CATS’ Special Transportation Services (STS)
Petition 2009-39
910 North Alexander Street
Statements from the June 15, 2009 Public Hearing and CATS’ Responses.
Statement: We should have been involved earlier in the plans to rezone and in the design of the
building.
Response:
The conditional rezoning process requires that a community meeting be held prior
to the public hearing for rezoning. CATS held two formal public meetings and
attended two neighborhood meetings regarding the rezoning. We modified our
plans to: 1) keep Alexander St. open at 12th St., 2) work with Mecklenburg Park &
Rec. on sharing parking and 3) improved access to McGill Rose Garden from the
Greenway and are here tonight to continue to address the concerns we have heard
and to continue to seek your input.
Statement: The Belmont Area Revitalization Plan is being disregarded
Response:
This is incorrect. The Belmont Area Plan anticipated a new Community Facility to
replace the Alexander Center on this site with park and recreation expansion behind
it. The new Community Facility was constructed internal to The Crossings at
Siegel Point, which left the Alexander Street site as surplus property. Planning
Staff recommends approval of the rezoning because it preserves greenway and
active recreation functions on the site while still allowing for a needed expansion of
CATS facilities.
Statement: Belmont Sustainability Plan lists as accomplishments on Page 3 that Mecklenburg
Park & Rec., Charlotte Housing Authority and Trinity Episcopal have a
Memorandum of Agreement to build two fields and six tennis courts.
Response:
Mecklenburg Park and Rec. have confirmed that their agreement is for one
playfield.
Statement: Why is the City turning down private funding to build a park for the neighborhood?
Response:
The City and County are not turning down private funding for the improvement of
the park and greenway. Both the previous and current development plans
accommodated the planned park expansion. Construction of the park expansion is
underway through a partnership with Mecklenburg Park & Rec., the Charlotte
Housing Authority and Trinity Episcopal School. In fact, the City of Charlotte has
already entered into a lease agreement with Mecklenburg County to provide the
lower portion of the Alexander Street lot and an adjacent lot that was needed to
allow for the park expansion. Construction of this project is underway. Larger
proposals to use the whole site required not only City donation of the entire
remaining parcel; but also included significant additional city investment ($1.5
million) in the project to provide a large retaining wall and additional parking.
Statement: CATS was asked to help with parking for the Greenway and Park and they offered
parking across I-277.
Response:
This is inaccurate. CATS is working with Mecklenburg Park and Rec. to share
parking within the employee and visitor deck we are constructing on N. Alexander
Street immediately across from the proposed rezoning.
December 15, 2009
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CATS’ Special Transportation Services (STS)
Petition 2009-39
910 North Alexander Street
Statement: Why can’t CATS build on the existing 13 acres and not use the Alexander Parcel?
Because CATS will outgrow this facility by 2015 it shouldn’t be built.
Response:
CATS examined several alternative site plans that excluded or limited the use of the
N. Alexander St. Parcel. Each failed to meet the fleet and office needs that are
necessary to prevent the need for an additional bus maintenance facility. The
proposed use of 910 N. Alexander prevents the need for a third facility through
2035 and possibly beyond 2035.
Statement: The project is not consistent with the City’s Sustainability Goals?
Response:
The adopted Sustainable City Facilities Policy focuses on 6 core sustainable areas.
The STS is consistent with the policy. A copy of the sustainability evaluation is
attached.
Statement: The Belmont Neighborhood President works for CATS, so had no choice but to
support rezoning.
Response:
CATS has over 1,100 employees who have dedicated themselves to public service.
Many carry this desire to serve into their private lives and are active in civic,
neighborhood and religious organizations. In no way does CATS influence or
direct our employees in these endeavors.
Statement: We were surprised to learn that a school occupied this site during segregation and
feel it should be acknowledged as an important part of the history of the site.
Response:
CATS is aware of the Alexander Street School and noted it at our meetings. Not
only was this site formally a school, it was also the former home of STS until it
outgrew the Alexander Center in the 1980s. CATS Art in Transit program has
incorporated the history of an area into the art for a given facility and may be able
to work with the neighborhood to honor the history of this site in a similar manner.
Statement: Villa Heights doesn’t want another industrial structure with no trespassing signs.
Response:
The building will not function, or look, like an industrial structure. The site is
currenlty zoned for Office (O-2) and it is being rezoned to Business Conditional (B2CD). The existing Office (O-2) zoning allows the office and fleet parking garage
to be built without a rezoning. The rezoning is to accommodate the light duty
maintenance facility to maintain the STS fleet. We have designed our facility to
blend in as an attractive office building that would be expected in a mixed-use
neighborhood adjacent to Center City.
Statement: How will CATS be involved in the neighborhood?
Response:
CATS believes that the design of the STS facility will provide a pleasing and
complimentary architectural presence to the Belmont Community.
As redesigned our facility will provide eyes on the park, preserve a large mature
oak and we are committed to working on a landscape plan that transitions smoothly
to the park and greenway.
December 15, 2009
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