If you haven't heard the good news yet, this week City Council approved their budget that includes record-high amounts of funding for projects to support equitable neighborhoods, safer streets for walking and biking, and Vision Zero. Several key bonds will now go on the ballot for 2022, which would provide the following amounts over two years:

2021 is a critical year for Charlotte’s future. How we grow for the next twenty years is being decided as we speak and the decisions being made around the 2040 plan will impact every Charlotte area resident's quality of life for generations to come.

There's a lot going on this summer with transportation and land use in Charlotte -- and across our region! 

Today we're digging into one of three planning processes that were shared by staff at Monday's City Council Transportation, Planning, and Environment (TPE) Committee meeting. Over the next few weeks, we'll share blog posts about the Connect Beyond regional transit planning process and the Silver Line Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Study. Slides from the TPE meeting presentations on all three topics can be viewed here.

Join us today for the first deep dive as we take a closer look at I-77. Yes, it's an interstate that moves a lot of cars and freight. But it has the potential to do so much more! We're about to go...Beyond 77. 

After receiving input from the public and various Charlotte City Council committees, City staff have released a revised version of the Charlotte Future 2040 Plan that they are recommending for adoption by Council. 

The public -- that's YOU!-- is invited to submit feedback on this revised draft until June 3rd. The final Council vote on the plan is scheduled for Monday, June 21st. 

(image: City of Charlotte; cltfuture2040.com)

This Monday night, Charlotte City Council will undertake a critical vote on the Charlotte Future 2040 Plan. The outcome will shape the way that our city grows for decades to come. 

Is the current draft of the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan the vision that Charlotte needs to grow in an equitable, authentic, integrated, and resilient way for decades to come? 

This was the essential issue that Charlotte City Council's Transportation Planning and Environment Committee discussed at a special meeting on Monday, April 19th. 

2021 is gonna be a GREAT year for cycling in Charlotte! Another segment of the City’s Uptown CycleLink project went into construction last week!

Over 100 Charlotte residents signed up to speak during last night's public hearing for the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan. We were thrilled to see the age, racial, and geographic diversity of residents from neighborhoods across Charlotte speaking in support of the plan!

City Council's vote on the plan will be delayed by two months to allow more time for public input received so far to be incorporated into an updated draft document, which will be then shared publicly for a final round of input. 

We need YOUR help to speak up in support of a critical plan that will shape the future of Charlotte's neighborhoods for generations to come.

With the Charlotte Future 2040 Plan, we have an opportunity to begin to reverse decades of exclusionary zoning practices that segregated our community. 

However, after years of robust community discussion, a small, vocal, politically-connected minority is standing against our community’s vision. 

Thanks to a $1.5 Million investment from CDOT's Corridor Program and years of resident advocacy, BIG changes are coming to one of Charlotte's most vibrant communities!

Four pedestrian hybrid beacons and a full intersection traffic signal are anticipated to be constructed by the end of the year along West Boulevard between the Wilmore neighborhood in the east and Billy Graham Parkway in the west. These improvements will provide more safe opportunities for people who walk and ride bicycles to cross this busy major street. It will also improve safety for riders of the #10 bus, one of the most popular routes in the CATS bus network.

Our hope is that the new pedestrian crossing beacons and traffic signals will help to prioritize walking and biking, so that West Boulevard can continue its transformation into a genuine asset to the community rather than being a barrier that's difficult to cross without a car.

Here's a map of where the new signals will be installed. (not shown on map: Merriman/Wilmore Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon):

image: Charlotte DOT