This #FiveForFriday Morning Minute News Round Up is for the news week of March 2 through March 6, 2020.
News Around Town: The Census is coming, Make sure you’re counted. Starting March 12, fill out the form online, by phone, or by mail. The results produce a snapshot of America—one that determines how congressional seats are divvied up and how state and federal dollars are distributed.
News About Town: Did you hear the daffodils whispering that it’s a good time to sow peas? Did you know, it’s a general gardening rule that forsythia blooms when it’s time to plant lettuce? Turns out there’s something to old farm lore and the kinds of observations that make a correlation between plants. It’s called Phenology, the study of periodic plant and animal life cycles and their interaction with variations in climate and seasonal changes. Sow your seeds, the flowers are giving their permission.
News About Town: If you’ve noticed the bare landscape around I-485 and John Street, it’s part of the I-485 express lanes project. NCDOT has planned improvements for the interchange. The I-485 Express Lanes project will add one express lane (an optional toll lane with congestion-based rates) in each direction along I-485 between I-77 and Independence Boulevard. The project also includes a new interchange at Weddington Road. Learn more here.
News About Town: The proposed LYNX Silver Line, a 26-mile-long light rail corridor with 28 stations, will connect Matthews to downtown Charlotte, the airport, and to Belmont in the west. Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is hosting a public meeting at Matthews Town Hall on Tuesday, March 10 at 7:00 pm to kickoff the Pre-Project Development portion of the project. The meeting is an opportunity to learn more about the Silver Line design, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), and Rail Trail (a parallel cycling/pedestrian-focused trail) opportunities.
News About Town: The March 9 Board of Commissioners meeting agenda is available online. Item 14 A includes a list of items discussed at the recent Planning Conference. These are items and actions that the Board expressed interest in pursuing and may or may not come up during the remainder of the 2020/21 term. Items include collaborating with UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, pursuing additional park space as it may become available, and exploring land acquisition for a future fire station.
