Charlotte, NCDOT sign I-77 South community benefits deal

What the agreement covers

Charlotte and the North Carolina Department of Transportation have signed a 12-page memorandum of agreement establishing a binding framework for the I-77 South project and up to in community investments.

The money would be separate from transportation improvements made through the project’s public-private partnership. In a July letter, NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson said the investments could support workforce development, small businesses, residents displaced by construction, new green space, pedestrian and bicycle connections, and efforts to reconnect neighborhoods divided by the interstate.

The agreement identifies for food cooperatives along the West Boulevard, Beatties Ford and Statesville Avenue corridors. It also includes for a park cap and pedestrian and bicycle crossings over sections of the highway near Uptown, plus for a recreation center in southwest Charlotte.

Other commitments cover public art, green space, bike lanes and measures intended to protect existing renters and homeowners from displacement.

How the project reached this point

A majority of Charlotte City Council members withdrew support for the expansion in the spring, and several other local governments followed. State lawmakers warned in July that Charlotte and other jurisdictions could have to repay nearly in planning and design costs if the project was abandoned.

The community investments prompted some Charlotte leaders to reconsider their positions, allowing the proposal to move forward again after a City Council meeting that week.

Sean Langley, president of the McCrorey Heights Neighborhood Association, said residents had urged city leaders not to reverse course and remained unconvinced that the agreement addressed their concerns.

What happens next

NCDOT, Charlotte and community representatives are to develop a more detailed Final Community Benefits Plan. The agreement also calls for NCDOT to reopen its Community Engagement Center, maintain formal opportunities for public input and give advance notice before major construction begins in an area.