CharlotteDave
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Posts posted by CharlotteDave
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Yeah, I saw that part of the county commission meeting when they talked about the parking deck thing. That was actually what prompted me to e-mail Gwen Cook, but based on what she said, that "
We still intend to complete the main trail through the entire project by Spring 2010", it sounds like they think they can work around it. I mean, it seems like she would know if anyone would.
Per this weeks County Commissioners' meeting, they are only funding the CPCC parking deck enough to pay for contracts and equipment orders already in the pipeline. After that, the project will go dormant until the economy recovers (years, maybe?). The parking lot (Lot 3) near the creek won't be removed until the deck is finished. (At least the commissioners directed staff to include the "shovel-ready" deck in the county's federal stimulus wish list; reps from the county go to DC next week to deliver their list of stimulus projects.) Assuming this project isn't picked up by Uncle Samta Claus, concrete equipment and such may be stored on a part of Lot 3 for the INDEFINITE future. The total amount to be spent will be $5 million, with the balance of the $20+ million deck held back until the all clear is sounded on the economy (again, years??).Outside of Midtown, this is probably the key link in the whole Sugar Creek greenway. Hopefully, the feds will help out. Who knows?
Per this weeks County Commissioners' meeting, they are only funding the CPCC parking deck enough to pay for contracts and equipment orders already in the pipeline. After that, the project will go dormant until the economy recovers (years, maybe?). The parking lot (Lot 3) near the creek won't be removed until the deck is finished. (At least the commissioners directed staff to include the "shovel-ready" deck in the county's federal stimulus wish list; reps from the county go to DC next week to deliver their list of stimulus projects.) Assuming this project isn't picked up by Uncle Samta Claus, concrete equipment and such may be stored on a part of Lot 3 for the INDEFINITE future. The total amount to be spent will be $5 million, with the balance of the $20+ million deck held back until the all clear is sounded on the economy (again, years??).
Outside of Midtown, this is probably the key link in the whole Sugar Creek greenway. Hopefully, the feds will help out. Who knows?
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Given all the disappointing news lately about various projects that are being delayed, I was encouraged by what I learned today about the greenway project. I e-mailed Gwen Cook, greenway planner for Park and Rec, and asked her about the status of the overall project and whether the economic problems have led to any delays. Below is her response:
The Sugar Creek Greenway is to be funded by 2008 bonds. Those bonds will not be put up for sale until next year at the earliest. There are few buyers right now. County Finance is watching the market closely, but the remaining 2004 bonds will be sold first.
The 7th to Charlottetowne urban sections of Little Sugar Creek Greenway are mostly moving forward. They are like a linear park and we may have to delay some accessory areas, but the goal of connectivity hasn't changed. We still intend to complete the main trail through the entire project by Spring 2010.
That last sentence is very encouraging. I think the part about maybe having to delay some accessory areas might have to do with one of the CPCC parking lots, lot 3 as they call it, but, overall, it sounds like everything is right on schedule.
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Concerning the chances of getting some help for the streetcar from the stimulus package, Keith Parker had this to say in the Charlotte Business Journal:
There's talk of funding streetcar projects, and Parker says Charlotte is well-positioned to receive a share. While many cities have proposed lines of a few miles, the CATS line is slated to run about 10 miles between Johnson C. Smith University and Eastland Mall.
"The length gives up a leg up," Parker says. "Plus, we are considered a role model of transit systems, and we have processes and protocols already in place. Career staff is still there in the federal agencies, and they know us."
Work is under way for a section through Central Piedmont Community College, and initial design has been done for the segment between Johnson C. Smith and Presbyterian Hospital.
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The others beat me to it. I linked to the Nashville Journal because the Charlotte version didn't offer the entire article to non subscribers.
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According to an article in the Charlotte Business Journal, the attempts to accelerate the Charlotte streetcar plan are about to move to a more serious stage. Despite the severe economic problems, there seems to be broad based political support for it. As for how to pay for it, the article mentions the same ideas we've heard before: additional property taxes from the anticipated development along the line and taxes on the neighborhoods where the streetcar would run. They also hope to maybe get some help from the Obama stimulus package. City Councilman, Anthony Fox, wants to give voters a direct say in the matter, although he seems to favor the idea. The article includes the usual arguments as seen in the excerpts below:
"The economic impact of these projects is very problematic," says Dave Hartgen, transportation professor emeritus at UNC Charlotte and an industry consultant. "You have to get into the specifics" of what is considered economic gain.
Supporters such as Jim Palermo, executive-in-residence at Johnson & Wales University, believe the evidence along South Boulevard's light-rail corridor speaks for itself. Condominiums, apartments and shops and restaurants sprouted in the area as the light-rail line came to life. Palermo, vice chairman of the streetcar stakeholders committee, says the evidence of economic gains fostered by light rail and other transit is incontrovertible.
article from Charlotte Business Journal
It will be interesting to see what happens, but it sounds like it could be a pretty big story in the coming year.
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I did write the author of the article, but got only a very brief response. She said the goal was 2010 and she thinks that does include the Target-Home Depot-Thompson's Park section. She added that it all depends on whether they get the money for construction. It sounds like the bad economy might be causing some degree of uncertainty. In the past, they've always talked about a target date of Spring-Summer of 2010 to complete the overall project, but I have no idea if that is still realistic or not. At least we know now that the parts of the greenway near the Metropolitan are right on schedule for a summer debut.
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It was a good article. I just wish it had said something about when they plan to stat work on the part of the greenway that goes behind the Target-Home Depot and on into Thompson's Park. I plan to e-mail the author of the article and see if she has any information on that. I do know the unveiling of the Captain Jack sculpture is planned for May of 2010.
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I was there today and they've really started to make progress on some of the greenway related amenities. They have largely completed several of the overlook areas and also have a half completed fountain that already has the water part going. Looking at it from that perspective on a perfect spring like day, the greenway looked the best I've ever seen it look so far. To the naked eye, it looks like it might could be finished by early summer, but I haven't heard anything. I'm still anxious to see them get started on some of the other parts of the greenway.
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Here are the CLT area transit and rail stimulus projects approved by the State Board of Transportation on their economic stimulus wish list sent up. Note that a number of the rail projects would need to be done for the N and NE corridor transit projects. I note how in my opinion each RAIL piece might impact Charlotte's NE or N corridor.
TRANSIT
Charlotte Area TransitWest Corridor Enhanced Bus service/electronic signs $3,116,000
Charlotte Area TransitSustain downtown Charlotte Business shuttle $1,300,000
Charlotte Area TransitPurchase 60 buses off existing contract $30,000,000
Charlotte Area TransitRenovate existing Davidson Maintenance Facility & add new facility space for paratransit operations $25,000,000
Charlotte Area TransitAccelerate construction of Park & Ride facilities $10,000,000
Charlotte Area TransitModernize CATS' main Transit Hub in Charlotte's Center City $25,000,000
Charlotte Area TransitLYNX Blue Line Capacity Enhancements: purchase up to 12 LRVs; ticket vending machines; extend platform lengths; add shelters; information/advertising kiosks $110,000,000
Charlotte Area TransitCreate a sealed corridor in North Corridor from Charlotte to Mooresville (railroad grade crossing consolidation, signalization, quad gates and other enhancements) $30,000,000
RAIL
Sugar Creek Road Grade Separation $34,000,000 (part of NE corridor project)
CRISP-Charlotte Rail Improvement & Safety Project. Grade separate NS from CSXT and provide crossing for CATS O-Line project, close 9 at-grade crossings, enhance freight, intermodal, commuter and intercity passenger access. $80,000,000 (part of N line project, minor impact on NE line project as part of this relates to the NE line crossing the CXT)
Charlotte Station leaving signal $1,000,000
Acquire ROW for future Charlotte Gateway Station $7,500,000 (part of N line project)
Double-track 26.3 miles of NCRR between HPT and CLT $65,000,000
$65,000,000
Thanks for posting the list. I was just wondering where you found it, and if there was anything on the non transit related projects that are being recommended.
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At the county commission meeting tonight, Jennifer Roberts mentioned that three Charlotte greenways qualify as candidates for Obama's stimulus package coming up in January. It has to do with them being part of a transportation corridor. One was the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and I think Stewart Creek was one of the others. She didn't specify what it would actually mean if they're approved, but I guess it would probably mean a faster timetable for certain parts of the greenway.
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I notice that the website for the May 20th Society now lists the target date for the unveiling of the Captain Jack statue as May of 2010. One has to assume that probably means May 20th, 2010. They also have a new artist's rendering that includes a reflecting pool. Hopefully they'll take advantage of the opportunity to highlight some other elements related to Meck Dec or some of the other dramatic aspects of Charlotte's role during that revolutionary period.
Speaking of the Greenway in general, it sometimes seems like the progress is incredibly slow. Except for the stretch they've been working on for 18 months now, they still to my knowledge haven't started work on any of the other parts. With roughly 18 months to go until the projected target date, that must mean they're going to be working on several different stretches at the same time as the new year progresses.
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You're probably right but for some of the reasons you alluded to, there still seems to be good reason to be optimistic about the overall situation. The Mecklenburg Times has a new article about this very subject.
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1910 W. Trade St.
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In the past few days, President Elect, Obama, has unveiled the rough outline of his economic stimulus package, a massive proposal that is expected to include money for light rail projects. Does anyone have any thoughts about what the impact might be here in Charlotte.? We don't have many details yet, but one would think it might be very good news for the NE line. Perhaps it could end up being something that would accellerate the timetable a bit. Also, based on recent interviews, I know that Keith Parker is planning to try and get federal help for the streetcar and commuter line as well.
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Michael Smith, the Center City Partner's guy, was on News14 today talking about the Knight's situation. He said that Don Beaver assured him just last week that he was still fully committed to the project. On the negative side, Smith said that in a best case scenario, construction on the park probably wouldn't began before early next year, and he sort of hinted that given all the financial turmoil, it might be longer than that. At least for the moment, things don't look very promising for 2010, but it still looks as if there might be a pretty good chance the ballpark will get built eventually.
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Ironically, two more of the Jerry Reese lawsuits are being heard today in Monroe, and they say there could be a decision on one or both before the day is over. Under the circumstances, I'm glad those decisions are imminent.
Concerning Charlotte's chances for a major league team, I'm one that believes the city could probably support it, but it has become a moot point: There simply aren't any franchises available and likely won't be any time soon. There are currently no plans for expansion and most of the struggling franchises from recent times now have new ballparks or new ones on the way. The Florida Marlins are about the only potential exception, but that situation is a total longshot. There is no indication they have any serious interest in Charlotte, and I know MLB will be very hesitant to give up on Florida. That's why I think Charlotte's best bet, for both its minor and major league aspirations, is to build this new minor league ballpark and hopefully quickly become one of the national attendance leaders. If that happens, which many expect with an uptown location, Charlotte would likely move back to the top of the list for future expansion candidates, just like it used to be back in the glory days of the Hornets.
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They have hundreds of old photos at the library website, but here are a couple more:
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Just another day on the Square:
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I agree with you as far as the ticket prices go, but it has to be considered in combination with what it costs to park. For those who can take the light rail, which I plan to do quite a bit, it would be an excellent deal by today's standards.
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This week's Business Journal has an article on the ballpark situation. It indicates the Knights are planning to have six dollar seats on what they refer to as the grassy berm. That probably gives us a good indication that most of the general admission tickets will be more than that. Unfortunately, there still seems to be a certain amount of uncertainty as to whether they'll be able to start construction by November.
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Today's Observer has a good article about all this, including a map.
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Does anyone know if this project includes plans for a greenway? It seems like I might vaguely remember reading something about that in the past. I do know there is a very nice creek either part of or adjacent to the property.
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In a somewhat related news, the Tampa Bay Rays are going to their local city council soon to ask to have a new stadium proposal put on the November ballot. I have to think that Mr. Reese is probably keeping an eye on this if he's still serious about brining MLB to Charlotte. If a team were to relocate here (MLB is not expanding any time soon), I think an American League team would make the most sense. The Rays are the only AL team south of Baltimore, while the NL has the Marlins, Braves, Nats and Phillies around the mid-Atlantic area. From reading a lot of baseball message boards (and I do that a lot), most fans speculate that the Rays would bolt for Charlotte if they can't get a new stadium in Tampa. Of course a lot of things would have to fall into place for that to happen, but it's a common theme. If they get their new stadium, hopefully Reese would go away and we can move forward with the Knights stadium. I just don't see how he could justify MLB at that point.
And for the record, I'm not saying I support Reese's efforts, I'm just trying to think what he may be thinking
I honestly feel we're a least 10 years away from being able to support MLB in this city.There was actually something on the channel 9 news yesterday about the judge throwing out the Jerry Reese lawsuit, but there hasn't been any follow up on TV or in the paper. Therefore I don't know what the exact ruling was or what its impact will be.
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They also talked about the streetcar line. The mayor encouraged, Keith Parker, the Cats guy, to explore the possibility of having parking areas at the two endpoints: Eastland and Beatties Ford. Parker pointed out that streetcar systems normally don't have parking areas but said it was an interesting idea to consider. I was glad to hear the mayor say that because you obviously want the line to be accessable to as many people as possible. Parker also made the point that the streetcar line might actually save money in the long run because of the need for fewer buses and other issues related to that.
This idea of speeding up the timetable for the streetcar is starting to remind me of the Knights ballpark issue: It looks as if the right people have decided they want it to happen, so I suspect they'll find a way to make it happen.
Below is a link to the video. Parker's presentation started about ten minutes into the meeting.
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/City+C...etings/Home.htm
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I honestly feel we're a least 10 years away from being able to support MLB in this city.
Charlotte Greenways and Trails
in Charlotte
Posted
I think Dubone could very well be right. In just the last two days I have corresponded with two of the key members of the project: Crystal Taylor, project manager for stream restoration and Jay Higginbotham, project manager for the greenway portion of the project. They both told me that work should begin this May on the Charlottetown to Elizabeth portion of the greenway and take approximatley 12 months. That includes both the stream restoration and the greenway construction, including the Captain Jack Plaza. According to Crystal Taylor, they're preparing to bid the project shortly. It was just yesterday that Jay Higginbotham wrote me about that. I guess it's possible they didn't know what was about to happen, but hopefully it's just old news like Dubone mentioned.
By the way, in recent days they've planted a slew of trees along the greenway near the Metropolitan, so it should have a much different look by early summer.