|
What new thing is happening in Charlotte that you are most excited about?
#1 will be the new NASCAR Hall of Fame, which will draw hundreds of thousands of new visitors which will further fill up our hotels and entertainment venues and bring visitors. 2nd is the increase in people wanting to live Uptown, which has far exceeded any expectations we had 12 years ago when I became mayor. This is a great recruiting tool as we have more people living in our actual Center City than, say, Dallas or Houston. 3rd is the continued expansion of Johnson & Wales. To have such a large campus right in Uptown has added a diversity and life we never would have expected, chefs mixing with bankers! 4th is that the arena continues to draw crowds and major events such as the CIAA tournament, which has been a huge success. 5th is the opening of the light rail, which will add a whole new dynamic when that train is actually pulling into Uptown! Finally, the new arts facility, the cultural campus being designed between College and Tryon Streets, which will incorporate the Afro-American Cultural Center, the Mint Museum and the new Bechtler Art Museum.
What area of the city will be next for major development?
Areas just outside the ring, particularly out Wilkinson Blvd. Because of affordability we will see the expansion of Third Ward go right under the highway. The Elizabeth section will continue to expand as well as South End, Midtown. I think you’ll soon see a lot of development towards the old Adams Mark hotel with the redevelopment of Marshall Park. Essentially we are reversing the blight we saw in the 1960s with new development occurring along every urban corridor. Our next challenge, a goal of ours, is to make sure the growth also goes up North Tryon beyond the railroad bridge. Unless we shut down public transport efforts or lose focus on public safety, our urban growth is unstoppable. We stop suburban sprawl with mass transit and by revitalizing brown fields. We take the polluted property of old factory sites and recycle and develop it to encourage healthy infield development versus sprawl. A component of this is saving some historic buildings for architectural diversity and character. This is one mistake that has been made over the last 50 years and we need to focus on preserving what we can.
What are your thoughts around light rail to the suburbs vs. an Uptown/ring neighborhoods streetcar? It’s wrong to get into a short-term regional battle. We need to think long-term, the next 50 years. If we get into short-term conflicts regarding where transit goes next and when, it will end up going nowhere.
There's lots of talk about attracting diversity to Charlotte. What is the city doing to promote diversity? Primarily, we are a welcoming, very open city. We have a history of welcoming newcomers of all cultural backgrounds into leadership, and we must continue that. Charlotte is known as a city where you don’t need thirty generations of bloodline to become mayor or an executive councilman.
Arts vs. sports vs. bars/restaurants vs. Uptown shopping vs. public transportation. Where do you fall in the raging debate over what needs to be prioritized in order for Charlotte to grow into a "world-class city?"
Well, the challenge is to balance them all, which Charlotte is doing a good job of. Our next big focus is retail. I anticipate unique niche retail that you can’t find at South Park or in other regional malls.
Charlotte considers itself forward-thinking on many urban development issues. It seems the larger a U.S. city gets, the more it needs an expanded social services network to handle needs of a burgeoning population, but can never keep up. What is Charlotte doing to be preemptive in this area? Can we plan ahead to offer programs that effectively promote productive living? How do we avoid the pitfalls of the “build more shelters” or a “reactive spending mentality” rather than provide proactive assistance for independent living?
My main responsibility is infrastructure and public safety. The biggest is public transport. People have to be able to get around to work. If we repeal the ½ cent sales tax, then all transport plans come to a screeching halt. We can’t take our current success for granted. There is no room for more roads so we have to go the public transportation route. In addition, we’ve redeveloped First Ward as a model of mixed-income housing. It is a beautiful community and example of people of all incomes living and working together. We are now looking to develop a similar housing plan in Second Ward in the Marshall Park area.
When one visits memorable cities, what often stand out are the waterfront/riverfront areas, immense parks and green spaces. Right now, Charlotte has nice fountains and large parks in the suburbs. What is the city/county doing to preserve green space and develop it for pedestrian use? Parks are more the county’s role. But for our part we are looking at green buildings, exploring ways that especially government buildings can utilize technology to go green.
From your perspective, how do you envision Charlotte's future? How would you describe it 10 years from now, 20 years from now?
I keep wondering when it will stop! My view from the mayor’s office is changing everyday and is unrecognizable from what it was when I first became mayor. With all the new residential towers, the skyline is changing before my eyes. Over the next decade this will continue and it will be a vastly different skyline!
~ Celina Mincey
|
