James Mitchell

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.

Charlotte's 2025 Ballot Is Final: Lyles Runs Again, Council Rifts Deepen

Filing closed at noon. Lyles wants a fifth term, council bickers, transit tax looms. District 3 drama, District 6 reset, GOP hunts a comeback. Full roster, stakes, and a wink.

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 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.

Charlotte City Council Zoning Meeting, Dec. 15: Displacement Vote, Brookhill Overlay, TOD Disputes, and Growth Pressures

Charlotte's last zoning meeting mixed holiday cheer with hard votes on displacement, traffic, TOD, and school crowding. Here is what passed, what failed, and why it matters.

Charlotte City Council Approves $4.3M Transit Authority Start-Up, Advances Infrastructure Contracts, Defers Gateway Station Parking Lease

Council approved $4.3M for a new transit authority start-up and major infrastructure contracts, while deferring a Gateway Station parking lease and a Norland Road path item.

Charlotte Council Clashes Over Growth, Trust, and Traffic at Aug. 18 Zoning Meeting

Charlotte Council sparred over rezonings tied to traffic safety, school crowding, and affordable housing, exposing fault lines between developers, residents, and candidates ahead of the 2025 primaries.

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.

When Neighbors Push Back: Far East Charlotte Residents Challenge Dense Townhome Plan

At an Aug. 18 Charlotte City Council zoning hearing, Far East Charlotte residents—led by neighbor Ray Timothy—pressed safety, flooding, and trust concerns over a 94‑unit townhome plan with retail. Here's what they said, what the developer promised, and what happens next.

A Budget Hearing, an I-77 Reset, Data Centers — and the Question Malcolm Graham Wouldn't Answer

Council convened in special session at 4 p.m. Monday to take up three of Charlotte's biggest active fights — a $4.5 billion budget hearing, a resolution on the I-77 South toll lanes, and the council's first formal floor discussion of data centers. Council Member Malcolm Graham, who chairs the budget committee, was asked twice on television Sunday whether he is a candidate to fill Mayor Vi Lyles's seat after she steps down June 30. Both times he answered with the public hearing.

Charlotte Council Passed an I-77 Resolution Monday Night. Then Came the Vote That Actually Mattered.

A 2.5-Million-Square-Foot Data Center Is Going Up off University City Boulevard.

The Charlotte City Council deadlocked 5-5 Monday night on whether to even schedule a public hearing on a temporary moratorium for new data center approvals. Mayor Vi Lyles broke the tie, voting no. Meanwhile a 2.5-million-square-foot, 300-megawatt data center campus is going up at 10800 University City Boulevard — and under Charlotte's current zoning, the council had no role in approving it.

Panthers 2026 Free Agency Tracker: Every Signing, Trade, and Departure

Dan Morgan spent $165 million on defense and filled the center hole with Luke Fortner. Every Panthers signing, trade, and departure this offseason — tracked and analyzed. Updated March 22.

Charlotte Moves to Regulate Street Vending Citywide. The Split Was Over Whether Repeat Offenders Should Face a Criminal Charge.

A Charlotte City Council committee voted 4-1 to keep exploring a criminal-penalty option for repeat street-vending offenders and unanimously advanced citywide vending regulation, sending both to the full council. Three members said they were uneasy about attaching a criminal charge to selling on a sidewalk.