Corridors of Opportunity

A program that deploys people called “violence interrupters” on Charlotte’s west side showed some promise in its early results. UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute looked at the first year it was up and running.

The city of Charlotte just bought the Economy Inn for $4.2 million. The main attraction: it was a hotspot for crime in an area that sees a lot of violence. The plan is to demolish the motel, add affordable housing and begin to change an environment where crime thrives.

Mike Collins and our panel of guests discuss some of the efforts being made in Charlotte’s “Corridors of Opportunity” toward reducing crime.

Many of these historically overlooked thoroughfares still have higher crime rates than Mecklenburg County as a whole. Now, the city is trying some new approaches to turn things around as neighborhood groups continue their efforts to create safe, inviting communities.

Tuesday marked the start of a three-day charrette in Charlotte’s West Boulevard neighborhood. The forum allows residents to voice their concerns and outline a community-led vision for the corridor.

Charlotte's Johnson C. Smith University, a historically Black university, received a $5.7 million grant, the largest in school history, from the federal government.

Johnson C. Smith University President Clarence D. Armbrister is set to retire in June. The announcement was made early last month. Armbrister, the 14th president of the private HBCU, helped to shape the university’s strategic plan during his tenure in Charlotte.

Over the next five years, the Corridors of Opportunity program will invest $109 million in public and private funds in six neighborhoods. The Beatties Ford Road Corridor in northwest Charlotte is one of those neighborhoods. It is a neighborhood that has served as a refuge to many Black Charlotteans displaced from the center city during urban renewal. Now, history may be repeating itself.

The corridors approach aims to let community groups come up with the vision to revitalize. That came up in a panel discussion following a Truist Foundation announcement Monday.

The city of Charlotte connected with community organizations in west Charlotte to identify the crucial needs of the residents in the West Boulevard corridor. Some shared goals focus on providing resources like fresh foods, affordable housing and improving infrastructure for public safety.