Thread by @queencitynerve

Vendors from Central Market, formerly located on the old Eastland Mall site, will speak during tonight's #CLTCC public forum to provide updates and bring forth additional demands to the city. Our story from February: qcnerve.com/eastland-flea-…

Tonight's meeting is about to begin with an action review session featuring an arts & culture update from @priyasircar and an Americans with Disabilities update from the Community Relations Committee. Watch live here:

A look at arts funding this year, coming from the Infusion Fund and allocated by the newly formed Arts & Culture Advisory Board.

Correction: The above tweet covers FY 2022, which ended on June 30. Here's a look at FY 2023 funding. Sircar is currently discussing the board's Cultural Plan, for which they've brought on @LordCultural to help with community outreach and economic analysis.

.@BraxtonWinston, who called for this to be added to the agenda tonight following announcement of a $2M allocation to @ASCCharlotte, says he has learned more over the last two weeks that leads him to believe the board is going against council's original wishes.

.@BraxtonWinston says more of the same direct funding handed over to arts organizations is not the way he would like to see the board operate, but instead look into more sustainable distribution of public funds for things like affordable housing for artists, etc.

Winston says the new board is "painting the fence and calling it a new fence." He believes the board is simply doing the same philanthropic giving that ASC has always done, only with less oversight from #CLTCC. He wants to see more strategic spending.

.@FinTechInnov8r said he could "barely sit through the presentation" given tonight because he's been watching it for 20 years. He believes the newly formed board is just another iteration of the failed ASC and is quickly becoming another "slow-moving train wreck."

.@SenatorMGraham states that perhaps the #CLTCC needs to have a more active role in oversight for the Arts & Culture Advisory Board. He believes they are carrying out their mission but wants the council to have a better grasp on the steps being taken as it's happening.

"Let's not forget that we appointed the committee members to sit on this board, so if you don't have confidence in them, then you need to revisit that ... We were involved in who was selected to serve on this board," says @DimpleAjmera.

Ed Driggs pushes back on Winston's and Bokhari's concerns that the board is simply taking up the same task as the ASC, as it is a completely different funding model. The ASC relied mostly on donations. This is public funding.

Driggs says #CLTCC created the Arts & Culture Advisory Board because the city is increasing funding to the arts but council did not want to make specific decisions on funding. He says the city needs to achieve its original purpose of taking itself out of the grant-making process.

"I think we should take the recommendations of these hard-working people whom we appointed" and go with those. "At this point, for us to try to start a process that looks at providing housing or restructuring, not 'painting the fence,' it's just not practical," says Driggs.

Matt Newton agrees with Driggs and thanks @priyasircar for all of her work before correcting Bokhari's earlier claim that she is a "czar." Newton says the board is operating as was planned from the start.

"Us engaging in micromanaging here would be a disservice to the board that we ourselves created and the charge that we gave that committee," says Newton. He says going back and undoing the work of the committee at this point would set a very bad precedent.

"I just think there was a breakdown after [the board was formed]," says @JulieEiselt. "The whole council seems to have a different interpretation of what happened."

Eiselt wanted to vote to approve the FY23 funding as recommended by the Arts & Culture Advisory Board tonight, which the council can't do because it's only on the agenda as an action review item.

Bokhari said he'd like the vote held back until a new council is sworn in. Eiselt, who will be out by then, said she wants to vote because she's put a lot of work into this issue. It will be placed on the agenda for a vote in the next business meeting after summer break: Aug. 22.

The first speaker in tonight's public forum is a resident in east Charlotte's Lake Forest neighborhood who has been complaining about two roosters owned by neighbors living behind her for two years now. She calls them a nuisance and said they don't belong in a world-class city.

Katlyn Martin (sp?) with CMPD's Animal Care & Control is addressing council about increasing funding for the shelter, which is at and has been at capacity for months.

Martin, who volunteers at the shelter, is getting emotional talking about conditions at the overcrowded shelter, as AC&C cannot turn away animals even if at capacity. She says when at or above capacity, dogs get outside once every three days for 15 minutes.

Caitlin Martin (correct spelling), says AC&C needs a larger or second facility, as they are not able to meet their goal of a 90% save rate for the animals they take in.

Jorge Castaneda, a vendor at Central Market, says his debts are getting bigger as he's without a site to sell his merchandise. He says if he misses one more payment on his truck, they will take it and he will be without transportation.

"We don't want anything for free, we want to work with the city of Charlotte," says Castaneda.

Astrid Jimenez, also a vendor at the open air market. "I am here as a reminder of a pending promise to help us get a relocation site." Says it has been six months since that promise was made "and we are yet to hear back."

Jimenez says many of the vendors are families who are losing their only income and falling further into debt. @CLTMayor Vi Lyles responds, "We will continue to look for properties that you find acceptable. We will get back to you in the next several weeks or several days."

Hector Vaca with @Action_NC says the manner in which CMPD and the city disbanded the open air market "can only be described as a raid by occupying forces," as authorities damaged many of the tents and merchandise there.

"This closing is a symptom of a much larger problem," Vaca says, citing larger issues of displacement and gentrification in the area. "Defend the bullied instead of the bullies. Support the Central Market vendors and help these working families get back to work."

Lyles has asked ass't city manager Brent Cagle to provide an update on the Central Market. He says the city has found some sites but none are ideal, as they are too small, continuing convos with private land owners and nonprofits, site size continues to be the largest obstacle.

The Eastland site was more than 80 acres of open concrete. Cagle estimates the city needs at least an acre to accommodate all the vendors and factor in parking and other things.

Lyles and @Larken have both floated out the idea that if anyone is listening who may have a site that won't be developed in the next 2 years or more that they could offer up for this use to reach out. Cagle said it would ideally be in east Charlotte and easily accessible.

Hector Vaca is now in the audience holding up a sign that counters what Cagle claimed, stating that there is a minimum 5 acres needed to accommodate the market.

.@DimpleAjmera asks about two sites that have been researched. Simmons YMCA was deemed too small, but there is still potential if they can work out a deal with CMS to connect with the adjoining Albemarle Road Elementary School, though even then there would be space constraints.

As for Aldersgate, the board there turned down the idea only because there is development planned that could start in the next 6-9 months and would force them to shut the market down relatively quickly.

Renee Johnson points out that there is still plenty of space that's not being used at Eastland. Even though most of it has already been sold, she suggests the vendors could set up on some of the land the city still owns, possible even rotating out weeks if they can't all fit.

"Jorge [Castaneda] can't wait any more," says @FinTechInnov8r. He says vendors don't need lip service from the dais, then promises that he and his team of local Republicans will solve this in the next 60 days. "You shouldn't write checks you can't cash," responds @SenatorMGraham.

Renee Johnson made a motion to vote on allowing vendors to use the Eastland site again until further notice. That would need unanimous approval because it wasn't on agenda. but Ed Driggs is against voting tonight until they can speak to Eastland developers about it.

Moving along to the public forum on the Unified Development Ordinance, there are 23 people signed up to speak.

Lorena Castillo-Ritz says council members are trying to pull a fast one by "getting rid of single-family zoning" (which the UDO does not do) during lame duck session. She says UDO will increase the cost of single-family homes, making it impossible for young first-time buyers.

.@jporter_housing with @DreamKeyOrg speaks in support of the UDO. "Charlotte is desperately sort of overall housing inventory which has driven prices up and out of reach of first-time home buyers."

Laura Belcher with @habitatCLTreg also speaks in support of the UDO. "The flexibility in housing types can lead to more mixed-income developments and address the gentrification that's happening in our neighborhoods now."

It appears this will be a back-and-forth between people who are using the same talking points about rising housing costs as a reason to be either for or against the UDO.

John Comer with the Redress Movement says his organization was inspired by The Color of Law, which he suggests everyone in the room read. He and fellow activist Jasmine Wright urged council to include action that "redresses" the damage done by the razing of Brooklyn 50 years ago.

Bill Fountain says this UDO goes against the 8th Amendment, "Thou Shall Not Steal," because it is messing with people's property rights. "What is it with you Democrats that you want to control people's lives?" He mentions masks as an example.

Fountain, who lives in Cornelius, says "We need a council who will fight to keep this city safe."

Jimmy Vasiliou with the @housingjusticec(oalition) calls on the city to incorporate some of the solutions recommended by the Community Benefits Task Force. The HJC recently presented these recommendations to city and council leaders: qcnerve.com/displacement-i…

Correction to tweet about Bill Fountain's speech above, he did reference the 8th Commandment, it was our mistake to write "Amendment."

.@charlie4thecity asks, "If the UDO is so popular with residents ... why will it be voted on by council in August during a lame-duck session" between the election and next swearing-in?

Currently hearing public comment on the Charlotte Streets Map and Charlotte Streets Manual, technical support documents to the UDO, a technical support document to the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

The discussion for the last hour or so has been re: a change to the definition of market-rate housing in new source-of-income protections, meaning any developers/landlords for housing receiving city funds could not turn down potential tenants due to their use of housing vouchers.

Council approved the source-of-income protection policy in principle, though there is still work to be done to clarify exactly how it will be enforced, which will need another vote in the future.