SouthPark Chamber - Charlotte Chamber of Commerce

City of Charlotte
SouthPark Chamber
We Keep You Moving!
Carolyn Flowers, CEO CATS
July 13, 2010

City of Charlotte
Charlotte Region
• Statistics
• Mecklenburg County population: 935, 300+
• Metro area population: 1.7 million+
• City square miles: 287
• State population: 18.5%
• Transit (total fleet vehicles): 548
• Rapid transit (rail) miles: 10
• Lane miles (freeway/arterials): 2,180

City of Charlotte
Developed Land: 2006
• Population
– 630,500+ (today)
– 980,000+ (2030)
• Vehicle Miles Traveled
– 24.8M (2000)
– 30.6M (2007)
• Employment
– 470,000+ (2000)
– 850,000+ (2030)
• Annual Hours of Delay
– 23 (1995)
– 45 (2005)

City of Charlotte
Investing in a Vision
1998 2010

City of Charlotte
Ridership
More and More People Ride
CATS Historical Ridership
30,000,000
25,000,000
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Years
Ridership

City of Charlotte
Charlotte Leads the Country

City of Charlotte
Bus System Services
• One of the safest in country
• Accident rate reduced by 64%
in past 9 years to less than .44
per 100,000 miles
• 89% of all routes are on-time
• 86% of customers rate quality
of service high
• Administrative overhead
decreasing – less than 10%

City of Charlotte
LYNX Blue Line Success!
• Opened to capacity crowds
• Exceeded 20 year projected ridership within first year
• 10 million customer trips in 2 years
• Safest rail system in country
• 99% on-time service

City of Charlotte
Ridership
• December 2009 Ridership
– 10 millionth rider
– Highest increase in U.S.A.
(35%)*
• Average LYNX Weekday
Ridership
– >15,000
– Exceeds year 1 projection
by 40%
• Special Events (90,000+
riders)
*National Transit Database

City of Charlotte
LYNX Blue Line Development
2005-2011
Acres
Rezoned for
TOD
Housing
Units
Affordable
Housing
Commercial
Investment
265 7,581 180 627,712 SF $1.46B
Development along line through 2015 is estimated to
generate $16 million annually in property tax up from
$6 million in 2003.
Additional tax revenues can be reinvested in police,
schools, roads, fire, etc.

City of Charlotte
The Ashton
East/West Station Area
• Approx. 3 acres
• 310 Rental Units
• Approx. $80M
• 120 DUA

City of Charlotte
Before
3030 South Development
New Bern Station Area
After
310 units at 120 units per acre at LYNX Blue Line station

City of Charlotte
The Summit
Carson Station Area
• 266 residential units
• Approximately 70,000
SF office and retail
• Immediately adjacent
to rail corridor
• 465 parking
spaces
• $70 million
project cost

City of Charlotte
Civic Venues
Bank of America Stadium
Time Warner Arena
Additional local destinations:
• Children’s Theatre
• Mint Museum
• Discovery Place, etc.
NASCAR Hall of Fame

City of Charlotte
The Landscape May Change but the
Vision Remains the Same

Sales Tax Update
• 2006 financial plan based on MIS, available funding programs, and
sales tax growth patterns
• Revenues
– Projected FY09 $74 million
– Actual FY09 $61.7million
– Projected FY10 $57 million
• Reduced revenues
create funding shortfall
• 2030 System Plan
schedule no longer
feasible
$160.0
$140.0
$120.0
$100.0
$80.0
$60.0
$40.0
$20.0
$0.0
Ten Year (2010-2019) Sales Tax Gap
($349 million)
Actuals
2006 System Plan
Current Forecast
January, 2009
Forecast
City of Charlotte

City of Charlotte
Revenue vs. Demand Paradox
6
5
4
3
FY2011 Expenses, Revenue, Service and Ridership
Comparison
Sales Tax @ the FY2005 Level
Operating Exp. below the FY2008 Level
Service HR below the FY2008 Level
Ridership below the FY2009 Level
2
1
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

City of Charlotte
Reasons to Update
2030 Transit System Plan
Success of LYNX Blue Line
• Greater than projected
ridership shows
people will ride
• Has led FTA to allow
us to revise travel
forecast model
• Suggests that light rail
may be cost-effective
in other corridors

City of Charlotte
2030 Transit Plan (Current Status)
• LYNX Blue Line (LRT)
– FTA considers very successful
– Needs capacity for 3-car trains
• Blue Line Extension (LRT)
– Strong New Starts project
– Funding schedule is now 2019
• Red Line (Commuter Rail)
– Tracks and crossings at 90% design
– No clear funding plan
• Streetcar Line (Modern)
– City of Charlotte funding PE
– No clear funding plan
• Silver Line (LRT or BRT)
– Reevaluate transit technology decision
– Corridor land use and road solution
• West Corridor
– Enhanced Bus Service started in 2009
– Convert to Streetcar
Approved by MTC November 2006

City of Charlotte
LYNX Blue Line Extension
Work Completed to Date
• 30% Design
• 15% Cost Estimate
• Surveys & Geotechnical
• Environmental Analysis
• Ridership Estimates
• Third Party Coordination –
Railroads, NCDOT, UNC Charlotte
Upcoming Activities
• South Corridor Retrofit
• Draft Environmental Impact Statement
• 30% Preliminary Engineering Cost
Estimate
• STV Preliminary Engineering Contract
Amendment

City of Charlotte
• Required for major
Federally-funded projects
• Public review and comment
– Public meetings in September
– Public hearing at September
MTC meeting
• Documents:
– Project purpose and need
– Positive and negative social,
economic, and environmental
impacts
– Examines areas such as
traffic, historical resources,
land use, noise and vibration
– Mitigation efforts
Draft Environmental Impact
Statement

City of Charlotte
LYNX Red Line
• 25 miles from Charlotte Gateway Station to Mount
Mourne on existing Norfolk Southern ROW,
serving historic downtown of Charlotte,
Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson
• Red Line Work Plan: Tasks that can be
accomplished over the next 18-24 months
• Engineering is 90% complete for key elements
(track and grade crossings); 30% for stations
• Cost Estimate: $375 million (FY 2012)

City of Charlotte
CATS’ Pursues State and
Federal Funding Opportunities
Funds Received
• >$61 million in federal fund
allocation
• $20.7 million from American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA stimulus funds)
Funds Applied For
• TIGER II grant for BLE
• Bus and Bus Facilities Livability
Initiative Program Grant
• Urban Circulator Grant

City of Charlotte
Priorities
Advancing Rapid Transit Corridors
• Blue Line Extension
• Red Line
Focus on Core Services
• Maintain and enhance core transit products and services
• Enhance safety and reliability of services
• Focus on enhancing customer service

City of Charlotte
Priorities
Update 2030 Corridor System Plan
• Conduct public process to update plan based on
economic realities
Retain State’s 50% share of Non-federal match
• Important to keep balance of 50% federal/
25% state/25% local share
• Helps build out 2030 Transit Plan appropriately
• State budget situation creates great pressures

City of Charlotte
Priorities
State participation in Non-federal transit projects
• Goal is to secure State’s participation with local
governments when project is not eligible for federal
funding
• Important for North commuter rail line
State maintenance funding of rail projects
• State currently provides maintenance funding for bus
projects
• This action requests State maintenance funding for rail
projects
• This action also encourages the State to create sufficient
funding for all transit eligible maintenance

City of Charlotte
Thank You