Photo: Paxton Shaw/Social Ape

On Wednesday, May 24, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) met again to receive an update from CATS CEO Brent Cagle and take action on the Silver Line, fare capping, and the fare policy. The Transit Services Advisory Committee (TSAC) and Citizens Transit Advisory Group (CTAG) also gave brief reports.

Charlotte City Council met for its monthly zoning meeting on Monday night, hearing feedback from residents on a number of zoning petitions regarding new residential communities developers want to build in northeast and southwest Charlotte. We are concerned about council members' comments about delaying the implementation of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which was approved last year and is set to take effect on June 1, and overturning the duplex/triplex policy. (Read a refresher on the UDO and why it matters.) 

On Tuesday, Sustain Charlotte sent the following letter to all City Council members. 

(Photo: Hope Wright)

On Monday, May 1, the Transportation, Planning, and Development (TP&D) Committee held their monthly meeting. While CATS has made a number of high-profile headlines over the past couple of months, this meeting was remarkably routine. City Manager Marcus Jones and interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle joined the committee members to share updates and answer questions. The meeting wrapped up with an update on rezonings as we approach the June 1 UDO implementation date. Here’s a recap of some of the highlights. 

Last Monday evening, our Director of Engagement and Impact, Meg Fencil, spoke at the City Council Budget Hearing to express support for the funding listed in the recommended budget to support numerous projects, centering around those that will 1) Provide safe and equitable mobility, 2) Support more affordable housing, and 3) Reduce Charlotte’s greenhouse gas emissions. 

(Photo: Charlotte Area Transit System)

On Wednesday, April 26, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) held an eventful meeting. The MTC, established through an interlocal agreement in 1998 when the half-cent transit sales tax was enacted, is tasked with serving as part of the governance structure that oversees CATS. The MTC votes on CATS policy decisions and has some specific powers, such as the ability to terminate the CATS CEO. However, it became clear during the recent meeting that the MTC is quite limited in its ability to direct financial decisions. As such, commission members are struggling to find their place in our complex transit governance landscape. 

These concerns need to be addressed so that all taxpayers supporting CATS through sales tax revenues are equitably represented in both policy and financial decision-making. This is an essential step in the process of building countywide and regional consensus on the need to invest in expanding the public transit system.

Wednesday’s 4-hour meeting covered topics from NCDOT’s oversight role to existential questions about the purpose of MTC. We won’t go into those details here, but we do recommend these articles by WFAE and the Charlotte Post for overviews of the meeting.

Here is our take on the two items that will immediately affect transit riders, operators, and advocates (light rail safety and service levels) and an update on battery electric buses. 

2023 Sustain Charlotte Awards

Last week, we spotlighted individuals and organizations for their inspiring work to reduce our community’s impact on the climate, advance racial equity, and support residents’ health and wellness.

Seven winners were honored for advancing smart growth and sustainability in the greater Charlotte region before a crowd of more than 300 at the 2023 Sustain Charlotte Awards presented by Duke Energy.

Thank you to the more than 100 people who responded to our action alert and advocated to Mecklenburg County commissioners for Park and Recreation Department funding! Your stories about the importance of greenways struck home with many of the commissioners, as evidenced by their vocal support during Tuesday’s public policy meeting.

This blog post covers the second half of the April 3 Charlotte City Council Transportation, Planning and Development Committee meeting, including a CATS update and UDO text amendments portion of the meeting. For a recap of the mobility update from the first part of the meeting, please see this blog post.

by Hope Wright, Advocacy Manager

This month’s Transportation, Planning, and Development Committee meeting on Monday, April 3rd was chock full of information. Three items were on the agenda: a mobility update from Centralina Regional Council’s executive director Geraldine Gardner, a CATS update from interim CEO Brent Cagle and County Manager Marcus Jones, and proposed UDO text amendments presented by interim director for Planning, Design & Development, Alyson Craig. You can view the agenda and accompanying slides here.

by Hope Wright, Advocacy Manager

Photo: City of Charlotte

There has been a lot of news coming from CATS recently. We attended the recent Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting on Wednesday, Mar. 22 to hear the latest from interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle.

The meeting opened with Mayor Lyles expressing the need for a “candid conversation” about the May 2022 Lynx Blue Line derailment that came to light a few weeks ago. Cagle then delivered a CATS Management Partners Update presentation, outlining the successes of the department, including steady bus and rail operations and a stable budget.