Rendering: CATS
NC Rep. Tricia Cotham has filed a transit bill in Raleigh that would pave the way for a 1-cent sales tax increase would support both road improvements and public transit projects.
House Bill 948, also known as The P.A.V.E. Act, would earmark 40 percent of the revenue from a new 1-cent sales tax increase for roads and 60 percent for public transit projects, including the proposed Red Line Commuter Rail from Uptown Charlotte to Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson, potentially extending to Mount Mourne.
The managers of Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, and the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Mint Hill and Pineville, praised Cotham for filing HB 948/P.A.V.E.
Tricia Cotham
The tax and spending plan are being pitched for a 2025 referendum that would seek approval for a tax hike that, if passed, would generate $19.4 billion over 30 years for road and transportation projects.
Quotable
“It’ll bring real improvements that folks will feel right away. Cornelius has been speaking up loud and clear for better road funding, and the PAVE Act makes sure every town in the county gets its fair share,” said Cornelius Mayor Woody Washam.
Concerns
Mayor Washam
While proponents say the tax means a better future for North Mecklenburg, there are concerns.
The new cost estimate for the CATS Red Line is $1.38 billion—more than twice the original $640 million estimated pricetag.
And projections around ridership are hard to come by. The Charlotte Area Transit System acknowledged that it didn’t create ridership projections before a presentation on its transit expansion plans.
Official ridership estimates were too low for federal funding.
Real estate angle
Kurt Naas
Kurt Naas is a former member of the Cornelius Board of Commissioners and the founder of WidenI-77, a grassroots effort that opposed private toll lanes on I-77.
He said the promise of high-density development along the route similar to what happened with the Blue Line in South End may be whaaat’s driving the Red Line push.
Naas said: “Do we really want high-rise apartments in Cornelius? Do we really need to give developers additional incentive to build?”
