The city has worked hard to ensure that the areas along the expressway redevelop. He said that's already occurred along Independence, near uptown, where new apartments and condos flank the highway.
TOTAL MISINFORMATIONb]
[b]Fact: No redevelopment has occured near Uptown on Independence at all in 20 years! During the first phase of widening from 277 - Briar Creek Rd, ALL PARCELS WERE PURCHASED ALONG INDEPENDENCE BLVD. ALL PARCELS WERE DEMOLISHED. and a grass birm was constructed with a brick at the top. ZERO REDEVLOPMENT
Fact: The city has NOT worked hard to endure the areas along the expressway redevelop which is evident from the blighted empty boxes where widening has occured from Briar Creek Rd. to Sharon Amity. and the grass birm from Briar Creek to 277.
Fact: The city kept the 350ft transitional setback in place after they widened Independence Blvd from Briar Creek rd. to Sharon Amity rd. this greatly strained redevelopment. Absolutely ZERO redevelopment began at all until the transitional setback was reduced in 2008.
Fact: The small number of new apartments that "flank the highway" from 277 to Hawthorn Lane are on the other side of the brick wall, because all of the parcels ON INDEPENDENCE WERE BOUGHT AND WIPED OUT. They are in Elizabeth in residential neighborhoods that have NO ACCESS AT ALL to Independence Blvd. and are served by 7th street & Central Ave. The apartments fit within the existing neighborhood infrastructure, which has always had multifamily apartment buildings prior to Independence Blvd even being built!
Fact: In the 2nd Phase of widening from Briar Creek rd. to sharon Amity, the city did not buy out parcels that had poor access, unsafe access, were too close to the road, and/or were otherwise functionally obsolete which is a well known CAUSE of he blight on Independence Blvd. - even by the city. It is even referenced in their previous Land Use Plan materials
and the 2005 study that preceeded the current Land Use Study. OBIOUSLY the city did not work hard to encourage redevelopment.
He said the "Super Street" idea doesn't work in an urban setting. He said Albemarle Road in east Charlotte has a similar design. "Look at the development pattern there," Pleasant said. "I don't think that's what we want."
I think Mr. Pleasant's statements defy all logic, common sense, and visible evidence that even an untrained engineer can see is absolutely untrue.
Fact: The development pattern on Albemarle rd. is far better than on Independence Blvd from 277 - Sharon Amity. Look at the Pattern on Independence Blvd from 277 to Briar Creek Rd. - There is no development. There is no business. Look at Briar Creek rd. to Sharon Amity. There is almost no business and there are dead boxes everywhere, and Independence had a 350ft transistional setback. Even with the recently reduced setback, Albemarle rd. has a smaller transitional setback, a vastly more thriving retail district - except where it interchanges with Independence Blvd and has also been turned into a freeway...
Fact There is no question the super street applied to Albemarle rd. was far better for development and business than the expressway plan applied to Independence Blvd.
This is not to say one plan is better long-term than the other on Independence. But it goes to show how off the mark, dishonest, and misleading the statements Mr. Pleasants made are. He is aware of every fact I pointed out or he is very uninformed. Either way, that is unacceptable for the director of the CDOT!
