Charlotte’s Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program (CNIP) is one approach for investing in the City’s future – one that combines the resources of several departments to leverage the Community Investment Plan with other public, quasi-public, and private partners. Its mission is to engage stakeholders, identify partners, program funds, and move projects forward. Funding for the Program comes from Neighborhood Improvement Bonds. SouthPark is one of six CNIP areas in Charlotte and has recieved $15 million in funding since 2016.
As a result of more than a year of community engagement efforts starting in 2016, the SouthPark CNIP Playbook was finalized in 2018. The document created a framework for spending the SouthPark CNIP funding, identified the Top 15 Potential CNIP Projects to be considered for implementation, and outlined over 40 additional potential projects that arose durring the community engagement process.
Of the projects identified, the follwing projects were selected for implementation:
- Backlot Trail
- Barclay Downs Sidewalk
- Briar Creek Greenway Wayfinding
- SouthPark Loop Framework Plan
- Enhanced Crosswalks
- Symphony Park (public space adjacent to SouthPark Mall with a public/private partnership)
This Spring, the SouthPark CNIP team is reenagaging the SouthPark community to reconfirm priorities, select additional projects to implement with the remaining CNIP funding (estimated at $600,000 minimum), and identify projects for implementation if additonal funding becomes available in the future.
Focus Area & Active Projects Map:
The Loop (previously identified as the Cultural Loop) was the second highest ranking project in the SouthPark CNIP Playbook. The Loop is a planned 3-mile bicycle and pedestrian path that connects shops, restaurants, hotels, and parks in the SouthPark activity center. It offers a healthy and convenient way to explore the area and magnifies the impacts of private investments in or near the public realm by connecting destinations and public spaces together. Created using funds from the SouthPark CNIP, the Loop Framework Plan organizes the concept’s vision, design elements, and key destinations and outlines various implementation options. The Loop Framework Plan represents a community-wide collaborative effort to realize a vision to enhance the quality of life for those who live, work, and play in the SouthPark community—bringing with it positive economic development benefits.