Government— Page 3
Showing stories 75–98 of 221.
Manor Theater Redevelopment Approved
Charlotte City Council on Monday unanimously approved a partial rezoning of the Manor Theater site on Providence Road, clearing the way for SLRH Acquisitions to redevelop the long-closed Eastover landmark into 120 to 130 residential units and roughly 35,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Three council members, Kimberly Owens, Danté Anderson, and J.D. Mazuera Arias, walked the room through their first memories of the building before the vote.
49-Unit Faith in Housing Petition Reaches Council Hearing
Mission City Church, Freedom Communities, and the True Homes Foundation walked Charlotte City Council through their 49-townhome affordable-housing petition Monday night. The 5.38-acre Faith in Housing rezoning is petition 2025-027 in District 2, all units sold (not rented), House Charlotte eligible, with a seven-year deed restriction. Council Member LaWana Slack-Mayfield used the floor for what is now her third public Faith in Housing argument of 2026: the program label, she said, is not "an automatic check."
Manufacturing Land Near Woodlawn Station Just Became TOD-NC
The Charlotte City Council on Monday rezoned a 0.16-acre Verbena Street parcel from ML-2 (manufacturing and logistics) to TOD-NC, 7-2. Council Member LaWana Slack-Mayfield and Council Member Reneé Johnson voted no, not on the parcel, on the trajectory it represents. Council Member Victoria Watlington voted yes but asked staff to map Charlotte's remaining manufacturing-zoned acreage.
Mecklenburg Spends $400M Covering the State's CMS Share
At Mecklenburg County's May 20 budget overview, Budget Director Adrian Cox put a number on what the county spends covering the state's share of CMS: more than $400 million, about sixteen cents of the property-tax rate. The recommended FY27 budget holds the rate flat by shifting a penny between funds, but the structural gap remains.
Reneé Johnson Takes CMS School-Utilization Report to Council
Council Member Reneé Johnson (District 4) brought a manually-compiled CMS school-utilization report to Monday's council meeting to argue that the conventional rezoning process is not tracking the cumulative impact of new growth on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Her central data point: Mallard Creek High School was projected at 113% of capacity in 2024 but a year later showed 110%. The math, she said, is not mathing.
On Data Centers, Mecklenburg Wants a Voice It Mostly Lacks
Mecklenburg commissioners got a deliberately neutral briefing on data centers at their May 19 meeting and signaled they want a position on the fast-growing industry. The catch: under North Carolina law, nearly all the zoning power belongs to the cities, not the county.
Charlotte Council OKs 41-Acre Atrium Rezoning on Second Try
Charlotte City Council unanimously approved a 41.26-acre rezoning of the Atrium Health University City hospital campus Monday, switching the property from Institutional Campus 1 to Institutional Campus 2 with Exception provisions. The approval vote needed two tries, Council Member Danté Anderson made the motion before discussion had occurred, and the body re-voted after Council Member Reneé Johnson spoke about her family's recent care at the hospital's ER.
Council Defers Rezoning After Reneé Johnson Leads 5-4 Split
Council Member Reneé Johnson pulled petition 2025-136, a conventional rezoning at 1800 West Sugar Creek Road by Larry Cooper, off the consent agenda Monday, citing her standing concern about conventional petitions filed without site plans. The 5-4 vote that followed fell short of the majority needed for approval. The council then unanimously deferred the petition.
Vi Lyles Chairs Her First and Last Zoning Meeting of 2026
Mayor Vi Lyles had not chaired a 2026 zoning meeting through her current term, Council Member Ed Driggs (District 7) handled each of the four held earlier this year. On Monday she took the chair for the May 18 meeting. The calendar shows no other zoning meeting will fall before her June 30 resignation.
Brendan Maginnis Offers to Serve as Interim Mayor
Maginnis is willing to commit to not running for mayor in 2027, with a qualifying clause; former Mayor Jennifer Roberts volunteered first.
MPTA Launches CEO Search as July 1 Deadline Nears
The MPTA board launched a national CEO search Wednesday and advanced the draft Interlocal Agreement as the July 1 operational transfer deadline approaches.
Charlotte Mandatory Water Restrictions Begin Friday: A Guide
Day-of guide to Charlotte's first mandatory Stage 2 restrictions since 2009: the rules, the five-stage Low Inflow Protocol behind them, the burn ban that arrived with them, and what's enforceable Friday.
NC Budget Framework: Most Workers' Raises Trail Inflation
Senate Pres. Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall announced a budget framework Tuesday afternoon, ending a ten-month standoff. Teachers get an 8 percent raise and a $48,000 starting floor. Most state employees get 3 percent, below the 3.8 percent inflation rate reported the same morning. The income tax steps down through 2034, and a constitutional amendment capping the rate at 3.5 percent goes on the November ballot.
Council Unanimously Sets Data Center Moratorium Hearing
A staff briefing showed the city's development code uses one definition of "data center," from a basement server closet to a hyperscale campus.
Charlotte Council Takes On Budget, I-77 and Data Centers
Council convened in special session at 4 p.m. Monday to take up three of Charlotte's biggest active fights, a $4.5 billion budget hearing, a resolution on the I-77 South toll lanes, and the council's first formal floor discussion of data centers. Council Member Malcolm Graham, who chairs the budget committee, was asked twice on television Sunday whether he is a candidate to fill Mayor Vi Lyles's seat after she steps down June 30. Both times he answered with the public hearing.
Charlotte Water Moves to Mandatory Restrictions at Stage 2
Charlotte Water escalates to Stage 2 of the Low Inflow Protocol on Friday, May 15, the first mandatory water restrictions since 2009. The region has reached exceptional drought for the first time since 2008.
Vi Lyles to Resign June 30; Race to Replace Her Has Started
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles announced Thursday that she will resign on June 30, ending a tenure that began in 2017. Under North Carolina law, the City Council will appoint a Democrat to serve the remainder of her term, and the field is already organizing in public, with former Mayor Jennifer Roberts offering to fill the vacancy and Council Member Dante Anderson breaking for the outsider option. The vote that decides who fills the seat has not been scheduled.
MTC Closes CATS Fare Plan Comment, Cash-Rider Question Open
At the final public hearing on the Charlotte Area Transit System's Fare Modernization Program, public commenter Carson Cohn told the MTC that CATS had promised him an answer over a month ago on whether the new system would force cash riders to pay double for transfer trips, and had not delivered it. CATS staff anticipate requesting MTC adoption at the May 27 meeting, the body's last before the new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority assumes operational control on July 1. The proposal eliminates paper transfers for cash riders while introducing fare capping, a two-hour electronic pass, and an expanded reduced-fare program.
Housing Bond Rental Category Runs $5.6M Over Its Goal
The committee took no action Monday, and housing director Rebecca Hefner said the shift would keep the bond's original goals achievable.
Lyles Breaks 5-5 Tie Against Data Center Pause Hearing
The Charlotte City Council deadlocked 5-5 Monday night on whether to even schedule a public hearing on a temporary moratorium for new data center approvals. Mayor Vi Lyles broke the tie, voting no. Meanwhile a data center campus approved for up to 2.5 million square feet is going up at 10800 University City Boulevard.
Charlotte Water Moves to Voluntary Restrictions at Stage 1
Charlotte Water shifted to voluntary water restrictions on Monday, April 20, the first time since 2023, after the Catawba-Wateree River Basin moved to Stage 1 of its regional Low Inflow Protocol. A separate citywide burn ban with a $100 fine and $183 in court costs was imposed alongside it. Here is what the city is asking and what would push the basin further.
Carla Cunningham Leaves the Democratic Party.
After losing her March primary to Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler by nearly 48 points, the seven-term Charlotte representative re-registered Unaffiliated on Friday. She has not said whether she will caucus with Republicans. Speaker Destin Hall's veto-override math doesn't need her to.