Centralina Regional Council is pleased to highlight the Regional Planning Department’s leadership duo of Jason Wager and Lynne Hair. Jason and Lynne bring over 45 years of combined expertise in urban and regional planning to Centralina.  In their roles, Jason and Lynne focus on advancing Centralina’s strategic initiatives, fostering collaboration among local governments and promoting growth principles that support and augment the quality of life available in our diverse region.   

From 2017 to 2021, the City of Charlotte recorded 93 bicycle crashes involving children ages 0 to 17. This number is higher than that of any other city in the state. To protect our children and their right to ride safely, the Clean Cities Energy and Environmental Justice Initiative (CCEEJI), an extension of the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition, successfully applied for an NCDOT grant that awarded Centralina Regional Council with 50 helmets to distribute to local youth in underserved communities.  

Read on to see how CCEEJI is putting these helmets to use in the community.

On August 11, 2023, Stinger Park was buzzing with more than just late-summer heat. It was the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new park, and it was buzzing with people, too. With excitement, people of all ages explored the new facility, which has baseball and softball fields, multipurpose fields, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, a cornhole area, shaded picnic spaces, scenic nature trails, jungle gyms, a splashpad, and so much more. After years of planning, McGill Associates, PA helped bring the City of Bessemer City’s vision to life by providing electrical, planning, design, funding assistance and construction support for the project.

An important part of the Clean Cities Coalitions work includes collaboration with the Department of Energy and its national laboratories to work towards the goal established Justice40 Initiative., which aspires to put 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments towards disadvantaged communities. The Clean Cities Energy and Environmental Justice Initiative was created to provide Clean Cities Coalitions with training and resources on how to take a community-first approach to developing transportation projects that align with the goals of this initiative.  

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the founding of Centralina Regional Council, formerly known as Centralina Council of Governments. Over the last five and a half decades, our organization has helped support the growth and prosperity of our region through various projects and initiatives. In honor of this historic year, we’re looking back at how our organization has evolved to where it is today.  

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Affordability Strategy data estimated that in 2022, 33% of households in Statesville have at least one of four housing problems: incomplete kitchen facilities, incomplete plumbing facilities, more than one person per room and are considered housing cost burdened. After hearing from residents, Darbah Skaf, CEO of Statesville Housing Authority (SHA) and its nonprofit affiliate, Iredell/Statesville Community Enrichment Corporation (ISCEC) began brainstorming ideas for an event that could gather community members and service providers to address these issues. With collaboration among SHA, ISCEC, the City of Statesville and Centralina, Darbah’s ideas were brought to life in the form of Statesville Thrives on June 29th, 2023.

Local government staff across the Centralina region and beyond have more on their plates today than ever before. Between staffing shortages, communities that are still reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and wave after wave of unprecedented federal and state funding opportunities, many jurisdictions are stretched thin. As a council of governments, Centralina provides critical services and support to communities across the region, helping local staff stay abreast of new developments in the field and take advantage of unique opportunities.

Centralina Regional Council is a regional organization focused on addressing the needs of member communities in our nine-county area and working collaboratively on issues that impact our region. We examine national, state and local trends impacting our member governments and identify their potential impacts to determine best practices for meeting needs and addressing challenges. This brief dives into current regional trends and how they are currently being addressed by Centralina, as well as how they will continue to be addressed in upcoming years.

Across the country, the regulatory environment for medical and recreational marijuana is changing rapidly. Based on the history of legalization nationwide, once a state legalizes cannabis for medical purposes, the legalization of recreational usage often follows within several years. Both medical and recreational legalization, especially recreational, have implications on land use regulation, permitting processes, law enforcement operations, administrative procedures at the local and state levels, equity considerations and more. The North Carolina General Assembly is currently considering the Compassionate Care Act, which would establish the statutory and organizational framework for legally using cannabis products to treat debilitating medical conditions. What would these new laws mean for NC local governments, and how can communities best prepare for the future of medical and recreational cannabis?

Access to affordable housing is essential to cultivating healthy, equitable and prosperous communities. The lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in the national economy, population growth and other factors have increased housing prices and rental rates and decreased the supply of housing units that are affordable for low- and middle-income households. A recent Centralina Learns session’s panel shared insights and identified opportunities for addressing the affordable housing crisis and the missing middle.