The Weekly ★★★
Remembers & Honors THOSE WHO SERVED
Friday, May 27, 2022 • Vol. 15 • No. 21
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More housing on the table
CHARLOTTE – Ascent Real Estate Capital is seeking the rezoning to build up to 252 multifamily units within a 95-foot structure in the Montford Park area with up to 3,500 square feet of ground-floor retail and office space. The site was previously rezoned for 150 multi-family units in a building 30 feet shorter. Collin Brown, of Alexander Ricks, Brown said the purpose of the rezoning is
to take a site slated for multifamily zoning and update the entitlements a bit. He believes the design is much more functional. “These are market units,” Brown said. “They are more affordable than what else we’re seeing in the market. The reason is they’re just more smaller units, frankly.” The site will include a portion of the Cross Charlotte Trail that will connect to Little Sugar Creek Gre-
enway. That project will be completed in late 2022. “We think this will be a nice addition to the neighborhood, adding some more urban density to support the retail revitalization that we’re having there,” Brown said. City staff projects the community will generate 1,990 vehicle trips per day and 86 students attending Selwyn Elementary, Alexander Graham Middle and Myers Park High.
The site is south of the Park Road Shopping Center. Photo courtesy of City of Charlotte
City certified as welcoming place to live CHARLOTTE – The City of Charlotte became a Certified Welcoming place. Certified Welcoming is a formal designation by Welcoming America for cities and counties that have created policies and programs reflecting their values and commitment to immigrant inclusion. City officials say Charlotte is the first to reach this achievement in North Carolina and the southeastern U.S. “Charlotte’s immigrants make incredible economic and cultural contributions to our city,” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said. “We take pride in celebrating the diversity of our community, and we are proud to officially be certified as a welcoming city. We will continue to work hard so that residents know that all are welcome here.” Welcoming America is a nonprofit that aims to build a nation of neighbors by fostering welcoming communities. “We are pleased to congratulate the City of Charlotte and its many partners on achieving the designation of Certified Welcoming,” said Rachel Perić, executive director of Welcoming America. “As the second largest city in the Southeast, Charlotte’s work serves as a model for creating an environment that celebrates and invests in residents from around the globe as a point of pride, signaling a strong commitment to the connection between economic vitality and a community in which everyone can thrive and belong.” Charlotte has incorporated improved language access policies, workforce development opportunities for immigrants and strengthened connections with community-based organizations. Highlights from the certification process include the launch of Naturalize Charlotte, a citywide effort to boost naturalization among residents and new training for the city’s code enforcement division. • Read more news daily at www.the charlotteweekly.com
Diorio stresses fiscal discipline Romona Holloway and her mother, Wheezy at a previous MIX 107.9 sponsored event. Photos courtesy of Carben Events + Marketing
Honoring
Wheezy
Family Dance Party to bring generations together CHARLOTTE – MIX 107.9’s Ramona Holloway invites families to Symphony Park to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. The Family Dance Party will honor Ramona’s mom, Wheezy, who passed away from dementia last year. Wheezy was a fixture on the “Matt & Ramona Show” and many followed Ramona’s journey of dealing with her mom’s illness. The event is designed to make a difference in the lives of families affected by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. It will include DJ Arroe Collins from LA Productions, games, vendors like OooWee Food Truck and a dance contest with a $500 top prize. The event takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. June 11 at Symphony Park, 4400 Sharon Road. Tickets are on sale at https://familydancepartyclt.eventbrite.com for $10.
Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio anticipates moderate economic growth in the coming year, citing pressures such as inflation, labor volatility, disrupted supply chains and the War in Ukraine. Diorio presented a $2.1 billion operating budget recently to county commissioners. This is $111 million more than last year’s budget but it won’t increase propDiorio erty taxes. The tax rate will stay at 61.69 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. “While I am optimistic about next year, I am more certain than ever that the county must remain committed to maintaining our strategy of fiscal discipline that has served us so well for over 15 years,” Diorio said. Even without a property tax rate increase, the county expects values to rise to $200.8 billion, which will generate an extra $26.8 million. The county is also banking on increased sales tax revenue. The budget may trigger some increased friction between county commissioners and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board. CMS requested an increase of $40.4 million from the county, but Diorio recommends funding $19.9 million. Diorio said this includes local salary increases, which will keep CMS teachers as the top earners among all state school districts. "Our community is strong, and our county government is strong," Diorio said. "My staff and I do not take that for granted and we take our responsibility seriously. Our goal is to never leave a person, or group behind. My budget weaves that goal into every recommendation."
Ardrey Kell students have knack for personal finance
Ardrey Kell’s team includes Mohak Agarwalla, Aditya Bulusu and Yashu Singhai. Teacher Dawn Patterson coaches the team. Photo courtesy of Council for Economic Education
NEW YORK – A team from Ardrey Kell High School won the North Carolina state championship and national semifinal rounds in the National Personal Finance Challenge. The Ardrey Kell team scored an all-expense-paid trip to New York City in June to compete with three other teams in the national finals. Organized by the Council for Economic Education, the National Personal Finance
Challenge allows high school students to demonstrate mastery of earning, spending, saving, investing and managing credit and risk. “Learning personal finance skills while still in high school sets young people on a path to success throughout their lives,” said Nan Morrison, president and CEO of Council for Economic Education. “Students from schools who have access to personal finance courses get a great head
start on life. We congratulate the Ardrey Kell team, wish them well in the New York finals and tip our hats to their educators and our affiliate, the North Carolina Council on Economic Education.” Only 24 states require students to take a course in personal finance to graduate, according to the Council for Economic Education. Broader access across the United States would level the playing field for all students to make
informed decisions and lead the lives they aspire to have, Morrison said. Teams at the June 5 finals will have only two hours to analyze a hypothetical family scenario and create a meaningful financial plan. Each member of the winning team will receive $2,000, with cash prizes of $1,000, $500 or $250 for each team member taking home second, third and fourth place national honors.