Category: Uncategorized

My item about Jim Cochran tying himself to the tree on Wendover Road brought another interesting glimpse of Charlotte 30 years ago. I got this e-mail from John Elliot, who grew up on Churchill Road (off Wendover Road north of Randolph Road). I share it because even recent history in Charlotte is at risk of being forgotten as development changes the landscape.

He wrote:

In about 1975, a small contingent of Mecklenburg folk met w/me (Gov. Jim Holshouser’s deputy. ombudsman) in the Capitol concerning the trees. I felt I had to recuse myself from direct involvement, because I grew up on Churchill Road, and my parents still lived there, but advised them to attend a forthcoming “Peoples Day” I was advancing for the governor in Charlotte. On the appointed day, they attended at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse and had one of the first interviews with the governor, of the day. As was my duty, I briefed the Gov and Butch Gallagher, the Ombudsman (also from Charlotte) at the beginning of each 5-minute interview session on the subject matter, then returned to my post outside the chamber to facilitate interviews and security.

I don’t know how much longer those trees will last. I would guess they were acorns around 1940? Our willow oaks at St. Martin’s on Seventh Street were planted in 1919 (acorns, c.1909), and we’ve already had to take down four of them due to drought-related fungus disease.

Because I was curious about Wendover Road in those days, Elliot sent me the following description of life in that part of the city in the days before SouthPark, Route 4, etc. It’s edited for brevity:

I rode a bike home from Eastover Elementary in the ’50s & walked (hitched) home from AG [Alexander Graham Junior High] in the early ’60s, so I’m pretty familiar with Wendover. The great canopy of willow oaks ran from Sharon to Providence, ended there, so the section of Wendover to Randolph must have been developed differently. I can remember that when the Belt Road was being planned, there were alternative routes, including one going through MPCC [Myers Park Country Club] golf course, which would have reduced it to a 9-hole course. The club was offered the option of accepting that route, and the city would build them an additional 18-hole course out further, but they and the school board turned it down (school board because of proximity to Myers Park/AG/Selwyn campus). … Wendover ended at Randolph, continuing in the form of Wendover Circle, a half loop, that ran around a great estate that is now home to the “giant bagels,” spawned Churchill, then flowed down the hill to the creek where it joined Randolph.

At the creek was an old grist mill — I ‘spose it’s still there — and there were cotton fields twixt Billingsley & the creek–plenty of crawdads in the creek. Churchill was bifurcated by the city limits, which meant that the kids on the upper end had to pay tuition to go to Eastover, AG, MP, rather than the county schools. ‘Course, the kids across the cotton fields couldn’t go to either set, being that they had the poor judgment to be born by black parents, so they just walked next door to Billingsley School. … It was a great neighborhood in which to grow up … we played in the woods all day, and camped in them at night. Sort of a Blowing Rock, but an easy ride on bus # 7 uptown, to the Y, movies, Belk’s, and Tanner’s.

PS: My grandfather, R. M. Mauldin, was chairman of the school board who “visioned” having 3 schools on one campus, separated by only trees and creeks. My dad worked out the swap that moved the Y to the old AG building on Morehead, and AG out to Jimmy Harris’ farm, making the vision happen. But that’s another story.

Finally. Here’s a study that analyzes some of the criticism of rail transit and points out where it’s on target and where it’s off. (Warning: It’s 52 pages.)

It’s from Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute in Victoria, BC. (That’s Canada, in case you don’t get out much.)

Among his findings:
— Several recent studies indicate that … rail transit does reduce congestion (Page 10).
— Average operating costs per passenger-mile actually tend to be lower for rail than bus (page 11).
— Both motorist and truck congestion costs decline in a city as rail transit mileage expands, but congestion costs increase as bus transit mileage expands, apparently because buses lure fewer travelers from driving and contribute to traffic congestion themselves. (Page 10).

Litman includes a lengthy section examining statements by Randal O’Toole, a prolific rail transit critic and darling of the Cato Institute and other rail critics. Litman finds some of O’Toole’s reports based on incorrect data and flawed analysis. (Example: “O’Toole states incorrectly and without citation that regions with rail system devote 30-80% of their total transportation capital budgets to transit.”)

Finally, there’s a very long point-counterpoint between Litman and O’Toole.
Happy reading.

We all know Charlotte is feeling explosive growth. Last week the U.S. Census released a population report showing Charlotte at No. 7 among metro areas in 2006 growth. This links to the Observer’s story.

The city’s six-county metro area (Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union and York counties) added more than 61,500 people last year. Raleigh-Cary was No. 15.

Why bring up the obvious? Because as the Raleigh stats make clear, Charlotte isn’t facing its growth pains alone. Plenty of other N.C. cities and towns have our problems: Overcrowded schools and not enough county money to build what’s needed without raising property tax rates beyond what’s politically acceptable. Development rules that aren’t adequate to protect the environment, and slack enforcement.

In Wake County, a grass roots group of residents has formed Wake Up Wake County. They’re pushing for, among other things, permission from the N.C. legislature to enact a real estate transfer tax. That’s one of the revenue sources that’s been talked about — or more accurately, whispered about — in Mecklenburg as well, by City Council as well as County Manager Harry Jones.

Wake Up Wake County reports that 15 different bills have been introduced in the legislature so far that would allow a real estate transfer tax or allow local governments, in their wisdom or foolishness, to choose from a menu of tax options that includes the transfer tax.

Currently the only tax that cities and counties can raise without legislative permission is the property tax. Some fees can also be raised without kissing the rings in Raleigh. That’s why there are so many local government fees.

Sen. Dan Clodfelter, a Charlotte Democrat, has introduced a bill that would more than double the existing tax on real estate sales, which is now $1 for every $500 in value. He told the Observer’s Jim Morrill that it was essentially a bill holding space for any proposals that might come out of a commission he co-chairs that’s looking at the whole state tax system.

Of course, within about 20 seconds the N.C. Association of Realtors had launched a huge campaign with signs, TV, radio and print ads calling a transfer tax “the home tax.” “Taxing the equity in your home is like taxing the American Dream,” one ad says. “It’s a bad idea.” It was almost as if they had that campaign all ready, and were just waiting for a bill to be filed.

But, isn’t the property tax also a home tax? And if your revaluations are minimally current, doesn’t it, too, tax your home equity, or at least part of it?

My overall point is not so much about whether a real estate transfer tax is the best thing since sliced bread, but to note that the only way North Carolina’s fast-growing urban areas will get diddly out of the power-stingy legislature is to work together. Instead of, or even better, in addition to Wake Up Wake County, we need a Wake Up North Carolina group who will go to bat for Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville, Wilmington and all the other booming urban areas.

Dear readers,

Many of you seem to be having a wonderful online talk about the role of government, society, taxation, etc.

BUT a few people are acting like jerks. Stop. Keep it clean, please. Comments with obscenity, profanity or otherwise unacceptable discourse are deleted.

And even if you get truly steamed, try to refrain from childish name-calling. This is an interesting and provocative forum. Please help keep it that way.

And finally, my thanks to those many regular readers who, even though they disagree with one another, do so with civility (if not affection).

Mary

(Don’t look for another Naked City post next week. I’m taking some vacation. Back in the office April 9. ‘Til then, happy reading. Check out planetizen.com if you get bored.)

OK, gang, here are some transit-related tidbits (and some color art at the end) for you — a little red meat for your weekend.

— The cost of building the South Corridor light rail was estimated in 1998 in 1998 dollars at $227 million. As of 2007 the cost will be $463 million. That’s a bit more than double the preliminary estimate. (In 2007 dollars, $227 million would be $282.7 million.)

— The cost of building the third runway at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in 1998 was estimated at $80 million. The construction cost now is $240 million, according to City Manager Pam Syfert. That’s triple the preliminary estimate. ($80 million in 1998 dollars would be equivalent to $99.6 million today.)

— The cost to build the western leg of Interstate 485 was originally estimated at $385 million. Its current cost is $676 million.

— The southern leg of I-485 was originally estimated to cost $78.3 million. It cost $268 million, or 343 percent over original budget. Most of us would say it should have cost a lot more, in order to add lanes in each direction.

How many local voters are out there howling about those airport cost overruns? Those highway cost overruns?

Here’s an interesting quote from City council member Don Lochman, long the council’s most fiscally conservative member, at Monday’s council discussion about CATS: “I don’t get bent out of shape over cost overruns.” (He isn’t a fan of rail transit, he made clear.)

A final tidbit before you get to the art: Since 1998 the city’s contribution to run the bus service has been frozen at its 1998 level: $18.6 million. If the transit tax disappeared and the city continued to run bus service, that total would certainly rise. Inflation since 1998 makes $18.6 million worth roughly $23.2 million.

Below are comparisons: The first map is CATS bus routes today. Since the transit tax began the number of buses went from 134 to 328 and routes went from 47 to 76. The next map is a preliminary estimate of bus service IF the transit tax goes away and IF City Council decides to hold property taxes increases as low as possible but still run city bus service. (CATS is a countywide bus service, not limited to the city.)

Obviously, council could choose to cut the city budget to find bus service money to try to avoid raising property taxes. Some folks say that’s an easy solution. They’re dreaming. I’ve watched many councils over many years. They simply are not going to dismember police, fire or other city departments. They’d have done so already.

(Don’t look for another Naked City post next week. I’m taking some vacation. Back in the office April 9. ‘Til then, happy reading. Check out planetizen.com if you get bored.)

OK, gang, here are some transit-related tidbits (and some color art at the end) for you — a little red meat for your weekend.

— The cost of building the South Corridor light rail was estimated in 1998 in 1998 dollars at $227 million. As of 2007 the cost will be $463 million. That’s a bit more than double the preliminary estimate. (In 2007 dollars, $227 million would be $282.7 million.)

— The cost of building the third runway at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in 1998 was estimated at $80 million. The construction cost now is $240 million, according to City Manager Pam Syfert. That’s triple the preliminary estimate. ($80 million in 1998 dollars would be equivalent to $99.6 million today.)

— The cost to build the western leg of Interstate 485 was originally estimated at $385 million. Its current cost is $676 million.

— The southern leg of I-485 was originally estimated to cost $78.3 million. It cost $268 million, or 343 percent over original budget. Most of us would say it should have cost a lot more, in order to add lanes in each direction.

How many local voters are out there howling about those airport cost overruns? Those highway cost overruns?

Here’s an interesting quote from City council member Don Lochman, long the council’s most fiscally conservative member, at Monday’s council discussion about CATS: “I don’t get bent out of shape over cost overruns.” (He isn’t a fan of rail transit, he made clear.)

A final tidbit before you get to the art: Since 1998 the city’s contribution to run the bus service has been frozen at its 1998 level: $18.6 million. If the transit tax disappeared and the city continued to run bus service, that total would certainly rise. Inflation since 1998 makes $18.6 million worth roughly $23.2 million.

Below are comparisons: The first map is CATS bus routes today. Since the transit tax began the number of buses went from 134 to 328 and routes went from 47 to 76. The next map is a preliminary estimate of bus service IF the transit tax goes away and IF City Council decides to hold property taxes increases as low as possible but still run city bus service. (CATS is a countywide bus service, not limited to the city.)

Obviously, council could choose to cut the city budget to find bus service money to try to avoid raising property taxes. Some folks say that’s an easy solution. They’re dreaming. I’ve watched many councils over many years. They simply are not going to dismember police, fire or other city departments. They’d have done so already.

So who was it who tied himself to a tree on Wendover Road to try to save the tree?

The local political chatterers may have heard activist Stan Campbell say a few weeks ago, on Mayor Pat’s weekly radio show on WBT, that Don Reid had tied himself to a tree on Wendover Road. Apparently the mayor picked up that misinformation and repeated it Sunday.

Reid, for you newcomers, was a popular at-large City Council member, a conservative Republican who liked (and likes) to accuse fellow GOPers who don’t meet his standard of conservatism of being RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). He still holds a weekly breakfast for the faithful on Thursdays. Here’s Reid’s e-mail to Hizzoner, which he shared with multiple others:

Pat,
I did not protest when Stan Campbell, on your show a couple of weeks ago, stated that I tied myself to a tree on Wendover Road. Now I hear you repeated this charge on your Sunday radio show. For the record, I never tied myself or anyone else to a tree on Wendover Road. I don’t know whether you and Stan are lying or just have false information, but in either event, you’re wrong and I hope you will correct the record and apologize.

Well, SOMEONE tied himself to a tree. In a city whose history of extravagant environmental activism is roughly as robust as New York’s habit of courteous small talk on rush-hour subways, the Wendover protest looms large in local memory.

So who was it who tied himself to that Wendover Road tree? I happen to know.

In 1977, the city was widening Wendover and wanted to cut down all those giant willow oak trees. Neighbors erupted in furious protest. Eventually they convinced the city to back off. A few trees were cut but many were spared.

Don Reid was active in the protest. But it was his co-chair, Jim Cochran, who lived on Wendover, who tied himself to the tree. Jim’s son, Webb, who was about 10, also tied himself to a tree. Here’s the photo that ran in the Observer in 1977:

I knew this because I found the photo above in our old files in 2003, and wrote a column then about Charlotte’s relative lack of robust activist protest. (Yes, there is some. But not nearly as much as you find in some other cities.)

So who was it who tied himself to a tree on Wendover Road to try to save the tree?

The local political chatterers may have heard activist Stan Campbell say a few weeks ago, on Mayor Pat’s weekly radio show on WBT, that Don Reid had tied himself to a tree on Wendover Road. Apparently the mayor picked up that misinformation and repeated it Sunday.

Reid, for you newcomers, was a popular at-large City Council member, a conservative Republican who liked (and likes) to accuse fellow GOPers who don’t meet his standard of conservatism of being RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). He still holds a weekly breakfast for the faithful on Thursdays. Here’s Reid’s e-mail to Hizzoner, which he shared with multiple others:

Pat,
I did not protest when Stan Campbell, on your show a couple of weeks ago, stated that I tied myself to a tree on Wendover Road. Now I hear you repeated this charge on your Sunday radio show. For the record, I never tied myself or anyone else to a tree on Wendover Road. I don’t know whether you and Stan are lying or just have false information, but in either event, you’re wrong and I hope you will correct the record and apologize.

Well, SOMEONE tied himself to a tree. In a city whose history of extravagant environmental activism is roughly as robust as New York’s habit of courteous small talk on rush-hour subways, the Wendover protest looms large in local memory.

So who was it who tied himself to that Wendover Road tree? I happen to know.

In 1977, the city was widening Wendover and wanted to cut down all those giant willow oak trees. Neighbors erupted in furious protest. Eventually they convinced the city to back off. A few trees were cut but many were spared.

Don Reid was active in the protest. But it was his co-chair, Jim Cochran, who lived on Wendover, who tied himself to the tree. Jim’s son, Webb, who was about 10, also tied himself to a tree. Here’s the photo that ran in the Observer in 1977:

I knew this because I found the photo above in our old files in 2003, and wrote a column then about Charlotte’s relative lack of robust activist protest. (Yes, there is some. But not nearly as much as you find in some other cities.)

Just back from three days in the Bay Area, and came away with a few thoughts that seem relevant to the transit- and transportation-besotted Naked City readership:

1. I drove U.S. 101 from the airport south to Palo Alto one day, and the next drove from Palo Alto to San Jose.

One observation: Although San Francisco and San Jose have more than 900,000 residents each and the stretch between the two where Palo Alto lies is full of municipalities, I saw far less litter on 101 than you see on Charlotte’s highways. Either they pick up the trash more often or people don’t litter as heavily. Makes me even more embarrassed at our slovenly roads — both city- and state-maintained roads.

Another: The pavement itself was in horrible shape — even worse than ours. I even saw green stuff (weeds? moss? hard to tell at 60 mph) growing in the pavement potholes and crevices.

2. Took Caltrain from Palo Alto into San Francisco one day. This is Amtrak-like service, which runs as often as every 10-15 minutes during rush hour, and every half hour or so other times, between SF and the suburbs south of San Jose. I took it into the city at midmorning and it was almost filled. Coming home at 3 p.m. it was only partly filled. One-way fare between SF and SJ is $8.25.

Sure would be nice if we could have something similar between, say, Charlotte and Raleigh. Or even Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Anything to relieve I-85 and I-40.

3. San Francisco and its metro area offer multiple public transportation options: In addition to Caltrain, there’s the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), which is “heavy rail,” meaning electrified trains fed through the rail below the train. Muni is San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs buses, light rail, historic streetcars, electric trolley coaches and the famous cable cars. And that’s just in San Francisco.

Other suburban areas have their own transit systems: e.g. SamTrans, the San Mateo County Transit District which provides bus service and the VTA, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which has bus and light rail service. And Palo Alto offers free shuttle service around the town.

Near as I can tell, the region needs them all — and more. I took Caltrain, then two buses to get to an art museum, then took a taxi back to the Caltrain station. Trying to make a train (that I missed by 5 minutes) the cabbie went on one of the freeways. It was bumper to bumper. At 2:30 p.m.

What does this mean for Charlotte?

First, we have to be patient. BART began as an idea among civic and government leaders after WWII. Voters approved a BART plan in 1962. Construction started in 1964. It carried its first passengers in 1972.

Second, you can’t have effective transportation in a large metro area without multiple choices.
Unless this region’s economy tanks, we’re going to get a whole lot bigger in coming decades. Starting to build a rapid transit system now will be monumentally cheaper than waiting until we’re already choked and built out, because land will be even more expensive then. Adopting a “roads only” approach because the region hasn’t hit urban densities as high as older, larger areas is about as smart as waiting until your kid is a sophomore in high school to start saving for college.

Just back from three days in the Bay Area, and came away with a few thoughts that seem relevant to the transit- and transportation-besotted Naked City readership:

1. I drove U.S. 101 from the airport south to Palo Alto one day, and the next drove from Palo Alto to San Jose.

One observation: Although San Francisco and San Jose have more than 900,000 residents each and the stretch between the two where Palo Alto lies is full of municipalities, I saw far less litter on 101 than you see on Charlotte’s highways. Either they pick up the trash more often or people don’t litter as heavily. Makes me even more embarrassed at our slovenly roads — both city- and state-maintained roads.

Another: The pavement itself was in horrible shape — even worse than ours. I even saw green stuff (weeds? moss? hard to tell at 60 mph) growing in the pavement potholes and crevices.

2. Took Caltrain from Palo Alto into San Francisco one day. This is Amtrak-like service, which runs as often as every 10-15 minutes during rush hour, and every half hour or so other times, between SF and the suburbs south of San Jose. I took it into the city at midmorning and it was almost filled. Coming home at 3 p.m. it was only partly filled. One-way fare between SF and SJ is $8.25.

Sure would be nice if we could have something similar between, say, Charlotte and Raleigh. Or even Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Anything to relieve I-85 and I-40.

3. San Francisco and its metro area offer multiple public transportation options: In addition to Caltrain, there’s the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), which is “heavy rail,” meaning electrified trains fed through the rail below the train. Muni is San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs buses, light rail, historic streetcars, electric trolley coaches and the famous cable cars. And that’s just in San Francisco.

Other suburban areas have their own transit systems: e.g. SamTrans, the San Mateo County Transit District which provides bus service and the VTA, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which has bus and light rail service. And Palo Alto offers free shuttle service around the town.

Near as I can tell, the region needs them all — and more. I took Caltrain, then two buses to get to an art museum, then took a taxi back to the Caltrain station. Trying to make a train (that I missed by 5 minutes) the cabbie went on one of the freeways. It was bumper to bumper. At 2:30 p.m.

What does this mean for Charlotte?

First, we have to be patient. BART began as an idea among civic and government leaders after WWII. Voters approved a BART plan in 1962. Construction started in 1964. It carried its first passengers in 1972.

Second, you can’t have effective transportation in a large metro area without multiple choices.
Unless this region’s economy tanks, we’re going to get a whole lot bigger in coming decades. Starting to build a rapid transit system now will be monumentally cheaper than waiting until we’re already choked and built out, because land will be even more expensive then. Adopting a “roads only” approach because the region hasn’t hit urban densities as high as older, larger areas is about as smart as waiting until your kid is a sophomore in high school to start saving for college.