Charlotte City Council
People
- Rob Harrington, Mayor
- James Mitchell Jr., Mayor Pro Tem; Council Member, At-Large
- Dimple Ajmera, Council Member, At-Large
- Danté Anderson, Council Member, District 1
- JD Mazuera Arias, Council Member, District 5
- Ed Driggs, Council Member, District 7
- Malcolm Graham, Council Member, District 2
- Reneé Johnson, Council Member, District 4
- LaWana Mayfield, Council Member, At-Large
- Joi Mayo, Council Member, District 3
- Kimberly Owens, Council Member, District 6
- Victoria Watlington, Council Member, At-Large
Coverage (20 articles)
Charlotte Voters Approve All Three City Bonds
Charlotte voters approved all three city bond questions on Nov. 3, letting the city borrow $425 million for streets, sidewalks and affordable housing, in the state's unofficial count.
Charlotte Weighs Tougher Tow Rules but Can't Cap Fees
A tow from a private Charlotte lot would need the property owner's written OK for that car at any hour, not just 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and cars with people inside could not be towed, under city lawyers' proposals. State law keeps the city from capping what a tow costs.
Charlotte's Parking Minimums End Under State Law Jan. 1
Starting Jan. 1, Charlotte can no longer require new buildings to include any parking. City planners are rewriting the zoning code to match that state law and four others.
CATS Hand-Off Deals Go to Charlotte Council Dec. 14
Charlotte's council is to vote Dec. 14 on three agreements the regional transit authority needs before it takes control of CATS operations Jan. 1. Also: nonprofit funding, crime, Gateway Station, wages.
Charlotte Panel Backs Cooling Rule for Every Home
Every Charlotte home, rented or owned, would need cooling that keeps at least two habitable rooms at 80 degrees or less from May through September. A council committee sent the change to the full council, 3-1. No council date has been posted.
Phillips Place Cinemas Site Could Hold 275 Apartments
The vacant Phillips Place Cinemas site in SouthPark would become up to 275 apartments in a building as tall as 120 feet, none set aside as affordable. A Planning Commission committee is scheduled to review the rezoning Nov. 4. Council has not set a decision date.
CMPD Gets Undercover Cars in 7-3 Charlotte Council Vote
A week after CMPD named seven officers in a racially charged text-message case, Charlotte City Council approved new undercover cars for the department, 7-3, setting aside a motion to delay.
Hajoca Building in South End Becomes a Charlotte Landmark
A 1922 South End warehouse planned as a boutique hotel is now a Charlotte historic landmark. One council member objected to deferring its taxes while amendments that could limit property taxes are on the ballot.
Charlotte Extends Data Center Pause to Oct. 18, 2027
Charlotte City Council voted unanimously to keep its pause on new data centers for almost another year. Two campuses already under construction, approved for up to 5.5 million square feet, are not covered.
Charlotte E-Bike Crashes Nearly Double as City Weighs Rules
E-bike crashes in Charlotte have nearly doubled from a year ago. City staff want helmets for young riders, lights at night and rules for sidewalk riding. Council has not voted.
Charlotte Bond Vote: $425 Million for Streets and Housing
Charlotte's down payment account was at zero in September, and the next money is a $125 million housing bond, a council member said. It is one of three city bond questions, $425 million in all, on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Six-Week CLT Lease Review Dies as Harrington's Veto Stands
The lease would run through June 30, 2037, and an airline that signs it approves $1.72 billion in airport construction projects.
Harrington Calls Special Session on Lease Review He Vetoed
Mayor Rob Harrington has called a special council session Monday for one vote: the six-week airport lease review he vetoed Oct. 12. The charter puts it back on the agenda anyway; readopting it takes seven votes. The full 242-page lease is now public.
Data Center Pause Extended; Two Exempt Sites Still Build
Council has extended its pause to Oct. 18, 2027, but the two biggest data center projects in the city's pipeline are under construction. Only one must use closed-loop cooling.
Charlotte Data Center Pause May Grow; Two Campuses Exempt
City staff asked Charlotte City Council on Monday to extend the pause on new data centers by almost a year. Two approved hyperscale campuses, allowed up to 5.5 million square feet together, are exempt and can keep building. A vote is expected Oct. 26.
Harrington Vetoes Council's Six-Week Airline Lease Review
Charlotte City Council voted Monday to take six weeks to review the airport's new airline lease and decide Nov. 23. Mayor Rob Harrington vetoed it on the spot. The lease would run 10½ years and carry an estimated $2.1 billion building program.
Council Gets First Public Look at CLT's Airline Lease
Charlotte City Council gets its first public presentation Monday on the airport's proposed new lease with five airlines. Its cost, its length and what the airlines would pay have not been made public.
What Charlotte Got in Writing on I-77
Eight days before the agreement was signed, the city's lawyer told council no agreement existed yet.
Enslaved People Believed Buried Outside Sugaw Creek Cemetery
Charlotte made the two Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church cemeteries historic landmarks Monday. Researchers told council that more than 500 enslaved people are believed buried just outside them in unmarked graves, and asked that those graves be protected too.
Charlotte's Housing Bond Plan Now Says Where Homes Should Go
Before voters decide on a $125 million housing bond in November, city staff laid out how the money would be split, with new goals for homes near transit and in higher-opportunity neighborhoods. Council plans to adopt the plan in October.
Other coverage in the Mercury Local network
Mercury Local Government Pages Now Fill Themselves In
We Built Our Own, No. 19. If somebody has to remember to update a page, it's going to go stale. So we stopped typing the page.
The Clarks Inherited the McNinch House, and Its Restaurant
Mitchell and D.D. Clark inherited the Liddell-McNinch House on North Church Street, and the restaurant inside it. At City Council this week, they described what it takes to keep it going, from thin margins to 78 windows.
McNinch House Landmark Status Now Covers the Whole Property
The Liddell-McNinch House has been a Charlotte landmark since 1976. On Sept. 28, City Council voted to extend the designation to the whole property, opening a property tax deferral the owners told council will go back into the house.
Charlotte's Proposed 9 P.M. Curfew Stops at the City Limits
Charlotte’s proposed ordinance would not govern homes outside the city. Firethorne crosses more than one jurisdiction, so the address matters. The traffic still travels south.
Curfew, Traffic, $425 Million: What Ballantyne Should Know
Charlotte Council did not vote on the curfew. It sent cumulative traffic impacts toward committee, while a $425 million bond package moved closer to the November ballot.
Charlotte Weighs 9 P.M. Curfew; Liddell-McNinch Hearing Set
Council took no vote on the youth curfew. The transcript also records a Sept. 28 hearing for the Liddell-McNinch House, which Charlotte designated historic property 50 years ago.
Charlotte Council Passed Both of Its I-77 Votes
Charlotte City Council passed a non-binding resolution on I-77 South Monday night, then voted 6 to 5 to rescind its support for the toll-lane partnership. For uptown readers, the council did more than register an opinion.
Lyles Is Stepping Down: What It Means for South Charlotte
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles will resign June 30. The Charlotte Mercury has the full appointment-process story; this is the south-Charlotte read, five decisions the next mayor inherits that touch this corner of the city directly, from Driggs as the working chair to the November 2026 transportation-and-housing bond.