News

An open forum will be held at Johnson C. Smith in Biddle Hall’s Sarah Belk Gambrell Auditorium on Wednesday Feb. 6th. at 6:30pm. City Councilpersons John Autry, James Mitchell, Patsy Kinsey, and Malcolm Graham will be on hand along with Dr. Ronald Carter of JCSU, Clay Grubb, Mary Newsom, and Billy Maddalon. The discussion will […]

The City of Charlotte is holding public meetings to explain and promote the new Quality of Life Study. The study is vastly different than in previous years and the document below is the official media release. 01-28-13_Quality_of_Life_Study_Public_Meetings__MEDIA_RELEASE.doc

The issue of rent-by-room has been taken up by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Dept. A citizens advisory group has been tasked with understanding the ramifications of renting apartments by the bedroom rather than the unit. The evolution and action by the advisory group is detailed in the Charlotte Observer articles below. Group looks to make rent-by-the-room […]

The Bank of America at Concordia and Graham has been closed. Driving through the neighborhood, I saw it with my own eyes for the first time. Below are articles about this particular closing and an earlier article that discusses Bank of America closing branches in communities that are well below its county’s median household income. […]

Innovators are exploring creative ways to bring food into food deserts. One such use is a mobile grocery store. The article below discusses the merit and possible effectiveness of this strategy to combat food deserts. Can “Pop-Up” Grocery Stores Solve the Problem of Food Deserts?

Mecklenburg County Commissioners and Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board Members engaged in a lively debate concerning the effectiveness and future of the Reid Park Academy Collaborative Initiative. A joint effort to serve the youth of in the Reid Park Academy catchment area, the Collaborative Initiative has brought organizations together to provide family services in addition to educational […]

In an effort to create an agriculture corridor along North Tryon, the North End Opportunity Farm is set to open near the Charlotte Urban Ministry. With a commitment to only hiring the homeless, the farm proposes to create jobs but also provide fresh food to downtown Charlotte with the support of downtown restaurants. The links […]

Dueling Easter egg hunts in Enderly Park and Graham Heights brought out children and neighbors. Both events were well-attended and Graham Heights celebrated their first Easter egg hunt by staging it at Ms. Johnson’s house. The Graham Heights residents were thrilled with the turnout and the involvement of UNCC students.

The maps at the links below show creative ways to demonstrate the impact or lack of impact sports stadiums have on the overall revenue a city receives from their investments in sport stadiums. The first link shows a heat map of sales in Atlanta, GA before and after the Men’s Final Four. At the bottom […]

WFAE, Charlotte’s National Public Radio station, is hosting a forum called Public Conversations to discuss how Charlotte is growing and how it can thrive in the future. Moderated by WFAE’s Julie Rose, the conversation will address if Charlotte has invested in its Uptown at the expense of neighborhood improvements or if a vibrant Center City […]

Please enjoy the newest edition of our CHARP newsletter. 1-November-2011-1.pdf

Here’s a recent news story about this Fall’s Graham Heights Neighborhood Clean-Up. Charlotte Observer Article Source: Thornton, Lisa. “Bringing Beauty to Graham Heights.” Lake Norman News. 23 October 2011. 16 November 2011.

Reid Park Photo Slide Show from the Washington Post

This is an article about Bettie Rae Thomas, a notable community advocate and organizer for the Enderly Park Neighborhood who recently passed away. Source: Hostetler, Gerry. “Enderly Park’s ‘Squeaky Wheel’ Got Things Done.” Charlotte Observer. 29 October 2011. squeaky_wheel_article.pdf

Enjoy pictures of the Final Presentation of the Community Planning Workshop on their work with the Windy Ridge and Graham Heights neighborhood.

The Reid Park Holiday Party was a big success as over 50 people attended the gathering at the Arbor Glen Recreation Center on Dec. 6th. The event, funded by a Crossroads Charlotte A.C.T. Grant, brought the people of Reid Park together and was a first step to strengthening and restaffing the Reid Park Neighborhood Association. […]

Graham Heights Holiday Party mixes food, fun, and games. Thank you to all of our guests who came to the meeting. A special thank you to County Commissioner George Dunlap for attending.

The Enderly Park Holiday Ball was a successful event that invited members of the community to come together to celebrate lines of difference. Around 60 youth and adults came to the Bette Rae Thomas Center on Dec. 17th, 2011 to enjoy food, holiday music, fellowship and even Santa Clause made an appearance. Food was catered […]

Dr. Janni Sorensen and Liz Shockey appeared on WFAE’s Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins. They discussed CHARP’s mission and how we partner with communities. CHARP on Charlotte Talks

Here are some photos from this Saturday’s youth-senior capacity building event in Farm Pond.

On January 21st, 2012, residents from Farm Pond came together at the Hickory Grove Recreation Center for a neighborhood meeting, which occurs on the 3rd Saturday of every month. City of Charlotte Southeast Service Area Specialist Charlenea Duncan, Code Inspector Marta Carson, and Lieutenant Childs from CMPD (including 2 other officers) were all in attendance. […]

Students from UNC Charlotte’s Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity, Kappa Delta sorority, and student chapter of Habitat for Humanity partnered with CHARP and the Reid Park Neighborhood Association in a massive cleanup of several illegal dumping sites in the community on Saturday, January 28. Illegal dumping in Reid Park is a major issue. Because this community […]

Please enjoy the newest edition of our CHARP newsletter. This issue contains updates about our neighborhoods, notably our new partner in the Logan Neighborhood of Concord, NC. Also enclosed is a state-of-the-project address by CHARP Director Prof. Janni Sorensen, a notice about our forthcoming “Cultivate Food Forum” on Feb. 23rd, and photos from our partner […]