70 percent of the 11,000 checked so far found valid.

Organizer Jay Morrison told the daily the city should halt plans for another two light-rail lines ''until CATS has experience with South Boulevard,'' where service will start November 26, but where construction cost escalated from an estimated $227 million in 1998, not counting inflation, to $462.7 million now.

Area officials warn that the transit tax repeal would affect not only future light rail, but also the whole public transportation system, with 60 to 70 percent of the $69.2 million expected this year earmarked for bus service.

The repeal would transfer ''the burden of paying for a very basic system entirely on the property taxpayers of the city of Charlotte, which is wrong,'' said Mayor Pat McCrory, while Davidson Mayor Randall Kincaid stressed, ''Repealing the half-cent sales tax puts us at the mercy of roads, and we have learned painfully that roads cannot do the job of carrying the people for the next century.''

Huntersville Mayor Kim Phillips felt harassed by signature collectors, who approached her four times, talking only about lower taxes, never about public transit.

One of the daily's web forum discussants echoed her complaint, writing the activists ''are only asking people if they want a lower sales tax and not explaining the whole situation,'' so ''Who wouldn't sign it then?''

Another e-mail sender suggested adoption of ''an increasingly higher 'commuter tax''', depending on how far people live from their jobs.

If someone lives within 5 miles of work, no tax, he wrote, proposing a $250 tax per commuter car for those who live 5 to 10 miles away, a $500 tax for those 10 to 15 miles away, and so on.

''What you would see,'' he predicted, ''is that many people would live closer in town ... and then pay little or no tax ... and save money on gas as well!'' -- Charlotte Observer   3/1/2007

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com/109/story/35692.html

Greenville Columnist Laments Cost of Sprawl on Students' Lives

When he was a first-grader, he walked to school with other neighborhood kids, and wished he was already in the second grade, which would have entitled him to arrive on a bike, writes Greenville Daily Reflector columnist Mark Rutledge, wishing now that his first-grader daughter could walk to her W.H. Robinson Elementary School in Winterville, some five miles south of Greenville's center.

But she thinks students are not allowed to walk, and certainly not to bike -- the former considered likely by the columnist because of the area's bumper-to-bumper traffic, but the latter questioned because of a bike rack at the school door, even if the rack is always empty.

Seeing ''urban sprawl accompanied by plenty of poor planning'' as the ''main culprit,'' with population growth and school redistricting over past decades also factors in the mandatory busing and ubiquitous driving of kids to school, the columnist writes, ''There are more neighborhoods than ever, but far fewer neighborhood schools, and never enough sidewalks.''

He had ''briefly considered avoiding the school traffic crunch'' by letting his daughter out somewhere near the school so she could walk the rest of way, but decided that ''having her negotiate any street with hundreds of cars in motion is out of the question.''

He supports the KidsWalk-to-School group's calls for safe pedestrian routes to schools, ''most of which would require a coordinated effort among parents, government and school officials'' and should be discussed at Parents-Teachers Association meetings.

''Meanwhile, I'll get my kid as close as possible to the front door of the school,'' he concludes. ''At least in the vicinity of the empty bike rack.'' -- Daily Reflector   1/6/2007

Resource(s): www.reflector.com/

Density Concerns Emerge Along Charlotte's South Corridor Line

Not long ago, Charlotte officials wondered if or how soon their investment in light rail would spur enough transit-oriented development, now some of them and some residents worry that project density along the 9.6-mile South Corridor line -- the city's first, scheduled to open in late 2007 -- is becoming excessive, especially for adjacent residential neighborhoods.

A case in point, reports Charlotte Observer writer Greg Lacour, is the 6-5 City Council vote to rezone land near the planned New Bern station at the edge of the Dilworth neighborhood for a $55 million project by Blue Sky Partners LLC, whose 195-apartment complex, with 15,000 square feet of retail, will exceed the 65-foot height limit for the area by about 20 feet.

At the same time, the council unanimously agreed to let Blue Sky build four townhouses on its lot behind the planned complex, where the company wanted to put 24, but cut the number down at city planners' request.

Planners and some neighbors think the council's vote for the complex sets a precedent for at least 10 more South Corridor station areas. City land development program manager Keith MacVean called the complex's height inappropriate next to a residential neighborhood.

''We're going to face this along all our transit corridors,'' he cautioned, ''but you're still abutting neighborhoods you want to protect, and this would start off on the wrong foot.''

Dilworth Community Development Association members Frances Alexander and Jill Walker were more outspoken. ''Forget the plans,'' the former commented on the complex height, convinced that everything ''is up for grabs'' in the South Corridor.

''It really is telling me that plans make no difference,'' said the latter of the vote for four townhouses as incompatible with the neighborhood's small-area plan. ''Whoever comes forward with anything in this town, have at it.''

But the group of about 10 opponents, the writer notes, was countered by roughly the same number of supporters from another part of the neighborhood. ''The area is terrible,'' said an owner of several parcels, resident Charles Stack, stressing the need for its revitalization. ''If the City Council rode through there and looked at that area, they'd see what a lot of people are talking about,'' he added. ''It's not the Dilworth the Dilworth folks think they're trying to save.'' -- Charlotte Observer   12/19/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/

Newly Installed Union County Commissioners Rescind Development-Control Measures

Against a national and regional trend, builders in largely rural Union County -- the state's fastest-growing one, some 12 miles southeast of central Charlotte -- succeeded in replacing two of four growth-management advocates on the county board with industry-friendly challengers, Commissioners Alan Baucom and Parker Mills, who joined newly installed Chairman Kevin Pressley in a rushed 3-2 vote to rescind two key development-control steps taken by the previous majority.

They nullified the extraterritorial zoning power granted to the Wesley Chapel village in October, reports Charlotte Observer writer Julia Oliver, noting that village leaders wanted the power to prevent unwanted high-density housing and commercial projects on their borders, but area developers and farmers complained about undercutting property values and ceding land-use decisions to local officials in whose election they cannot participate.

The new three-member board majority also dismantled the Planning Board and the Board of Adjustments, to reconstitute both with one representative from each of the county's nine townships.

Supporters hail the fairness of the new formula, the writer notes, but critics worry it will allow the majority to ''stack the boards with developers and rubber-stamp irresponsible growth.''

Although a study by University of North Carolina-Charlotte's Urban Institute found about 80 percent of the metro's residents in support of developer impact fees to help pay the cost of services for new subdivisions, the writer adds, several builders sued the county earlier this month over its recent slow-growth ordinance, which could limit residential construction in crowded school districts.

Calling it the worst in the state, the North Carolina Home Builders Association hopes the legal challenge will send a warning message to other counties considering similar steps. -- Charlotte Observer   12/6/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Charlotte Eyes Land Transfer Tax, Developer Impact Fees to Help Fund 25-Year Transportation Budget

Facing the urgent need to plug ''the financial holes'' in Charlotte's $3.57 billion, 25-year transportation budget, the City Council counts on Mecklenburg County's help in seeking legislative permission for a one-percent countywide land transfer tax, which would raise about $119 million a year, letting the city use its share for streets improvements and take over some state roads, and allowing the county to put the new money perhaps into school construction.

In the eastern part of the state, reports Charlotte Observer writer Richard Rubin, six counties already levy such a land transfer tax, which adds $1,500 to the cost of a $150,000 home. In addition to a land transfer tax, the Charlotte council's budget committee also suggests developer impact fees to augment transportation funds.

Officials, the writer notes, prefer these options rather then gas, income or sales taxes, because of higher revenue and ability to ''link the cost of roads and schools to population growth, without hitting all property owners.''

For similar reasons, the real estate industry opposes such proposals, with Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition Deputy Director Tim Morgan arguing that since the entire community benefits from roads and schools, it should also pay their cost. The land transfer tax proponents realize they must form a broad coalition for their campaign, with city council members looking at various options and combinations, but agreeing it's time to push for new revenue.

''We've talked about this ad infinitum,'' said Republican Councilman Pat Mumford. ''I think you'll hear a lot of hemming and hawing, but that's all for political cover.''

Mumford backed Democratic Councilman Anthony Foxx, who pointed out that the cost of road construction and other transportation projects has been and will be increasing, adding, ''I would rather see us grapple with the hard issue now than grapple with the hard consequences later.'' -- Charlotte Observer   12/6/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Gentrification Plans Threaten Historically African-American Charlotte Neighborhood

Notwithstanding redevelopment benefits for the whole city, residents of the Cherry neighborhood just southeast of central Charlotte worry about StoneHunt LLC's plan to replace 63 blighted single-family homes with townhouses, condominiums and a senior complex as certain to trigger gentrification and price many local owners and renters out. ''This is one of the last historically African American neighborhoods left in Charlotte that hasn't been bulldozed,'' stressed resident Karen Jensen during a meeting with developers at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, ''and this would pretty much gut the rest of it.''

StoneHunt managing partner Stoney Sellars said since Cherry's proximity to uptown makes an increase in area property values practically inevitable, his project will feature 65 affordable housing units, including 42 for seniors, with another 56 low-cost homes still owned by the Charlotte Housing Authority of the Cherry Community Organization.

The organization, reports Charlotte Observer writer Greg Lacour, bought 127 area homes for renovation three decades ago, specifically to prevent gentrification, but with most rents below $400 a month, it lacked money for maintenance and many units have deteriorated or even become uninhabitable.

Responding to resident Myron Patton, who asked whether residents ineligible for affordable housing in the proposed project would be ''pretty much priced out of the neighborhood,'' the developer said, ''Within the units we're providing, yes.''

Convinced that most of the 63 homes he wants to raze qualify for demolition anyway, he pointed out that preventing an increase in redeveloped property values is impossible, adding, ''Bottom line, try as we may, there's no way we can control that.'' -- Charlotte Observer   11/21/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Charlotte Rail Plans on Track as Metropolitan Transit Commission Votes for Simultaneous Construction of Light-Rail, Commuter Lines

''Can you imagine places like Washington, D.C., or Portland or Salt Lake City without their rail systems? Can you find a city that has ever regretted building one?'' asked University of North Carolina-Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois, commenting on the Metropolitan Transit Commission's unanimous vote for simultaneous construction of an 11-mile, $740.5-million light-rail line from downtown Charlotte to University City, and a 25-mile, $261.2-million commuter line to the Lake Norman area.

Under the just-adopted 30-year plan, which will cost about $30 billion, half for bus system expansion and maintenance and half for light-rail or streetcar service in all six of the city's transit corridors, reports Charlotte Observer writer Richard Rubin, the Lake Norman commuter rail could run by 2012 and the University City light rail by 2013. But the former won't qualify for federal aid because of weak ridership projections and must be funded from other sources, while the latter should get half of its cost from the federal government, expected to decide by mid-2007.

Several area developers see the low projections for the commuter rail, only 4,000 a day by 2030, as erroneous, with builder Joe Roy saying, ''I challenge the ridership counts, because I just don't believe they're recognizing what's happening in the north'' of Charlotte.

Even without any prospect of federal aid, these developers have already planned mixed-use mini-villages around future stations along the proposed commuter line.

The planned light-rail line northeast to University City, the writer adds, got a great boost from Chancellor Dubois, who called for a station in the middle of the university campus, which ensured that the projected ridership would meet the cost-effectiveness formula for federal aid. -- Charlotte Observer   11/16/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Demand for Charlotte's Urban Lifestyle Bringing Additional Mixed-Use Infill Projects

The new popularity of Charlotte area urban living, buttressed by completion, construction or preparation of 14 residential towers Uptown, is also benefiting other core neighborhoods nearby with relatively large infills, which in turn are spawning smaller projects, reports Charlotte Observer writer Doug Smith, all in high demand by people seeking ''pedestrian friendliness and unique character as well as relief from long commutes.''

In the Plaza-Midwood area, about a mile east of Uptown, Morningside Village LLC will redevelop an old apartment site as a mixed-use complex of some 1,000 housing units and 40,000 square feet of retail, with at least three other builders considering similar projects within several blocks. This prompted Drakeford Co. principal Bobby Drakeford to assemble a just under one-acre site for his initially intended 24-unit condo project, now planned with 36 units. The increased density will give its residents a better feel of community, he said, happy that planners rezoned the area to encourage high-density, pedestrian-friendly development.

In the NoDa area, about two miles northeast of Uptown, where the planned light-rail line is fueling land speculation, projects include 242-home Steel Gardens, newly announced 26-unit Fat City Lofts, and a 10-bungalow complex on a 1.3-acre site of a former church. Envisioned by Allen Design Associates builder Robert Allen, who lives in a restored house just four homes away, the writer notes, the complex will target young professionals ''who moved to NoDa for the artsy lifestyle and now are starting families and seeking larger homes there.''

According to Neighborhood Realty principal Dana Parker Burleson, area home prices are steadily climbing. When the arts district was forming during the 1970s and 1980s, she said, artists, dancers and musicians were attracted by its inexpensive housing and studio space, but recently two houses sold for more than $400,000 each. -- Charlotte Observer   10/18/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Charlotte MTC Approves Land Purchase Funds Along Proposed Independence Blvd. Light Rail Corridor, But Postpones Decision on Line Until 2011

While mapping the system of trains, buses and streetcars for Mecklenburg County and looking at the latest cost estimates for Charlotte's 9.6-mile light-rail line along South Boulevard, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) voted 6-3 to delay a decision on the prospective Independence Boulevard light-rail line between uptown and Matthews, 10 miles southeast, until at least 2011, but in an 8-1 vote earmarked $46 million for land purchases in that corridor.

With the cost of a southeast light-rail line estimated at $565 million, reports Charlotte Observer writer Richard Rubin, Matthews Public Works Director Ralph Messera argued that its long-term return for his and other area cities would be greater than bus service could offer. He was joined by Mint Hill and Pineville representatives, but the other six MTC members sided for now with Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Director Ron Tober who recommended a future busway as costing just $331 million and promising higher ridership.

The decision to delay any Independence Boulevard transit for another five years, the writer observes, leaves only the proposed $600 million light-rail line to the University City area 10 miles northeast with any real chance of significant federal funding, thanks to its new route through the University of North Carolina-Charlotte campus.

''We feel very good about its prospects,'' Director Tober said, promising schedules shortly for the northeast and southeast light-rail lines, center-city and Wilkinson Boulevard streetcars, and the commuter rail to Irdell County.

Officials remain concerned about ''a political backlash'' in the wake of the South Boulevard line's cost overrun, but point out that landmark projects always face challenges, with MTC and Mecklenburg County Commission Chairman Parks Helms stressing, ''You simply cannot let that keep you from continuing to plan ahead and develop your strategies for going forward.'' -- Charlotte Observer   9/28/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Editorial Describes Complications of Transit-Oriented Development, Suggests That Public Funds May Be Needed to Successfully Complete Projects

''Transit systems work best when lots of people live and work within walking distance of stations,'' states a Charlotte Observer editorial on the city's future 9.6-mile South Corridor light-rail line, pointing out that Atlanta, Miami, Houston and other cities built transit systems for decades, but did not require transit-oriented development and ended up with huge park-and-ride lots and low ridership until recently, a result Charlotte leaders sought to prevent when they began transit and land use planning 10 years ago.

Now that the city's marketing of 17 recently bought acres near the prospective Scaleybark station has attracted three competitive proposals for high-density, mixed-use projects that best support transit, some City Council members question the accompanying requests for public funds to help construction. These members ''are right to be zealous in guarding taxpayers' money'' and to exclude ''a handout to already well-heeled developers,'' but they should also recognize that transit-oriented development is much more complicated, time-consuming and difficult to finance than a shopping center at a highway interchange.

Sometimes, ''to make a financing package work, developers really do need city help, typically with up-front expenditures such as parking decks - the sort of help a suburban strip center developer doesn't need,'' the editorial observes, concluding, ''Just as important, City Council members must remember that transit is a long-term project. In worrying what's best for taxpayers now, they must also weigh their duty to taxpayers in coming decades.'' -- Charlotte Observer   9/25/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Developers Ask for City Assistance in Creating ''Signature Neighborhood'' Near Charlotte's Planned Scaleybark Light Rail Station

The recent cost increase and related ''political dustups'' over Charlotte's 9.6-mile South Corridor light-rail line do not discourage developers, three teams of whom are competing to build its dense, mixed-use ''signature neighborhood,'' with affordable housing, mini-parks, a grocery and a public library, on 17 city-owned acres around the Scaleybark station near the line center, between urban South End and the suburbs.

City officials want the Scaleybark development to become a model for other stations, reports Charlotte Observer writer Richard Rubin, but some don't like the developers' requests for public help to speed up what they propose for the station.

''If you leave it to the private market entirely to just sort all that out, it will take years, and the mixture of uses won't be there for some time,'' explains McCormack Baron Salazar vice president Stan Mulvihill, who leads the team working with Crosland, which owns land across South Boulevard.

Noting that their proposed $300 million development on both sides of the boulevard could boost light rail ridership, he says, ''Our goal here is to get, ultimately, a whole lot of people using that system and that station and developing around it in a smart way.''

The other two teams also make good arguments for public aid. Local developer David Furman and Bank of America would build 554 residential units, with the greatest share of affordable housing. Targeting empty nesters and young professionals, the developer says, ''What we're all betting will happen is that the corridor will change dramatically.''

Scaleybark Partners plan the biggest contiguous development, thanks to ownership of eight adjacent acres, with Raleigh-based Greenhawk Partners manager Craig Briner promising a dense, 47.2-unit per acre complex, as he has learned that other cities have belatedly wished they had put more homes in tighter spaces. ''There isn't going to be another one of these (opportunities),'' he observes. ''It's pretty cool.''

Still, City Democratic Councilor Nancy Carter and Republicans John Lassiter, Andy Dulin and Don Lochman are concerned, the latter convinced that the line itself, and the large city investment in road and sidewalk improvements around stations should suffice to spark development. The city has also spent $5.4 million and the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) $3.8 million for about 8 and 9 acres, respectively, adjacent to the Scaleybark station, the writer reports, adding that officials are seeking public input on the three development proposals, to help them select the best one in the next few months. -- Charlotte Observer   9/21/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Critics Vocal After Learning That Design Errors Will Boost Cost of Charlotte's 9.6-Mile South Boulevard Line

The bad news about several design mistakes that will push Charlotte's 9.6-mile South Boulevard light-rail line over its $427 million budget, made worse by a two-month delay in apprising the City Council of the new Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) cost estimate, alarmed the Federal Transit Administration, which is paying nearly half the price, and emboldened light rail critics, who wish it could go away.

''We're not hearing from people who support mass transit,'' said Republican Mayor Pat McCrory at the Charlotte Chamber University City monthly luncheon, telling business leaders that University City is likely to get the planned $585 million northern line thanks to strong ridership projections, but warning, ''All we hear is from the naysayers. The danger is it could die politically.''

CATS CEO Ron Tober, who realized the cost overrun was inevitable in June, reports The Charlotte Observer, shared his estimate with City Manager Pam Syfert on July 13, a day before her vacation. With details and remedies uncertain, she sought a city engineer's advice after her return, asked city lawyers to research potential claims against Parson Transportation Group designers for their errors, and met federal officials in Washington, before informing the City Council on September 5.

Feeling responsible for the situation, Ron Tober offered to resign, but Pam Syfert asked him to stay, noting his successes in bus system expansion and improvement, and in securing state and federal funds for the light-rail line. ''I wanted him to continue being part of the team and to help make sure the South Corridor is successful,'' she wrote to the City Council, promising his and city staff's detailed project report on October 2. -- The Charlotte Observer   9/19/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Chapel Hill Celebrates Local Safe Routes to School Efforts as North Carolina DOT Joins Campaign

With only 15 percent of American children within a mile of school walking or biking to classes, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) has joined the national Safe Routes to School campaign at a Mary Scroggs Elementary School event in Chapel Hill, recognizing their pioneering efforts to promote walkability and pedestrian safety.

''We want to encourage children K-8 to walk and bicycle to school,'' said State Secretary of Transportation Lyndo Tippett. ''It's a great way to go to class and get some much-needed exercise.''

Scroggs school officials, reports Durham Herald-Sun writer Jennifer Ferris, launched a successful ''Walking School Bus'' program last October, now counting more than 200 daily participants who walk to school in groups under adult supervision. Ephesus Road Elementary School principal Susan Wells, who spent the summer of 2004 working with a neighborhood committee on ways to promote walking among more students and their parents, said, ''Thank you, Chapel Hill, for providing the sidewalks we need to walk to school.''

Having received $15 million from the $612 million federal Safe Routes to School program for the next five years, the DOT will distribute the money among schools that participate in its one-day workshops on walking-to-school goals and their implementation, with DOT officials reviewing each school program for the five ''E'' components: education, engineering, enforcement, encouragement and evaluation. ''All of those have to be there,'' stressed state Safe Routes to School coordinator Theresa Canales, ''for the children to be able to walk safely.'' -- Herald-Sun   9/13/2006

Resource(s): www.heraldsun.com/

Investor Hopes to Move Ahead With Land Preparation, Construction Projects Around Raleigh's Planned --- But Unfunded --- Rail Stations

Although the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) hasn't secured federal funds for its planned commuter rail, its former chairman, Raleigh-based Cherokee Investment Partners co-founder and CEO Tom Darden, wants to prepare the land around 12 proposed stations and spur construction of homes, stores and offices, reports News & Observer writer David Ranii, noting that ''(p)utting the development before the train is an untested strategy, but Darden is accustomed to breaking new ground'' and convinced that in the long run the rail will be built.

And he follows what he believes. Inspired by ''the first wave of environmentalism'' as a high school student, he says, he set out to be an environmental lawyer, got a University of North Carolina master's degree in environmental planning and graduated from Yale Law School, but changed his mind after an internship at a law firm, became a management consultant turned-entrepreneur, and created the brownfield-cleanup Cherokee Environmental Group with his partner John Mazzarino in 1993, gradually expanding its scope until its transformation into Cherokee Investment Partners.

The company not only buys polluted sites for cleanup, the writer reports, but also consults with local officials on their best reuse, prepares development master plans and then ''sells the land to developers who fill in what Cherokee has mapped out - building the hotels, shopping and housing complexes.''

Currently, it is involved in several billion-dollar projects in New Jersey, including cleanup of 785 acres of former Lyndhurst and Rutherford landfills for a $2 billion redevelopment project. It will include 2,580 housing units, a 350-room hotel-conference complex, a community center, 100,000 square feet of retail, two golf courses, and ball fields, with much land kept as open space and protected wetlands.

The company is also working with Kimco Realty on a $210 million conversion of the 232-acre site of a former General Motors plant in Boisbriand, Quebec into 1,550 housing units, a community center, city hall and a million square feet of retail and commercial space.

Its draft agreement with the Triangle Transportation Authority to develop land around the prospective commuter rail stations, the writer notes, would make them profit-sharing partners, with the company crafting a master plan, investing some $100 million in the project, and pledging 10 percent of its annual share for its charitable outreach program, Cherokee Gives Back.

Program director Lyston Peeples and his staff are leading an effort to clean up contamination after one of the worst industrial disasters ever, a gas leak from the former Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, which killed about 2,500 people in 1984. -- News & Observer   9/6/2006

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/

Charlotte Columnist Criticizes Officials for Playing Politics Over School Construction and Improvement Funding

Three days after Mecklenburg County commissioners voted 5-3 against borrowing $172 million for new suburban schools and renovation of two inner-city schools in Charlotte, dismayed Charlotte Observer columnist-commentator Tommy Tomlinson pointed out that the ''(s)chool mess + bad politics'' on both sides of the partisan divide means kids are losing everywhere. ''Suburban schools are as crowded as a Tokyo subway, and some inner-city schools need fixing,'' he wrote, ''but voters rejected bonds last fall, so the school board decided to borrow a smaller amount anyway, and a bipartisan committee came up with a plan, but some Democrats on the county commission won't borrow money without voter approval, and some Republicans switched the terms at the last minute, so the whole thing went over like Cheez-Its at a debutante ball.''

He attributed part of the discord to views on the role of government and spending priorities, but most of it to the coming elections. ''It doesn't help the Republicans to fix things because Republicans who run against the evil school system tend to get elected,'' he continued. ''And it doesn't help the Democrats to fix things because Democrats who run against the evil Republicans tend to get elected.''

Agreeing that none of the school solutions are perfect, with all requiring a compromise, he noted that ''compromise doesn't play at the polls.'' But he also expressed hope that an agreement is still possible and that ''we have enough people left in this town who think strong public schools are valuable, and necessary, and worth saving.'' -- Charlotte Observer   7/21/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Charlotte-Area Schools Still Looking for Funding After County Commissioners Reject Plan for Renovation, New Construction

Brought together after Mecklenburg County voters rejected a $427 million school construction bond last November, the 35 members of a volunteer committee led by former Governor Jim Martin saw its hard-wrought proposal to borrow $172 million as ''balancing suburban growth needs with calls to renovate schools in urban neighborhoods,'' but county commissioners shocked them and almost everybody else by turning it down in a 5-3 vote due to a clash over urban school money, with all three Republicans joined by two Democrats.

Earlier, report Charlotte Observer writers Carrie Levine, Ann Doss Helms and Peter Smolowitz, three Democrats and two Republicans indicated their support for the Martin committee's proposal, though the Republicans agreed with their third colleague that some $22 million for renovation of the city's Harding High and Idlewild Elementary ''had been added in the last minute for political reasons, and should be removed.''

Eventually, they proposed a ''compromise,'' which would leave the $22 million for Harding and Idlewild renovation, but add design money for two more suburban schools and include construction funds in a 2007 bond referendum. They turned out to be the only ones voting for that solution, and consequently they voted against the Martin committee's proposal, which got only three Democratic votes.

Disappointed, school board members were unclear about the prospects. Ken Gjertsen observed, ''I don't think the community is going to support what the county did, I think the community was clearly behind what the Martin committee did.''

Larry Gauvreau stated, ''What's next is we prioritize and properly build schools in suburban areas. If this were out in front of the voters, it would fail as well.''

And Tom Tate added, ''We have to pull everything off the shelf and see what options we've got. My first preference is to build schools, but I'm willing to look at all the ramifications of year-round schools and double sessions.'' -- Charlotte Observer   7/19/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Smart Growth Isn't Just Putting Houses Close Together, Writes Belmont Resident

''Just because the houses are close together with a sidewalk in front of them does not mean you have Smart Growth,'' writes Belmont resident Karen Valentine to The Charlotte Observer, chastising its Gaston County columnist Joe DePriest for his recent portrayal of the Eagle Park project in her city, about 10 miles west of Charlotte, as ''neotraditional'' and telling him that Eagle Park developer Tom Graham and Fisher's Landing developer C.P. Morgan earlier ''have taken advantage of the concept of Smart Growth that the planners envisioned for our town more than 10 years ago and made a mockery of it.''

Both projects ''are nothing but a fraud perpetrated on the people of Belmont by cheesy developers,'' she states, pointing out that ''Smart Growth includes small walkable diverse neighborhoods, like the neighborhoods that already exist in the center of Belmont.''

In contrast to mixed-use Baxter Village in Fort Mill, where sidewalks lead to destinations and the developer donated land for an elementary school, Fisher Landing residents don't drive less, because there are no small businesses, pools or libraries, only ''a lot of houses crammed together and a lot of additional traffic pulling out onto South Point Road.''

Similarly, Eagle Park residents have ''clown-colored homes'' so far instead of the Tudors shown on the project's Web site. The site also promises reuse of the historic Eagle mill for businesses, although nothing has happened since it was taken down a year ago, and asserts that children will walk to the adjacent elementary school, without saying ''how overcrowded the elementary school is.''

With ''no plans to build new schools any time soon,'' she concludes, ''(p)erhaps the developers that are overrunning Belmont should get together and donate a new school.'' -- Charlotte Observer   7/19/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Communities Need to Make Quality of Life a Priority in Long-Term Growth Plans, Tregoning Tells Area Leaders at Charlotte Development Symposium

''Quality of life doesn't happen as a byproduct of a free market,'' said Washington-based Smart Growth Leadership Institute Executive Director Harriet Tregoning at a Charlotte Regional Partnership and Urban Land Institute symposium on future development, telling some 200 business people from 16 counties, including four in South Carolina, that they have to think ahead rather than expect to fix things afterwards, because there are few communities ''that have been able to turn a big-box space into a park.''

She also pointed out, reports Charlotte Observer writer Kerry Hall, that the era of cheap gas is over; that energy consumption by China, India and other fast-growing countries will affect the nation and push up construction costs; that medical advances will boost longevity in the next 30 years, with more households left without children, many older people ready for downtown life and other urban amenities, and retirees and young professionals alike eager for access to transit; and that demand for large homes in the suburbs will drop to 30 percent of the housing market by 2040.

''Let's face it, things are going to be very different 30 years from now,'' director Tregoning said, urging Charlotte leaders to make the city's light rail system, now under construction, ''a success'' and to concentrate development in the transit zones.

During the symposium, the writer adds, the Charlotte Regional Partnership unveiled its five-year economic development plan, focused on expansion of manufacturing, tourism and technical services, including finance, biotechnology and motorsport research. Partnership president and CEO Ronnie Bryant said the plan requires greater cooperation not only among government, community and business leaders, but also among the area's states. -- Charlotte Observer   4/14/2006

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Scale and Character of Community Top Concerns as Asheville City Council Readies for Meeting to Close Big Box Zoning Loophole

Although Asheville City Council members and many residents waited for the April 11 public hearing to make up their minds about a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter in West Asheville, the company must have seen the handwriting on the wall and withdrawn the proposal at the last moment, with insiders hinting it is considering a Buncombe County site several miles south, which makes county planner Jim Coman upset that city leaders may add to ''the urban sprawl they claim to hate.''

Council members have great misgivings about the size of big boxes in general, reports Asheville Citizen-Times writer Mark Barrett, quoting Councilman Brownie Newman. ''One of the more overarching concerns is not 'We don't want Wal-Mart,' it's that some of these proposals are just so gigantic,'' he said. ''It begs the question when you start getting above 75,000 or 100,000 square feet whether something fits with the scale and character of our community.''

Also worried about the 50 families Wal-Mart would dislocate and about its potential adverse impact on nearby property values, Councilman Newman thinks the scheduled planning review next month offers the council an opportunity to deal with a highway business district zoning ''loophole'' that may be exploited by big boxes.

The district zoning, the writer explains, sets limits of 75,000 and 112,000 square feet on single stores, depending on conditions, but allows 200,000 square feet for multiple tenants -- an opening for big boxes, which usually let no more than one or two small businesses inside.

Residents also voiced other concerns about big boxes and their practices. ''Wal-Mart is the worst offender, but in terms of smart growth, we need to move away from the automobile-oriented shopping,'' said West Asheville resident Jim Barton. ''Asheville has the remnants of a shopping district that still works, and we should work on that.'' -- Citizen-Times   4/13/2006

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com/

Asheville Follows S.G. Guidelines to Target City-Owned Properties for Workforce Housing

Since many downtown workers make too much to seek subsidized housing but too little ''to even dream about one of those gleaming, million-dollar condos,'' reports Asheville Citizen-Times writer Adam Behsudi, the Asheville City Council relies on its Smart Growth guidelines to target several city-owned properties for workforce housing, with Planning Director Scott Shuford listing three downtown area parcels as ripe for redevelopment, and mentioning the longer-term possibility of topping a bus terminal with offices and apartments, converting a public work facility to mixed use, and building bungalows near Memorial Stadium.

The mostly rental housing would be available to workers making up to 80 percent of the area's median income of $46,800 for a four-person household, while the local fair-market rent of $608 (30 percent of monthly income) for a two-bedroom unit would be accessible to a single full-time earner making $11.54 an hour.

To help ease the low-to-moderate income housing crunch, the city will likely solicit private and nonprofit agency proposals for selected parcels, the writer reports, quoting nonprofit Mountain Housing Opportunities executive director Scott Dedman, who calls the scarcity of land in the downtown area the main barrier to affordable housing expansion.

''Securing a good piece of land in a location that is convenient to jobs, schools, shopping and services is always the first step,'' he points out, ''and it's becoming the most difficult step as the values rise.''

Constructing a 50-unit low-to-moderate income apartment complex near downtown, his agency found that for each renter, 20 other people would also rent in the area if they could get an affordable room.

''We're talking about people who are making in the range of $6 to $15 an hour,'' he says, noting that some 20,000 of Asheville and Buncombe County workers can't afford a home in a good neighborhood.

As the city moves to limit sprawl and encourage urban infill, the writer adds, it would like to see more projects like the one on South Lexington Avenue, where a 70,000-square-foot building on a former parking lot will include 34 condos, one floor of offices, a 49-stall garage, and street-level retail. -- Citizen-Times   2/28/2006

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com/

Grant Will Fund Corridor Master Plan for Widening of NC 55 Across Pamlico County

Before a 14-mile segment of N.C. 55 across the rural heart of coastal Pamlico County is widened from two to four divided lanes, the county and its N.C. Sea Grant partner will use $34,000 in ''smart growth'' money from the joint U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Sea Grant technical assistance program to involve area officials and residents in work on a corridor master plan, with local Sea Grant water quality planning specialist Kate Ardizone stressing the necessity to balance community and environmental needs through ''common sense growth.''

Having recently completed the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) land-use plan, she noted, county officials see the corridor master planning as an opportunity to begin implementation of its long-term goals. The process, she added, could set ''an example for many of North Carolina's other 19 coastal counties facing similar -- if not identical -- growth issues.''

Both she and county planner and economic development expert Jayne Robb briefed the Pamlico County Board of Commissioners on the EPA-Sea Grant corridor 55 planning at a public meeting in Bayboro, reports New Bern Sun Journal writer Charlie Hall, quoting the latter as saying, ''We want to come out with a vision, a concise vision of what we want the gateway to the county to look like based on input from all the stakeholders.''

A longtime area resident, the writer notes, Pamlico County Schools technical director Judy Humphries definitely doesn't want the bigger road to mar its scenic borders with miles of paved parking lots, strip malls and industrial structures. Driving to work each morning, she said, she thinks about the changes the widening may usher in and asks herself this question: ''What brings a young teacher to this county and what makes them stay?'' Her answer, the writer finds, is the rural beauty. -- Sun Journal   2/25/2006

Resource(s): www.newbernsj.com/

Winston-Salem Bank Corp. States It Won't Provide Loans for Projects That Seize Private Property for Development

Venturing its corporate values in the politically charged sphere of judicial and legislative powers, Winston-Salem-based BB&T Corp. -- the nation's ninth-largest bank, with 1,400 branches in 11 states and some $74.3 billion in loans -- become the first to counteract the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling that allows seizure of private property for private development if it serves the public good (Kelo vs. the City of New London, Conn., June 2005) with a decision not to make loans for such projects.

A BB&T statement noted that 38 states have passed or are considering laws against the use of eminent domain for private development. North Carolina, where the bank does almost a quarter of its business, doesn't allow such seizures, but a state House committee is studying whether special post-Kelo legislation is needed.

Calling the seizures wrong and contrary to the bank's work to help clients ''achieve economic success and financial security,'' BB&T chairman and CEO John Allison said, ''We won't help any entity or company that would undermine that mission and threaten the hard-earned American dream of property ownership.''

BB&T chief credit officer Ken Chalk elaborated on the point. ''We're a company where our values dictate our decision-making and operating standards,'' he declared. ''Our position is strictly based on our concern about the potential change in direction with eminent domain that the Supreme Court had opened that threatens private ownership of property.''

One of Kelo's supporters during litigation, attorney Scott Bullock from the Institute for Justice in Arlington, Va., said, ''BB&T has stepped up and recognized its corporate responsibility to not be a part of this shameful abuse of individual rights.''

On the other hand, University of North Carolina-Charlotte Finance Professor Tony Plath said, ''What BB&T is doing is putting its commercial-lending muscle and its shareholders' money behind its corporate philosophy of supporting private ownership of property.''

And Washington-based Federal Financial Analytic managing partner Karen Shaw Petrou called the decision to restrict lending ''extremely unusual,'' noting, ''Banks are generally reluctant to get into the middle of these kinds of disputes because they often see good reasons and bad reasons on both sides and customers all over the place.'' -- Winston-Salem Journal, Charlotte Observer   1/26/2006

Resource(s): www.journalnow.com/ ; www.charlotte.com/

Durham's Downtown Future Is Brighter with Conversion of Former Tobacco Warehouses to Mixed-Use Offices and Apartments

Undertaken by farsighted developers some six years ago, the conversion of the defunct American Tobacco and Liggett & Myers downtown Durham factories and warehouses into offices and apartments should boost the number of area employees to 15,000 and residents to at least 2,000 by 2008-09, with Downtown Durham Inc. President Bill Kalkhof confident that some of the new workers will also realize they ''wouldn't mind walking to work.''

He is additionally encouraged by the city's $15 million investment in downtown sidewalks, landscaping, lighting and traffic flow improvements. ''When the public sector spends this type of money improving public infrastructure, it sends a message not only to the development and investment community,'' he says, but also to prospective residents.

Developer Tom Niemann, the Blue Devil Ventures managing partner, also thinks so, noting that before his company turned a vacant downtown tobacco warehouse into the mixed-use 241-apartment West Village in 2000, ''(t)here was quite a bit of pent-up demand and not a whole lot of other options in the area.''

Having recently bought seven more factory buildings, reports News-Observer writer Jack Hagel, the company will begin village expansion with another 366 loft apartments in February, while other developers are planning about 1,500 varied housing units nearby.

To test the market, the developers will include several hundred condos. Should long-term interest rates continue to go up and push sales down, the writer observes, the condos could eventually become rentals, too. -- News-Observer   12/23/2005

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/

Charlotte's Transit Investments Paying Off With Big Jumps in Ridership Rates

Having greatly improved and expanded services since 1998, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) increased its bus ridership by 50 percent, or four times the national average, recording an 8.2 percent jump last year alone, and another still undetermined recent spurt after gas prices started to escalate toward the early September average of $3.18 for a gallon of regular, reports Charlotte Observer writer Dianne Whitacre, quoting Mayor Pat McCrory, who says, ''Suburban bus passengers are increasing much more than we thought.''

The largest, 45.5-percent annual gain, the writer notes, came on the longest regional express routes to Rock Hill, Monroe, Mooresville, Concord, Gastonia and Lincoln County.

Rock Hill resident Dick Morency tells the writer he would spend $120 a month for gas and $70 for parking if he drove, while his senior bus half-fare costs him only $44 a month. With most bus fares going up just a dime in October -- to $1.20 on local routes, $1.65 on Mecklenburg County express routes and $2.40 on regional express lines -- CATS chief Ron Tober is confident ridership increases will continue as they did after the previous biennial fare hike in 2003.

The half-cent transit sales tax passed by Mecklenburg County voters in 1998, the writer adds, will eventually help CATS build a $3 billion network of buses, trains and light rail lines by 2025. -- Observer   9/7/2005

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

With Development Looming, Pamlico County Will Use Federal Grant, EPA Expert to Help Craft Smart Growth Guidelines

With its main route being widened to five lanes, more than 8,000 of its 13,000 residents living on unincorporated land, and no zoning policy, small Pamlico County, in the middle of the state's oceanfront, hopes a federal grant and an EPA expert will help it envision the road corridor's future and draw up smart-growth guidelines to ensure economic development while preserving open space, air and water quality, and community character.

''We just don't have any local regulations or ordinances that are going to prohibit anything from happening on highway 55,'' said County Economic Developer Jayne Robb. She told New Bern Sun Journal writer Charlie Hall that the county, in partnership with the Eastern North Carolina Council and North Carolina Sea Grant -- part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) coastal conservation program -- has applied for $17,000 in federal money, which will be matched by some $8,000 of its own funds, to produce a practical framework for land use, resource protection, construction design and related planning issues, initially touched upon in the county's 2003 Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA).

Backed in their planning effort by the Pamlico County Chamber of Commerce, Pamlico Community College's small business center, and towns along highway 55, county officials expect the EPA consultant to put 100 work hours into the corridor's smart-growth guidelines. -- Sun Journal   9/3/2005

Resource(s): www.newbernsj.com/

Chatham First Group Voices Opposition to Big-Box Development, Support for Local Retail and Communities

Persistent rumors that a 63-acre Lee-Moore Oil Co. site in northern Chatham County along the Orange County line is being eyed by Wal-Mart was enough to rally more than 150 local residents against a feared Supercenter, with their Chatham First group organizer Mark Barroso saying, ''We are about supporting local businesses and local communities and not making North Chatham look like Anyplace, America.''

Acknowledging that others may see such fears as unwarranted and consider Wal-Mart-generated taxes good for county public schools, the organizer pointed out that the group will try to make them realize that a Supercenter would be the wrong store of the wrong size at the wrong location.

''They are the Godzilla retailer, stomping on our community,'' he said. ''Wal-Mart is bad for our community in the most obscene way.'' Besides, he added, the group will oppose any big-box store in that area.

His deep concerns about big-box impact, reports Durham Herald-Sun writer Jennifer Ferris, are shared on the Orange County side by Carrboro Alderman and mayoral candidate Alex Zaffron.

''We are trying to protect the area outside the urban services boundaries from the effect of development,'' the alderman said about the Chatham site, just four miles south of Carrboro. ''The proximity and direct route lead me to be very concerned about effects on retailers in our downtown.''

Noting that only 20 acres of the 63-acre site is currently zoned for commercial use, and that any development plan for the whole tract would require a public hearing and county approval, the writer once again quotes Mark Barroso, who hopes commissioners will meet the challenge.

''They have a lack of coherent smart-growth policy. They just approve willy-nilly all developments that come through their offices,'' he observed. ''We need a little scrutiny from elected officials on these plans.'' -- Herald-Sun   8/29/2005

Resource(s): www.herald-sun.com/

Charlotte Developer Expects Growing Demand for Uptown Residential Housing

In the last five years, uptown Charlotte's population grew from 6,000 to 10,000 and the number of night restaurants and nightclubs from 24 to more than 50, a clear local sign of a ''resurgence of the mainstream American city,'' says area architect-developer David Furman, an acknowledged urban visionary, who early carved a niche in city infill with relatively small-lot projects in older neighborhoods, and whose Boulevard Centro company is building two of seven planned uptown high-rises.

''We finally have a viable alternative to suburban living,'' he tells Charlotte Observer writer Kerry Hall, convinced that uptown will have 25,000 residents within 10 years, with three perhaps new ''urban villages,'' more mid-rises and parks on a former cement wasteland, and no street-level parking lots.

A trendsetter who ''introduced Charlotte to three-story, loft-style townhomes'' and ''brought affordable loft-style living to young professionals,'' the writer observes, David Furman predicts the growing uptown population will bring in more businesses, services and amenities, amplifying the city appeal to ''hip'' young professionals, childless buyers and baby boomers, the latter's uptown number likely to rise from 15 to 25 percent in a decade.

He cites the census data for the childless households. Their number jumped from 66 percent in 2000 to 76 percent now and may reach 80 percent by 2020, with many leaving the suburbs and others getting their second homes in the city. Since they will be ready to pay more for less space, urban housing prices will go up, but he doesn't think it will create a ''bubble,'' because uptown can absorb the roughly 2,000 units soon expected on the market.

As a precaution against speculation, the writer notes, Furman's company prevents buyers from selling its condos before they are built. As to uptown safety, he says he is ''not afraid to walk the streets,'' adding, ''It's an incredibly vibrant habitat being created. I know I can see it in my lifetime.'' -- Observer   8/17/2005

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/

Fast-Growing Union County Sets One-Year Subdivision Moratorium to Update Land Use Regs, Enact Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance

With its relatively low taxes and high student scores pulling in ever more residents each year, which makes schools and roads in this once-rural country southeast of Charlotte increasingly overcrowded, Union County commissioners voted 3-2 for a one-year moratorium on subdivisions of more than five houses in unincorporated areas, to update land use regulations and address key service needs.

''Union County has experienced out-of-control, unmanaged growth for 12 to 15 years,'' said Commissioner Hughie Sexton, voting with Chairman Richard Stone and Commissioner Roger Lane for the moratorium. ''We need a break and a timeout.''

Proponents stressed that the break will give them time to enact an especially needed adequate public facilities ordinance, which will tie subdivision approval to school capacity. County school officials, reports Charlotte Observer writer Emily S. Achenbaum, have been notifying developers that schools near their projects can hardly absorb more students, with 70 percent of district schools over capacity and $521 million sought for construction within five years.

Still, Commissioners Kevin Pressley and Stony Rushing voted against the moratorium, the former concerned about potential harm to construction workers who may lose jobs and to elderly residents who may count on selling their land.

The argument sounded weak, the writer notes, since the moratorium covers only homes planned for unincorporated areas -- about 5,000 of the 14,000 in the process countywide. Consequently, the small town of Indian Trail -- some 16,500 residents -- will get 6,000 new homes already in the works and exempted by its own 18-month moratorium imposed in January.

An emergency tool to let communities catch a breath as the development wave swells, moratoria are becoming popular in the Charlotte area -- they helped six other Union County towns and Cabarrus County to its north, while reaching to adjacent South Carolina, where Lancaster County also hopes for more orderly growth. -- Charlotte Observer   8/16/2005

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Developer Enters Pittsboro Mayoral Race; Would Keep Sprawl in Check by Growing from Town Center

''Pittsboro has the potential to be a unique economic magnet, while maintaining its small-town, friendly atmosphere,'' wrote local developer Randolph Voller in the Chatham Journal Weekly, announcing his run for mayor, to help make Pittsboro, some 25 miles west of Raleigh, ''grow from the center,'' not sprawl all around, because this ''will save on infrastructure costs, as well as promote walkable and bikeable streets where families have easy access to shopping, eating, enjoying music, recreation and social interaction.''

An Indiana native with a degree in history, in the Triangle area since 1991 and active in the Chatham County Homebuilders Association, Voller began with a large-lot subdivision in 1995, but quickly learned that's not what the area wanted and changed course in 1997, starting his current traditional-style Chatham Forest development, in which he lives with his family, and which will eventually offer more than 200 varied-type homes in a $130,000-$350,000 price range.

With adjacent hardwood forests kept intact, the development will feature interlinked streets, sidewalks, trails and greenways, and basketball courts open to children from nearby lower-income neighborhoods.

''I believe I am setting a model for a type of reasonably affordable, family-oriented residential development that will become a true sustainable community,'' the developer and mayoral candidate wrote, also proud of the social and economic diversity he has facilitated in Chatham Forest. ''This is the type of diversity,'' he added, ''that attracts well educated and qualified people to want work and live in Pittsboro.'' -- Chatham Journal Weekly   8/7/2005

Resource(s): www.chathamjournal.com/weekly/

Charlotte Works on Land-Use Plans to Shape Development at Light-Rail Stations

Having studiously mapped out Charlotte's 9.5-mile light-rail route and the placement of its 15 stations from I-485 through South End into uptown, all to be ready in 2007, city planners are now drawing up detailed land-use plans for each half-mile-radius station area to shape transit-oriented development (TOD) and provide a model for future routes, with the corridor's first projects already under way.

Types and proportions of uses in the corridor will vary, reports Charlotte Business Journal free-lance writer Bea Quirk, quoting city economic development official Tracy Finch, who says some station areas may be primarily residential -- zoned like the city's mixed-use district for a minimum of 20 housing units per acre -- and others likely to become employment hubs, with eight stations easily accessible by nearby residents on foot, and the other seven including large public ''park and ride'' lots.

Developers, the writer notes, are banking on transit and live-work-play concept attractiveness for many residents. In a mixed-use Heath Partners' project which will offer 97 condos, 48 units are already occupied.

''Transit is what attracted us to this site, but it's a good location regardless,'' says Managing Partner Andy Heath. ''There's no question people are buying here because of light rail.''

Ditto, HHHunt Corp. Business development vice president Jim Nicholson, whose Blackburg, Virginia-based firm is erecting a 300-unit apartment building on a five-acre site just 250 feet from the same station, emphasizes, ''We bought this land specifically because it's on the transit line.''

MECA Properties president and CEO Tony Pressley thinks the city is on the right track ''using land-use policy as a foundation'' for TOD, but he calls Charlotte ''a Johnny-come-lately to mass transit,'' which is good and bad. ''It's good because our planners are using the best practices others have used to get it right, but bad because we are in uncharted waters and adopting policy without a history.''

He also worries that some regulations, combined with land prices higher than in the suburbs and with more expensive materials and techniques needed for high-density buildings, may further increase TOD housing costs and hurt affordability. ''Public policy can have some impact,'' he observes, ''but short of subsidies, there's not a lot you can do.''

In response, previously quoted station area coordinator Finch says the city may use some $5 million in its smart-growth funds and money left after south corridor infrastructure upgrades to buy land for affordable housing. -- Charlotte Business Journal   8/5/2005

Resource(s): http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/

Durham County Faces Builders' Challenge to Residential Development Fees

Hard pressed for money to build public schools, Durham County imposed residential development fees in January 2004 and has collected $3.8 million so far, but now must defend their legality against a builders' challenge in the state Court of Appeals, while about a dozen other fast-growing counties with similar school budget worries are intently watching the case in hopes of a favorable precedent.

The county, reports Durham Herald-Sun writer Ray Gronberg, is charging $2,000 for a single-family home and $1,155 for a townhouse, condo or apartment, with builder applications for 427 single-family homes and 450 townhouses on the city/county Planning Commission's schedule through September meaning another $1.4 million if the fee ordinance stands.

In adjacent Granville County, which enacted school impact fees this spring, Commissioner Ron Alligood explains that the county grew by more than 20 percent in recent years, that ''school facilities are inadequate,'' and that ''with every 60 students you're talking about a new school, and with two or three subdivisions that's what you're looking at.''

County and school officials believe the court will take their side, especially since the state General Assembly, which authorized school impact fees in Orange and Chatham counties, hasn't afforded that privilege to any other county, although the state constitution guarantees them all equal treatment.

Noting that the North Carolina Home Builders Association, which contributes heavily to key lawmakers' campaigns, opposes impact fees as bad for business, the writer reports that the North Carolina School Boards Association is backing Durham County with a friend-of-the court brief. If lawmakers found it necessary ''to allow one (school) system to have this method,'' says association's general counsel Allison Schafer, ''it's logical that everyone needs it.'' -- Herald-Sun   7/29/2005

Resource(s): www.herald-sun.com/

Black Communities Left Behind in Moore County's Growth and Services Boom

On its way to 43 golf courses, numerous resorts, $2 million homes and other staples of suburban affluence, Moore County left behind the unincorporated all-black enclaves of Jackson Hamlet, Midway and Waynor Road, whose 500 people lack sewers, garbage pickup, police protection and, in some cases, piped water, reports New York Times writer Shaila Dewan, quoting lifelong Jackson Hamlet resident Ida Mae Murchinson, 84, who doesn't want ''to offend anyone'' as she says, ''I get the feeling that we're just forgotten, put on the shelf or the back burner or something.''

Indeed, no jurisdiction seems to want them, the writer observes, pointing out that ''the exclusion of minority neighborhoods, sometimes called municipal underbounding, occurs across the country,'' but especially in small Southern towns.

In Moore County, officials argue that many rural residents also lack basic services and that the black enclaves should be served by the adjacent towns that already subject them to land-use and zoning rules under their extraterritorial jurisdiction.

But town officials, quick to annex areas where developers pay for the infrastructure or whose taxes are likely to cover new service costs, maintain that they must first serve their own constituents before shouldering an additional burden.

County Commissioner Michael Holden admits the county ''should have been doing this stuff 20, 25 years ago,'' but he notes that in the past 10 years officials used federal grants to extend sewer or water lines to some minority areas, and that infrastructure extension requests, without a new grant, make the situation ''delicate'' due to scarce money.

Enclave residents respond that the county had a $9.3 million surplus last year and that the sewer extension to Jackson Hamlet would cost just between $1.5 million and $1.7 million.

As adjacent Pinehurst prepared for the U.S. Open golf tournament starting June 16, the writer reports, enclave residents and their advocates launched their first-ever concerted campaign for more services, holding news conferences and giving tours.

University of North Carolina Center for Civil Rights lawyer Anita S. Earls attributes much of the enclaves' hardship to historic racial inequities, saying, ''We have not found a densely populated, small lot size, poor white community on the edge of a town.'' -- New York Times   6/7/2005

Resource(s): www.nytimes.com/

Charlotte Developer Plans to Convert City Block of Apartments to Mixed-Use Condos, Retail

Already a hot national trend, center city living is picking up in Charlotte, where developer Tom Thornburg has asked the City Council to rezone a 3.5-acre Fourth Ward block for mixed use, which would let him replace its 154 apartments with some 450 condos above 20,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and garage space.

His proposed Citadin would be the city's largest conversion of apartments to condos, reports Charlotte Observer writer Doug Smith, quoting the developer, who says he plans to redevelop the block in stages so he can react ''if the market leans more toward efficiencies or more toward larger units,'' and adds, ''We'll vary materials, designs and building heights so everything doesn't look homogenous.''

Ranging from 700 to 1,750 square feet, the condos in six buildings, including two 10-story towers, will likely cost between $180,000 and $450,000. The first four-story building will offer four penthouses, mostly one-to-two bedroom condos, and a fitness center. The condos, the writer notes, will feature Jenn-Air appliances, hardwood floors, granite counter-tops and Italian porcelain tile baths, plus underground storage and one garage space per bedroom.

Construction could start by early fall, with the first building to be completed in about 13 months. -- Charlotte Observer   5/14/2005

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Charlotte Mayor McCrory Secures $193M in Federal Funds for City Light-Rail Line

Having pushed for transit since he was first elected 10 years ago, Charlotte Republican Mayor Pat McCrory has finally secured $193 million in federal money for a $427 million light-rail line -- from uptown 9.6 miles south to Interstate 485, thanking the project's two key backers, North Carolina Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole and Federal Transit Administrator Jennifer Dorn, but also recalling his anxiety that it may never happen.

''There were moments where I was worried that the financial, political and sweat equity that we had put in was for naught,'' he said at the project's launching ceremony. ''Today, I'm at peace.''

Applauding him and other city officials and activists for their ''bold and brilliant vision'' of a transit system and transit-oriented development, reports Charlotte Observer writer Richard Rubin, Administrator Dorn pointed out that far from being a trendy idea driven by governments, transit-oriented development is an effective smart-growth concept, with a proven demographic market. There is, she said, ''an exponential growth in older people, in empty nesters, in the immigrant community seeking opportunities near transit.''

Still, transit-oriented urban development remains more difficult and more costly than typical suburban projects, the writer observes, noting that in addition to its light-rail funding share, the city is spending $60 million for streets, sidewalks and storm trains in the south corridor to spur redevelopment, and that its economic development office is assigning staff to help developers with projects near the 15 planned stations.

Crosland firm CEO Todd Mansfield counts on the South End area's improvements, saying he would like to convert his former headquarters near the Scaleybark Station into a transit-style complex, but right now he wouldn't succeed with high-enough rents to justify the construction cost. The South End light rail, the writer adds, will start running in spring 2007. -- Charlotte Observer   5/7/2005

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Davidson Mayor Kincaid Says Smart Planning Hinges on Smart Decisions Concerning the Automobile

Proud that his town is among jurisdictions following ten U.S. EPA smart growth principles and doing it well enough to win the agency's 2004 National Achievement Award for Overall Excellence in Smart Growth, Davidson Mayor Randall R. Kincaid points out in The Charlotte Observer that smart planning and ''(b)uilding community requires dealing intelligently with the car,'' a task hopeless in conventional subdivisions, whose four principles make property lines sacrosanct, require separation of uses, impose homogenous housing, and demand maximum use of the automobile.

This conventional post-World-War-II model, the mayor writes, ''has served us well in many respects,'' and its inseparable automobile ''has generated untold increases in GDP (Gross Domestic Product),'' but not without drawbacks: ''prime land gets gobbled up; the air and water become polluted; global warming sets in; and, in my view, the most serious consequence, communities break down.''

All this seems irrelevant to Observer community columnist Bill Reeside, who lives in Davidson, works for a global nuclear power plant company, and asserts in his recent ''People's Republic of Davidson'' column that he loves the town -- which he chose in the 1980s for its location and schools -- but regrets its ''dark side.''

As if unaware that these are smart-growth ingredients, he applauds the town's amenities, its Village Green, downtown businesses, educational energy and effective public efforts ''to locate a new elementary school within the town limits and to turn the old elementary school into a successful magnet middle school.''

At the same time, he is troubled by traffic signs reading ''No Passing On The Right, assumes that future intersection signs will read, ''Left Turn Only,'' and wonders about ''the town's hatred of the automobile,'' when the mayor formulates his anti-car thoughts while driving and ''the Charlotte Area Transit System buses are empty 99 percent of the time.''

But even though local property rights ''don't get much respect'' from Davidson's ''commissars,'' and ''the Presbyterian-affiliated college voted to worship diversity ahead of worshiping Jesus Christ,'' the columnist doesn't plan to leave, confident that his ''libertarian flavor'' also enhances diversity in his ''favorite town'' and should be welcome ''with open arms.''

Judging from the courteous matter-of-fact response by Mayor Kincaid, he is right. ''Community building is a difficult task, but I view it as the principal task of local government,'' the mayor writes. ''We have a community when we know each other, take care of each other in times of need, raise each other's children, and, in general, believe that we are all people of worth.'' -- The Charlotte Observer   4/7/2005

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Union County Recasts Board of Adjustment in Wake of Criticism Over Wal-Mart Variance Approval

Determined to restore balance in Union County's land-use permitting process and the full intent of its 2001 ''smart growth'' policy, County Commissioners voted to remove and reconstitute the county board of adjustment, and to eliminate developer density bonuses -- the first, due to the ''blatant bias'' shown in last fall's approval of a Wal-Mart permit for a Supercenter near Marvin; the second, due to frequent misuse by previous commissioners.

The board of adjustments, which controls zoning variances and special use permits, reports Charlotte Observer writer Jen Aronoff, was sharply criticized in the Marvin area -- south of metro Charlotte -- for the Wal-Mart permit. Currently, the permit is being appealed by residents in court, with commissioners unanimously joining them in December.

Commissioner Hughie Sexton, who led the push against both the board and developer density bonuses, said the board's ''abdication of responsibility'' now burdens the county with ''unfair legal cost'' due to the pending court case. Commissioners Kevin Pressley and Stony Rushing voted against abolition of the board at this time, preferring to wait for the court ruling.

''I do not agree with the decision to allow Wal-Mart to build more than what our zoning allows,'' said the latter, explaining that he doesn't want to vote for board removal until a judge tells him that board members ''were wrong, or their term ends.'' As to the density-bonus provision, commissioners said it favored developers and increased the strain on infrastructure. Their vote against the provision, the writer observes, left developers in the audience visibly dejected. -- Charlotte Observer   4/5/2005

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Large Infill Projects Beginning to Take Hold in Charlotte's Core Neighborhoods

After years of bringing in a few or several residents here or there throughout old Charlotte, ''small infill'' is increasingly being joined by ''big infill,'' with more or less advanced plans envisioning ''from dozens to thousands of units'' in at least six core neighborhoods, reports Charlotte Observer writer Doug Smith, finding that many infill developers prefer large projects because demand for urban living is high and the ''headache'' of the rezoning process no bigger than for tiny lots.

''Infill has taken on a whole new character in Charlotte and it's about time,'' says planning consultant Walter Fields, who's been advising developers to focus on infill for some 15 years. ''It's not so much a planning challenge as a neighborhood and political challenge,'' he stresses. ''The political process is still the most important factor in where and how it is done.''

Since large urban tracts are scarce and costly, making infill housing affordable requires the highest possible density, which usually raises local concerns over traffic and property values. But ''the political winds'' seem to favor infill, the writer notes, especially in the city's Second Ward, whose leaders back the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission's plan for up to 4,000 mixed-income housing units, grand boulevards and parks over the next few decades.

City officials are also considering the possibility of a $900 million investment in the adjacent areas of Optimist Park and Belmont -- which together would gain 5,000 residential units. In the short run, they count on a $20 million federal grant for 940 new Belmont homes, including 242 public housing units.

Meantime, the writer reports, Landcraft Properties principal Frank Martin is spearheading the multi-company big-infill Lela Court project, with 147 homes and townhouse condos on 13 acres next to the Wesley Heights Historic district in west Charlotte. The first of four builders to present design details, Tuscan Development partner Ray ''Rip'' Farris III, says his ''Bungalows'' section will have 21 homes with brick exteriors, synthetic wood sidings, ''rocking chair'' porches, and high ceilings on both the first and second floors, all aesthetically matching neighborhood architecture of the 1920s and 1930s.

Available by the end of the year, the houses will range from 1,830 to 2,430 square feet, with prices starting at $255,000. -- Charlotte Observer   3/30/2005

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Sustainability Index Helps Charlotte Officials Decide When to Partner With Developers on Infrastructure

Keen on development in the city core, business districts, infill areas and along transit corridors, Charlotte officials readily help developers who cannot make it alone, usually because of land and parking costs, agreeing to fund sidewalks, garages and other infrastructure for their projects, but only if they score high enough on the city's ''sustainability index,'' whose four broad parameters take into account ''smart growth initiatives, including design livability, planning capacity and safeguarding the environment.''

The other three parameters, reports Charlotte Business Journal free-lance writer Bea Quirk, refer to the ''City Council's strategic priorities, including establishing healthy and diverse neighborhoods; integrating land use and transportation choices, use of resources and safety; (and) financial need, risk and return.''

Developer requests for city partnerships are analyzed by the city's economic development staff and outside consultants. ''Each project is a unique real estate deal with its own features,'' says Economic Development Director Tom Flynn. ''The system we have gives us some leeway to customize the assistance.'' And, he adds, ''the development has to be there before we make the investment'' and it must ''make money in the long run,'' from increased property taxes or sales taxes or both.

Currently, the city is helping Grubb Properties to turn several stagnant blocks into a mixed-use complex in the Elizabeth neighborhood, Pappas Properties to redevelop the former Midtown Square site, and the Ghazi Co. to convert an old convention center into a retail-residential hub.

The writer credits Grubb officials with sparking the policy idea about four years ago, when they couldn't make their $240- million Elizabeth balance sheet work and approached the city for help. Having no programs in place, the city ''was amenable -- but cautious,'' recalls Grubb development director Todd Williams. ''It took us about 18 to 24 months to get the deal struck, but we were inventing the wheel.'' -- Charlotte Business Journal   2/21/2005

Resource(s): http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/

Plans for Greensboro's Downtown Pedestrian Greenway Moving Forward

It won't happen soon, because money is tight, but Greensboro will get a four-mile pedestrian greenway, the Urban Loop around downtown, with Action Greensboro executive director Susan Schwartz saying once the Atlanta-based Cooper Carry design firm fleshes out the overall concept and initial details later this year, her group and Downtown Greensboro Inc. will involve foundations and local governments in ''serious conversation'' about contributions to the greenway's $2 million-plus first phase.

Featuring benches and outdoor exercise equipment, the greenway will run partly along a railroad line, still active but perhaps not for long, and partly alongside city streets, reports News & Record writer Nate DeGraff, quoting Downtown Greensboro Inc. president Ray Gibbs, who says, ''Our hope is to be able to use all existing right of ways or public land so there's no land that needs to be acquired.''

The downtown advocacy groups want to discuss the project first with 30 owners of tracts along the proposed greenway, and with all interested residents in public workshops beginning in February.

If the first-phase construction moves forward as expected, the writer notes, the greenway could eventually connect downtown with the planned Battleground Rail Trail to northwest Greensboro and become part of a larger greenway system between the city and Winston-Salem some 20 miles west. -- News & Record   1/20/2005

Resource(s): www.news-record.com/

Road Headaches, Safety Issues Surround Waynesville's Relocated Elementary School

Four years after the six-decade-old Hazelwood Elementary School in a walkable Waynesville neighborhood was abandoned and its 500 children moved to a new building on the city outskirts some three miles west, the move ignited a major road-widening dispute between the state Department of Transportation (DOT) and many local officials and residents, with Waynesville Alderman Gavin Brown saying, in hindsight, the school relocation is a case study of ''not-so-smart growth.''

The department, reports Waynesville Smoky Mountain News writer Becky Johnson, hopes to ease congestion and increase safety on two-lane Plott Creek Road near the school -- where parents block traffic while waiting to pick up their children -- by straightening the section, widening the lanes, and adding a school-turn lane.

DOT project manager Ralph Cannady says the $716,000 for the project comes from the North Carolina Moving Ahead! ''safety and mobility'' improvement program and should be used in fiscal year 2005, ending in June. He maintains that traffic-calming measures requested by the town would have to be funded separately, even if its April 2003 letter to his department specifically stated that in addition to road widening, ''we would campaign for children walking to school safely by constructing sidewalks.''

Mayor Henry Foy notes that the DOT responded to some requests, but not others, stressing, ''The idea of the land-use plan is the walkable community aspect.''

Others put it more bluntly. Pointing out that private developers would have to consult with town planners, meet the town's smart-growth goals, and go through the public-review process, Alderman Brown says DOT should be held to the same standards.

Town Planner Paul Benson confirms that the town is asking DOT to offset the road widening with both-side sidewalks, raised crosswalks, a tree border and landscaped islands, observing that without them the project ''could result in increased speed, which could actually make the road by the school less safe.''

That's also the key argument of residents who attended DOT's informational meeting last month, only to find that half of their yards will be taken for the road, with little space left in front of their doors. ''When roads are wider and straighter, people just tend to go faster,'' says resident Chuck Dixon. ''There is more to a highway than cars going quickly. It also involves bicycles and sidewalks.'' He fears that DOT officials ''are just going through the motions and they weren't going to change anything based on community input.'' -- Smoky Mountain News   12/15/2004

Resource(s): www.smokymountainnews.com/

Smart Growth and Schools Work Group Draft Report Criticized for Missing Key Issues

As requested by Orange County Commissioners in March 2003, local planning and school officials in the ''Smart Growth and Schools'' work group are honing a report expected to call for better integration of ''land use issues and 'smart-growth principles' in school sitting,'' but its preliminary draft is already questioned by Carrboro Alderman Joal Hall Broun for omitting several key points.

The alderman told the semi-annual Assembly of Governments meeting, reports Durham Herald-Sun writer Geoffrey Graybeal, that considering school siting, county and town officials should think about where they want to encourage growth and note the lack of schools in mostly black communities, but also be willing to expand older schools before building new ones and to build them smaller in the future.

Since the present school siting standards have often been criticized for requiring large tracts of land and thus encouraging sprawl, County Planning Director Craig Benedict said the ''Smart Growth and Schools'' group is looking at cities and urban neighborhoods, where site acreage needs likely would decrease. The group is expected to present its report in the coming weeks. -- Herald-Sun   9/30/2004

Resource(s): www.heraldsun.com/

Writer Proposes New Approach for School Siting: Schools as Redevelopment Projects

Concerned that most of the 10 prospective school sites listed in a new Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district report are ''difficult,'' former Chapel Hill Mayor and now Brian Properties writer Rosemary Waldorf points out in her Chapel Hill Herald guest editorial that only one of the best two of these sites ''could possibly be developed according to smart growth principles,'' which would ensure the future school's small footprint, easy non-car access, and long-missed community role.

Two area schools already show that ''many kids do in fact walk and bike'' when the land-use pattern makes it possible,'' she stresses, while several others ''enhance their host neighborhoods'' and have at least some students walking.

With much of the thought about school construction dating back to the era of ample and cheaper land and Persian Gulf oil, and no longer valid, she writes, ''(a) different approach toward school siting has potential and can work in the right places: building a school as a redevelopment project.''

The great example is the Moore Square Magnet Middle School near fast-rallying historic Moore Square in downtown Raleigh. Reclaiming a four-acre site of a former store and ''a hangout for drug dealers,'' the 600-student school compensates for its reduced space through educational programs at downtown museums and performing arts facilities, with its basketball court also used for student drop-off and an adjacent newly widened street for busing.

All this proves ''that you don't need the 35 acres recommended for a middle school,'' she observes, adding that all this also won the Moore Square Magnet Middle School one of four National Smart Growth Achievement Awards from the U.S. EPA last November. -- Chapel Hill Herald   8/31/2004

Resource(s): www.heraldsun.com/

Increased Transit Use Part of Plan Adding Smart Growth Features to New Carrboro High School

It took almost a year, but Orange County Commissioners and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools have finally harmonized legal documents that increase the $27.8 million outlay on a third high school in Carrboro by $1.9 million specifically for smart-growth features now and another $300,000 likely later, with city schools Superintendent Neil Pedersen relieved that the commissioners ''are recognizing our intent to design a smart-growth school.''

Expected to open in 2007, the school will initially hold 800 and eventually 1,200 students. Smart-growth principles require its lower environmental impact and less car dependency among teachers, students and visitors.

Planners have originally visualized a total of 515 parking spots, but to obtain smart-growth funds they cut the number to 420, report Durham Herald-Sun writers Geoffrey Graybeal and Carolyn Norton, noting that some Carrboro officials want a further reduction to encourage transit use.

Other key smart-growth features include shuttle and public bus service, park-and-ride lots, and sidewalks.

If commissioners release the last $300,000 in smart-growth money, the writers find, the district will use it to buy shuttles or buses and transit software, contribute to Chapel Hill Transit and Orange Public Transportation, and leverage town grants for sidewalks and bike lanes. -- Herald-Sun   6/26/2004

Resource(s): www.herald-sun.com/

Asheville's ''Gerber Village:'' No Cars Required

''Gerber Village could be called the 'Anti-Atlanta','' says The Asheville Citizen-Times in an editorial about this $150 million project for the 38-acre south Asheville site of the former Gerber baby food factory, where in three to five years about 1,500 residents will find ''almost every amenity without involving an automobile.''

The site's ''urban village'' zoning district, created by the Asheville City Council under its Unified Development Ordinance ''to encourage smart growth,'' the editorial says, is ''a far better fit than the Wal-Mart Supercenter'' that had been discussed as a possibility.

South Miami's Gulfside Development Co. expects to break ground this summer, planning a total of 230,000 square feet of retail and office space, with its first phase construction completed next spring, and 516 to 616 condominiums.

''Once you're here, everything you need is going to be readily available,'' stresses Gulfside Director of Development Jose Suarez-Marill.

Glad to see similar examples of downtown-like urban villages in Buncombe County, the daily mentions Eastwood Village, Cheshire and Biltmore Lake, concluding, ''In-fill development of vacant land, an increase in the city and county tax base and minimal traffic impact is indeed 'smart growth' and a welcome addition to the landscape.'' -- The Asheville Citizen-Times   5/28/2004

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com/

After Tracing U.S. Health Problems to Sprawl, Researchers Look to Planning for Health Solutions

As national and North Carolina overweight and obesity rates climbed to 59 percent in 2002, and runaway health-care costs hit the economy, writes University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Endeavors magazine writer Neil Caudle, many researchers looked beyond the usual suspects of ''fast food and too much television'' and began to implicate ''the 'built environment,' much of which was built around cars'' and gradually morphed into the ever-farther suburbs.

''We grow up with the understanding that the only way to travel is by car, and the only way for communities to develop is with a separation of uses,'' but the time has come for governments and businesses to grasp the value of mixed uses and ''the economic advantage of having people out and about without cars,'' stresses UNC School of Public Health's Department of Health Behavior and Health Education Associate Professor Rich Killingsworth.

Directing the $17 million Active Living by Design project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to analyze the roles of transportation, education, law enforcement, city planning, architecture, and urban design in the physical activity of residents in 25 communities nationwide, including Chapel Hill, Professor Killingsworth says, ''Chapel Hill is well suited to what we're trying to achieve,'' since it epitomizes ''a small town concept,'' its responsiveness to people is shown by the influence of committees handling ''everything from bike paths to green space,'' and the schools are fully linked with ''the sidewalk system.''

But researchers still wonder, the writer reports, if New Urbanism can really move people from their sofas and cars.

City and Regional Planning Assistant Professor Daniel Rodriguez notes that people ''drive down to the shopping mall to walk, or they drive to the gym,'' though his study of UNC-Chapel Hill found that since local bus service became fare-free in January 2002, ridership jumped to 4.5 million a year on regular routes, and that the higher the percentage of sidewalks between area homes and the campus, the higher the probability of residents walking to work or school.

And City and Regional Planning Chair Professor Emil Malizia raises a thorny issue of equity and health, pointing out that low-income neighborhoods, usually near highways, factories or similar urban detriments, are noisier, dirtier and less safe, which also discourages walking, biking and other outdoor activities.

''People in the lower-income category are the very group most vulnerable to the health risks,'' says the planning professor, who has told his staff and students to work closely with the School of Public Health. Planners have focused ''on livability and quality of life,'' but must refocus on ''health and safety,'' he adds, repeating, ''These have to be our primary concerns: public health and public safety.'' -- Endeavors   5/15/2004

Resource(s): http://research.unc.edu/endeavors/

Charlotte City Council Discusses Smart Growth Strategies at Policy Retreat

''(Our critics) are saying that smart growth is bad. But what they don't understand is without smart growth, we have no growth in the future, because we won't be able to get permits,'' said Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory at a City Council policy retreat, amplifying Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Director Doug Bean's warning that should state officials find the area's fast growth harmful to the environment, they could block new water and sewer lines.

As more development ''means more pavement,'' which increases dirty runoff, which hurts water quality, which ultimately hinders development, notes Charlotte Observer writer Richard Rubin, retreat participants focused on the question of how to balance growth and water quality needs, especially since federal law requires Charlotte to expand water-quality rules over the next three years.

The new rules must reach beyond limiting construction-phase and subsequent runoff, to really ensure improvement in stream and groundwater quality, said city engineer Jim Schumacher, who is launching a yearlong rule-making process. -- Charlotte Observer   4/6/2004

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Speaker Tells Catawba College Forum That Smart Growth Offers More Transportation, Housing Alternatives

Smart growth is against neither the car and the suburbs nor development itself; it simply offers people transportation and housing choices, or alternatives to car-dependent and costly sprawl, said North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance executive director Cara Crisler at Catawba College's Center for the Environment in Salisbury, addressing students and the newly formed Air Quality Commission during a forum held by Dr. John Wear Jr. as part of the center's efforts to educate the public on air-quality issues.

She told the forum, reports Salisbury Post writer Mark Wineka, that sprawl is ''almost mandated'' by predominant single-use zoning, so communities seeking quality-of-life improvements, less traffic and cleaner air should revise their development codes -- like Salisbury is currently doing -- to spur mixed uses and pedestrian-friendly grid-street designs. Otherwise, North Carolina's land consumption will continue to outpace its population growth.

She said any municipality, regardless of size, can adopt ''smart code'' that clearly defines a development edge, adding, ''You know when you're in town, and you know when you're in the country.'' -- Salisbury Post   4/3/2004

Resource(s): http://salisburypost.townnews.com/

Facing Clean Air Restrictions, North Carolina Looks at Ways to Cut Highway Traffic on Urban Interstate Routes

Alarmed by the congestion rate jump on North Carolina's 375-mile urban interstate network from 37 percent in 1996 to 53 percent last year, compared to 41 percent nationwide, a panel of state lawmakers, city mayors and business and environmental leaders began to examine ways of cutting highway traffic -- blamed for about half of local ozone pollution -- to meet new clean-air standards and secure all the expected federal transportation money, with state Democratic Representative Becky Carney warning, ''We're on a crash course for no funding.''

Next month, reports Associated press writer Gary D. Robertson in the Raleigh News & Observer, the U.S. EPA may decide to increase the number of North Carolina counties that must meet the new clean-air rules from the current seven to 35 of the 100 total, especially in fast-growth and heavily urbanized areas. Noting that the legislature allocated $70 million over the next two years to match federal transit dollars, he writes that on its first meeting, the panel discussed the possibility of boosting transit funds by giving local governments more authority to raise taxes.

The panel will present its recommendations to the legislature early next year. -- News & Observer   3/11/2004

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/index.html

Negotiations Continue on Smart Growth Features of Planned Carrboro High School

Eager to promote smart growth, the Orange County Commission promised the school district to increase the $27.8 million allocation for its third high school -- slated to open in Carrboro in 2006 -- by $2.2 million specifically for smart-growth features, but having ironed out the additional funding mechanism, both sides are still consulting on three items of the 15-point smart growth addenda.

Last month, reports Durham Herald-Sun writer Geoffrey Graybeal, the school board accepted 12 addenda points, agreeing to bike lanes and racks, parking spots for only 22 percent of the expected 800 students, environmental impact remedies and other measures. At the same time, the board wanted to increase staff and visitor parking spots from 80 to 150, and to look more closely at the operational cost of park-and-ride lot shuttles and at the price of climate-controlled shelters.

County Commissioner Alice Gordon also has second thoughts, suggesting that the additional $2.2 million should go for construction and equipment of the school building, and that the school district should perhaps get more for other smart growth features. ''I wonder,'' she said, ''if by encouraging these smart growth initiatives, if we also ought to put up some (additional) money'' for their implementation. -- Herald-Sun   2/22/2004

Resource(s): www.herald-sun.com/

Bonus Funds Available for New Orange County High School If Smart Growth Goals Are Met

Having given the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district $27.8 million for its third high school and promised $2.2 million more if it meets smart growth goals, the Orange County Commission followed with a four-page list of specific requirements, which include compact design, increased bus use, reduced parking, and sufficient sidewalks and paths to encourage student walking and biking.

Expected to hold 800 students initially and to open in 2006, the school must use at least $300,000 of the extra money to ''reduce the dependence on the automobile for school functions and to reduce vehicle miles traveled related to school functions,'' reads Durham Herald-Sun writer Carolyn Norton from the requirement list, quoting County Commission Chairman Barry Jacobs, who says the school district can offset these costs through good planning decisions. An endorsement of Carrboro's plan to improve a site-adjacent road, he explained, would shift the $250,000 cost of its partial widening from the school district to the state, while reduced school parking could save it an additional $49,000. School district board vice chairwoman Lisa Stuckey said she looks forward to acting on the document. -- Herald-Sun   12/11/2003

Resource(s): www.herald-sun.com/

Raleigh School Project Reclaims Downtown Land, Adds Local Museums and Cultural Centers to Curriculum

As the first nationwide, Moore Square Museums Magnet Middle School in downtown Raleigh will receive the U.S. EPA ''smart growth achievement'' award for reclaiming a once-blighted four-acre block and making nearby museums and other cultural institutions an integral part of curriculum for its 600 students, with EPA program manager Tim Torma saying this location exemplifies how ''(s)chools can serve community goals other than education.'' As Moore Square is a key part of their downtown development strategy, reports News-Observer writer Richard Stradling, city officials have just honored the school with a Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Community Appearance. In contrast to most of the Triangle's new suburban schools, which usually have about 1,200 students and take 35-40 open acres for athletic fields, lawns and parking, Moore Square school does without a track, a baseball diamond and an auditorium, but students walk two or three times a week to visit art and cultural centers or attend theatrical rehearsals and other downtown events. Encouraged by the school's success, Wake County school officials will apply the lessons to its other new schools, with assistant superintendent Mike Farris saying, ''All those kinds of things allow us to make a more compact footprint.'' -- News-Observer   10/27/2003

Resource(s): www.newsandobserver.com/index.html

Regional Rail Plan Advocates Hope to Diversify Growth Patterns, Offer Transit Alternative in Triangle Area

Foes of the Triangle Transit Authority's regional rail plan are right that it won't work should the region still multiply its spread-out car-dependent suburbs, but they miss the key point that the rail would attract mixed-use high-density projects crucial for transit viability and gradually diversify current Triangle growth patterns, writes Triangle Growth Strategies executive director Ian Miller in the Raleigh News-Observer, pointing out that the suburbs were designed for once-dominant families of parents and children, which now constitute less than a quarter of the nation's households, and that the region must therefore ''provide for the different lifestyles, wants and needs of the other three-quarters.'' Data show that commuter rail is used mainly by residents within a one-mile radius of a station, director Miller observes, noting that station-area development requires 20-40 units per acre, ''apartment buildings, townhouses, multi- and single-family homes,'' plus shops, grocery stores, service centers, restaurants, bars, movie theaters and other entertainment venues, along with wide sidewalks, crosswalks, parks, community gardens, playgrounds and other amenities. Development which will let people ''go about their daily business without having to get into their cars,'' the writer stresses, will not only meet the public need, but also ''inject an economic stimulus for the station areas and increase the Triangle's tax revenue.'' Then he adds, ''Regional rail is not anti-car, and high-density development is not anti-suburbs. Rather, these provide alternatives to -- not displacement of -- suburban subdivisions and auto-dependent transportation.'' -- News-Observer   10/26/2003

Resource(s): www.newsandobserver.com/index.html

Wake Forest Students Host Open Forum on Smart Growth

The Democracy Fellows at the Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, a group of 30 juniors resolved to promote civic engagement and policy deliberation, held an open forum on ''Building Communities and Smart Growth in the Triad,'' the participants examining suggestions to increase funds for older suburbs to cut roots of sprawl, improve urban core services to attract residents back, and lessen city zoning and planning restrictions to allow more housing options. The student and faculty attendance was good, but the public's insufficient, reports campus Old Gold and Black assistant news editor Alex Reyes, quoting Democracy Fellows advisers, political science professor Katy Harriger and communication professor Jill McMillan, who think the students should increase efforts to involve community activists and groups. Economic Department chairman, professor Allin Cottrell noted that by annexing suburbs, Winston-Salem leaves them self-sufficient but makes more money itself, adding, ''There should be a linear relationship between tax dollars and available services.'' Appreciative of the ''deliberative model'' the students have learned, Democracy Fellow Aaron Blades said, ''Even with people you normally wouldn't agree with, you have to look at positive and negative outcomes and be as balanced as possible by finding common ground.'' -- Old Gold and Black   10/2/2003

Resource(s): www.ogb.wfu.edu/news/index.php

UNC Transport Professor Says Local Zoning and Population Density Produce Sprawl, Not New Highways

In contrast to research showing how new highways induce development, a study by University of North Carolina-Charlotte transportation professor David Hartgen concluded that local zoning and population density are more responsible for sprawl in the state, with the professor saying, ''Within urban areas, road construction is following growth, not preceding it,'' an assertion astonishing the chairman of the Smart Growth Committee of the N.C. Sierra Club, John Tallmadge, who said, ''You put a new highway and it usually does spur development.'' In the study commissioned by ''the conservative John Locke Foundation,'' reports Associated Press writer Scott Mooneyham in the Charlotte Observer, professor Hartgen compared population growth within each 1-mile corridor of 312 urban road-building or road-widening projects over the 1990s, finding about half of the growth elsewhere and its corridor rate faster by only two to 14 percent. This, the professor found far below the increased vehicle capacity on new roads, with a traffic increase not higher than that caused by a new McDonald restaurant. John Locke Foundation president John Hood said the study tells policy-makers that road construction should aim to alleviate congestion rather than influence growth. The Sierra Club's Tallmadge pointed out that the planned 13-mile I-540 arch north of Raleigh brought new subdivisions and shopping centers alongside even before it was built. -- Observer   9/24/2003

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/

Smart Growth ''Report Card'' Points to Need for Regional Cooperation in North Carolina's Research Triangle Area

As the Research Triangle Region's quality of life ''continues to attract businesses and residents at a rapid rate,'' it also is at risk from the consequent increases in traffic, air pollution and housing prices, a sequence that requires regional cooperation to secure both long-term growth and livability, concludes the first ''Triangle Regional Smart Growth Report Card,'' produced by the University of North Carolina's Center for Urban and Regional Studies at Chapel Hill, with Triangle Growth Strategies executive director Ian Miller saying, ''We are trying to plant the seeds of a regional vision. Transportation and the environment (problems) cannot be solved at the municipal level.'' Overseen by a seven-member committee, including North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance representative Cara Crisler, Triangle Smart Growth Coalition expert Syd Miller and Home Builders Association of Raleigh and Wake County official Jim Wahlbrink, the report card rates the region's seven counties -- for which their Triangle J Council of Governments had full data sets -- in seven categories and 28 subcategories. The region received a collective grade B+ in Economic Vitality for standard of living; a grade B in Civic Life for public involvement and vibrant community life; a grade B- in Affordability/Equity for affordable housing and adequate employment options; a grade C in Transportation, in Open Space/Farmland, and in Environment/Public Health -- for a range of transportation options, protection of natural areas and recreational space, and the enhancement of health and the environment, respectively -- and a grade C- in Growth Management for land use patterns. The Smart Growth Report Card Committee sees it ''as a first step in helping Triangle residents recognize where we stand and then do what is necessary to excel and 'make the honor roll' rather than accepting the status quo in areas where we know we can do better.'' For that ''various groups must work together to develop effective and innovative strategies for preventing traffic congestion and piecemeal development while maintaining the characteristics of the region that the Triangle is known for -- an educated citizenry, low unemployment and excellent cultural amenities.''   9/9/2003

Resource(s): www.trianglegrowth.org ; www.unc.edu/depts/curs/newpub.html

Editorial Urges Regional Master Plan to Map Charlotte Growth

The coming growth will change the Charlotte area ''whether or not local governments have a sensible plan for managing it,'' states a Charlotte Observer editorial, stressing that besides ''a strong local vision coupled with sensible planning,'' the area within the city's 40-mile radius needs ''a regional planning authority,'' for laying out prospective infrastructure, and a central transportation planning agency instead of the current four, ''each with its own priorities,'' which is ''a prescription for disaster.'' If the area's old towns, now ''in danger of being swamped by newcomers who know little about the communities except that taxes are low and the commute to Charlotte is tolerable,'' are to remain ''something more than just suburban Charlotte by another name,'' they need a regional master plan. Under such a plan, the editorial says, communities could ''develop a vision that encourages sensible relationships of open space, recreational opportunities, jobs, single- and multi-family housing and retail opportunities, all linked by a transportation system that encourages free flow of traffic and offers a mass transit option.'' Some towns, including Davidson, Huntersville and Rock Hill, the editorial concludes, are trying to do just that on their own, but they and all the others need a regional framework soon. -- Observer   7/24/2003

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Rapid Growth Threatens Old-Time Ambiance of Small Towns in Charlotte Metro Region

Small towns in the 13-county Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury metro area -- already one of the fastest-growing in the nation and still expecting its population of about 2 million to nearly double by 2035 -- enjoy economic benefits of rapid growth, but scramble to save the identity and old-time ambiance that make them so attractive in the first place. The border between Charlotte-Mecklenburg County and the adjacent counties is ''blurring'' and in 200-year-old Concord, some eight miles northeast in Cabarrus County, residents ''are shocked to see farms and trees bulldozed for new subdivisions,'' reports Charlotte Observer writer Jennifer Talhelm, quoting Concord Mayor Scott Padgett, who says downtown ''is more prosperous and vibrant'' than it has been in many years, but people ''are scared of what's happening'' on the outskirts. The metro growth, traffic and pollution also spill into South Carolina's York County just a few miles southwest, with County Councilman Rick Lee saying, ''We have what people are looking for now. And we are rapidly converting it into what people left.'' To save its rural heritage, the county is considering ways of protecting open space and encouraging development in cities like York and Rock Hill, which are enhancing their centers with better sidewalks and old-fashioned street lamps. North Carolina's Gastonia in Gaston County is doing the same and Weddington in Union County is trying to manage growth with new zoning rules that require setting aside half of its developable land as open space. Some residents, the writer notes, consider the rules too restrictive for their property rights, taking their campaign against Mayor Ed Howie and council members to the Internet. -- Observer   7/24/2003

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

''Sprawl Lobby'' Tops List of PAC Contributors in North Carolina

As the public need for sound planning, growth management and environmental protection becomes more urgent in North Carolina each year, the ''sprawl lobby'' of developers, realtors, contractors and road builders give electoral state candidates more and more money each election cycle ''to gain influence and build relationships inside the General Assembly,'' writes Democracy North Carolina research director Bob Hall in The Charlotte Observer, blaming that money for much of the legislative resistance to almost anything that could help communities control development. He cites data collected by his voting rights research and education center. In the 2000 election cycle, the N.C. Home Builders Association PAC gave $167,566 and the Realtors PAC $142,000 to legislative candidates, becoming the 3rd and 7th largest donor, respectively. But in the 2002 election cycle, both PACs increased their state campaign contributions -- builders to $223,150 and Realtors to $255,450 -- reaching the 2nd and 1st rank, respectively. In the current General Assembly, 136 of 170 members got builders' 2002 campaign money, 95 of them at least $1,000. The ''sprawl lobby,'' the author stresses, is ''the single largest source of political contributions for state candidates,'' in both executive and legislative branch, giving them ''more than the health-care, banking, or legal sectors.'' -- Charlotte Observer   5/19/2003

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/

Redevelopment and Investment Expected to Greet Charlotte's South Boulevard Light Rail Line

With the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) set to start work on the $371 million South Boulevard light-rail line from uptown to I- 485 in October, land prices in areas slated for its 14 stations went up 10 percent in the last nine months; developer Andy Heath is already building a complex of 96 condos, offices and shops on 4.2 acres near the planned New Bern station; and everybody is anticipating major mixed-use redevelopment along most of the 10- mile route, now taken over by car dealerships, strip malls and small businesses. Public investment in new streets, sidewalks and landscaping, together with private money for homes and shops, will revitalize areas around light-rail stations, developer Heath tells Charlotte Observer writer Dianne Whitacre, who expects the changes to ''ripple out'' at least a quarter-mile, an easy walking distance to a train. The New Bern site, considered a model for other stations, already features a broad sidewalk and bike path, which will run from uptown perhaps even further south, and CATS officials also plan a small park nearby. As landowners and developers study the light-rail plans, hoping to repeat the success of the uptown-South End trolley line, which spurred $400 million of investment in mixed-use redevelopment, the writer notes, the Chambers Group is likely to start construction of a small shopping center at the end the light-rail line late in the year. Others are thinking further ahead. Property owner and former state Senator Jerry Blackmon doesn't want the line to stop at I-485, but to continue into Rock Hill. Then ''we will truly have a regional system,'' he says. ''When you plan rail, it is basically forever.'' -- Charlotte Observer   5/15/2003

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/

Jackson County Puts Subdivision Ordinance at Top of Smart Growth Task Force's To-Do List

Concerned about an upscale 500-home project proposed along Bear Lake and about its impact on area resources and services, the Jackson County Commission instructed the county's newly created seven-member Smart Growth Task Force to work first on an urgently needed countywide subdivision ordinance as a part of a future comprehensive land-use plan, with task force chairman Mark Jamison stressing both the need to preserve the character of local communities and ''the chance to determine our own destiny.'' The point is to set some administrative procedures and recommendations, he said, ''not just pass an ordinance and walk away from it.'' Task force consultant, former Buncombe County planner Gerald Green, told members their job isn't to stop growth but to manage it, reports Smoky Mountain News writer Don Hendershot, quoting him as saying, ''We know where we want to go, but we haven't chosen to take that difficult road.'' Issues already discussed and slated for the task force's ''brainstorming'' session next month include road standards, water and sewage service, soil and water protection, public land and emergency vehicle access. -- Smoky Mountain News   4/23/2003

Resource(s): www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/

Threat of Poor Air Quality in Charlotte May Encourage Regional Land-Use Planning

Even though the worsening traffic and air pollution across the Charlotte region -- population over 1.5 million -- hasn't sparked much regional land-use planning cooperation so far, smart growth proponents hope to gain allies among county and municipal officials concerned that the U.S. EPA may find the region's air unacceptably bad in 2004, which would cost it part of an expected $6 billion in federal transportation money unless they moved together to comply with new clean air standards. In tough competition for new development tax revenue, many local officials are reluctant to cede some of their prerogatives to a regional land-use agency, reports Charlotte Observer writer Ronnie Glassberg, quoting Cabarrus County Commissioner Coy Privette, who thinks such an agency ''would be usurping the county's authority'' and Rowan County Commission Chairman Steve Blount, who adds, ''When you get elected by a local populace, you tend to address their immediate needs first.'' But Huntersville Mayor Kim Phillips points out that what other localities do ''affects how we live,'' Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission Chairwoman Mary Hooper says, ''We can't build a wall high enough to protect our air,'' and Mecklenburg County Commission Chairman stresses that ''people ought to focus less on the autonomy they might lose and more on the results we can achieve by working together.'' -- Charlotte Observer   3/25/2003

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/local/

After Two Years of Contentious Debates, Pineville Rejects Wal-Mart Supercenter

With Pineville Mayor George Fowler casting the decisive vote, the Town Council voted 3-2 against a Wal-Mart Supercenter proposed for a busy intersection on Charlotte's southwestern edge, ending a two-year long abrasive public debate which reminded Councilman Kenny Mills, one of the project opponents, of a civil war that ''pitted family against family and neighbor against neighbor.'' The council, Charlotte Observer writer Michele Wayman reminds readers, unanimously rejected the supercenter last spring as incompatible with local character and bad for area traffic, but Wal-Mart reintroduced it in January, offering better building design and $1 million in road and traffic signal improvements. In addition, many town residents signed a petition in Wal-Mart's support, which made two council members vote this time for the supercenter. Still, the majority concluded that Wal-Mart design changes left other concerns unanswered and that another big-box store would do the town more harm than good. -- Charlotte Observer   3/12/2003

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/

Cumberland County Relaxes Curb, Sidewalk Standards

''Smart growth won't come about by a chance,'' says The Fayetteville (NC) Observer in an opinion on Cumberland County's recent relaxation of curb and sidewalk standards, sharing Commissioner Billy King's expressed hope that ''many of our nicer neighborhoods will put those kinds of things in,'' but noting that ''hope doesn't pour concrete, either there or in less affluent neighborhoods where the need might be just as great.'' Although most developers understand their responsibilities both to home buyers and to ''the communities in and near which they build,'' and although ''not every cul-de-sac needs a concrete curb'' and not every low-density subdivision ''requires sidewalks on both sides'' of each street, the daily sees holes in the explanation ''that the standards were lowered for the economic benefit of the county.'' It agrees that in hard times, ''a building boom of any scale is a fine thing,'' but stresses that ''aesthetics aside, safety hazards and stormwater runoff and water-quality problems also affect the county and its municipalities.'' The county, the daily concludes, should respond to the challenge ''with careful study and creative revision -- not with abdication. It isn't too late for a more thorough review of the old standards, or the adoption of better ones.'' -- The Fayetteville (NC) Observer   2/23/2003

Resource(s): www.fayettevillenc.com/

Editorial Criticizes Density, Mobility Aspects of Charlotte ''Smart Growth'' Apartment Complex

''Smart growth is not a one-size-fits-all concept, and it has to be more than an economic opportunity for developers,'' writes Dilworth Community Development Association board member Jill Walker in the Charlotte Observer, criticizing the Charlotte City Council's recent approval of a big apartment complex in the Kenilworth and Scott Avenue corridor -- a project related to the nearby mixed-use Latta Pavilion on East Boulevard and also touted as ''smart growth,'' yet opposed by a majority of local residents not because of any aversion to density or affordable housing in general, but because its narrow sidewalks discourage walking, cars have no place to park and the section's zoning for 65-88 units per acre overwhelms the neighborhood and promises traffic gridlock. Noting that higher urban core density is Charlotte's priority ''for many good reasons'' and that her neighborhood accepts ''density by design, not by happenstance,'' the writer stresses the need to update the 18-year- old and ''quite vague'' Dilworth development plan through broad citizen involvement and to slow down the push for density ''long enough to incorporate thoughtful and reasonable guidelines,'' clear for all concerned. ''Simply capitulating to the smart-growth hype,'' she writes, ''without addressing the design, density and impact of these large-scale projects, will have serious negative consequences for Dilworth and other similar inner-city neighborhoods.'' -- Charlotte Observer   2/6/2003

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/

Poor Use of Term ''Smart Growth'' Will Give it a Bad Name, Editor Warns

Although she ''kick(s) them around now and then,'' Charlotte Observer associate editor Mary Newsom genuinely feels for the city's policy makers for being ''pushed around to do some very contradictory things, all in the name of something called smart growth.'' Seeing the concept as ''muddy and getting muddier,'' but really so complicated that it's easy for some ''to grab only one part -- density or mass transit -- and think they've caught the whole thing,'' the editor writes she has seen officials falling for such fragmentary developer arguments, calling ''something 'Smart Growth' to give themselves political cover'' or simply patting ''themselves on the backs for having a transit plan, as if that solves the growth problems.'' Such a clumsy application of ''the term smart growth to the wrong things is going to give the whole concept a bad name,'' she warns, hoping city officials will evaluate projects comprehensively and confront contextual growth problems. She mentions three. When residents of older neighborhoods oppose high-density projects as certain to worsen traffic, they shouldn't always be dismissed as NIMBYs, because with Charlotte's ''poor alternatives to driving,'' insufficient sidewalks and other pedestrian-oriented amenities, ''sometimes they have a point.'' A dense or mixed-use project doesn't automatically qualify as smart growth if it is located at the city fringe, while core neighborhoods remain hollowed out, hit by ''the loss of stores, jobs and workplaces.'' Officials must decide the question ''where not to grow'' as the other part of any intelligent growth policy, since the absence of urban growth boundaries or the lack of limits on expansion water and sewer services to rural areas makes land preservation possible only through costly purchases and the region ''is condemned to a future of unchecked development clear to the horizon, far as the eye can see.'' And this, the editor concludes, isn't very smart. -- Charlotte Observer   12/7/2002

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/

Asheville's Smart Growth Partners Presents Second Annual Smart Growth Awards

The Asheville-based Smart Growth Partners of Western North Carolina, ''a grassroots nonprofit organization working to achieve livable, healthy and economically robust communities through compact and orderly development and redevelopment,'' honored several area jurisdictions, agencies, companies, groups and individuals advancing these goals with its second annual Smart Growth Awards. The winners and honorable mention recipients were selected from numerous entries in eight categories: Economic Development, Environment, Government Policies, Housing, Neighborhoods, Public Spaces, Town and Cities, and Transportation. In addition, a Smart Growth Award in the special Most Burning Issue category went to two Democratic state lawmakers, Senator Steve Metcalf and Representative Martin Nesbitt, and nine other individuals for their key roles in the passage of the state's Clean Smokestacks Act. See www.smartgrowth-wnc.org -- Asheville Citizen-Times   11/17/2002

Resource(s): http://cgi.citizen-times.com/

Asheville Applies New Mixed-Use Zoning to Historic Broadway

To spur development along Asheville's historic Broadway -- widened to four lanes in 1997, but still two-thirds empty -- the City Council unanimously voted to zone it as a new mixed-use Neighborhood Corridor District, allowing construction of four-story buildings with stores or offices on the ground floor and residential units above. The new district ordinance incorporates local input to ensure that development won't infringe on the area's planned greenway, and limits building footprints to 48,000 square feet, reports Asheville Citizen-Times writer Melissa Williams, but still raises some worries over their impact. Resident Cynthia Long says she supports the ordinance and its spirit, yet pictures herself having breakfast next to a large building and ''wondering where the sun went.'' Despite such concerns, Vice Mayor Terry Bellamy considers the ordinance a good one. ''Sometimes there's going to be give and take,'' she says. ''But we do that for the betterment of our community.''   11/12/2002

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com/

Charlotte Receives Pledge of $250,000 from EPA Administrator Whitman for ''Action Steps'' to Reduce Sprawl

''Nature doesn't recognize geo-political borders,'' said EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, applauding officials from 11 counties and 15 cities of the Charlotte region -- its population up from 1.6 to 2.1 million since 1990 -- for their extraordinary cooperation under the EPA Regional Sustainability Demonstration Project, launched with a $100,000 EPA grant in 2000, and for devising 25 ''action steps'' to fight the area's urban sprawl, traffic congestion, water pollution and other environmental ills. Administrator Whitman also promised another $250,000 in federal money to help them deal with those challenges. According to the Associated Press and Charlotte Observer writer Peter Smolowitz, the project's participants agreed to reduce cul-de-sacs, require sidewalks and set minimum tree planting standards in new residential projects; promote greenways, bike paths and pedestrian trails; maintain buffers along rivers and creeks; and encourage carpooling. Project co-chairman, Mecklenburg County Commission Chairman Park Helms said the action steps will prove the region's leaders are its ''good stewards.'' The other co-chairman, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, noted that some of the steps will be controversial in some areas, but urged officials to take them now, before the situation worsens. And in response to a question about implementation deadlines, Statesville Mayor John Marshall said, ''Smart growth is something you put in place, and you build, and you build, and you build. There is no end to this. This is the way it's going to be from now on.'' -- Charlotte Observer   10/31/2002

Resource(s): http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/

Charlotte to Launch Rapid-Transit Program in 2003

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will launch a proposed $2.9 billion rapid-transit program next year with light rail to the south, where some property values along the line have already doubled and developers of a 95-unit condo-flat-townhome project near the future New Bern Street station are targeting young professionals and others seeking easy city access, but leaders of Pineville, ten miles down, suggest that the line stop short of the town since they want to avoid the high-density development its station would require. The north corridor will get a 25-mile commuter-rail line running to Mooresville in Iredell County. Tired of the area's dependence on cars and Interstate 77, Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson leaders have early cooperated on zoning to encourage mixed-use, high-density projects near prospective train stations, because, says Davidson Town Manager Leamon Brice, ''We realized back in the mid-'90s that we were never going to be able to build enough roads.'' Huntersville transportation planner Bill Coxe sees the parallel to I-77 and the still mostly rural N.C. 115 corridor as ideal for transit-oriented growth. But in the west and southeast, slated for busways instead of light rail, report Charlotte Observer writers Steve Lyttle, Michele Wayman and Erica Beshears, community leaders are protesting the CATS decision. East Charlotte activist Marysia Walpole stresses, ''We have the population density and the business to support light rail.'' -- Charlotte Observer   9/22/2002

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Hendersonville Doubles Passenger Totals on Rural Shuttle Buses

Raising the number of weekly boardings on its shuttle buses from 265 in June to 552 by September, Hendersonville's new Apple Country Transit at once became a model for public transport in low-density rural areas -- a success credited by state transportation official Charles Glover to the energy of the managers and volunteers, including director Javonni Burchett, who devised a ''spoke and hub'' route system that brings county residents into the city and lets them switch buses for local destinations. Another factor in the Apple Country Transit popularity and its resulting immediate expansion, the official says, is the county's demographic structure, with thousands of retirees who have had enough of driving and thousands of recent Latino immigrants who are yet to acquire licenses or cars. A citizens' petition for Hendersonville public transit, reports Asheville Citizen-Times writer Susan Dryman, was started by 86-year-old Matealay McLoud, who sold her car seven years ago and realized one day that ''I can't go anywhere on my own anymore.'' The writer notes that offering older residents easy mobility, the transit system ''also spares them and their relatives the pain and expense of nursing homes and retirement centers.'' She adds that focused now on teen-agers, transit director Burchett is scheduling afternoon bus stops at three area schools beginning October 1, saying it will let students ''get errands done at the library, the mall or Wal-Mart after school instead of sitting at home waiting for their parents to get off work.'' -- Citizen-Times   9/18/2002

Resource(s): http://cgi.citizen-times.com/cgi-bin/index

Asheville Community Groups Seek Reversal of Mixed-Use Zoning Plan

Bitter over the planned construction of a 219,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter in east Asheville, several area community groups asked Buncombe County Superior Court to reverse the City Council's 6-to-1 approval of mixed-use urban village zoning for a 78-acre site along the two-lane Swannanoa River Road as procedurally flawed. The proposed supercenter-anchored Riverbend Marketplace, with 25 condos and townhouses, was to include retail shops and offices, but to reduce its traffic impact, developers eliminated shops, opting for more office space, reports Asheville Citizen-Times writer Melissa Williams. Asheville attorney Betty Lawrence, representing the grass-roots Community Supported Development group, the Biltmore Merchant Association and three homeowners associations, says, ''An urban village is supposed to have a mix of office, retail and residential. Now it's just office and residential.'' But in reality, local residents worry more that Wal-Mart is simply too big for their area. -- Citizen-Times   9/17/2002

Resource(s): http://cgi.citizen-times.com/

Pro-Growth Candidate Prevails in Rural North Carolina Primary

Rural Chatham County, at risk of being overtaken by ''deep-pocket,'' outside developers looking ''to transform large pastoral expanses from green to greenbacks,'' reports Charlotte News Observer writer Anne Blythe, witnessed an extremely vicious District 4 Democratic primary, which sent to the commission-seat contest with Republican and Libertarian nominees in November, a former Republican and planning board member, car wash owner Bunkey Morgan, who narrowly defeated incumbent county board chairman Gary Phillips, a slow-growth advocate instrumental in the passage of the county's new land-use plan. At an August news conference, Phillips decried ''an invasion of big-money politics'' into the race and a California company's ''push poll'' with leading electoral questions. A self-described ''yellow dog Democrat,'' Phillips was called a communist by someone from the audience at the commission meeting just days before the primary. The writer notes that Morgan supported many development projects opposed by Phillips and presented himself to voters as a fiscal conservative who wants to help longtime county residents seeking to cash in on their land regardless of long-term growth plans. After his win, he said, ''I just think the people in the rural parts of this county have spoken up.'' -- Charlotte News Observer   9/11/2002

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/

Pedestrian-Friendly Streets Key to a Successful Downtown Asheville

''Nothing will work until walking works,'' said the executive director of the Florida's nonprofit Walkable Communities Inc., executive director Dan Burden, visiting Smart Growth Partners of North Carolina's Street Smart program in Asheville, where he advised activists on downtown street improvements to make them more pedestrian-friendly and talked about the enormous interest ''in finding and promoting acceptable growth patterns in cities and towns in all 50 states.'' A good growth pattern, he pointed out, incorporates parks and other open space, along with walking and biking trails, into the overall design and ties retail, office and residential areas together to reduce car dependency. ''By failing to create designs with the pedestrian in mind,'' he observed during a short downtown tour, ''we've created a lot of problems for both motorists and pedestrians.'' Reporting from the tour, Asheville Citizen-Times writer Angela Jones also quotes local architect John Murrell-Kisner, who is concerned about the city's growth and wants to promote good patterns to ''make sure we grow well and avoid creating sprawl.'' Smart Growth Partners president Gary Gurnz stressed that his nonprofit group, working on downtown improvements and other development issues, wants to make streets safer for all, ''regardless of their choice of transportation.'' -- Asheville Citizen-Times   8/15/2002

Resource(s): http://cgi.citizen-times.com/

Family Entertainment Complex Planned for East Asheville's Vacant Downtown Area

A neighborhood gathering-and-commerce center through most of the 20th century, until its small stores had to close down with the arrival of ''big boxes,'' the Haw Creek area of east Asheville is about to regain its downtown aura, with developer Roy St. Vincent turning vacant historic buildings into a family entertainment complex called The Village at Haw Creek. Slated for gradual completion between November and the next summer, reports Asheville Citizen-Times writer Angela Jones, the complex will include a market and deli, an inexpensive restaurant, an ice cream parlor and a candy store, a bakery, an interactive toy and computer shop, a video arcade, a miniature golf course and a water park. The developer says he felt the area needed a complex where ''families and kids could spend time together, more than it needed a car dealership or a strip mall.'' He adds: ''We're gearing the restaurant so that a family of four can come eat for about $24.95.'' The writer finds local residents and business owners thrilled. She quotes Dalton Carpet Outlet owner M.E. Sales as saying, ''More than 12,000 cars go through here every day. It's about time they saw something besides empty buildings down here.'' -- The Asheville Citizen-Times   7/22/2002

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com/

Surplus May Permit Additional Light-Rail Line in Charlotte

Assuming that the state and federal governments will fund 75 percent of the Charlotte Area Transit System's (CATS) 1998 long-range plan to link uptown with Pineville by light-rail, with Davidson by commuter train and with University City, Matthews and Charlotte-Douglas International Airport by dedicated busways, the agency may accumulate a $367 million surplus, which would let it eliminate one of the busways in favor of another light-rail line, a prize hoped for in all three bus-slated corridors, but most likely to be awarded to University City because of its higher density. Charlotte Observer writer Dianne Whitacre quotes CATS CEO Ron Tober, who says the airport light-rail route would have the fewest passengers and Matthew's ''land-use patterns will make it much tougher to consider light rail'' for its scattered neighborhoods and commercial areas along Independence Boulevard. Hoping for the matching money, along with bus fare increases and growing revenue from the current half-cent sales tax, he expects full service on three transit routes by 2010, partial service on another two by 2015 and a fully operational system by 2020. -- Charlotte Observer   7/8/2002

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/

Property Values Rise Along Charlotte's Light-Rail Route

In the four years since Charlotte began buying rights of way for an 11.5-mile uptown-Pineville light-rail and trolley line slated for operation in 2006, average land values along its first 2.5-mile South End stretch -- where trolley service will start early next year -- rose from about $10 to $23-$34 per square foot by 2001, while 16 nearby projects in various stages may boost city and Mecklenburg County annual tax revenues from $240,000 to $4.7 million upon completion. City real estate department asset manager Tim O'Brien told Charlotte Observer business writer Doug Smith that investors who bought blighted warehouses and post-industrial parcels in South End ten years ago banking on future light rail are now reaping the rewards, especially because the area has been envisaged as a live-work neighborhood. The writer notes that real estate watchers expect development to surge once the city acquires more land along the tracks and sets guidelines for projects around 15 planned transit stations. -- Charlotte Observer   7/7/2002

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/

Editorial: To Reign in Sprawl, Raleigh Needs to Embrace Mixed-Use Projects

Naming sprawl ''the nation's default pattern,'' which lets developers maximize profits by building on cheaper land away from city amenities, but worsens traffic and air pollution, a News & Observer editorial says if Raleigh is to discourage sprawl and encourage urban infill, residents should welcome such mixed-use projects as the 405 apartments or townhouses atop shops and restaurants proposed by Crosland Inc. for Oberlin Road in the central city, but opposed by the area's Neighborhood Coalition for Responsible Development. The editorial notes that the coalition blocked a ''grander mixed-use plan'' by developer Neal Crocker last year, but that Crosland is determined to build something, if not its preferred residential-commercial project, then offices allowed under current zoning. ''Now the neighbors' vision becomes critical,'' the editorial observes and asks: ''Will they like seeing new neighbors shopping and dining at stores and restaurants to which they can walk? Or will they like seeing office parking lots empty out after 5 o'clock and on weekends just as the downtown office district usually does?'' -- Charlotte News & Observer   6/26/2002

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/editorials/

Mixed-Use Redevelopment Plans Endorsed for Downtown Raleigh

The Raleigh Planning Commission unanimously endorsed the $100 million Progress Energy plans for an 18-story office tower and a 12-story mixed-use high-rise near the company downtown headquarters, along with parallel city-drafted redevelopment plans -- which would let the city condemn properties in the two-block area should negotiations for their purchase fail -- but agreed to exempt four properties whose owners complained they were in tough negotiating positions with the threat of condemnation over their heads. A day before the hearing, News&Observer writer Richard Stradling quoted City Manager Russell Allen as saying the redevelopment plans signal that the city wants the blocks redeveloped and is ready to step in against unwilling property owners to ensure the ''public interest.'' But several owners objected to this tactic, and Progress Energy spokesman Garric Francis said it's not ''in our best interest to get crosswise with any of our customers,'' stressing the company's preference ''to make our own deals in our own time period.'' Planning Director George Chapman pointed out that the City Council has always considered eminent domain ''a last resort'' solution. The writer adds that if the council approves Progress Energy plans, the utility company will start construction late this year, expecting to follow with more homes, stores and offices in the two block area sometime in the next decade. -- Charlotte News & Observer   6/26/2002

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/

Neighbors Oppose ''Smart Growth'' Renovation of Winston-Salem Mansion

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a ''venerable'' Winston-Salem institution known for ''financing progressive causes'' nationwide, and its East Coast Capital Inc. development partner ran into a wall of ''a venerable'' Buena Vista neighborhood with their project to redevelop a First Street mansion as offices, writes Winston-Salem Journal columnist Phoebe Zerwick, sympathizing with the foundation, whose ''latest cause is promoting something called Smart Growth as an antidote to urban sprawl.'' Aware that the idea behind this something ''is to encourage cities and developers to reuse old buildings as an alternative to big-box development,'' the columnist notes that ''people have the power'' and that ''in zoning, the principles of smart growth count for less than the raw numbers.'' And Buena Vista neighbors at the aldermen's hearing had the numbers and one of the town's best zoning lawyers, Steve Calaway, who usually employs ''his folksy style'' for developers. Foundation officials find it ''more than ironic'' that one of the neighborhood organizers, Dennis Hatchel, heads the parent company of Lowes Food, which ''often builds boxy stores and parking lots in someone else's back yard.'' They also ''are frustrated by the defeat of what they call smart growth.'' But, the columnist concludes, ''there's not much you can say for reusing an old mansion -- no matter how smart -- when a venerable old neighborhood stands in your way.'' -- Winston-Salem Journal   6/6/2002

Resource(s): www.journalnow.com/wsj/

Neighbors Oppose ''Smart Growth'' Renovation of Winston-Salem Mansion

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a ''venerable'' Winston-Salem institution known for ''financing progressive causes'' nationwide, and its East Coast Capital Inc. development partner ran into a wall of ''a venerable'' Buena Vista neighborhood with their project to redevelop a First Street mansion as offices, writes Winston-Salem Journal columnist Phoebe Zerwick, sympathizing with the foundation, whose ''latest cause is promoting something called Smart Growth as an antidote to urban sprawl. '' Aware that the idea behind this something ''is to encourage cities and developers to reuse old buildings as an alternative to big-box development,'' the columnist notes that ''people have the power'' and that ''in zoning, the principles of smart growth count for less than the raw numbers.'' And Buena Vista neighbors at the aldermen's hearing had the numbers and one of the town's best zoning lawyers, Steve Calaway, who usually employs ''his folksy style'' for developers. Foundation officials find it ''more than ironic'' that one of the neighborhood organizers, Dennis Hatchel, heads the parent company of Lowes Food, which ''often builds boxy stores and parking lots in someone else's back yard.'' They also ''are frustrated by the defeat of what they call smart growth.'' But, the columnist concludes, ''there's not much you can say for reusing an old mansion -- no matter how smart -- when a venerable old neighborhood stands in your way.'' -- Winston-Salem Journal   6/6/2002

Resource(s): www.journalnow.com/wsj/

Consultants Offer Glimpse of Asheville's Proposed Urban Riverfront Neighborhood

In the process of planning Asheville's urban riverfront and a landscaped parkway along most parts of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, consultants envision an eastside neighborhood of offices, small businesses and condos or apartments, stretching from Smoky Park Bridge into an arts district and a recreational equipment manufacturing center near a whitewater course about two miles farther south. Slated for completion in September, the plans call for a low-elevation bridge over the French Broad River to link local streets with the new riverfront and for green walking and biking paths along the riverside parkway. In response to some residents' concerns over funding, consultant Paul Ostergaard agreed that the development economics are ''a little tough'' right now, but was confident that the river area will draw investment over time.   5/16/2002

Resource(s): http://cgi.citizen-times.com

38,000 Acres Added to North Carolina's Land Preservation Efforts

In one of North Carolina's largest land preservation deals ever, the state chapter of the Nature Conservancy paid $24 million for nine International Paper tracts of woods and wetlands totaling about 38,000 acres in Pender and Sampson counties, planning to transfer most of the acreage to the state to help it reach its goal of saving 1 million acres from development by 2010. Charlotte Observer writer Bruce Henderson reports that the state had preserved about 172,000 acres by the end of last year. The state chapter borrowed the purchase money from its national office despite uncertainty about how the state will pay for the transfer, says the chapter's executive director Katherine Sinner, because when the opportunity to buy the land arose, ''we had to go with it.'' Noting that timber companies and other owners now have more land for sale than at any time in her 15 years in the area, she is optimistic that regardless of the $1.5 billion budget shortfall and only $7.5 million in likely grants from the North Carolina Natural Heritage Trust Fund and the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the state will procure the rest of preservation money, perhaps through such ''creative funding mechanisms'' as bond sales.   5/9/2002

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/

Study Shows that Charlotte Development Pays for Itself

Armed with a self-commissioned study showing that new subdivisions around Charlotte generate more in taxes than they require in services, the area's Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition (REBIC) is hoping to strengthen its arguments against impact fees, public facility ordinances and other efforts to make developers and new residents responsible for larger shares of increased community costs. According to a study by University of North Carolina- Charlotte economics professors John Connaughton and Ronald Madsen, reports Charlotte Observer writer Scott Dodd, a new Mecklenburg County subdivision of 100 median-priced houses would increase local tax revenue by $297,000 a year, while imposing $70,000 less in costs, with similar results found in Cabarrus, Gaston and Union counties and with an Iredell County analysis still pending. Although the authors haven't factored in social services and other indirect project costs, REBIC deputy director Kyle Boyles sounds upbeat, saying ''We've heard for years that single-family development doesn't pay for itself'' and is ''a drain on services that drives up property taxes.'' Wachowia economists Mark Vitner, familiar with research supporting and contradicting the study's findings, believes that residential growth pays for itself. But many officials and experts know otherwise. ''If that were the case, we would be able to keep up with our road needs,'' notes Huntersville planning director Jack Simoneau. ''Generally our experience has been that it doesn't pay for itself,'' points out Charlotte budget director Curt Walton. ''We don't feel like existing residents should subsidize new development,'' concurs Davidson Mayor Randy Kincaid. The writer also quotes a researcher with the Washington-based Brookings Institution's Center on Urban Policy, Robert Puentes, who observes that aside from its benefits, growth has many social, environmental and other costs that are not easy to calculate. ''You can do studies that show what the real estate guys want to show,'' he says. ''but there are a whole lot of other things that need to be factored in.'' The study data are available under Library at www.rebic.com   3/11/2002

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Infill Trend Brings Question of Design Guidelines to Raleigh's City Planners

With an infill trend on the rise as Raleigh gets built out, but residents and developers still unsure how to make it work for everyone, the city Planning Commission is considering design guidelines for infill locations and city planners are refining the code's infill standards for housing type, scale and height to ensure their compatibility with the surrounding neighborhoods. Noting that residents sometimes oppose infill projects as too dense, Charlotte Observer writer Joanna Kakissis quotes Empire Properties downtown developer Greg Hatem, who suggests a ''litmus test'' question: ''Does it help the neighborhood?'' A case in point, the writer observes, is Five Points residents' fight against 21 townhouses developer Michael White wants to build on 2.1 acres zoned for that density, but residents argue that prior development below the allowed density has created a sparse community which they hope to preserve. Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker sympathizes with Five Points residents. He thinks the developer should scale back his project to 8-10 townhouses, adding that dense infill is appropriate only near future regional rail stops or next to earlier high-density development.   2/27/2002

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/

Developer Opts for Affordable Units in New Chapel Hill Homes Project

Concerned that a two-year-old Chapel Hill small-house ordinance to make parts of new projects affordable may miss its goal, the Town Council modified it on developer Carol Ann Zinn's request, letting her forgo the footage reduction for 20 of the 86 homes in her 39.5-acre Larkspur project and instead work with the nonprofit Orange Community Housing and Land Trust to limit prices of seven homes to $100,000 and another six to $130,000. ''It will be truly affordable housing,'' says the Cazco Inc. developer, who will price her other Larkspur homes in a $400,000-$500,000 range. She expects about $1.3 million lower profits from the 13 underpriced houses, but points out that the council wanted cheaper housing and she wanted it to approve the project ''in a timely manner.'' Charlotte Observer writer Anne Blythe reports that the land trust will own the 13 affordable home parcels and keep their resale prices under market rates for decades. The modified ordinance, the writer notes, allows developers planning more than 13 houses to opt out of the size restrictions in exchange for making at least 15 percent of units affordable to families with up to $52,500 annual income, or 80 percent of the median in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, with deed restrictions securing future affordability. The council also modified its connector-road policy, allowing the Larkspur project to be connected to adjacent neighborhoods by a limited- access street, to spare them any through-traffic increase and preserve their quality of life. The writer quotes the trust's executive director, Robert Dowling, who hails the modifications, saying ''Developers are coming to the council now prepared to do affordable housing. They have instituted inclusionary zoning.''   2/27/2002

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com/

Charlotte Developers Unhappy Over Colleagues' Views on Impact Fees

Although state lawmakers still have to act on a ''smart growth'' panel recommendation from last year to let localities use impact fees to defray new infrastructure and service costs, Charlotte developers who have lobbied hard against fees ''aren't too happy'' that two area stars, Crosland CEO Todd Mansfield and Crescent Resources President Art Fields, even broached the subject of their practicality at a recent Urban Land Institute seminar. Charlotte Observer writer Scott Dodd reports that Mansfield, the former head of Disney Development, simply listed the fees among costs of doing business in Florida, while Fields -- whose company pays impact fees in Florida, Texas, Washington and other states -- went further, indicating his openness to fees in the Charlotte area. In a follow-up interview same days later, Mansfield acknowledged the area's need to cope more effectively with growth-related demands, but questioned whether local impact fees would work and suggested first trying such revenue options as road tolls. Conversely, Fields pointed out that ''with all the problems that we have with road money, with things being cut back and curtailed,'' impact fees are something ''to look at.'' He said he could back such fees if they wouldn't go into local general funds to be spent however officials want, but went instead for road improvements related to specific projects. Noting that officials often link approvals of large projects -- such as his company's 4,145-home Palisades in southwest Charlotte -- with developer contributions to road improvements anyway, Field said, ''For every one Palisades, you've got 10 smaller developments that aren't charged anything. I think impact fees are a fair way of dealing with development across the board.''   2/13/2002

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Buncombe County, NC Residents Voice Concerns at Land Use and Growth Issue Meetings

At the first of seven meetings scheduled by Buncombe County commissioners in school districts through May, to probe communities on land use and growth issues, Roberson district residents voiced their concerns over the impact of new residential subdivisions on schools and roads, but also over the prospect of zoning pressures from the city of Asheville. One rural resident, Doug Morris, who suggested consolidation of city and county schools and other services, drew applause with a quip that ''the county should take over'' Asheville. Another, Brian Bartlett, said he wants ''some type of large scale land-use ordinance, not something micro-managed, as the city of Asheville does. Still another, Judy Rhodes, pointed out that the area's fast growth deepens its need for a sense of community, while expressing apprehension over ''Asheville telling us what our land is good for.'' Asheville Citizen-Times writer Geoff Cantrell reports that next, the commissioners will hear from residents of the Owen school district on March 12.   2/12/2002

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com/

Residents File Suit to Reverse Development Zoning in Mecklenburg County

In a suit to reverse Mecklenburg County's 2001 zoning for the 4,145-home Palisades project in southwest Charlotte -- and to make developers scrap apartments and businesses and bolster environmental protection -- six area residents charged the county with violating its own long-range plans, voting before all conditions were met and disregarding residents' rights to challenge the project at a trial-like public hearing. Charlotte Observer writer Scott Dodd quotes plaintiff Todd Little, president of the Lower Lake Wylie Association, who called the Palisades process ''a sham'' benefitting the developers Crescent Resources and Robert C. Rhein Interests, but ignoring ''the common man.'' County commission chairman Parks Helms described the process as ''one of the most heated rezonings that we've been involved in'' and expressed his belief that commissioners ''did the right thing.''   2/7/2002

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Rural Land Loss in North Carolina's Cabarrus County

Cabarrus County lost almost 26,000 acres or about 29 percent of its rural land between 1978 and 1997, reports Charlotte Observer writer Richard Rubin, noting that the continuous disappearance of family farms forced the local office of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service to cancel its ''Farm Family of the Year'' program and quoting Concord area farmer Randy Fisher, who thinks every major landowner nearby ''gets a postcard a week'' from someone interested in buying land. Even if the county's agricultural picture ''isn't entirely bleak'' and residential pressure east of Concord isn't so strong, many farmers struggle and the Cabarrus extension office will now promote agriculture itself through its new ''There's a Farm in My House'' program, focused on youth. Extension office director Debbie Bost says the agricultural decline and the influx of suburban newcomers dilutes understanding and respect for farming. When she sees drivers honking at slow- moving tractors, she wants to tell them, ''Wait a minute. They're moving the hay that feeds the cows that put the hamburgers or the steak on your table.''   1/6/2002

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Charlotte's Tree Protection Rules Expanded from Commercial to Residential Projects

In a shift for Charlotte's development policy, a broad-based committee of residents, developers and conservationists hammered out a proposal that would extend tree protection rules from commercial to residential projects, requiring builders to save at least ten percent of subdivision green canopy and offering them density bonuses for saving more. Charlotte Observer writer Scott Dodd reports that the proposal, one of the most stringent in both Carolinas, also would make builders preserve trees of a certain age and size, plant saplings along streets, replace protected trees with similar ones and pay progressive fines for each violation. Some members of the City Council and the city tree commission, the writer observes, expected even tighter restrictions, but the committee considers its proposal the right compromise. The committee chairman, developer Doug Boone, says the proposal will add to developer costs and home prices, but it won't hamstring owners ''to the point that they can't develop their property.'' Committee member, city tree commissioner and local Sierra Club leader Rick Roti, who eventually aims for 50-percent canopy in each new subdivision, says the committee had ''a very good and tough debate to reach consensus,'' with the end result likely to be ''a smart tree ordinance that will actually work.''   12/11/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com/

Asheville Expects Smart Growth Issues to Influence 2025 Comprehensive Plan

Preparing to replace Asheville's 2010 comprehensive plan, adopted in 1987 and focused on downtown revitalization, with a 2025 plan focused on land use, economic expansion, transportation and air and water quality, city officials seek resident input in a series of community meetings, with city planner Gerald Green also predicting revision of the 1997 Unified Development Ordinance, crafted before "New Urbanism" and "smart growth" became popular. Now, he said, communities are increasingly interested in mixed land uses, public transportation and affordable housing. Asheville Citizen-Times writer Mark Barrett reports that once the city gathers resident suggestions, ranging from anti-pollution measures to sidewalk improvements, staffers and a citizen committee will draft a detailed plan for submission to the City Council next spring. The city is also accepting comments in its new storefront office "Plan-A-Terrium" downtown and online at www.ci.asheville.nc.us   11/7/2001

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com

Efforts to Save Scenic Views on Blue Ridge Parkway Continue

As development surges near many parts of the meandering 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway between Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, the nonprofit Friends of Blue Ridge Parkway group continues its efforts to save scenic views admired by about 20 million tourists a year, with a tree-planting project launched last spring in Roanoke, Virginia, and now brought to Aho Gap in the Boone-Blowing Rock area. The group's executive director, Susan Mills, says, "We don't want the Blue Ridge Parkway to become another road. It is a unique and pristine park. By going in and re-establishing the buffer, we can preserve it and protect it for future generations." A management assistant for the National Park Service, Laura Rotegard, says the agency and local "citizens teams" have targeted 14 open areas along the parkway for enhancement by new tree buffers. Among the most visually threatened stretches is the Boone- Blowing Rock areas, because of its rapid growth.   10/28/2001

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com

Mecklenburg County commissioners are considering another huge planned community project

Mecklenburg County commissioners are considering another huge planned community project for the Charlotte area, the 1,500-acre Palisades east of Lake Wylie, which would include 4,500 houses, townhomes and apartments, a large commercial section, a golf course and equestrian center, biking and walking trails, and probably a park and a school. Proposed by Crescent Resources and Robert C. Rhein Interests, The Palisades would transform this mostly wooded part of Mecklenburg County into one of its fastest growing areas,with some local residents "worried about the risk of sewage spills, construction runoff and the pollutants" threatening the lake and its watershed, reports Charlotte Observer writer Scott Dodd. Planners also would like to scale down the project's commercial use, since none is currently permitted. Developers promise all necessary environmental safeguards for the lake, adding that their project is more rational than the piecemeal development allowed under present zoning,, which would allowed up to 7,500 homes on the site   10/18/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

In a move to limit the increase ...

In a move to limit the increase of future traffic congestion, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission has recently endorsed a proposal to ban cul-de-sacs in new subdivisions, unless the terrain makes connecting streets impossible, and the Charlotte City Council is likely to follow suit next month. Charlotte Observer writer Samantha Peterson notes that cul-de-sacs spill all their traffic onto one local connector or highway, clogging it twice as much as would interconnecting streets with two outlets. Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory says officials want to make sure that new subdivisions are "designed properly, like the neighborhoods of the 1920s were designed properly to begin with." He promises the city will help neighborhoods develop a grid street system, to give residents more than one way in and out. 09.18.2001   9/28/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com

Determined to preserve enough land for parks ...

Determined to preserve enough land for parks, schools and green buffers over a decade, Mecklenburg County voters approved $220 million in open space bonds in 1999, but since the county is likely to spend $125 million on land this year, while granting $30 million for preservation to its six towns, they may face another referendum to replenish the fund next year. The prospect, reports Charlotte Observer writer Jen Pilla, troubles activists like the chairman of the Citizens for Effective Government group and budget advisory committee member, Lewis Guignard. Politicians here are "getting their hands on a candy bag full of money that has to be emptied," he says, warning, "This isn't free money. It's borrowed money. It's money we have to pay interest on." Noting that the county's overall debt of nearly $1.3 billion requires principal and interest payments of $146 million this year, the writer quotes county commission chairman Parks Helms, who tells opponents that "$220 million is the minimal amount we need to make the open space, park land and other land purchases that are necessary to sustain our quality of life." Emphasizing that land purchases are "time sensitive," he adds, "If we're going to get them, we've got to get them now."   9/25/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

In response to resident concerns and a ...

In response to resident concerns and a request by the Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County, the Historic Resources Commission of Asheville and Buncombe County is studying whether to designate three buildings owned by the Grove Park Inn as local landmarks, to protect them from possible modification or demolition. So far, the commission has granted landmark designation to 34 city buildings that retain architectural integrity or historic significance. The commission can bar external landmark modification without permission and impose a one-year waiting period before it allows demolition. 09.20.2001   9/21/2001

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com

Since their proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter was rejected ...

Since their proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter was rejected by the Asheville City Council last November, the owners of the 23-acre vacant site in the city's traffic-wary south now want to build a pedestrian-friendly "urban village," with offices, small shops, townhomes and apartments. "We are responding to what people said they wanted," says one of two partners in Asheville-Hendersonville Investments, Jackson Ward, promising "sidewalks and a street grid placed throughout the property ... (and) a very warm and comfortable feel" for residents. He expect the project to assuage local concerns over congestion because offices and apartments generate a lot less traffic than a superstore. Asheville Citizen-Times business columnist Mark Barrett writes that such a project would make "a significant break in the string of strip shopping centers that line much of Hendersonville Road today." He notes that initial reaction to this mixed-use project is favorable and that city officials are working on the rules for the urban village zone. 09.20.2001   9/21/2001

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com

A report entitled "The Fiscal Impact of ...

A report entitled "The Fiscal Impact of Alternative Land Uses in Macon County" found that this fast-growing county, whose population increased 27 percent in the last decade, is making money on undeveloped land and losing money once the land goes for development. Based on last year's county records and a tax rate of 43 cents per $100 of land value, the report shows that a 30-acre rural tract, needing only public safety and agricultural extension services, brings the county $290 a year, while the same tract divided into three lots with homes, requiring a full range of seven services from schools to recreation, would cost the county $532. Written by Western Carolina University economics professor Susan Kask and graduate student Jeremy Jones, the report was commissioned by the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and the Little Tennessee Watershed Association to help Macon leaders evaluate their options during the current development moratorium, as they work on the county's first land-use plan. Some builders resent the report. Asheville Citizen-Times writer Jon Ostendorff quotes builder Reggie Holland of Holland Construction and Real Estate in Franklin, who believes it is "flawed" and has been "skewed" to reach the conclusion sought by the funding conservation groups. But the assistant director for the Land-of-Sky Regional Council in Asheville, Jim Stokoe, stresses that the report provides valuable data for counties facing growth pressures. He also calls attention to "the concept of natural capitalism, which says that at least two of the three elements of natural capital -- scenic beauty, ecosystem services and natural resources -- are undervalued in our economy because they are treated primarily as free services." 07.23.2001   7/25/2001

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com

At a daylong brainstorming retreat in Asheville ...

At a daylong brainstorming retreat in Asheville, held by the Land-of-Sky Regional Council under the Regional Vision 2010 project of improvements for Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties, about 30 area leaders dedicated their plenary session to air pollution, before breaking into six groups focused on other quality of life issues. The council's assistant director, Jim Stokoe, said air pollution is their primary concern, because it "has a direct effect on all aspects of regional planning." The focus groups dealt with ensuring community sense of place; long-term area affordability; quality healthcare and a healthy environment; high urban and development standards; environmental protection; and cultural and ethnic diversity. More at www.landofsky.org 07.21.2001   7/25/2001

Resource(s): www.citizen-times.com

The first sectional inventory of North Carolina ...

The first sectional inventory of North Carolina forests in ten years shows that the state's intensely logged southeastern coastal plain of 21 counties lost more trees than it recovered through natural growth -- with the harvest of pines and hardwoods rising 41and 21 percent, respectively, and new growth up 15 percent for pines and down 34 percent for hardwoods. Commenting on the inventory, done by the U.S. Forest Service's Southern Research Station in Asheville, local foresters attribute much of the change to storms and hurricanes hitting the region in the last decade, while conservationists and industry officials voice their particular concerns. Seeing a big threat to forests, wildlife and clean water from the increased demand for lumber and paper, conservationists are urging stronger state control over logging. Industry officials see a bigger threat from development, pointing out that the southern coastal plain had a net loss of 187,000 acres of timberland in the last decade. Still, Environmental Defense and the Dogwood Alliance have called for a state plan to protect forest ecosystems, with the alliance also proposing a six-month moratorium on expanding chip and pulp mills. Inventories of other North Carolina forests are expected within the next two years.   7/24/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

Having decided that their 1995 mixed-use ordinance ...

Having decided that their 1995 mixed-use ordinance -- increasingly popular among builders -- insufficiently spells out "specific building requirements," Belmont City Council members unanimously imposed a moratorium on new subdivisions, commercial projects and rezoning until February, unless the ordinance's update is completed sooner. "This isn't intended to hurt anybody," said Mayor Pro Tem Jane Ray, while noting that the city needs to "stay ahead of curve" as some developers shortchange the "quality that you and I would want beside us." Council member George Hall also stressed the protective character of the moratorium since it's "impossible to correct what's already been done." According to Charlotte Observer writer Joe Depriest, the update may link construction pace to the availability of city services, with developers having the option of paying for roads, emergency services and schools required by their projects. He notes that Belmont, a city of 8,700 in eastern Gaston County, is the latest among Charlotte-area jurisdictions to reach for a moratorium in dealing with fast growth. Davidson lifted its moratorium while enacting a new smart growth ordinance at the end of June, while Lincoln County commissioners and the Troutman Board of Aldermen in Irdell County have recently proposed similar measures.   7/11/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

Often in the lead in both Carolinas ...

Often in the lead in both Carolinas in its care for sense of place and livability, the small college town of Davidson became the first to implement most recommendations of the state's Smart Growth Commission in a comprehensive anti-sprawl ordinance scheduled to take effect June 30, despite lawsuit threats by landowners in its 4,400-acre extraterritorial jurisdiction who claim a "land grab," dismissing a simultaneously approved compensation plan. The plan, worked out by a conference committee after the Town Board delayed its vote May 8, commits $10 million to buying land from current owners at the price it would have fetched under the previous zoning rules. Mayor Randy Kincaid doesn't expect any response, but stresses, "if we have harmed a landowner, we're going to pony up the money." The new ordinance requires developers to set aside up to half of any new subdivision as open space, while allowing higher densities on the other half. It demands affordable housing in all new neighborhoods, with 12.5 percent of the units within the reach of families making 80 percent or less of the median income, or up to $41,120 for a family of three. The town will approve new subdivisions only if it has enough police, firefighters, parks and other services for more residents. Design standards for buildings and neighborhoods prohibit "franchise architecture" and the drive-through windows typical of McDonald's and Pizza Hut chains. Officials say that contrary to claims about the ordinance's dampening effect on property prices, land values will actually rise as Davidson becomes an even more desirable place to live.   6/15/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

With Alexander County's 22 percent population growth ...

With Alexander County's 22 percent population growth the highest in Catawba Valley in the last decade and with development pressures approaching from the east and south, county commissioners are introducing control measures shunned for decades to protect the rural landscape and way of living before it's too late. "It has to be done," says commissioner Darrell Robertson, adding "not that we particularly want to go into the 20th century." Last year, reports Charlotte Observer writer Hannah Mitchell, commissioners adopted the first subdivision rules for lot sizes, setbacks, street construction and water and sewer upgrades. This year, they are readying countywide zoning, with 75 percent of the land targeted for agricultural and residential use, and small commercial and industrial pockets concentrated in the south and along major highways. Next on their list is a minimum housing code for building safety and sanitation standards. But at four public meetings many complained about government intrusion and sought resident votes on the issues. The writer quotes state commerce official John Brendt, who confirms that land-use controls are "politically unpopular ... especially in the western part of the state." In 1999, only 42 of the state's 100 counties had countywide zoning and 76 had countywide subdivision rules; 26 counties had partial zoning and two had partial subdivision controls.   5/22/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

In another bipartisan step to enhance Charlotte ...

In another bipartisan step to enhance Charlotte downtown and curb area sprawl, Mecklenburg County lawmakers in both state chambers are sponsoring a bill that would let the county adopt the flexible New Jersey building rehabilitation code, lauded by developers, affordable housing advocates and conservationists for sparking a surge of urban renovation in that state. Enacted in 1998, the code immediately won a state historic preservation award, while the state's five largest cities, which recorded a small rehabilitation spending rise from $176 million to $179 million the year before, saw it jump to $287 million a year later, a difference between 1.6 and 60 percent. The code's North Carolina enthusiasts believe it will be equally advantageous in their state. The bill's one sponsor, Democratic Senator Dan Clodfelter, says the code "tries to take into account the way the real world works;" another sponsor, Republican Representative Connie Wilson, adds that the idea is to "require quality and safety features" for old rehabilitated buildings. Mecklenburg's director of building code enforcement, Jim Bartl, points out that the New Jersey code has six sets of requirements, depending on the scope of the rehabilitation. Requirements for remodeling a bathroom are fewer and less stringent than those for converting the first floor of a house into offices. The director of the North Carolina Metropolitan Coalition, Beau Mills, whose organization represents 18 of the state's largest cities, says they all are trying to encourage people to live downtown and the new code "will help do that."   5/15/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

At a Charlotte-Mecklenburg forum on urban parks ...

At a Charlotte-Mecklenburg forum on urban parks, sponsored by the Trust for Public Land, New York City planning commissioner and Yale University adjunct professor Alexander Garvin told the area's leaders and park officials that they can best make parks thrive by adapting their means and methods to the changed circumstances. He gave them practical examples. Minneapolis, which he lauded for its star quality park system, enlisted professional sports teams to sponsor ballfields and sends park staffers out for kids. New York City improved park maintenance by spending about $200,000 to equip field staff with computers and digital imaging devices. The city also reclaimed one park from muggers by installing a kiosk, opening a cafŽ and introducing concerts in the afternoon and classic movies at night. Denver cleaned up a polluted creek enabling kayakers "to practice their whitewater moves." San Antonio turned its new RiverWalk into a popular tourist attraction and Boston combined land uses by locating a park atop a parking deck. Charlotte Observer writer Bruce Henderson notes that Charlotte's Center City 2010 Plan envisions a park over part of I-277.   5/11/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

Davidson's new "smart growth" ordinance, eagerly sought ...

Davidson's new "smart growth" ordinance, eagerly sought by town leaders and residents to protect its character against relentless development pressures from nearby Charlotte, drew such opposition among rural landowners that the Town Board delayed its vote from May 8 until next month, while forming a conference committee through which both sides will try to find common ground. Mayor Randy Kincaid, who favors allowing landowners from the town's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) area to vote in town elections -- which would require a change in state law -- says the committee is "very balanced" and "it will make the ordinance better." The major point of friction is a requirement to set aside up to 50 percent of any new subdivision as open space. ETJ area landowners think the restriction would hurt their property values, calling it a "land grab." Until the ordinance is enacted, the town won't consider new development projects.   5/10/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com

Davidson's new planning, zoning and open space ...

Davidson's new planning, zoning and open space protection ordinance, designed to slow its decade-long 68-percent population surge with several measures mirroring the recent North Carolina Smart Growth Commission's recommendations, is seen by many big landowners and builders as infringing private property rights, with the 4,400 acres under the town's extraterritorial jurisdiction spattered with signs -- "Stop the land grab." Noting that the town has already approved another 1,300 houses, Mayor Randy Kincaid says the ordinance would protect the community from the ugliness of big subdivisions and strip shopping malls, maintaining instead its traditional character, with connected streets, sidewalks and a mix of homes, apartments, stores and offices. Specifically, as much as half of the land in new subdivisions would have to be set aside as open space, with higher density allowed on the other half; 12.5 percent of the units would have to be affordable for families with up to 80 percent of the area's median income; new subdivisions would be approved only if the town had sufficient services and infrastructure for new residents; and town-designated areas off-limits for development would include hardwood forests, wetlands and creek banks. The ordinance is slated for adoption on May 8. A planning professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, David Godschalk, thinks Davidson may be "the first in the state, and one of the first in the country" to combine so many smart growth principles in one ordinance.   5/1/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotteobserver.com

In an editorial on Census figures showing ...

In an editorial on Census figures showing that "the fastest-growing parts of Mecklenburg County are at the far fringes of Charlotte," The Charlotte Observer thinks it "shouldn't surprise anyone who knows the meaning of the word 'sprawl'" and who sometimes drives on an outer belt road or near its projected path. And "drive" is all one can do, the daily says, because the countless shopping centers, chain stores, apartment complexes and office parks are "all built for cars." The daily warns that "unless Charlotte and Mecklenburg change their '90s ways, even with the encouraging development uptown Charlotte risks becoming a city where most of the good stuff's in a big ring outside, drawing people and vitality from the middle." Noting that most city leaders say they don't want it to happen, the daily stresses that "major, and perhaps unpopular, changes in how growth is managed are needed to prevent it."   4/6/2001

Resource(s): www.charlottecom

More than two years since voters approved ...

More than two years since voters approved a half-cent sales tax for Charlotte's rapid transit, its era is dawning, writes Dianne Whitacre of The Charlotte Observer, with light rail tracks being laid between uptown and Tremont Avenue for the first segment of a $331 million, 11-mile southern line to Pineville. The line is part of a planned 80-mile metro system, including buses and commuter trains. By the fall, officials will decide where to locate about a dozen of the line's stations, expecting some to anchor new mixed-use projects or urban villages. Consultants are suggesting zoning changes to encourage a mix of mid-rise apartments, offices, businesses, restaurants and small stores, along with post offices, schools, libraries and tennis courts. The writer notes that initial plans are under way on another four light routes -- to the airport, Davidson, Matthews and University City -- but due to new estimates exceeding the expected $1 billion total, at least two of those neighborhoods may get busways or commuter rails instead. She adds that the Pineville Town Council is about to decide whether the benefits of a light-rail station downtown overweight local fears of traffic congestion and overdevelopment.   4/6/2001

Resource(s): www.charlottecom

The 2000 Census shows the fastest growth ...

The 2000 Census shows the fastest growth in the Charlotte region centered in such "big-bang" areas on the city's edge as Highland Creek -- a rural tract eight years ago, now a master-planned, self-contained subdivision of more than 2,000 houses, with parks, trails, swimming pools, tennis courts, a golf course and 6,953 residents. Advertised as "Charlotte's all-time best-selling community," it may have 1,700 houses more in another several years, writes Scott Dodd of The Charlotte Observer, listing among similar communities Ballantyne, Birkdale, Lake Park and Wynfield. Surrounded by elbow-to-elbow smaller subdivisions and populated mostly by newcomers from other states, these communities are reshaping large areas, while triggering plans for more homes, office parks and shopping centers nearby. To many of their residents, the writer observes, "Charlotte is little more than an office park where they commute to work each day." A sociology professor at North Carolina State University, population trend expert Stephen Lilley, sees these boom areas as "really enclaves where people are separated out from the existing community," having "that exclusivity" they desire. The only things the newcomers complain about, the writer notes, are "the lack of neighborhood schools and the narrow country roads" with notorious traffic back-ups. But many officials, he adds, feel overwhelmed by this incessant growth.. Former transportation planner for Mecklenburg County, Bill Coxe, says, "The wave of suburbanization is rolling over top of you, and this is just the leading wave."   4/3/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

In another step toward municipal cooperation in ...

In another step toward municipal cooperation in the Raleigh area, the towns of Wake Forest and Rolesville have signed a 20-year annexation agreement to split the dividing unincorporated land along "the most logical line" and decided to participate in area planning for transportation, greenways, water supplies and other resources. Wake Forest will abstain from annexing and extending services east and south of the line; Rolesville, to the west and north. Wake Forest Town Manager Mark Williams said the agreement "cements" a long prior understanding between both jurisdictions and helps them in long-term planning as they "grow toward each other." Rolesville Town Manager Don Duaby said, "With an annexation agreement, you have pretty well defined where you can go." Both towns, along with Garner, Knightdale and Durham, also have such annexation agreements with Raleigh. 03.16.2001   3/22/2001

Resource(s): www.newsobserver.com

A day after a landowner-developer group filed ...

A day after a landowner-developer group filed a suit to interrupt the Davidson building moratorium for 4,000 rural acres east of town, its officials pledged $10 million to buy and preserve much of the threatened farmland -- as huge a commitment to open space for this town of 6,000 as billions would be for nearby Charlotte. Challenging the moratorium, which Davidson needs to plan for rapid growth and deal with proposals to build thousands of homes, the group claims that the town is denying owners the right to sell and develop their land. Mayor Randy Kincaid said he would hope the $10-million pledge "would show the landowners that we're serious, and we don't intend for them to shoulder an undue burden." He believes residents will accept a tax increase of a few cents to protect adjacent open space and their quality of life. Since $10 million can save only a several hundred acres instead of the 4000 covered by the moratorium, the town will still be devising rules to make developers set aside land for parks, greenways and other natural sites in new shopping centers and subdivisions.   1/30/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

After a year of studies, the North ...

After a year of studies, the North Carolina Smart Growth Commission approved its first batch of recommendations, most radical of which would require the legislature to change state law and provide local governments with more "tools" for regulating growth; require those governments to designate "planned growth areas;" and let cities and counties impose fees and taxes for servicing growth. Noting that a third of the state's counties and many more municipalities lack any planning, the commission recommended requiring them to work out plans based on their size and growth rate. Smaller governments would receive state help for planning, but those that don't meet the goals could lose state funds. Another recommendation would let the state help communities pay for sidewalks and bikepaths within a mile of each new school to reduce car traffic in the area. Real estate representatives on the commission object to impact fees, transfer of development rights and affordable housing norms as likely to affect home prices, but support the overall growth-management goals. Governor James B. Hunt's spokesman Beau Mills says some of those ideas "represent significant progress."   1/21/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

In a series of public workshops, Davidson ...

In a series of public workshops, Davidson officials are seeking resident priorities for a plan to preserve half of the 4,600 mostly rural acres east of town limits as open space. Based on initial work by the Michigan-based Land Ethics group, the Open Space Plan aims to balance the area's environmental and economic needs. During the first two mapping workshops, residents identified scenic sites, forest tracts, historic buildings and other natural assets, along with possible park, trails, road and business locations. They agreed that the town should purchase as much land as it can afford for preservation and ensure public access to greenways along local rivers and creeks. Town planning director Warren Burgess hopes to present the plan's outline at a public meeting in February.   1/2/2001

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

Heeding Weddington Mayor Ed Howie's warning that ...

Heeding Weddington Mayor Ed Howie's warning that "we're four years ahead of our projected growth" and residents' calls to take the lead in Union County land-use planning, the Town Council reversed its 1999 decision and imposed an immediate one-year moratorium on new subdivisions, along with rezoning, variance and conditional-use permit applications. The moratorium will let officials gather public comments on the town's future and reflect them in updates to its 1995 land-use plan and accompanying regulations. One of the residents' main concerns is the overcrowded schools. But some property owners oppose the moratorium as harming their property values. One owner said that since the moratorium was first proposed, developer offers for his property dropped $10,000 per acre.   12/18/2000

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

Charlotte-Mecklenburg planners, real estate agents and builders ...

Charlotte-Mecklenburg planners, real estate agents and builders launched a series of meetings to figure out what to do about the "big-box" stores left empty when their national owners opened others in more affluent new suburbs. Developer Frank Martin of LandCraft Properties calls such vacant stores "both a symptom of a decaying neighborhood and a cause of further decay." Architect Terry Schook sees them as "the retail equivalent of a neutron bomb." According to Charlotte's Karnes Research about 12 percent of the anchor stores at the area's shopping centers are vacant, compared to seven percent for smaller shops. While such big-box stores as Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Old Navy are getting bigger, they sometimes stay in the same place less than 10 years and rarely as much as 20. Some retailers continue to pay rent for the vacated stores, to bar competitors from moving in. Area real estate agents and developers say they could reclaim big vacant stores much more easily if the city relaxed its requirements for planting trees and laying sidewalks. But they oppose rules for scaled-down, pedestrian-friendly designs, saying retailers would "move to places where they can build what they want." Still, some experts think the market may eventually force a change. A Virginia planner, Richard Heapes, says prospects for a nationwide slump, make retailers look for new ideas and return to areas they left, especially newly renovated center-city neighborhoods.   12/18/2000

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

Contrary to the persistent notion of inherent ...

Contrary to the persistent notion of inherent trade-offs between economic growth and environmental protection, a study entitled Gold and Green 2000, by the Institute for Southern Studies in Durham, shows that states that care for the environment also have strong economies, while those with poor environmental records also are economically weak. Evaluating the states' performance, the study - the second since 1994 - uses 20 Gold Economic Indicators, including annual pay, business start-ups, employment growth, income gap and tax fairness, and 20 Green Environmental Indicators, including air quality, energy consumption, miles driven, portion of state budget for the environment and sprawl rating. Each state is ranked by each indicator, with the sum of ranks giving its final score. The top seven performers are Vermont, gold rank 3, green rank 1, score 4; Minnesota, gold rank 2, green rank 6, score 8; Rhode Island, gold rank 15, green rank 4, score 19; Colorado, gold rank 5, green rank 14, score 19; Maine, gold rank 13, green rank 15, score 19; Maryland, gold rank 6, green rank 15, score 21; and Wisconsin, gold rank 11, green rank 12, score 23. The bottom seven are Arkansas, gold 49, green 37, score 86; Indiana, gold 40, green 48, score 88; Mississippi, gold 50, green 38, score 88; Tennessee, gold 45, green 44, score 89; Texas, gold 43, green 46, score 89; Alabama, gold 47, green 49, score 96; and Louisiana, gold 48, green 50, score 98. The institute's executive director, Chris Kromm, says the study disproves the economy-environment trade-off myth and proves that at the state policy level, efforts to promote a healthy environment and a sound economy go hand-in-hand. It also shows, he adds, that sustainable development is a matter of political will.   12/4/2000

Resource(s): www.southernstudies.org

State transportation officials are working with city ...

State transportation officials are working with city leaders to ensure that new road construction projects won't worsen the state's air quality and deny it more than $1 billion in federal highway funds when the toughened Clean Air Act standards take effect in the summer of 2002. In 1999, North Carolina recorded 68 unhealthy air days, the fifth highest number nationwide. The state's top air quality planner, Brock Nicholson, says the biggest sources of area ozone are power plants, cars and trucks, heavy construction equipment and smoke-stack industries. A transportation department official, David Hyder, notes that with more than 100 road projects at the stake, the state is looking for ways to contain all these air pollution sources. The legislature has mandated the statewide sale of low-sulfur gasoline by 2004, and experts are weighing such options as directing more state funds to mass transit, converting bus fleets to cleaner fuel and encouraging companies to let workers telecommute. The department's chief planning and environmental officer, Janet D'Ignazio, adds that the stricter clean air standards also affect rural areas. The number of counties requiring tailpipe emission tests will be increased from nine to 48 by 2006.   11/7/2000

Resource(s): www.charlotte.com

If we want to preserve green space ...

If we want to preserve green space, the key is education and partnerships, said Governor Jim Hunt, signing an agreement by the state Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources and North Carolina State University, to boost farmland preservation efforts. Speaking at the 622-acre Daltonia Plantation, an 18th-century farm placed under a conservation easement last year, the governor urged the General Assembly to put more money into the farmland preservation budget, which was recently increased by $1.5 million. The signatory for the university, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean James Oblinger, said the state has lost 781,000 acres of farmland and forest to development between 1992 and 1997, with 2,400 farmers forced out of business. Alarmed that the state may lose 41 acres a day over the next 20 years, he stressed that public- private cooperation is crucial for preserving its rural land and open space.   10/17/2000

Resource(s): www.enn.com

North Carolina forests, wildlife and the environment ...

North Carolina forests, wildlife and the environment, like those elsewhere in the South, are facing a dual threat from urban growth and the spread of chip mills, say experts at North Carolina State and Duke universities in a study written by Fred Cubbage of the state Department of Forestry. Presenting the study to the North Carolina Forestry Council, Cubbage said urban growth destroys fewer trees than logging, but has a major impact because woodlands lost to development can't be replanted for future harvesting or to restore natural habitat. Long engaged against urban sprawl, conservationists and community activists are now also pushing for a moratorium on chip mills, which grind logs for paper products and particle board. The region has more than 150 chip mills, including 18 in North Carolina. The industry, including such giants as Atlanta-based Georgia Pacific Corporation, International Paper Company and Weyerhauser Company, welcome the study as helpful to their policies. In fast-growing Wake County, managers of B&B Chip Mill, owned by Willamette Industries Inc., say more than a third of its production comes from trees cut down for roads, shopping centers and subdivisions; the rest comes from logging within the mill's 75-mile radius. At Governor Jim Hunt's request, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources evaluates chip mills' impact on forests, the environment and quality of life, expecting to submit its recommendations in September. Chip mill opponents include religious leaders. A resolution by the Commission on Religion in Appalachia, read at the United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, calls for an immediate halt to all chip mill operations in the South. Rev. Pat Jobe says, our faith traditions call on us to speak about the sudden, unchecked growth of chip mills and their impact on creation and forest sustainability throughout North Carolina.   8/28/2000

Commending the North Carolina Board of Transportation ...

Commending the North Carolina Board of Transportation for making smart transportation planning a priority, Governor Jim Hunt said the newly issued Traditional Neighborhood Development Street Design Guidelines will help build strong communities across the state and improve its quality of life. Transportation Secretary David McCoy said Traditional Neighborhood Development guidelines promote managed growth and establish communities where walking and biking are safe and enjoyable ways to get to schools, shops and playgrounds. They were worked out in consultation with residents, activists, local officials, builders and other professionals to meet the growing public demand for balancing growth and quality of life initiatives and for neighborhood improvement. Under the guidelines, streets will be narrow, to slow down traffic; they will be part of a dense transportation network incorporating sidewalks and pedestrian and bike paths; most streets will have sidewalks on both sides; bicyclists should be a normal part of the traffic on less-traveled streets, with six-foot-wide bike lanes available elsewhere, possibly along with special routes for beginners; major street should have clearly designated parking areas; safety and aesthetics should be enhanced by planting strips between curbs and sidewalks; and faster-changing traffic lights should be the general rule. The board's press release describes the guidelines as the latest in a series of state and gubernatorial steps in support of smart growth.   8/10/2000

A two-day forum on the I-26 ...

A two-day forum on the I-26 Connector design and related traffic solutions, held by the Asheville City Council, the I-26 Community Coordinating Committee, and state and federal transportation officials, drew more than 100 area residents on the first day and 300 on the second - all enthusiastic about the groundbreaking brainstorming opportunity and eager for compromise to ensure the best deal with the state. To relieve the constant backups in the West Asheville area of the Smoky Park Bridge and the I-240/ Patton Avenue interchange, the state plans to improve and expand local roads and run the I-26 south-north connector through the middle of the city. Asheville Citizen-Times writers Randy St. Clair, Jacinta Howard and Barbara Blake report from the two-day forum that the residents asked officials and experts to remake Patton Avenue into a boulevard for pedestrians and local traffic; keep passing cars and trucks away from downtown; adjust the connector route to minimize the loss of homes and businesses; reintegrate the Hillcrest apartment complex with the community; enhance access to the French Broad River; and create bicycle and pedestrian paths throughout the project. Promised their input would be included in further planning, local participants responded with a sanding ovation to state and federal officials at the end of the forum. It was a stunning moment in the annals of people-vs-government history, writes the daily's Barbara Blake, adding that beleaguered bureaucrats ... rarely get a smile, much less a standing ovation.   7/28/2000

The Asheville-Buncombe County VISION group, created in ...

The Asheville-Buncombe County VISION group, created in 1995 to spur public involvement in improving the area's quality of life, is urging residents to vote at www.citizen- times.com on which of four local issues is their top priority. The group lists the issues as adequate housing and prevention of urban sprawl; an efficient transportation system; affordable and accessible quality health care; and a strong economy. The top issue in the early August vote count will be addressed during the county's second annual Let's Talk! Dialogues for Our Future meeting series, scheduled throughout October at 15 locations. The chairman of VISION's Community Dialogues Committee, Joseph P. Mcguire, says people feel the need to talk about what's really important to us, what we love about this area, and what we would like to do to make it better. The dialogue coordinator, Gregg Stamey, adds that the group wants to infuse community affairs with the spirit of dialogue instead of debates, which can be controversial. The group is seeking volunteers to train as moderators for the October countywide Let's Talk events.   7/28/2000

The Charlotte News & Observer web site includes ...

The Charlotte News & Observer web site includes an interactive Around the Loop page, inviting viewers' opinions on the Outer Loop construction and its impact on the area. The invitation reads: It's a ribbon of asphalt and concrete, but the Outer Loop is much more than a $1.2 billion highway churning its way across northern Wake County. It's directing development; changing lives - like it or not; creating winners and losers; and shaping futures across the Triangle. And it's just starting. The page offers links to in-depth stories in five categories: Convenience, at a cost; Interchange, a mixed blessing; Guarding the Environment; Building the Future; and Holding onto Tradition.   6/9/2000

A key part of Governor Jim Hunt's ...

A key part of Governor Jim Hunt's growth control plan, the bill to save a million acres from development by 2010, cleared the Senate by a 47-1 vote, but the funding denial by the General Assembly made it more symbolic than practical. Fearing the projected $450 million budget shortfall next year, legislators cut money for a land preservation fund and simply obliged the state to encourage, facilitate, plan, coordinate and support private and public efforts to save open space. The Assembly bill requires the secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to lead the land preservation campaign and to report on its progress each September. A dismayed Charlotte Observer editorial chides legislators who suddenly find that they cut taxes too much to be able to do all the things that a prospering economy ought to allow. The editorial calls for restoring the land preservation funds, stressing that the Million Acres initiative is an appropriate one in a state where development is consuming land at a rapid clip.   6/8/2000

Ruling for 17 Charlotte homeowners who oppose ...

Ruling for 17 Charlotte homeowners who oppose a 42-acre shopping center project in their neighborhood, Superior Court Judge Ben Tennille ordered the city to turn its fast-track, one-step rezoning process into the previous two-step procedure. Associated Press writer Paul Novel reports from Charlotte that this stunning decision put on hold about 50 projects ' from multimillion-dollar shopping center expansions to apartment buildings ' for the three months the city attorneys need to overhaul the zoning rules. Observers note that Charlotte's previous time-consuming and cumbersome rules were rewritten in 1983 and 1991, after which fast-track zoning helped the city become a major banking center and transportation hub. But its blistering growth has also brought severe traffic jams ad smog. The plaintiffs' attorney, H. L. Owen, says, It wouldn't bother a lot of people to sacrifice maximum growth and development for quality development.   4/26/2000

With his bi-annual State of the State ...

With his bi-annual State of the State speech scheduled for 2001, Governor Jim Hunt outlined his vision of Smart Growth at the first session of the North Carolina Smart Growth Study Commission. He said that smart growth means "preserving and protecting what we have been given ... and taking care of our state's resources in a responsible way as we grow." The governor said that during recent public hearings throughout the state, his 21st Century Communities Task Force has learned that people (1) hate traffic congestion, (2) want natural areas and farmland preserved (3) want downtowns strong and vibrant, (4) want livable communities with safe, affordable housing, and (5) want clean air and water. Promising "a blueprint" for putting the state on "the right track," the governor said the key element has to come from the business community. Business people understand, he said, that "smart growth is good for business." If quality of life is ruined, he continued, "the business community can't prosper." The governor recommended a three-prong effort -- to preserve natural areas, improve transportation and strengthen communities. With the goal of preserving a million acres of open space this decade, the governor expects his environmental secretary to present an action plan within 60 days. The governor plans to set aside 20 percent of natural areas at all development projects, protect rivers with green buffers that serve as natural filters, and buy out homes in floodplains to transfer newly created open space to local communities. He wants to involve local governments, business leaders, developers and conservationists in state efforts, "because all of us will benefit." Saying "we know we can't pave our way out of congestion," the governor suggested such solutions as additional HOV lanes, intelligent transportation systems, passenger rail upgrades and a future high-speed rail from the Triangle to Charlotte. The governor pointed out that work to strengthen communities has already started with brownfield, Main Street and inner city development zone programs. He gave his environmental and commerce secretaries 60 days to prepare a plan for stepped-up revitalization of urban centers and smaller Main Streets. The governor concluded: "Growth management is and must be a local issue. State governments shouldn't be creating one-size-fits-all rules and regulations. Our job is to create a toolbox. We should fill it with smart-growth tools that our towns and cities and counties can use to build 21st Century Communities."   2/15/2000

As the General Assembly's smart growth commission ...

As the General Assembly's smart growth commission begins its search for growth management methods, the North Carolina Association of Realtors is asking legislators to sign a "homeowners' bill of rights," which says housing development should reflect market demand rather than "artificial boundaries and rules created by government." Association officials cite their recent poll findings that most residents are happy with local growth and oppose more government involvement in land-use decisions. They say the concurrence of their bill and poll release with the growth commission's first meeting is"coincidental." The Sierra Club's anti-sprawl campaign coordinator in the state, Mary Kiesau, doubts that claim. She calls the Realtors' bill an effort to deter legislators from assertive growth management, or "a case of the smart-growth jitters."   2/3/2000

Two key speakers at the annual conference ...

Two key speakers at the annual conference of Carolantic Realty, the Triangle area's largest commercial real estate firm, its president Carlton Midyette and Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, agreed that Georgia-style regional planning is the best way to manage growth. Predicting record construction levels for the Triangle area this year, Midyette warned that unilateral building limits, like those introduced recently in Cary and Apex, will worsen sprawl by driving development into adjacent communities. He described Cary's decision to limit building permits as "well-intentioned," but in reality a municipal "not in my back yard ... NIMBY reaction." Interviewed after the speech, Midyette said that redevelopment projects along Raleigh's Glenwood Avenue exemplify smart growth, but acknowledged that his firm is not helping to stop sprawl. He explained that if he told his 20 brokers "to work only on projects that contribute to smart growth," they would tell him "to go jump." As a real estate developer, he said, " I don't get paid for coming up with long-term regional planning. I get paid for my next sale."   2/3/2000

Governor Jim Hunt and about 100 government ...

Governor Jim Hunt and about 100 government and business leaders, mostly from the Triangle area, spent a day in Atlanta, to learn about the use of mass transit and compact development for managing he region's explosive growth. Visitors were impressed with the new Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and with the state business community's leadership on growth issues. They were told by the president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Sam Williams, that "when CEOs show up, the message gets through." That was the case when about 300 CEOs publicly supported Governor Roy Barnes' GRTA proposal, which was then overwhelmingly approved by the legislature. Some visitors expressed willingness to follow Georgia's lead, but noted that their state's political realities are different. According to the president of North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry, Phil Kirk, most county legislators dont't care about the urban plight. "You go into 85 of 100 of our counties and try to talk about smart growth, and their eyes will glaze over," he said. Governor Hunt was more optimistic. Urging urban area leaders to work together, the governor said: "We could have a force in the legislature on these issues."   1/31/2000

Smart Growth is perhaps the single most ...

"Smart Growth is perhaps the single most defining factor related to quality of life and economic competitiveness. It should not be viewed as a discussion of restraints but instead as an opportunity to develop a workable strategy," said Chattanooga Institute President David Crockett at a Save Our State forum in Greensboro. Save Our State is a statewide organization formed by North Carolina civic and political leaders two years ago to promote resource efficiency and sustainable economic growth. Its president, former Congressman Tim Valentine stressed that growth decisions made now will determine the state's quality of life far into the future. "We can't afford to mess up," he said, "or our generation will be branded as the thoughtless, selfish generation that threw away North Carolina's last, best chance to ensure a healthy environment and a high quality of life" for all. Other participants spoke about the need to involve developers in long-range planning, about the similarity of business and environmental views on the importance of quality of life to growth, and about the necessity of regional cooperation in the search for a lasting solution to the state's growth problems.   1/31/2000

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission and Mayor Pat ...

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission and Mayor Pat McCrory expect fast City Council approval next year for a zoning overlay to save urban neighborhoods from big-box, stand-alone projects that destroy local character. Long sought by all who worry that the city's zoning permits only uptown-style business districts or suburban-type sprawling strip malls, the overlay will allow for higher-density, walkable corridors, with near-the-curb storefronts and parking lots behind stores. The commission's top urban designer, Warren Burgess, says the aim is to "provide standards for developers to build pedestrian-oriented corridors" near transit. Such corridors "have a strong connection to surrounding neighborhoods" and "strike a balance between the automobile and the pedestrian." Mayor McCrory adds: "We should be designing villages, as opposed to just a maze of buildings and parking lots." Such villages "have more long-term value to a city, its citizens and its environment."   12/28/1999

In the northern tip of Meckelenburg County ...

In the northern tip of Meckelenburg County, the small town of Cornelius is redeveloping an 11-acre former mill site as an old-style downtown center "where people live, work and shop without getting into their cars." According to a master plan, drawn up for the city and the McAdams Co. by Shook Design Group, the newly built Town Hall and a small-store shopping row will soon be complemented by a traditional "main street." The first 25 brick townhomes, designed by David Furman Architecture for Inland Homes of Charlotte, will resemble the live/work units built by the firm in the Huntersville neighborhood of Vermillon. The three-floor townhomes will accommodate shops, offices or studios at the street level, with living areas on the second floor and bedrooms on the third. The McAdams Co. will build another 26 townhomes later next year.   12/28/1999

Acting on last month's promise, Governor Jim ...

Acting on last month's promise, Governor Jim Hunt named 11professionals, business leaders and environmental activists to complete the Smart Growth commission, which already included 26 House and Senate appointees. The governor's nominating statement reads: "The time has come for us to examine growth issues in a comprehensive manner that enables us to take control of the expansion we have seen in the past quarter-century. We must make sure that growth works for us, not against our goals of preserving clean air, clean water and open space for all of our citizens." The commission will be advised by the governor's Smart Growth Task Force. After a two-month series of public hearings across the state, the task force is readying a package of anti- sprawl and quality of life protection measures for the 2001 legislature.   12/13/1999

A Charlotte Observer post-electoral editorial on the ...

A Charlotte Observer post-electoral editorial on the city's and Mecklenburg County's need for Smart Growth makes four points. First, the booming economy and the city's great reputation ensures further growth and newcomers will have to be accommodated. Second, even the strictest version of Smart Growth wouldn't bar those with means from buying big houses on big lots in the suburbs. Third, "the spread-out, centerless growth pattern known as suburban sprawl" reflects not only "the free market at work," but also "dozens of government subsidies, rules, laws and incentives." Fourth, "developers aren't the enemy" as they are generally "following the legal and financial rules of the game." Calling sprawl "a national phenomenon with national causes," and warning that "the pattern of willy-nilly growth simply can't be sustained long-term without too much damage to the environment, economy and social fabric," the editorial says that altering more-than-five- decade "habits, laws and incentives for sprawl won't be easy," but is "essential to the region's future."   11/22/1999

In a Buncombe County advisory referendum on ...

In a Buncombe County advisory referendum on zoning for unincorporated areas, 55.5 percent of voters rejected the idea as unclear and possibly harmful to affordable housing and industrial growth. Noting that the opposition was better funded, and that the referendum excluded city residents, who are more worried about traffic, pollution and "overall quality of life, the Asheville Citizen Times says that three of the five county commissioners are not inhibited by the ten percent rejection margin. Board Chairman Tom Sobol, and commissioners Patsy Keever and David Gantt, will analyze each precinct's results and may introduce zoning in the areas of strongest voter support for land-use restrictions. They will also continue talks with business and community leaders about improving the zoning proposal, to ensure both jobs and affordable housing growth.   11/22/1999

An environmental economics study of the 224 ...

An environmental economics study of the 224-mile Catawba River, which supplies several cities in both Carolinas and is heavily used for recreation, found that the benefits of preserving clean water greatly outweigh the estimated $6-million cost of a five-year river management plan. The study, by Duke University researchers Randall Kramer and Jonathan Eisen-Hecht, included more than 1000 interviews, with 98 of percent respondents listing river protection among top area environmental priorities, and about 66 percent willing to pay an average of $139 a year, or $75 million regionally, for the management plan. The management would ensure runoff control, basin land-use planning, sewer plant improvements and key site preservation.   11/22/1999

Alarmed by the subdivisions and strip malls ...

Alarmed by the subdivisions and strip malls "creeping toward" his Wilson County cattle farm 50 miles east of Raleigh, Governor Jim Hunt appointed a Smart Growth Task Force to combat sprawl and protect the state's quality of life. The task force will conduct a two-month series of public hearings throughout the state, hoping to have a packet of anti-sprawl measures ready for the 2001 legislative session. This would coincide with a senatorial commission report on smart growth programs in other states, especially in Maryland and Tennessee. Briefing reporters on his smart growth initiative, Governor Hunt said he has seen housing projects "just jumping up all over the county," and getting "closer and closer and closer" to him. "To be honest," he said, "I don't want them closer to me." Growth control proponents say it's quite late for the governor to take on sprawl with less than 18 months till the end of his fourth term. State Sierra Club director Molly Diggins agrees that he lacks the time to enact "sweeping changes," but she doesn't think "its too late to protect the quality of life."   9/13/1999

Citing Charlotte and Mecklenburg County commitment to ...

Citing Charlotte and Mecklenburg County commitment to "smarter land use" and better transportation, Neal Peirce of the Washington Post Writer Group says in his column that the transit secret is to "promise less, deliver more." With the Charlotte region's traffic worsening yearly, at the fourth fastest rate in the nation, even conservative politicians such as Republican Mayor Pat McCrory favor spending more on transit and concentrating development along its lines. But their bold plan is also modest, the writer says. It "avoids damning cars or promising to end congestion. Instead it offers choices -- convenient busways and rail lines for people who want them, a land use pattern of convenient villages and office centers at transit stops in which almost everyone can find some advantage."   9/13/1999

Charlotte: At the International Downtown Association workshop ...

Charlotte: At the International Downtown Association workshop, experts saw bright prospects for the city in the next century, thanks to its freedom from traffic and pollution problems like those plaguing Atlanta. Among Charlotte's advantages, the experts listed strong corporate leadership, multi-level public-private cooperation, an efficient bus system likely to be augmented by a trolley line, concentrated financial services, commitment to housing near downtown, art and culture centers, and a clear view of the challenges. Among those challenges, the experts cited the need to reduce surface parking, redevelop vacant sites, boost street-level retail, make it more accessible to pedestrians and open the shopping corridor on weekends.   5/28/1999

Charlotte: Having long financed urban revitalization and ...

Charlotte: Having long financed urban revitalization and sustainable development, the Charlotte-based Bank of America has entered into a partnership with the Urban Land Institute, committing $200,000 over the next two years to expand information and cooperation on Smart Growth. Through its Smart Growth Community Outreach program, the partnership will offer leadership training and resource kits to communities "working toward an inclusive implementation of Smart Growth initiatives." The program will start in Maryland and the cities of Atlanta, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. The bank will also help the Urban Land Institute with ongoing National Policy Forums and with its National Partners for Smart Growth Conference 2000, scheduled for November in San Diego.   5/14/1999

The chairman and CEO of Bank of ...

The chairman and CEO of Bank of America, the nation's largest real estate finance institution, Hugh L. McColl, told hundreds of developers at the International Council of Shopping Centers session in Charlotte that the answer to persistent inner-city poverty, suburban sprawl, traffic congestion, environmental pollution and open space loss is Smart Growth. Committing Bank of America to Smart Growth, McColl defined the movement as pro-growth, with a focus on areas where infrastructure ensures long-term sustainability. As an example of entirely private Smart Growth planning, financing and implementation, he cited his bank's future Gateway Village in Charlotte's Center City. Besides state-of-the-art high-tech offices for the bank and other companies, the village will include residential units, parking garages, shops, restaurants and open public space.   4/23/1999

Wake County: Projecting an average increase of ...

Wake County: Projecting an average increase of 4,000 students annually until 2010, the Board of Supervisors expects a June referendum to approve a $650 million bond issue for school construction, renovation and technology. The approval may mean a property tax increase up to 21 percent. Opponents say that the area's residential growth is slowing down and that officials overestimate future student rolls. Proponents respond that slower enrolment would not affect the need for new schools, because 12,500 students are currently studying in trailers.   4/23/1999

Mecklenburg County & Charlotte: Planners are preparing a ...

Mecklenburg County & Charlotte: Planners are preparing a zoning proposal to increase the area's residential density standard from three to four units per acre. Developers agree that the change would improve road efficiency, curb housing cost increases and reduce paperwork. The proposal is seen as part of a nationwide trend toward greater housing densities.   2/1/1999

Mecklenburg County: In this growth-saturated county, the ...

Mecklenburg County: In this growth-saturated county, the cities of Davidson and Huntersville are first in the state with plans to expand land conservation efforts from land-use and zoning changes to voluntary purchases or transfers of development rights. Davidson would use taxes to buy and keep farmland from development. Huntersville would protect its surroundings by transfer of development rights to growth-designated areas near transportation hubs.   12/1/1998

Orange County: Saying that growth is coming ...

Orange County: Saying that growth is coming to the county "whether you want it or not," Hillsborough leaders have zoned three new economic development districts - one within town limits, the others just outside. Unlike the bigger city of Chapel Hill, known for its slow-growth policy, Hillsborough will be marketing itself as "a pro-business, pro-development community."   10/1/1998

Charlotte: In a shift from suburban retail ...

Charlotte: In a shift from suburban retail development, city planning officials are likely to block a major expansion of the SouthPark mall until all opportunities uptown have been exhausted. They point out that both the city and business would benefit from expanding retail in the uptown area because of its central location and easy access by mass transit.   10/1/1998

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, and Mecklenburg County ...

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, and Mecklenburg County Commission Chairman Tom Bush are considering a referendum on a half-cent sales tax to collect $50 million a year for transit. The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce supports the tax and a comprehensive transportation plan, including coordination of transit and land-use planning.   3/1/1998

Real estate experts predicting strong 1998 housing ...

Real estate experts predicting strong 1998 housing demand in the Charlotte area noted a change in market preferences and construction trends. Buyers prefer smaller lots that need less care. Urban planners are introducing high-density designs that alleviate traffic and restore pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.   1/1/1998

In Cary, next to booming Raleigh, four ...

In Cary, next to booming Raleigh, four concerned residents started a grassroots movement to preserve its character and quality of life by organizing Citizens for Balanced Growth. The group promised to monitor the debate on Cary's growth, conduct its own research and explain zoning laws and codes in layman terms.   1/1/1998

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