A community that is pedestrian friendly benefits everyone. And when sidewalks, crosswalks and transportation infrastructure are missing or in need of repair, the result is a lower standard of living for people who depend on these facilities for mobility. Pedestrian infrastructure is a key component in supporting community connections and the health of residents and visitors. Aging adults and those with disabilities are disproportionately affected by gaps in pedestrian infrastructure.

Concord Avenue is one of the main gateways into the City of Monroe, Union County. In 2015, City officials created the Concord Ave Master Plan with the purpose of having a road map with a vision for economic, housing and community revitalization along this corridor, including the enhancement of connectivity to services and facilities for both residents and visitors.

The Government Affairs & Member Engagement team at Centralina provides a range of specialized technical services to support our local member governments. Recently we have been travelling across our region, actively working with our members to facilitate board retreats. Unlike regular board meetings, retreats create time for strategic planning, guided discussions and decision-making. A successful board retreat comes with direction, agenda objectives and goals to accomplish.

On Thursday, Feb. 24th Centralina, along with project partners UNC Charlotte, the City of Charlotte and Duke Energy, unveiled the PoleVolt electric vehicle charging station at the Ritz at Washington Heights. The one-year pilot project is the culmination of a three-year collaboration between government, business, research and community.

On Tuesday, November 30, 2021, Centralina Workforce Development Board (WDB) celebrated the opening of its Opportunity Site, housed in the HOLLA! Community Resource and Community Development Center, a nonprofit organization that provides a variety of services and programs that aid in increasing the test scores of youth so that they are better equipped to make positive contribution to the community and society.

The Centralina Regional Managers group is one of several peer networking opportunities we offer to communities in our nine-county region. Comprised of town, city and county managers, assistant managers and clerks, the group meets monthly to receive federal and state updates, discuss regional issues and share best practices. The group’s December meeting focused on this topic and featured a mix of guest speakers, Centralina service profiles and interactive exercises.

Early care and early childhood education programs play a fundamental role in fostering healthy communities and vibrant local economies. While the importance of these crucial services can often be
overlooked or forgotten when times are “normal,” the COVID-19 pandemic quickly reminded us that these programs are essential to ensuring economies and communities not only thrive, but function in the first place. Additionally, as many communities across the state of North Carolina experience record levels of population growth, demand for early care programs is at an all time high.

Mobility is the driving force that shapes our community. As our region continues to grow, mobility will be one of the most critical factors that ensure everyone has access to reliable, efficient and well-connected transportation. Our 12-county community is nearing three million residents and is expected to add over one million more by 2045. This growth will continue to bring new opportunities as jobs and businesses set up shop in our cities and towns. But with this growth, we expect to see additional strain and usage of our existing private and public transit and mobility services. 

Chapter 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes represents the first major recodification and modernization of the city and county development regulations since 1905. Every jurisdiction in North Carolina was required to update their development codes by July 1, 2021. North Carolina local governments have regulated planning and development under chapters 153A and 160A with only minor changes to the enabling statutes since their inception. The deadline for 160D code revisions presented a major challenge for many governments.