Amendments to City of Charlotte 2006-2010 Consolidated Plan
Designation of the Double Oaks Neighborhood as a Neighborhood Revitalization
Strategy Area: The City of Charlotte applied and received approval from the U. S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development for a Neighborhood Revitalization
Strategy Area (NRSA) designation for a portion of the Double Oaks neighborhood
located north of the City of Charlotte. The revitalization area is a 98-acre tract bounded
by LaSalle Street to the north, Statesville Avenue to the east, Anita Stroud Park to the
south and Interstate 77 to the west. The area is a portion of Census Tract 50. In order to
be considered for a NRSA, the area must be primarily residential with at least 70% of the
residents in the area being considered low-moderate income individuals. Analysis of the
area shows that a majority of the area is used for residential purposes or vacant land
zoned residential and 84% of the residents are low-moderate income. Receiving this
designation allows the City flexibility in pursuing housing and economic development
activities in the area.
Section 108 Loan Guarantee for the Double Oaks Redevelopment Project: The City
of Charlotte has submitted an application to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development for a Section 108 Loan Guarantee in the amount of $10 million. The loan
from the federal government will be used to acquire land for the Double Oaks
Redevelopment Project.
The City will provide a loan to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Inc., a
non-profit developer, to acquire the 70-acre Double Oaks Apartments (576 units) and
combine it with other land owned by the developer, the City and Mecklenburg County, to
develop a mixed income and mixed use development.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership will develop a 98-acre project that will
consist of 940 residential units and 108,000 square feet of non-residential development.
The proposed mix of residential units is forecast to consist of 120 market-rate apartments,
300 affordable apartments, 308 market-rate for-sale single family homes and town
homes, and 212 for-sale condominiums. A minimum of 51% percent of the housing in
the new development will serve low-moderate income households. The commercial
portion may include a grocery store, retail, office and service establishments. The
commercial portion is expected to generate about 486 permanent jobs. The development
will be phased and is projected to be completed over a 10-year period.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership and the City will be responsible for debt
service payment on the loan. The repayment of Section 108 loans is guaranteed by the
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds that are received by the City.
Double Oaks Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy
Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA)
August 25, 2007
The City of Charlotte is proposing designation of the Double Oaks neighborhood as a
Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area for purposes of facilitating the redevelopment
of the neighborhood. The receipt of this designation from the United States Department
of Housing and Urban Development will allow increased flexibility in the use and
administration of federal funds for housing and economic development activities in the
revitalization area.
Neighborhood Location & Boundaries
The Double Oaks neighborhood is located about 1 ½ miles north of the downtown
Charlotte. The neighborhood
Map 1
is contiguous to several
neighborhoods where the City
and its various revitalization
partners have undertaken or
completed several
revitalization initiatives –
Genesis Park, Park at Oaklawn
and Druid Hills neighborhoods
– over the past 10 years.
The proposed boundaries of the
Neighborhood Revitalization
Strategy Area are Interstate 77
to the west, LaSalle Street to
the north, Statesville Avenue to
the east and tributary of
Stewart Creek to the south, which borders the Park at Oaklawn and Genesis Park
neighborhoods. The proposed revitalization area is 98 acres in size. The boundaries of
the revitalization area are shown in Map 1. The proposed area is adjacent to the Druid
Hills Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy area.
Neighborhood and Demographic Criteria
The criteria for designation of a Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area are 1) the
area must be contiguous, 2) primarily residential and 3) have a high percentage of LowModerate Income households (i.e., household earning 80 percent or less of the area
median income adjusted for household size). In Charlotte, a low-moderate income
household is limited to earning $51,520 or less based on a household size of four.
A review of Map 1 shows the proposed revitalization area to be contiguous with a
continuous connected boundary around the 98 acre area.
The revitalization area currently contains a
Table 1
mixture of residential, institutional, commercial,
Land
Use
Acreage
recreational and open space uses. The major land
Residential
91.9
use in the area is the Double Oaks Apartments
Institutional
19.8
with 576 apartment units on about 70 acres.
Commercial
7.4
Other major land uses are a 14 acre landfill owned
Recreational
20.8
by Mecklenburg County, Our Lady of
Vacant
59.2
Consolation Catholic Church (2.29 acres) and
199.1
Total
New Life Fellowship Church (7.78 acres). The
% Residential
46.2%
land areas devoted to the various land uses are
Source: Neighborhood Development GIS
shown in Table 1. There are a total of 1,103
residential units in the Census Block Group Area and 234 are vacant units. An estimated
91.9 acres or 46.2 percent of the land use is currently residential. The majority of the
vacant properties are zoned to allow residential uses.
Table 2
Low-Mod Income
Total Population
2,450
Low-Mod Income
$22,847
Qualifying Percentage
84.1%
Required Percentage
70.0%
Source: 2000 Census
The estimated population of the area is 2,450 with
913 households. The median income in the
neighborhood is $22,847 compared to the Charlotte
metropolitan Area median income of $64,400. The
percentage of low to moderate income individuals
residing in the proposed revitalization strategy area
is 84 percent, which is 14 percent higher than the
threshold established by HUD. See Table 2 for
breakdown of the demographics.
Consultation
In preparing this revitalization strategy, the City and its non-profit development partner,
has consulted with local bankers, businesses, and area churches. The City is sponsoring a
community meeting on September 4, 2007 to solicit additional comments from residents,
businesses and community interests on designation of the area as a Neighborhood
Revitalization Strategy Area, as well as the proposed use of a Section 108 Loan
Guarantee.
The City plans to hold a public hearing on September 24, 2007 to formally solicit
comments on amending the City’s Consolidated Plan to designate the Double Oaks
neighborhood as a Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area.
Assessment (Under Development)
Economic Conditions
According to the 2006 Neighborhood Quality of Life Study, the Double Oaks
neighborhood is located in a zip code area where the unemployment rate is 10.5 percent.
There are two businesses located within the boundaries of revitalization area, which
represent the convenience market and auto care retail categories.
Access to Capital: The city currently has business revitalization programs available in
the area that include an Equity Loan Program, Façade Improvement, Infrastructure and
Security Grant Programs, a Brownfield Assessment Program, and the Business District
Organization Program. In addition, the Small Business Enterprise Loan Fund is a
public/private fund established in 2003 to assist small businesses with obtaining access to
capital. The fund provides more flexible underwriting guidelines than those of traditional
lenders.
Housing Needs: The average housing value in the area is $78,000, compared to the city
average of $131,500 and the average age of housing in the area is 50 years old, with the
median of structures built in year the 1957. Of the 1,103 total units in the area, a total of
869 units are occupied, 746 (85.8 percent) by renters and 123 (14.2 percent) by owners.
The number of occupied units for the city is 215,745, of which 91,688 (42.5 percent) are
renter occupied and 124,057 (57.5 percent) are owner occupied). The Double Oaks
Apartments encompass 70 of the total 98 acres in the proposed revitalization area. The
existing multi-family residential use consists of 576 units in barracks style buildings with
units that range in size from 440 to 640 square feet. Built in 1949, the units are in
varying stages of deterioration and the current occupancy is approximately 66 percent.
Current Availability of Economic Development and other Community Services: The
Central Piedmont Community College Institute for Entrepreneurship is designed to foster
and support entrepreneurship, small business training and economic development in the
Charlotte area by providing assistance to prospective and existing small business owners
and their employees. There are two churches in the subject area and two parks that total
22 acres (Double Oaks 16 acres and Anita Stroud Park 7 acres).
Economic Opportunities
The revitalization of this area will offer quality housing, access to goods and services,
jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for residents in the area. The current housing stock
in the Census Tract is an average of 50 years old. Much of it is small and physically
obsolete. New housing will address this issue and create more housing opportunities in
the area. The neighborhood currently lacks access to needed goods and services. The
creation of new businesses will create jobs and business ownership opportunities.
Neighborhood Challenges
This neighborhood is currently experiencing a high incidence of crime and a high degree
of housing deteriorations. Over the past year, crime has increased and violent crime
exceeds the city’s rate by 2:1.
Housing conditions in the area continue to decline. The Double Oaks Apartments were
built in 1949 and have been renovated numerous times. Currently there are 23 active
code enforcement cases in the geography.
The neighborhood currently does not have any organized neighborhood group. Overall
redevelopment will provide an opportunity to create a stronger social fabric.
Economic Empowerment
A non-profit developer, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, proposes to
acquire the 70 acre Double Oaks Apartments (576 units) and combine it with other land
owned by the developer, the City and Mecklenburg County, to develop a mixed income
and mixed use development. This will require the demolition and relocation of residents
at the Double Oaks Apartments. The new 98 acre development will consist of 940
residential units and 108,000 square feet of non-residential development.
The proposed mix of residential units is currently forecast to consist of 120 market-rate
apartments, 300 affordable apartments, 308 market-rate for sale single family homes and
town homes, and 212 for sale condominiums. The commercial portion may include a
grocery store, retail, office and service establishments. The development will be phased
and projected to be completed over a 10-year period.
A minimum of 51 percent of the housing in the new development will serve lowmoderate income households. Existing residents will be given an opportunity to move
back into the neighborhood pursuant to income eligibility and financial capability.
The Double Oaks NSRA is inside the City’s Enterprise Community boundary. The
Enterprise program operated in the City from 1994 to 2004 and the grant has been closed.
The commercial area, which will be developed toward the final phases of the project, is
expected to generate an estimated 486 jobs. Available managerial, supervisory and front
line jobs will be marketed to area residents. Area residents will be encouraged to
undertake the necessary training and preparation for jobs that will be available.
Additionally, entrepreneurial opportunities in the proposed retail and service space would
be promoted to area residents. Finally, business opportunities will be offered to
minorities in construction and development of the project.
Performance Measures
To measure the success of the Double Oaks Redevelopment Project, the following
benchmarks are proposed:
Physical Development
•
•
•
•
Develop 51% of the units of rental and ownership housing for low-moderate
income households
Develop 300 rental units for households earning 60 percent or less of the
Charlotte Area Median Income
Develop a minimum of 75 households for households earning 30 percent or less
of the charlotte Area Median Income
The Double Oaks Apartments will be demolished and the land redeveloped with
new infrastructure.
Social Initiatives
•
Develop a 14 acre park and open space area
Economic Empowerment
•
•
Create 10 businesses in the commercial area
Create 486 job opportunities
These performance objectives will be monitored and reported on in the City’s
Comprehensive Annual Performance and Evaluation Report presented annually to the
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.