Our ideas helping shape walkable, bikeable transit corridor

Sep 22, 2015 | Light Rail, Uncategorized | 3 comments

public meeting

Hundreds of people have attended public meetings on NECI and LYNX plans.

Light-rail construction has transformed North Tryon Street. Out of sight but just as important to our transit-powered future is the design work under way to create bike- and pedestrian-friendly links between future stations and nearby neighborhoods and businesses.

Planners have welcomed our ideas and feedback via surveys and public meetings. You can review progress and share ideas, too, at the next public meeting, on Oct. 13.

MORE NECI in a nutshell

The city of Charlotte plans to spend more than $100 million over the next decade to improve streets and sidewalks near the LYNX Blue Line Extension’s 11 transit stations between 9th Street and the terminus beside Cameron Boulevard on the UNC Charlotte campus.

Funding for these projects, collectively called the Northeast Corridor infrastructure Program (NECI), will come from transportation bonds approved by Charlotte voters in 2014 and future bond issues coming in November 2016, 2018 and 2020.

First steps toward an urban future

University City’s Small Area Plan update, approved by the Charlotte City Council earlier this year, contains details of how these station areas might look in 20-30 years, with multi-story urban-scale apartment buildings, shops and offices; broad tree-shaded sidewalks and bike lanes; and parking decks tucked behind buildings.

The NECI projects will take the first steps toward that future. For instance, the J.W. Clay Boulevard Streetscape Project proposes adding sidewalks, bike lanes and shade trees along the main avenue through University Place.

Planners seeking our feedback and ideas

City staff and engineering consultants have held public meetings, made presentations to groups such as the NorthEnd Partners and University City Partners, and conducted an online survey to explain their goals, show possible designs for amenities ranging from benches to light poles, and get feedback.

Clay Boulevard

Plans call for completing sidewalks along Clay Boulevard and adding bike lanes and shade trees.

University City Partners sponsored a meeting in August between planners and businesses along JW Clay Boulevard. More than 100 people recently completed an online survey to gather more ideas about the Clay Boulevard Streetscape improvements.

“There definitely are a lot of comments related to improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities,” said Tom Russell, senior project manager for Charlotte’s Engineering Design Services. Other suggestions include ensuring bike and pedestrian safety, and improving connections to area businesses and UNC Charlotte.

Planners also hope to incorporate a suggestion for a multi-purpose path between the new parking deck at Clay and North Tryon and the future Barton Creek Greenway. The county plans to start building the new greenway next spring between the lake at University Place and nearby Mallard Creek Greenway.

Hear the latest developments, share your ideas Oct. 13

The next community meeting on NECI project plans and Blue Line Extension progress will take place on 5:30-8 pm Oct. 13 at the Oasis Shriners Center, 604 Doug Mayes Place, Charlotte, NC 28262, in University Place. Learn about plans for improving Clay Boulevard, McCullough Drive, Tom Hunter Road and Rocky River Road West, and share your suggestions with planners. Call University City Partners for details at 704-688-2483.

Here’s what’s planned near University City transit stations

The city of Charlotte has created web pages on improvements planned for each Blue Line Extension transit station. Here are overviews of the four stations along North Tryon Street in our area. Click on links for more details.

Tom Hunter Road Streetscape

Improve pedestrian and bike access to North Tryon Street and the Tom Hunter Road station between North Tryon and Canterwood Drive. Future street will have 2 lanes of traffic plus center turn lane, broad sidewalks, planning strip and street trees.

  • Project website
  • Contact: Len Chapman, E&PM project manager, 704-336-6750   lchapman@charlottenc.gov

Rocky River Road West Streetscape

Improve winding Rocky River Road West between North Tryon and Toby Creek Greenway, which serves the new Newell Elementary School. Provide bike lanes, sidewalks and shade trees along improved two-lane Rocky River Road between University City Blvd station and future Toby Creek Greenway (opening fall 2016). Improve site distance on Rocky River Road by softening curves in road.

  • Project website
  • Contact: Tom Russell, PE, E&PM Project Manager, 704-336-4639, trussell@charlottenc.gov; and Matt Magnasco, CDOT Project Manager, 704-336-3368, mmagnasco@charlottenc.gov

McCullough Drive Streetscape

Add a new street segment extending McCullough Drive from North Tryon Street to an existing dead end near Ken Hoffman Drive. New segment and existing roadway will get bike lanes and sidewalks, plus planting strips with large shade trees.

  • Project website
  • Contact: Sharon Buchanan, PE, E&PM Project Manager, 704-336-2044, sbuchanan@charlottenc.gov

JW Clay Boulevard Streetscape

Add or widen sidewalks, plus add bike lanes and shade trees in a broad planting strip along JW Clay Boulevard between North Tryon Street and West W.T. Harris Boulevard. Roadway will continue to have four travel lanes and turn lanes, plus connection to future Barton Creek Greenway link to Mallard Creek Greenway (work to start spring 2016).

  • Project website
  • Contact: Tom Russell, PE, E&PM Project Manager, 704-336-4639, trussell@charlottenc.gov

3 Comments

  1. I have a question instead of a comment: Are there any plans to put a light rail or some kind of transit that will run say between North Tryon at University hospital to at least maybe Sharon Amity or even all the way to Independence?

    • The Blue Line Extension will provide light rail service from Uptown to the University. This light rail line runs along and in the middle of North Tryon Street right in front of the University Hospital and there are plans for a pedestrian bridge that spans across Tryon Street to the Hospital and University properties.

      The Charlotte Area Transit department of the City of Charlotte is working on plans now for the Silver Line (http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/planning/silver-line/Pages/default.aspx)
      which is slated for Independence Blvd. This line is not engineered or funded at this time.

      The system will be fully integrated, and will likely require a train change from Blue line to Silver Line train at the main station.

    • Hi. The existing Route 29 runs weekdays and Saturdays between SouthPark and UNC Charlotte, with much of the route using Sharon Amity Road. Charlotte Area Transit plans show that route continuing once the LYNX Blue Line Extension begins service in 2017. You can see the route and times at http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/Bus/routes/Pages/default.aspx


Receive Up to Date News


Receive Economic Development News


View Past Newsletters


View Post by Category


Press Releases

Meet our new intern, Haley Chilcott

Haley Chilcott is our new Marketing Communications Intern here at University City Partners. Haley is an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and is majoring in Communications, with a concentration in Public Relations. After graduation...

University City Partners welcomes our newest board members

  University City Partners welcomes its newest members of the UCP Board of Directors: Charlotte City Manager Marcus Smith and Michael Fung, a regional leader for Wells Fargo's Corporate Properties Group. The University City Partners Board of Directors consists of...

Response to tragic police incident and unrest

Last night our community was at the center of a tragic police incident followed by several hours of demonstration, aggressive agitation and unrest. Our neighborhoods, businesses, retail centers and institutions were impacted with activity that has left us all feeling...

Introducing our UNC Charlotte interns

University City Partners is proud to introduce our "Class of 2016" - our fall semester interns from UNC Charlotte. Seniors Hollis Maye-Keye and Cagney Reeves will help us with communications and planning - key functions for our success. We encourage you to consider...

UCP video report: Planning for our transit-powered future

University City Partners has launched a new feature - a monthly video report on how we are investing time and resources to build University City. Today's report: UCP is leading a planning effort to make the area around the future JW Clay Transit station a more...

Our 2016 Annual Report chronicles a landmark year

The dramatic changes taking place across University City can be hard to keep up with - unless you have the University City Partners annual report. Our brand new 2016 University City Partners Annual Report chronicles these changes over the past year (July 2015-June...

University City Partners welcomes new board members

University City Partners welcomes four new members to its board of directors, including two UNC Charlotte grads. Tracy Dodson with Lincoln Harris, John McAlister with Electrolux, Phil Nicholenko with TIAA and Jane Wu, founder of Carolina States Regional Center, have...

Thanks for taking our survey; we heard you!

Our recent invitation to take a brief survey about University City Partners drew more than 100 participants and many useful responses. ”The survey was like a pulse check to make sure that what we are hearing in our meetings also represents the opinions of all of the...

University City Partners adds planning & development director

Tobe Holmes has joined University City Partners as its planning and development director. Holmes, formerly with Center City Partners, will oversee all UCP planning and development initiatives. At Center City Partners, Holmes managed economic and community development...

Meet our UNC Charlotte interns

One benefit of having UNC Charlotte nearby is the amazing wealth of student interns. We landed three of the best this semester: Meredith Avant (Communications with PR concentration), Miguel Avila (Economics with innovation focus), and Charles Trowell (Architecture...