City of Charlotte
Coverage (20 articles)
Carolina Ascent FC Clinches Second Straight Playoff Berth
An 89th-minute header from Rylee Baisden locked in Ascent's second consecutive playoff spot and extended the team's unbeaten run to eight matches.
Charlotte City Council Passes First Post-Sales-Tax Transit Budget, Sends Street Vending Back to Committee
The first CATS budget built on the new 1% sales tax totals $571.7 million. Council rejected criminalizing street vendors. Staff recommended thirteen of eighteen housing trust fund proposals. The Stellar Awards are coming — but the city's check is not.
What You Need to Know About Charlotte's New Transit Authority
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have crossed a governance threshold that will shape transportation, land use, and public spending for a generation. On December 18, the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority convened for the first time.
What Is the MPTA? Charlotte's New Transit Authority, Explained
The Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) is Charlotte's new regional transit authority, created after voters approved a half-cent sales tax in November 2025. It assumes control of CATS on July 1, 2026, overseeing a $19.4 billion, 30-year transit investment plan.
How Charlotte's Transit Tax Works: What You're Paying, Where It Goes, and Who Controls It
Mecklenburg County voters approved a one-cent sales tax increase in November 2025. The PAVE Act splits the revenue 40/40/20 between roads, rail, and bus service — generating roughly $490 million annually. Here is how the money works and who controls it.
What Happened to CATS? How Charlotte's Transit System Went From City Department to Regional Authority
By July 1, 2026, CATS as a City of Charlotte department will cease to exist, absorbed into the new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority. Here's how Charlotte's transit system went from city department to regional authority — and what it means.
Vi Lyles Will Resign as Charlotte Mayor on June 30. The Race to Replace Her Already Started.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles announced Thursday that she will resign on June 30, ending a tenure that began in 2017. Under North Carolina law, the City Council will appoint a Democrat to serve the remainder of her term — and the field is already organizing in public, with former Mayor Jennifer Roberts offering to fill the vacancy and Council Member Dante Anderson breaking for the outsider option. The vote that decides who fills the seat has not been scheduled.
Charlotte Council Approves Both Faith in Housing Rezonings.
Council Member LaWana Mayfield, the architect of Charlotte's Faith in Housing initiative, voted against a Faith in Housing petition Monday night. Both rezonings passed. The second carried on the bare minimum: six yes votes, no mayor in the chair.
Why Scout Motors Picked Charlotte For Its U.S. Hub And What Mecklenburg County Put On The Table
Scout Motors picked Charlotte's Plaza Midwood for its U.S. hub, promising 1,200 high-wage jobs and $200 million in investment in exchange for performance-based public incentives.
Unincorporated South Mecklenburg Plan: What the New Policy Map Does and When You Can Weigh In
A tiny unincorporated wedge south of Pineville is holding up rezonings. The county's new policy map keeps most of it single-family and unlocks a clear path: draft Oct 21, hearing Nov 5.
This Week in NC Politics: Transit Referendum Hits Ballot, Stein Signs Stopgap Budget, School-Choice Veto Sparks Fight
A hard look at the week: Mecklenburg's transit tax hits the ballot, the governor signs a stopgap budget and vetoes a school-choice tax credit, and local transparency fights simmer in Charlotte.
The District 1 Decider: Pragmatist vs. Organizer
A safely blue district, a decisive primary. Dante Anderson backs the mobility tax and corridor investments. Charlene Henderson pushes neighborhood-first growth and worker standards.
Charlotte's $19B Transit Tax Vote: Federal Shutdown and NC Redistricting Set the Stakes
Federal shutdown hits day 34 as Charlotte votes on $19B transit tax. How Washington chaos, Raleigh redistricting, and local politics collide three weeks before Election Day.
Charlotte Voter Guide 2025: Federal Shutdown, Crime Debate, and November Ballot Breakdown
Federal shutdown hits Day 12, Charlotte debates National Guard deployment, and November elections loom. Here's what voters need to know—and do—right now.
Charlotte's Red Line, Explained: The Commuter Rail That Took 25 Years to Start Building
Charlotte owns the railroad tracks, has a design contract, and a state law mandating the Red Line gets built before anything else. What it doesn't have yet is a train — and this commuter corridor has been 25 years in the making.
Mayfield votes no on a Faith in Housing petition she built — tells the chamber the label is not "an automatic check"
Council Member LaWana Mayfield built Charlotte's Faith in Housing initiative. Monday night she voted against one of its petitions — and told the chamber from the dais why the label alone doesn't get a project to yes.
MPTA Launches CEO Search With July 1 Deadline Less Than Seven Weeks Away
The MPTA board launched a national CEO search Wednesday and advanced the draft Interlocal Agreement as the July 1 operational transfer deadline approaches.
Gateway Station Charlotte: Why the City's Transit Hub Has Been 25 Years in the Making
Charlotte Gateway Station has $80 million in completed rail infrastructure and no station building. Phase 1 is done. Phase 2 has no start date. Here is why the project stalled — and how the MPTA may finally break the pattern.
CMPD Reports 21 Percent Drop in Violent Crime, Warns 270 Vacancies Threaten to Undo It
Chief Estella Patterson reported violent crime down 21 percent and overall crime down 9 percent across Charlotte-Mecklenburg in 2025, but warned that roughly 270 CMPD vacancies and an unfunded ETJ mandate covering 86 square miles threaten to undo the gains. The BOCC also heard its third update on converting the former Bates 4th Row Library at 2324 LaSalle Street into a community center.
Mecklenburg Commissioners Hear Housing Appeals, Reset A Home for All, and Approve SoFi Incentive
A holiday meeting turns serious fast: homelessness strategy shifts, Atrium's housing claims, board appointments, and a divided vote on a SoFi incentive package.