WELCOME
WELCOME BACK TO FLASHPOINT JOINING US CHARLOTTE CITY COUNCILMAN COREY.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S TALK ABOUT
THIS CHARLOTTE 20 40 PLAN.
IT SOUNDS NICE AND THEN GRANTED
YOU GET INTO SOME OF THE
DETAILS AND THAT'S WHERE IT
GETS CONTROVERSIAL ESPECIALLY
WITH SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING
CHANGING.
YOU SAID PUMP THE BRAKES ON
THIS PLAN.
THE THING IS THOUGH I MEAN,
YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN YEARS
IN THE MAKING NOW AT THIS POINT
WHY NOW?
WELL, IT'S BEEN YEARS IN THE
MAKING AND IT'S BEEN YEARS AND
YEARS OF US ASKING HEY, WHEN
ARE WE GOING TO SEE INSIDE THE
GUTS OF THIS THING?
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LIKE IT
ALL SOUNDS GREAT AND OF COURSE
IT IS GREAT.
WE NEED A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
WE NEED A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
BUT AS AS WITH ALL THINGS THE
DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS AND THIS
IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX
THINGS WE COULD EVER UNDERTAKE.
SO OVER THOSE THOSE YEARS WE'VE
BEEN ASKING AND ASKING, HEY, WE
NEED TO SEE THIS LIKE THIS IS
REALLY THE CRUX OF WHERE WE AS
AS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND LEADERS
OF THE COMMUNITY NEED TO WEIGH
IN AND SAY THIS IS THE VISION
DIRECTION WE NEED TO GO.
WE'VE NEVER SEEN ANY OF THAT
AND NOW WE'VE GOTTEN TO THIS
POINT AND I'VE BEEN SAYING IT
FOR THOSE YEARS AS SOON AS THE
AVERAGE JOE COMMUNITY THAT
DOESN'T NORMALLY PAY ATTENTION
TO CITY COUNCIL STUFF REALIZES
WHAT WE'RE DOING THAT WE'RE
ZONING LITERALLY THE ENTIRE
CITY, THERE'S GOING TO BE AN
AWAKENING LIKE WE HAVEN'T SEEN
BEFORE.
SO IT'S SO CRITICAL WE GET IT
RIGHT AND LO AND BEHOLD KIND OF
YOU KNOW, AROUND HALLOWEEN
DURING THE PANDEMIC ALL OF A
SUDDEN A THREE HUNDRED AND
TWENTY PAGE DOCUMENT IS KIND OF
DROPPED OUT THERE.
NOT A WHOLE LOT OF ATTENTION
BROUGHT TO IT.
WE DON'T EVEN HAVE DEEP DOVE
SESSIONS AND THEN YOU KNOW,
WE'RE TEED UP IN THE LAST WEEK
OR SO WITH OK, WE'VE GOT 60
DAYS AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO
APPROVE IT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS?
AND THAT'S WHEN THE CITY HAS
JUST AS I PREDICTED, SNAPPED
INTO AN AWAKENED AWAKENED STATE
OF SAYING WAIT, YOU'RE GOING TO
DO WHAT?
YEAH, YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID
BEFORE BUT I'LL SAY IT AGAIN IF
YOU GET NOTHING ELSE FROM THIS
THIS WEEK'S FLASH POINT IT'S A
REZONING IS THE MOST BORING
TOPIC THAT IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT TOPIC THAT I FEEL
LIKE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF
GLAZE OVER WHEN YOU BRING IT
UP.
DEVIL'S ADVOCATE HERE IF
YOU SAY WELL LISTEN, WE ALREADY
HAVE NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THIS IN
ELIZABETH OR DILWORTH OR SOME
OF THE AREAS AROUND UPTOWN,
WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH HAVING
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE
DIVERSE, YOU KNOW, PROPERTY
TYPES WHETHER IT'S A DUPLEX OR
TRIPLEX OR YOU GOT A SINGLE A
SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING OVER
HERE?
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?
NOTHING AT ALL.
AND THAT'S THE SAD PART OF THIS
IS YOU KNOW, AS WITH ALL
CONTROVERSIAL THINGS,
EVERYTHING GETS PAINTED IN TWO
CAMPS WHICH IS LIKE DON'T TAKE
OUR HOMES VERSUS EVERYTHING'S
FINE AND IT'S THE RIGHT THING
TO DO.
THE ANSWER IS YES.
MIXED MIXED USE DIVERSITY OF
HOUSING TYPES.
THAT IS ALL THE ANSWER AND NOT
TO MENTION THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE AND THING WE NEED TO
SOLVE FOR WHICH IS MORE HOUSING
STOCK AND MORE AFFORDABLE
HOUSING.
SO ALL THAT I MEAN THE
DENSIFICATION IS NECESSARY.
THE PROBLEM IS YOU THERE'S JUST
IN THE THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY
PAGES OF DOCUMENTS THERE'S THIS
PREAMBLE OR MANIFESTO OF LIKE
ALL OF THESE ISSUES THINGS THAT
ARE WRONG WHEN WE KNOW THAT.
BUT IT SEEMS LIKE ALL THE TIME
IS SPENT ON SAYING HEY, THIS IS
WHAT'S BEEN WRONG IN THE PAST
AND THERE'S NO CONNECTION TO
LIKE HERE'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO
DO AND WHY THAT MAKES IT RIGHT
AGAIN.
AND IN FACT MANY WOULD ARGUE
THAT WHAT YOU'RE SEEING THERE
IS ACTUALLY GOING TO EXACERBATE
THE PROBLEM EVEN MORE BECAUSE
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHETHER
IT'S DUPLEX TRIPLEX OR EVEN
QUAD FLEX, IT COULD BE ALLOWED
ON A ON A HALF ACRE WHEREAS IN
THE SINGLE FAMILY ZONING REALM
THAT WOULDN'T BE ALLOWED
YOU KNOW THAT THE FUNDAMENTAL
ISSUE IS STILL PROPERTY COSTS.
HOW MUCH THE LAND ITSELF COSTS.
SO THIS ISN'T GOING TO BE
SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO GO
HAYWIRE WILL BE IT'LL CAUSE
ANNOYANCES IN PLACES LIKE SOUTH
PARK AND BALLANTINE BUT IT'S
THE PLACES IN OUR COMMUNITY
WHERE THE LAND COST THE LEAST
THAT ARE GOING TO GET HIT THE
MOST BY THIS AND WE TALK ABOUT
THE GENTRIFICATION, REDLINING
AND ALL THE ISSUES OF THE PAST.
HOW IS THIS WITH THIS BROAD
BRUSH NOT GOING TO DO THE EXACT
SAME THING?
YOU BRING UP A POINT THAT I
KNOW OTHERS INCLUDING DEMOCRATS
HAVE MADE.
BUT THEN THERE'S THIS OTHER
SIDE OF THIS AND YOUR COLLEAGUE
BRAXTON WINSON TWEETED OUT
SINGLE FAMILY ZONING IS A TOOL
OF SEGREGATION IF YOU ARE
FIGHTING TO MAINTAIN SINGLE
FAMILY ZONING, YOU ARE
ADVOCATING FOR SEGREGATION.
STOP BEING RACIST.
CHARLOTTE, YOUR RESPONSE?
I LOVE MY BUDDY BRAXTON BUT
THAT'S ONE OF I THINK IS MORE
RIDICULOUS STATEMENTS HE'S EVER
MADE.
LIKE IF YOU CAME AND SAID THE
PRACTICE OF REDLINING IS A
RACIST PRACTICE FROM THE PAST.
ABSOLUTELY LIKE I'LL BE THE
FIRST TO RAISE MY HAND AS A
STAND ALONE DWELLING LIKE
WHAT'S NEXT ARE LIKE 20 FOOT
OFFSETS RACIST FROM THE CURB.
LIKE WE HAVE TO GET TO A POINT
WHERE WHERE WHERE IN THIS NEW
SOCIETY THAT WE NOW LIVE AND WE
CAN WE CAN SAY SOMETHING AND
UNDERSTAND THERE HAVE BEEN
INEQUITIES INJUSTICES IN THE
PAST BUT NOT EVERYTHING IS THAT
SO THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS,
YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO LOOK WITH
A SCALPEL INTO THIS PROBLEM AND
FIGURE OUT HOW TO ACHIEVE THE
OUTCOMES WE WANT NOT SPEND ALL
OF OUR TIME DIAGNOSING THAT
THESE ARE RACIST PRACTICES.
HERE'S MY BIG BRUSH.
THEREFORE WE'LL JUST SAY THREE
OR FOUR WORDS THAT WILL GET RID
OF THAT WILL SOMEHOW
MIRACULOUSLY FIX THAT.
I THINK THAT'S THAT'S MY GOOD
FRIEND.
COUNCILMAN WINSTON IS ONE OF
HIS MORE RIDICULOUS STATEMENTS
EVER IT BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THE
GOOD THING IS THAT PEOPLE
SHOULD KNOW THE CITY OF
CHARLOTTE IS THAT ALL YOU GUYS
HONESTLY ACTUALLY DO HAVE GOOD
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS.
IT'S NOT LIKE IT IS AT THE
NATIONAL LEVEL.
THEY LITERALLY DON'T SPEAK TO
EACH OTHER AND CAN'T STAND EACH
.
YOU GUYS DO HAVE POSITIVE
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS AND EVEN
MORE REASON THAT PEOPLE SHOULD
PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT'S
HAPPENING AT CITY COUNCIL.
IT'S NOT BORING BECAUSE IT
COULD