In a meeting held on July 17 by Charlotte business leader Malcomb Coley, North Carolina DOT Secretary Daniel Johnson reportedly floated the idea of having a P3 partner build two grocery stores in existing food deserts to sweeten the deal if local governments agree to reinstate their support for the I-77 South Express Lanes. “Coley described the meeting as a listening session in which community members proposed greenways, bike lanes and recreation space for the west side if the toll lanes were built. He also said Johnson told [a group that the private toll lane developer could probably finance those things and also help pay for the new grocery stores,” WFAE News reports.
Two community groups already are trying to raise funds to build grocery stores. Such private enterprises could not be taxpayer-funded if the larger express lane project were to be financed solely by the state, Johnson reportedly said. As part of a P3 arrangement, however, toll payers would effectively be subsidizing the cost of the projects.
According to Coley, Johnson also suggested that a cap and stitch design for part of the highway would benefit the west side of the city by linking it to uptown.
A representative of the NAACP has reportedly expressed optimism that state officials are addressing concerns about the project through the initiatives discussed during the listening session. But opposition group Sustain Charlotte — whose representatives were not invited to the meeting — remain staunchly opposed to the project.
Meanwhile, Governor Josh Stein (D) continues to stay out of the fray over the controversy, despite some calls for him to weigh in more decisively on the matter, including potentially exercising his authority through a legislative loophole that could get local governments off the hook for a $60 million bill for design costs if they continue withholding their approval for the project they effectively canceled in May. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization will revisit its official stance on the project in late September.