AND
AND THE
AND THE TOUGH QUESTIONS GET ASKED AND ANSWERED. THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE ON
FLASH POINT.
>> I'VE BEEN TOPS AND WE'VE GOT
A BIG SHOW PLANNED TO DATE
THREE DIFFERENT GUESTS.
THREE BIG PRESSING TOPICS THE
CITY'S HOMELESS PROBLEM TENT
CITIES POPPING UP ALL OVER TOWN
BITTER COLD THIS PAST WEEK.
WHAT'S BEING DONE TO HELP THESE
FOLKS?
MANY OF THEM THE VICTIMS OF AN
ECONOMIC CRISIS AND SEE THEM AS
MAKING THE CONTROVERSIAL CALL
TO SIT ALL STUDENTS BACK HOME
FOR VIRTUAL LEARNING.
THIS IS NOT THE ONLY DISTRICT
TWO.
IT COMES AS COVID 19 CASES
SPIKE.
BUT THE QUESTION WE'RE ASKING
THE SCIENCE REALLY SUPPORT THIS
DECISION.
FIRST UP THOUGH, CHARLOTTE, THE
FIFTH FASTEST GROWING CITY IN
THE COUNTRY.
WE CANNOT KEEP UP WITH THE TENS
OF THOUSANDS PEOPLE MOVING
HERE.
WE'RE OUTPACING THE
INFRASTRUCTURE WE BUILT YEARS
AGO.
SO THIS WEEK ON MONDAY
CHARLOTTE CITY COUNCIL WILL GET
THE FIRST LOOK AT A NEW BIG
BOLD LONG TERM TRANSPORTATION
PLAN THAT COMES WITH A PRICE
TAG AS HIGH AS 12 BILLION
DOLLARS.
IT'S THE WORK OF THE CHARLOTTE
MOVES TASK FORCE, A GROUP LED
BY FORMER MAYOR HARVEY GANTT
THAT CREATED A COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN BASED ON BUILDING NEW
LIGHT RAIL, NEW ROADS, NEW BUS
ROUTES, NEW BIKE PATHS YOU NAME
IT ALL IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE THE
CITY MORE MANAGEABLE.
YES, BUT ALSO PERHAPS MORE
IMPORTANTLY MORE EQUITABLE.
TWO BIG HURDLES THOUGH CITY
LEADERS WILL FACE THE VOTERS AS
WELL AS THE GENERAL SIMPLY UP
IN RALEIGH.
JOINING ME NOW, MAYOR PRO TEM
JULIE ISIL.
SHE'S THE HEAD OF THE CITY'S
COUNCIL CITY COUNCIL'S
TRANSPORTATION AND PLANNING
COMMITTEE.
JULIE, I GOING TO ASK YOU SORT
OF AN ODD QUESTION, BUT I THINK
IT'S PROBABLY THE BASIC ONE.
A LOT OF FOLKS ARE ASKING WHY
NOT JUST BUILD MORE ROADS?
>> THERE'S NO ROOM TO BUILD
ROADS.
THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
WE'RE GROWING SO FAST.
WE'VE REALLY GROWN OUR CAPACITY
TO ADD ROADS.
THAT'S TRUE WITH EVERY MAJOR
CITY.
AND WE'RE A MAJOR CITY NOW AND
WE HAVE TO TAKE ON THE PROBLEMS
OF A MAJOR CITY AND THAT'S HOW
WE MOVE PEOPLE AROUND WHEN
YOU CAN'T BUILD NEW ROADS.
SO LET'S GO OVER THIS PLAN.
>> IT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE
LIGHT RAIL, THE SILVER LINE
THAT STRETCHES FROM DOWN TO
MATTHEWS THROUGH UPTOWN.
OUT TO BELMONT PAST THE
AIRPORT.
IT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE NEW
BIKE PATHS, NEW WALKING PATHS,
MORE BOOK BUS ROUTES AND
PERHAPS MORE ROADS IN THIS.
SO THIS IS THE PATH FORWARD
THAT WE FEEL LIKE IS THE BEST
WAY AS FAR AS A MULTIFACTORIAL
MULTI OPTION TRANSPORTATION
PLAN.
>> YES, IT IS AND IT'S
IMPORTANT AND YOU YOU SENT A
POPULATED BY CHARLOTTE BY ALL
MEANS, BUT GEOGRAPHICALLY
THEY'RE THE SAME SIZE.
IT SHOWS A VERY BIG GEOGRAPHIC
CITY.
AND IT STRIKES ME THAT A LOT OF
THESE OTHER AREAS WHERE THERE'S
NEW YORKERS YOU HAVE A REGIONAL
APPROACH AS IN.
YOU HAVE FOLKS IN NEW YORK
CITY, FOLKS FROM PENNSYLVANIA,
CONNECTICUT, NEW JERSEY ALL
SORT OF WORKING TOGETHER.
DON'T WE NEED TO BE TAKING.
I REALIZE CHARLOTTE CITY
COUNCIL CERTAINLY THE FIRST
STARTING POINT.
BUT IF YOU DON'T, WE NEED TO BE
TAKING LIKE GASTON COUNTY INTO
IREDELL COUNTY INTO THIS
CABARRUS KIND OF UNION COUNTY
PARTS OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
I MEAN WE ARE NOW THAT BIG AS A
METROPOLITAN CITY.
WHERE DOES THAT COME INTO THE
PROCESS?
>> SURE.
SO THERE'S ABOUT 11 DIFFERENT
PLANS GOING ON RIGHT NOW THAT
ARE HURT.
SO EACH FOCUSED ON SOMETHING A
LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BUT
CONNECT BEYOND IS AN EXAMPLE OF
ONE THAT WE'RE TALKING TO THE
OTHER COUNTIES AND HOW DOES
THIS ALL WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE
WE REALLY DO UNDERSTAND THAT WE
ARE A REGION.
THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT
CHARLOTTE.
IT STARTS HERE BECAUSE FOR
INSTANCE, CATS SERVES AND ALL
OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY, IT
SERVES OTHER TOWNS.
AND SO IT'S IT'S STARTING HERE
SORT OF AS THE NUCLEUS.
BUT WE HAVE TO BUILD OUT INTO
OTHER COUNTIES.
BUT THE WAY THAT THE TAX
STRUCTURE IS SET UP, WE CAN'T
MAKE DECISIONS FOR THEM NOR
SHOULD WE.
SO IF GASTONIA WANTS TO CONNECT
TO OUR REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM
,THEY HAVE TO MAKE SOME
DECISIONS IN GASTON COUNTY ON
THEIR OWN AND THEY ARE SURE
THEN THE DECISIONS HAVE TO BE
MADE HERE IN CHARLOTTE
BASICALLY BE THAT THE PROPOSAL
AND THERE'S A FEW DIFFERENT
OPTIONS WOULD BE A ONE FIT
SALES TAX INCREASE.
CORRECT.
THAT'S THE THAT'S THE FIRST
CHOICE.
YES.
CHOICE. YES. AND TALK.
>> THERE'S TWO HURDLES THAT I
MENTIONED OFF THE TOP HERE.
YOU'VE GOT THE VOTERS BECAUSE
THIS IS GOING TO GO BEFORE THE
VOTERS IN A REFERENDUM,
CORRECT?
WELL, WE'D HAVE TO VOTE TO DO
THAT.
THE COUNCIL WOULD HAVE TO VOTE
PROBABLY BY THE END OF JANUARY
TO PUT IT ON AS A REFERENDUM
ITEM.
>> AND THEN THE SECOND HURDLE.
ANYBODY WHO'S FOLLOWED
CHARLOTTE POLITICS FOR THE LAST
10 YEARS WELL AWARE OF THE
CITY'S AT TIMES CONTENTIOUS
RELATIONSHIP WITH RALEIGH
RALEIGH STATE LAWMAKERS WOULD
HAVE TO SIGN OFF ON THAT.
HOW OPTIMISTIC ARE YOU THAT THE
RELATIONSHIP NOW IS GOOD
ENOUGH?
BEING THEIR MAJORITY
REPUBLICANS UP THERE AND OF
COURSE CITY COUNCIL HERE.
MAJORITY DEMOCRATS HAVEN'T
ALWAYS AGREED ON A LOT OF
THINGS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
I THINK BACK TO THE AIRPORT
EVEN.
HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT
YOU ALL CAN CAN MAKE THIS A
WORKING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE OUTCOME THAT YOU WANT?
WELL, I THINK THE BETTER THAT
WE EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS THAT WE
WANT TO PAY FOR AND THE BETTER
WE HAVE A CHANCE OF GETTING IT
TO PASS.
>> SO PENNIES FOR PROGRESS IN
SOUTH CAROLINA WHICH IS A RED
STATE FOR INSTANCE.
PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THE PLANS ARE,
WHAT WHAT'S GOING TO BE BUILT.
AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY
IMPORTANT PIECE OF THIS AND
THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE YET.
THE CHARLOTTE MOVES WORK WAS
REALLY TO PUT FORTH A STRATEGY
AND TO PUT FORTH A SET OF
RECOMMENDATIONS IN THAT
COMMITTEE WHICH WAS LED BY
MAYOR FORMER MAYOR HARVEY GANTT
AND WAS ALL CITIZENS AND DID AN
INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK TO
REALLY LOOK AT WHAT THE NEED IS
AND HOW THE SYSTEM ALL FITS
TOGETHER AND TO PUT FORWARD A
SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO US.
THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GONNA BE
PRESENTING ON THE 14.
BUT NOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO
TAKE THAT BACK.
OUR CFO IS GOING TO HAVE TO
LOOK AT THAT.
OUR FINANCE TEAM IS GOING TO
HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT AND REALLY
SAY HOW ARE WE NOW
EVEN CAMPED NORTH IN THE LINE
THAT'S GOING NORTH OF UPTOWN,
YOU CAN SEE JUST I MEAN
EXPLODING GROWTH.
>> FINALLY, HOW DO YOU SAY TO
FOLKS WHO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT,
THIS IS JUST BIG PIE IN THE SKY
THAT IT'S NOT REALISTIC?
>> WELL, I MEAN YOU CAN SAY
THAT I GUESS BUT WE ARE SO USED
TO DOING THINGS INCREMENTALLY
IN CHARLOTTE AND WE JUST CAN'T
DO THAT ANYMORE.
WE FALL FURTHER FURTHER BEHIND.
WE KNOW THAT WITH AFFORDABLE
HOUSING WE HAD MORE THAN TRIPLE
OUR BOND AND PEOPLE SAID YOU'RE
NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET A
50 MILLION DOLLAR BOND ON THE
BALLOT AND IT OVERWHELMINGLY
PASSED.
SO I THINK PEOPLE REALLY ARE
REALIZING WE'VE GOT TO TAKE
SOME MAJOR STEPS TO GET AHEAD
OF THE GROWTH.
WE'RE GOING TO ADD NEARLY
400000 PEOPLE TO THE CHARLOTTE
REGION BY 2040.
WE CAN'T JUST BUILD
INCREMENTALLY AS THEY COME.
WE'VE GOT TO GET AHEAD OF IT
AND PLAN IT.
THIS GOES HAND IN HAND WITH OUR
COMPREHENSIVE VISION PLAN TO
PLAN OUT.
WHERE'S THE DENSITY GOING TO
GO?
IT NEEDS TO GO ON OUR TRANSIT
QUARTERS.
WELL, WHAT ARE THOSE TRANSIT
QUARTERS AND WHAT OPTIONS ARE
PEOPLE GOING TO HAVE TO GET
AROUND IF SOMEONE WANTS TO LIVE
IN GAS?
DONIA AND TRAVEL INTO
CHARLOTTE?
HOW CAN THEY DO THAT?
THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS
PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW.
THEY WANT SOME PREDICTABILITY.
AND WE JUST CAN'T AFFORD TO DO
THAT INCREMENTALLY.
>> AND I SAW THE STATS
SOMEWHERE LIKE 80 PERCENT OF
PEOPLE CHARLOTTE AREA GET BY BY
CAR RIGHT NOW WHICH THEN LEAVES
ONE PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE THAT
WORK IN CHARLOTTE IN THE CENTER
OF CHARLOTTE ARE FROM OUTSIDE
OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY.
SO THEY'RE COMING IN ANYWAY AND
YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO MANAGE THAT CONGESTION.
THE ENVIRONMENT IS A BIG FACTOR
IN THIS.
TRAFFIC CONGESTION IS THE
NUMBER ONE CONTRIBUTOR TO
EMISSIONS.
SO IF WE'RE REALLY SERIOUS
ABOUT OUR STRATEGIC ENERGY
ACTION PLAN, THIS IS GOING TO
BE A MAJOR FACTOR IN HELPING TO
REDUCE THE CARBON EMISSIONS IN
OUR AREA FOR THE FUTURE AS WELL
SHAPING UP TO BE THE BIG ISSUE
PROBABLY OF 2021 AND AND