Charlotte scrambles to contain Silver Line blowback

Friction continues over idea to replace rail with buses to Matthews

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Today’s Transit Time is sponsored by T.R. Lawing Realty:

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Analysis: Backers say Matthews will get buses. They’re also saying no decisions have been made. And there are other contradictions, too

By Steve Harrison
WFAE

Last week, Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs spoke to the Rotary Club of Charlotte about the city’s multi-billion dollar transit and roads plan. 

He addressed the controversy over whether Matthews would get a light rail line or special bus service, known as bus rapid transit.

Driggs, the chair of the transportation committee, said definitively that the solution for Matthews “will be through bus rapid transit and not (light) rail.”

Driggs was echoing a closed-door decision made by Charlotte officials about what transit projects can and can’t be built. 

Because the city expects to have half as much new tax money for trains from a proposed one-cent sales tax, it told town managers this spring that it can’t afford to build the $6 billion Silver Line light rail from uptown to Matthews. The city said it would build bus rapid transit instead.

But speaking to a much larger audience on WFAE’s “Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins” on Tuesday, Driggs said something different.

He said any conversations that took place with managers are “non-binding” and that a new transit plan “doesn’t exist yet.”

He then said “there is a difference between recognizing the implications (of having less money for trains) and suggesting that someone made a decision to cut the Silver Line.”

His “Charlotte Talks” comments are similar to those made by Mayor Vi Lyles and Mecklenburg Commissioner Leigh Altman, who wrote in a Charlotte Observer column that no decisions have been made.

They wrote:

Here’s the key: when and if the General Assembly passes legislation authorizing our local referendum, then we will begin to update the 2030 Transit Plan. We will undergo a very detailed, in-depth public process to evaluate all the potential projects, update their costs in today’s numbers and make difficult decisions together and as a community about how and what we can afford.

The op-ed did not address what everyone is talking about — that Charlotte told Matthews that it won’t get the Silver Line. And while the op-ed pledged for an “in-depth public process,” it didn’t explain why the town managers of Cornelius, Pineville and Davidson — who were in the meetings that hammered out the details of the plan — are telling their residents that the Silver Line light rail to Matthews is no longer happening.

Last week, for instance, Cornelius town manager Andrew Grant went through highlights of the plan for Cornelius commissioners, telling them: “The Silver Line East, and that is a BRT — or the funding available is enough for a BRT.”

He showed them this slide, indicating the Silver Line East will be “BRT,” bus rapid transit:

Cornelius commissioners were presented with information last week that showed the Silver Line East — the portion from uptown to Matthews — as “BRT,” or bus rapid transit.

This week, Pineville town manager Ryan Spitzer told the Pineville town council that the uptown-to-Matthews portion of the Silver Line “is slated to be BRT.”

In fact, here is a picture of a presentation from the Pineville Town Council meeting on Monday:

Pineville’s town manager showed this slide to his town council this week, which indicates the line to Matthews will be “BRT,” or bus rapid transit.

Commissioners in the town of Davidson received a presentation this week that said that “transit dollars would build out the 2030 Transit System Plan … Silver Line bus rapid transit (BRT) to the east.”

Charlotte is trying to tamp down anger over the Silver Line decision, hoping it doesn’t spread from Matthews to east Charlotte and beyond. That could torpedo the chances of getting Mecklenburg County voters to approve a one-cent sales tax increase to fund the plan.

But the city is tying itself in knots in continuing to say the 2030 Transit Plan still exists and hasn’t been changed. It calls for building the full Silver Line as light rail.

Officials are engaging in the transit equivalent of “it depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”

For instance, City Council member Renee Johnson asked Monday about the city spending $43 million of a $50 million engineering and design contract for the Silver Line. Much of that will be wasted if the project isn’t built.

Johnson asked whether the city was going to spend the remaining $7 million.

Interim CATS chief executive Brent Cagle said: “Before we spend those dollars, we would want to engage in the process … to understand the transit plan and what it would have in store for the Silver Line.”

He said the firm is “doing a minimal amount of work now because of the uncertainty of the Silver Line.”

That raises key questions.

If the original 2030 Transit Plan hasn’t changed — and will change only after a “very detailed, in-depth public process” — why did CATS stop the design and engineering work for the Silver Line? 

There are other moments where the city is stretching the truth to tamp down public concern.

Airport station

The 2030 Transit Plan calls for a light rail line to run from uptown to the airport. But the design has been criticized because the airport station is on Wilkinson Boulevard — one mile from the terminal.

Johnson asked Cagle if there would be a stop at the airport. He said yes.

Then, council member Dimple Ajmera asked whether the airport stop would actually be at the airport.

Cagle then clarified his answer, saying it would be one mile away. He then sought to assuage council members by stating the airport would build a second train to take people from Wilkinson to the terminal. 

The following morning on “Charlotte Talks,” Driggs said the same thing, telling listeners there would be a people-mover to bring them to the terminal.

The airport, though, has never committed to a train or a people-mover. Its longtime position is that “the means of transporting passengers has not been determined.” It reiterated that stance this week, even after Cagle’s comments.

That means passengers could be riding a shuttle bus from the station to the terminal, which is a much less attractive option for passengers.

Bus rapid transit questions

City officials have strongly suggested they would build a “gold standard” bus rapid transit to Matthews if that is the ultimate decision.

By gold standard, they mean a BRT line that is just like a light-rail line — except there are no train tracks and overhead wires. The buses would operate in their own lanes and would not stop at the traffic lights. That means much of it would need to be elevated. There would be stations that look just like train stations. 

Council member Dimple Ajmera had concerns over whether this would be feasible.

She asked about a Transit Time article from two weeks ago, in which N.C. Department of Transportation deputy division engineer Sean Epperson said Independence Boulevard is no longer feasible for BRT.

“There will not be space along the express lanes for any stations or accommodations to get pedestrians to the center of the roadway for stops of any kind,” Epperson said.

In response, Cagle answered in a way that cast doubt on Epperson’s expertise.

“So Mr. Epperson, I respect everything he said,” Cagle said. “But he is making one key assumption that may not be accurate and is very important.”

Cagle then said the Silver Line light rail wasn’t going to be built inside Independence Boulevard and that the BRT system wouldn’t have to be there, either.

“His statement is predicated on the idea that we would be using the bus lanes on Independence,” Cagle said.

But Epperson was not making an assumption. He was asked whether BRT could be built on Independence, which was the city’s plan roughly 20 years ago. And he answered that it was not possible.

Cagle then said the city could build BRT in the same path that the Silver Line light rail would follow: near Independence and then along Monroe Road.

That is a possibility — though it would be extremely expensive. By following the same path as the $6 billion Silver Line, a “gold standard” BRT line would be less expensive but could still easily cost $1 billion to $2 billion.

It’s unclear if CATS would have enough money to pay for that.

Matthews sees influence by former developer over Ballantyne extension

Matthews Mayor John Higdon has been vocal about how he believes Matthews is being shortchanged by losing the Silver Line.

He said he doesn’t understand why other train lines are, for now, still penciled in for completion.

One project that’s drawn his scrutiny is a proposed extension of the Lynx Blue Line from Interstate 485 to Ballantyne. 

He said he believes the city of Charlotte protected that project to please former developer Ned Curran, who helped officials craft a plan that may pass muster with Raleigh Republicans. Curran is the former CEO of the Bissell Cos., the lead developer of Ballantyne. He later served as CEO emeritus of Northwood Office, which bought Bissell’s assets and is redeveloping the Ballantyne Corporate Park in its “Ballantyne Reimagined” project. That site would be the final stop of a 5.5-mile extension of the Blue Line.

“Ned Curran was certainly very instrumental in deciding what did and didn’t go into the legislation,” Higdon said. “(He) would say things like, ‘Raleigh will never go for that, the business community will never go for this.’ And they very much influenced how the legislation was drafted.”

When asked whether he thought Curran’s role helped preserve the Blue Line extension, Higdon said: “If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s usually a duck. I’m certainly questioning who decided Matthews was going to be the big loser. And who decided, ‘Yeah, we’re going to build a train in Ballantyne.’”

Curran said he played no role in deciding what should or shouldn’t be built.

“Mayor Higdon’s assertions are factually incorrect and have absolutely no merit,” Curran said in a statement. “I have had no professional involvement in Ballantyne Corporate Park, which we sold in 2017, for years.”

The city of Charlotte did not respond to specific questions about whether it shaped the plan to accommodate Curran and Ballantyne, which is one of the most valuable commercial developments in the city.

Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said she never heard Curran advocate for Ballantyne. The managers of Mint Hill and Pineville said the same thing.

Steve Harrison is a reporter with WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR news source. Reach him at sharrison@wfae.com.

Related articles:

• “The plan for buses to Matthews faces doubts” (Aug. 15)

• “Charlotte backs transit plan, but Matthews calls it ‘inequitable’” (Aug. 12)

• “Matthews and eastside leaders slam light rail cuts” (May 31)

• “Revised transit plan would scrap 1/2 of Silver Line, Matthews mayor says” (May 30)

• “The real reason why light rail is bypassing the airport” (July 15, 2021)

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➡️ Transit plan basics: Want to understand the newly proposed transit plan? Check out our FAQ from last week’s Transit Time newsletter.

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Other transit plan news: Upcoming vote on Red Line purchase, the view from Pineville, effect on buses

Stick with Transit Time as your one-stop shop for understanding the region’s proposed transit plan.

We’ll share information from a variety of reputable local sources.

Other recent articles on the topic:

• Vote next week on Red Line purchase: The city of Charlotte will vote Sept. 3 on the $91 million purchase of the rail line to northern Mecklenburg from railroad Norfolk Southern. It would later have an option to buy more of the freight tracks in Iredell County for roughly $17 million. (WFAE)

• A boost for buses: The new transit plan would devote 20% of the revenue from a new sales tax to the local bus system. This would provide a 50% increase in funding for improving the system and would make a measurable difference in CATS’ ability to increase frequencies and expand other modes. (Axios Charlotte)

• View from Pineville: Leaders in Pineville got their first public glimpse of the countywide transit plan, with the town manager telling them it would significantly boost spending on roads and extend light rail to the town. Pineville is working on an agreement with the city of Charlotte to increase its funding. (Charlotte Ledger)

• Observer argues for re-evaluation: The Charlotte Observer’s editorial board says the transit plan is “potentially transformative” but that city leaders “should re-evaluate it before it’s too late,” citing the opposition of Matthews and the distance of the proposed airport stop from the terminal. “Charlotte can do better than a plan built on broken promises and unanswered questions,” the paper said. (Charlotte Observer)

• Mayor and commissioner urge support: Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and county commissioner Leigh Altman, writing in the Observer, say the transit plan offers a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.” They write: “We know that in a community as vibrant and as attractive as ours, where more people are arriving every day, we must provide infrastructure to support a good quality of life.” (Charlotte Observer)

• Transit discussion: 🎧 WFAE’s “Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins” this week explored the transit plan in-depth, with Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs, Matthews Mayor John Higdon, county commissioner Leigh Altman and WFAE political reporter Steve Harrison. (Listen here).

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