S.C. restaurants have reservations about quick reopening (free version)
S.C. restaurants have reservations about quick reopening (free version)
Plus: What S.C. border restaurants are open and when?; Huge apartment complex planned in UCity; Data shows traffic on the rise; UNC leader re-elected despite questions; Covid deaths bottom out
Today is Friday, May 15, 2020. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Editor’s note: This is a shorter, free version of The Charlotte Ledger sent to people on our free sign-up list. The complete version for paying subscribers went out 15 minutes ago. It included:
The full article on why some restaurants in South Carolina near the border with Charlotte haven’t reopened their dining rooms yet, even though they can
A list of 16 top restaurants in Fort Mill, Indian Land and Rock Hill, with information on which ones are open for sit-down dining
The full article with details on a 700-unit apartment complex planned for University City, one of the biggest in the area
Information on where you can buy Charmin toilet paper online and have it delivered to your house within 1-3 days
Paid subscriptions to The Ledger start at $9/month, and you receive full access to every edition by email and on our website, including the complete Wednesday and Friday issues. Details here.
Just minutes south of Charlotte, some restaurants are opening their dining rooms. But others are in no rush.
At Jalapeños Mexican Restaurant in Indian Land, S.C., diners filled three tables at noontime Thursday. Business has inched up every day since Monday, restaurant staff said.
By David Griffith
As South Carolina restaurants head into their first weekend of being able to welcome diners back inside, many are keeping their chairs up on tables a little longer.
On Monday, South Carolina lifted restrictions on inside dining, allowing patrons to come inside and eat as long a certain safety measures were followed, including keeping dining room occupancy to 50% or less, keeping 6 feet of distance between parties and sanitizing surfaces between diners.
But just because they could throw their doors open, didn’t mean they all did — or that diners have flooded in.
Huge apartment complex planned in UCity
A developer has submitted plans to the city to build nearly 700 apartments in a fast-growing section of University City, in what officials say would be the biggest non-student apartment complex in the area.
Yes, Charlotte traffic really is increasing
If it feels like more people are driving, you’re right.
New data shows that driving started rebounding around April 15, during the height of the nationwide coronavirus stay-at-home orders. As states allowed more businesses to open, more drivers hit the roads.
Overall, traffic in the Charlotte region is still down about 26% from our average in early March, according to Inrix, which collects traffic data. That means one out of every four cars we saw on the road before Covid-19 is still sitting in the garage:
Inrix is the world’s largest traffic intelligence network which gathers information from around 100 million connected vehicles along with sensors on road networks, fleet vehicles, and data from local transit authorities.
In case you’re wondering, that one day with a big drop in early April was Easter, when travel fell by about 65%. — Shawn Flynn
Quick re-election for UNC chairman after questions on credentials
The UNC Board of Governors re-elected Beaufort businessman Randy Ramsey as chairman on Monday in a special meeting, just three days after a profile of him in The Ledger pointed out a change in how he described his educational background. The vote was expected to be held next week.
The Ledger article, by Charlotte freelance writer Pam Kelley, reported that Ramsey’s biography said he was a “graduate of Carteret Community College with a degree in marine propulsion,” which suggests a two-year associate’s degree. After she started asking questions about his background, his online biography was changed to say he has a diploma from a one-year program in marine diesel mechanics. A UNC spokesman asserted there was “no discrepancy” but provided no additional explanation.
In an article Wednesday on Ramsey’s election, N.C. Policy Watch wrote:
The board chose to hold a special teleconference meeting Monday to elect officers — chair, vice-chair and secretary — instead of at the regular May 20 meeting. The move came suddenly and without explanation, leading some board members to speculate that Ramsey wanted to get out ahead of a controversy that could jeopardize his re-election. …
Last week The Charlotte Ledger business newsletter published a profile of Ramsey that prominently featured the questions about his education.
Ramsey did not respond to the Ledger’s questions about his online biography or why it changed. He also did not comment on it to Policy Watch, saying only that he appreciated the support of his fellow board members after his re-election.
Only one member of the Board of Governors voted against Ramsey’s re-election, former state Sen. Bob Rucho of Matthews, who said the hastily called election “places a cloud on Chairman Ramsey’s tenure.”
A Ramsey supporter quoted by N.C. Policy Watch chalked the issue up to “political backbiting” that’s part of a “disparagement effort” and said the board was aware of Ramsey’s educational background.
Ramsey critic T. Greg Doucette, a Durham lawyer, said on Twitter that the chairman of the Board of Governors should provide an explanation: “Academics who pad their CVs get torched,” he wrote. —TM
New from the Ledger Covid-19 Data Room:
Mecklenburg County has announced no new Covid deaths since Sunday, continuing a recent downward trend
Health director Gibbie Harris defends using the UPenn prediction model for Covid-19 peaks — even after the data scientist who created it said the county is using it wrong
The state updates its numbers — which look promising for moving to Phase 2 of the reopening next week
In brief
Tee time: The PGA Championship will return to Quail Hollow Club in May 2025. The club last hosted the golf tournament in 2017. (Biz Journal)
Senator investigated for stock sale: Sen. Richard Burr is stepping down as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee while under investigation for selling stock in February just before the market collapsed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The FBI this week served Burr’s lawyer with a search warrant and seized the senator’s cell phone. (CNN)
BofA sells bond, Covid bond: “Bank of America Corp. on Thursday sold a debut $1 billion corporate bond, the first from a global commercial bank with the specific purpose of financing parts of the health industry as it battles the coronavirus pandemic.” (MarketWatch)
Eastland concerns: An activist group is asking for the city to slow down the Eastland Mall site rezoning, which is the planned headquarters and training facility for the new Major League Soccer team. An online meeting about the project was held this week. “It’s going to negatively impact the number of people who can attend and voice their opinion, especially the ones that stand to be mostly affected by this," said a representative of the group Action NC. (WCNC)
Online weddings: A Charlotte startup has launched an online platform that supports “a 100% virtual wedding celebration.” The company, called Bustld, has started a service called LoveStream that can capture “all of the key highlights guests most look forward to, including the ceremony, cake cutting, toasts, first dance and even the reception” without the “noise and interruptions experienced through video conferencing tools like Zoom or Skype.” The company’s co-founder believes the service will be popular even after the Covid-19 threat passes. (Charlotte Inno)
Loves me some South Carolina
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire; Reporting intern: David Griffith