Want to double-back to a little noticed pre-Thanksgiving move by the Charlotte city council to reject by a vote of 10-1 the recommendation of the zoning committee that a 16-acre plot on Matheson Ave. not be turned into high density, transit oriented development.
The five-story mid-rise would have the parking lot for its 239 units located in a flood plain, something that the zoning committee noted with alarm. Recall the recent flooding spate that resulted in the county buying up flood-prone buildings. Limited access for emergency crews to the site was also a concern.
But once you understand that city staff and by extension city council very much want to encourage all possible high density residential development along this planned transit corridor — the $1 billion light rail line to UNCC would run right past it — you know that local officials will always choose density over anything else — even safety or common sense.
And although this parcel lies to the north and across Brevard St. from the Belmont neighborhood proper, this development should be thought of as a flanking move on that sector. Once it has been established that mid-rise, high density housing is acceptable for parcels even further from Uptown than Belmont, the rest should fall into place.
Bonus Observation: There was also a little squib the other day to the effect that even though CATS bus ridership has grown faster than train ridership, local officials were moving to build more free parking lots rather than use federal funds for more buses. Yet another prediction we made coming true out in broad day-light.
