If you’d like to send a message to the city planners, here’s your chance.
First, a yes or no question: Do you think infrastructure availability – that is, schools, roads, etc. – is adequately considered when development decisions are made?
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg planning department is kicking off an attempt to add a chapter to the city’s general development policies to deal with how the city plans for infrastructure. Thursday night at a public meeting, folks who attended got a chance to fill out a questionnaire.
It began with the question above. If you want to offer your thoughts to the planners, take that question and those below, fill them out, and then mail them to Jonathan Wells, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department, 600 E. Fourth St., 8th Floor, Charlotte, NC 28202.
Or you can copy them into an e-mail and e-mail to me, and I’ll forward to the planner running the process: mnewsom@charlotteobserver.com.
A couple of ground rules. First, this initiative applies only to Charlotte or unincorporated Mecklenburg. Also, “infrastructure” in this case means buildings and equipment, such as school buildings, streets and roads, water-sewer pipes, firetrucks, parks, etc.
The rest of the questions:
2. On a 1-to-4 scale, with 1 “not concerned,” 4 “very concerned,” how concerned are you about the community’s ability to provide:
-Schools (buildings – not teachers, curriculum, etc.).
-Public safety (capital costs, not the employees).
-Transportation (streets, roads, sidewalks, etc.).
-Water and sewer.
-Storm water (drains, ditches, etc.)
-Parks.
3. On the same 1-4 scale, with 1 “not needed” and 4 “very much needed” what types of policies are needed to more closely link land development decisions and the availability of the infrastructure (see the above list) to serve it:
-Policies to better manage the increasing demand for infrastructure.
-Policies to use existing/future infrastructure resources more efficiently.
-Policies involving seeking new or innovative means of providing infrastructure.
-Policies to ensure infrastructure development minimizes environmental impacts.
-Other policy areas (please specify)
4. Any other comments?