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. 

As our community finds new ways to reconnect in these post-pandemic times, Sustain Charlotte is bringing people together to have fun, build connections with each other, and find common ground in our shared advocacy interests. 

What better way to do that than through games! We hosted our very first Sustainability Game Night at Divine Barrel Brewing on Wednesday evening. 

Credit: The City of Charlotte Planning Department

What is Community Area Planning?

Community Area Planning (CAP) is the next step in helping Charlotte grow in an intentional, sustainable, and equitable way. The planning process, which invites participation from members of the community and intentionally includes their input in decisions, builds upon the vision and goals stated in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan (https://cltfuture2040.com). The information gathered from this initiative will provide more detailed guidance regarding development, infrastructure, transportation, and other critical quality-of-life influencers for each of the 14 community areas throughout Charlotte (the Uptown area has its planning process separate from this effort). 

Community Area Planning aims to capture each geography’s distinctive needs and character while accounting for surrounding areas to inform decisions about development and growth. That’s where you come in! The more voices in the conversation, the better we can plan for our community’s future.

Dennis Markatos-Soriano, East Coast Greenway Alliance Executive Director, shares the organization's vision. Photo: Lauren Sawyers

Last night, Sustain Charlotte hosted the latest program in our Growing our Greenways series, an initiative to highlight the many benefits of greenways and to amplify the voices of Mecklenburg County residents and organizations advocating for equitable and expedited construction of our county greenway network.

The purpose of this event was to explore new ways of funding greenways and options for building them faster. Two of the main goals set forth by the Growing our Greenways initiative are to allocate sufficient resources in the next Capital Improvement Program and enhance organizational support and processes to enable completion of at least 50 additional miles of greenways by end of fiscal year 2028, and to determine and provide the resources needed to substantially complete the Greenway Master Plan by 2035.

This panel discussion was headlined by Dennis Markatos-Soriano, executive director of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the nonprofit working to build out the 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway to connect 15 states and 450 cities and towns from Maine to Florida. Their Greenways for All initiative is designed to support communities from Maine to Florida in accessing funding for greenways and trails in order to foster a safe walking and biking route along this entire east coast corridor. 

Charlotte has a new bicycle planner in town. Dave Campbell started his new job with the Charlotte Department of Transportation in December after a long advocacy career, including the last 10 years as advocacy director for Bike East Bay in California.

This week, the Metropolitan Transit Commission voted to move forward with redevelopment plans for the Charlotte Transportation Center (CTC) and discussed an alignment evaluation for the center city portion of the future Silver Line light rail.  

We remain committed to advocating for equity in all transportation investment decisions and applaud progress toward meeting the transportation and mobility needs of residents throughout the Charlotte region.

Mecklenburg County staff and commissioners are already planning for the next budget year, which begins in July. A big part of that process includes the next Capital Improvement Plan, a five-year program that funds a range of projects, including expanding our parks, nature preserves and greenway system.

Mecklenburg County commissioners held their annual budget retreat Jan. 25-27, and we tuned in. How governments budget and spend available funds reflects their values and determines their ability to address existing problems. For this reason, it’s important to pay attention to the budget and ensure it reflects what residents want.

Infrastructure design plays an essential role in keeping people safe on our streets, especially at intersections. As part of Sustain Charlotte’s mission, we are committed to advocating for solutions that will help the city of Charlotte reach its Vision Zero goal of no traffic-related injuries or deaths.