OVERVIEW
Sarah Delia
/
WFAE
Many of the neighborhoods surrounding the main thoroughfares into uptown Charlotte had historically been largely overlooked places where residents, many who are low income and belong to communities of color, watched the city’s boom from the sidelines. Now those communities are the centerpiece of Charlotte’s efforts to build a more equitable city.
Through the Corridors of Opportunity initiative, the city of Charlotte is investing in improving things like public safety, jobs and business opportunities, transportation, infrastructure and affordable housing in six areas: Graham Street/North Tryon Street, Sugar Creek Road/I-85, Albemarle Road/Central Avenue, Beatties Ford Road/Rozzelles Ferry Road, West Boulevard, and Freedom Drive/Wilkinson Boulevard.
MEETINGS & EVENTS
MORE ARTICLES ON THE CORRIDORS OF OPPORTUNITY
Mike Collins is joined by City Council member Malcolm Graham and community leaders for a conversation about Charlotte’s six “Corridors of Opportunity” and the attempt to revitalize these historically neglected areas without displacing the people who live there.
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City leaders on Wednesday announced the recipients of the Business Opportunity Hub grants, meant to support nonprofit organizations within the city’s designated low-income six Corridors of Opportunity. The $4.45 million was allocated after City Council's approval on Monday. -
Hubs to connect small businesses and entrepreneurs with resources are set to open next year in all six of Charlotte’s designated Corridors of Opportunity. The city council voted Monday night to allot money to several nonprofits to operate what will be called Business Opportunity Hubs. -
Charlotte's homeownership rate has declined from 66% in 2009 to 60% in 2021, meaning a smaller share of people are benefiting from the generational wealth homeownership can provide. -
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Food Policy Council highlighted West Boulevard, Brookshire Boulevard between Interstate 85 and Interstate 485, and Albemarle Road as areas at high risk for food insecurity. These areas all lack full-service grocery stores and require long drives to stores that sell fresh produce — hurting residents' health and economic prospects. -
The racial wealth gap isn’t just a historical or present-day problem. It’s a challenge for future generations’ economic mobility, because how much wealth you have — and can pass down — directly impacts your children's, even grandchildren’s, chances of prosperity.
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A top adviser to President Joe Biden says two grants totaling $1.1 million will help the city of Charlotte maintain its tree canopy in underserved areas. -
Sections of streets in North End and around Beatties Ford Road in west Charlotte will close for cars and open to pedestrians Sunday afternoon. It’s part of the city’s Corridors Connect events that aim to turn one-mile stretches of neighborhood streets into parks with food and activities. -
A community festival in west Charlotte unites community organizations and highlights community-driven efforts to tackle food insecurity in low-income neighborhoods.
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More changes may be ahead for the troubled intersection of Interstate 85 and West Sugar Creek Road. The city of Charlotte this spring bought a motel with the aim of razing it and adding affordable housing. And now a developer has its eye on converting two more motels. The hope is fewer motels will mean less crime. -
A large Habitat for Humanity community build started by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn returns to Charlotte after a long absence. The project will build 27 affordable homes in the West Boulevard corridor. -
Charlotte receives a $1.1 million grant to preserve trees in the city’s Corridors of Opportunity. -
A mentorship program in Charlotte is working to empower and teach life skills to Black youth through agriculture while addressing community issues in one of Charlotte’s low-income Corridors of Opportunity.
MORE NEWS ABOUT MAYOR'S RACIAL EQUITY INITIATIVE
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The historically Black university is receiving $80 million in private money as part of the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative. The goal is to vault the school to be one of the top ten HBCUs in the country and a recruiting ground for businesses. -
The Mayor's Racial Equity initiative has reached its private sector fundraising goal of $150 million. -
This month marks a year since the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative was announced. It’s a $250 million effort that Mayor Vi Lyles said would combine bold ideas, philanthropy and collaborative problem-solving to remove barriers to opportunity. So far, the initiative has raised nearly all of its goal. -
Kim Henderson, the woman chosen to help oversee the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative in Charlotte, is stepping down. -
Kim Henderson was hired to lead a racial equity initiative in Charlotte. That was after a state audit found the Ohio Henderson led paid out $3.8 billion in fraudulent and inflated unemployment claims. The leader of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, which employs Henderson, says she knew about that before making a job offer.
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The goal of Charlotte's newly announced Racial Equity Initiative is to raise $250 million that will go toward making North Carolina's largest city more diverse and addressing racial inequities.
