As Charlotte embarks on creating its first comprehensive growth plan in 45 years, a new $250,000 investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will help ensure residents from all neighborhoods will have a seat at the table. The funding will enhance community outreach in all neighborhoods, with a specific focus on engaging neighborhoods in the Historic West End and West Charlotte, to help create a plan to shape Charlotte’s future that includes input from residents across the city.
“We want to make sure our community engagement process is equitable, using strategies that keep in mind the impact of history on participation, so that we have voices representing the diversity of our city,” said City of Charlotte Planning Director Taiwo Jaiyeoba. “New support from Knight Foundation helps make this possible for our Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan.”
The Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan will lay out the city’s vision for growth and development and identify opportunities and challenges to achieve that vision. The plan will streamline Charlotte’s numerous plans and ordinances into a single, easy-to-understand document for both the public and development community.
Knight Foundation’s investment will help foster more equitable development in Charlotte and the Historic West End by implementing inclusive community engagement strategies and practices during the city’s two-year planning process.
“Charlotte’s 2040 plan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to influence the design and development of the city neighborhood by neighborhood,” said Charles Thomas, Knight Foundation program director in Charlotte. “It’s critical that West End residents are actively engaged in this process, sharing their collective vision for the district and helping shape a vibrant corridor that supports economic opportunity.”
The investment complements the city’s Aging in Place and Placemaking programs and activities, demonstrating the value of participation, planning, partnerships and balanced growth.
The 2040 planning process kicks off Tuesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. at Greater Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, 1243 West Blvd. Visit cltfuture2040.eventbrite.com to RSVP for upcoming Charlotte Future 2040 Vision & Values Workshops and www.charlottefuture.com for more information about Charlotte Future 2040.