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INSIDE ▼ CMS names top teacher finalists PAGE 3A Friday, April 25, 2025 • Vol. 25 • No. 17
thecharlotteweekly.com
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Split decision: Council concerned about doubling density By Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
CHARLOTTE – A pair of rezoning applications with no site plans in the Cotswold area prompted a policy discussion among Charlotte City Council over the potential of developers splitting lots in neighborhoods and doubling down on density.
District 5 rep Marjorie Molina explained that she supported rezoning half-acre lots in petitions 2024-134 and 2024-136 from Neighborhood 1-A uses to Neighborhood 1-C, which staff said represented a “slight increase in intensity.” Molina explained that there was no opposition from her constituents and precedent for such a change was already set on that street. However, Molina had concerns. She said under current zoning, someone could develop a duplex on a lot. But under certain conditions, a developer could also split the lot into two and put a duplex on each piece. “As we make those types of decisions on an individual basis, the one thing that has to be intact is we have to make sure we do our due diligence as leaders to reach out to the community,” she said, “to at least, at minimum, let them know that this is coming, inform them of what the potential changes could be to their neighborhood and their stake in this, and find out what their feedback is.”
She encouraged people to pay attention when they see a yellow rezoning sign pop up in their neighborhood and even call the city to ask what it means. At-Large rep LaWana Mayfield also expressed a concern about rezoning requests that split lots, particularly in historic communities. While a precedent may be set, the council may learn a lesson with how a change impacts a community. “I’ve been here since 1988, so I’ve seen a lot of changes myself with how communities are being built, how communities are being developed,” Mayfield said. “At the end of the day, it’s our policy language that is opening the door for it to happen.” District 4 rep Renee Johnson said she wouldn’t be supporting this petition because of the precedent it sets. She acknowledged that 117 people are moving to Charlotte each day but the council still has to look out for current residents and their quality of life. Johnson said the council wants to see developers adding to the quality of life and the council has to be careful approving petitions that reduce quality of life or displace residents. Ballantyne-area rep Ed Driggs recognized that the council is trying to pursue goals like creating housing in order to slow down the rising cost. “That means that we have to contend with disruption and the fact is in my district there have been developments that took place
District 5 Council Member Marjorie Molina celebrates the ribbon cutting for Evoke Living at Eastland Yards in November 2024. She called it a “symbol of Eastland's bright future and our efforts to enhance east Charlotte." David Flower/City of Charlotte
and people didn’t like the changes that were occurring around them,” Driggs said. “The question is not can we achieve what we want to do without any disturbance to anybody. The question is how do we minimize the disturbing with the idea that we go back and take another look or we learn from this experience and then we ask ourselves questions about our policies.” Driggs said Molina did the right thing
by looking at the context of these rezonings within the existing policies. He cautioned colleagues from making policy decisions on the fly during zoning discussions. After all, they were discussing zoning, not policy. Mayfield pushed back, asking if not now, when does the council exercise its ability to change the policy. The council voted 6-3 to approve both of the Cotswold petitions.
Bokhari leaves city council for FTA Entrepreneur inducted into NC Media Hall of Fame By Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
CHARLOTTE – South Charlotte resident Tariq Bokari took the oath of office April 21 to serve as deputy administrator for the Federal Transit Administration.
Bokhari resigned from the Charlotte City Council, effective April 20, to begin in his new role. ”It was an honor to be sworn in this morning, and a whirlwind rest of the day learning about $1.2T of assets, 7B annual trips, and 430k transit workers that fall in the scope of the FTA,” Bokhari shared on Facebook. “Let’s get to work.” Bokhari on more than one occasion approached council discussions about transportation with a forward-thinking perspective. In 2022, the FinTech executive suggested Charlotte look at transportation through a technology lens, pointing to the 4G mobile network giving rise to rideshare programs as a major turning point. He also believed Charlotte needed to put a priority on the role roads play and create a vision that unlocks federal and state funding. Also in 2022, Bokhari called for “disruptive innovation” when it came to solving gridlock along the Providence Road corridor. He even reached out to Elon Musk’s “Boring Company” for insight into how tunnel underpasses could move people through busy intersections. Bokhari succeeded Kenny Smith as
CHARLOTTE – Charlotte entrepreneur LaToya Evans has been inducted into the North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame.
Tariq Bokhari speaks during the groundbreaking of the former Eastland Mall site to help bring commercial amenities, jobs and housing to east Charlotte. David Flower/City of Charlotte
District 6 representative in late 2017. Like Smith, he showed a willingness to work with neighborhoods to achieve the best outcomes for rezoning projects in the south Charlotte area. He often credited developers and neighbors with good faith dialogue during the rezoning process. Bokhari also made headlines for his staunch support of law enforcement, opposition of the Charlotte 2040 Plan and some heated exchanges with colleagues. He and Ed Driggs were the only Republicans on the council during his tenure.
Mayor Vi Lyles acknowledged Bokhari’s resignation at the beginning of the April 14 city council meeting. “Thank you for your dedication and service for the past seven and a half years, not only for the district but to all of our city,” Lyles told Bokhari before giving him an opportunity to address his departure. “It has been the honor of a lifetime,” Bokhari told colleagues. “I will continue to do everything I can to support Charlotte and the city we all love and support you all and everything that you’re working on.”
SouthPark project to get boost from Placemaking Grants CHARLOTTE – SouthPark Community Partners is among more than a dozen community organizations to win Placemaking Grants from the City of Charlotte.
The grant program, which is managed by the City of Charlotte’s Urban Design Center, awarded $230,000 to support projects that foster community energy, safety and character. Adam Rhew, of SouthPark Community Partners, secured $25,000 specifically for the Cameron Valley Pocket Park. The pop-up park is one of seven projects around SouthPark Regional Library that have been identified in the organization’s SouthPark Forward 2035 Vision Plan. “A half-acre green space can be enhanced with furniture, landscaping and public art to create a new place for employees and visitors to enjoy the outdoors,” according to the plan.
Other winning projects included: This page from the SouthPark Forward 2023 Vision Plan shows the • Joi Mayo, of Transforming Cameron Valley Pocket Park and other projects around SouthPark Nations Ford, won $12,400 Regional Library. Photo courtesy of SouthPark Community for Art4Ward: Nations Ford Partners • Olivia Chisholm, of To Live in Color, Beautification (mural). • Michael Zytkow, of Potions and Pixels, won $8,000 for Giving Us Our Flowers (bus won $12,500 for Community ArtCade (pop- stop beautification). • Megan Annitto, of Plaza Midwood up art). • Kristen Ford, of NoDa Neighborhood Neighborhood Association, won $19,700 Business Association, won $9,800 for Cross for Joy in the Shadows, Fulton Avenue Streetscape (street mural and sculpture). Charlotte Trail Mural (street mural). • Logan Phillips, of Villa Heights • Shika Raynor, of Prosperity Village Area Association, won $16,000 for Events at The Neighborhood Association, won $15,000 Green at Prosperity Village (programming for Pinckney-to-27th Passage (pedestrian pathway). and events). • GeAndra Imoudu, of STEM Skool, won • Myra Johnston, of Lakeview at Faires Farm HOA, won $5,000 for Faires Farm $14,100 for STEM Skool Learning Garden Revitalization Technical Assistance (techni- (community agriculture). cal assistance).
Evans, founder of the LEPR Agency, was honored April 11 at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill alongside five other inductees, including Rich Beckman, Allen Bosworth, Woody Durham (posthumously), Kit Hoover and Robyn Tomlin. “I am so grateful and honored to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Evans said. “This has been a lifetime goal, and I can’t believe it’s happening. To be honored at my alma mater, in my state, it’s extra special.” Prior to creating the LEPR Agency, Evans served in key corporate communications, public relations and crisis communications roles at companies including IBM, Walmart, Bank of America, Compass Group and Cisco Systems. Prior to her corporate roles in communications, Evans also ran a freelance writing business, working often for Glamour and People magazines. Evans founded the LEPR Agency in 2017, with it becoming an international, Edelman-affiliated strategic public relations, crisis communications and advertising firm based in Charlotte. Notable clients of the LEPR Agency include the family of George Floyd and Attorney Ben Crump; Pastor John Gray; the late Miss USA Cheslie Kryst; presidential candidates Joe Biden, Andrew Yang and Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Abyssinian Baptist Church, Actor J. Harrison Ghee and corporations including Twitter, Coca Cola, Fifth Third Bank, Suntory Global Spirits and James B. Beam Distilling Co., and Dentsply Sirona. Evans was inducted in the PRWeek Women’s Hall of Fame in 2021 for her achievements. Black Enterprise also announced the LEPR Agency became a seven-figure business and was considered one of the largest, independent Black-owned public relations agencies in the U.S. and the largest owned by a Black woman.