CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Few parts of Charlotte are experiencing explosive growth like Plaza Midwood, but some neighbors and groups advocating for smart growth worry the neighborhood's roads, transit and transportation options aren't keeping pace.
"With everyone driving passenger cars, it's just difficult," Liam McNamee said. "It's just so congested all the time. Everywhere."
A 10-story apartment tower is in the works along Commonwealth Avenue and The Plaza. The project is still awaiting city approval and has received some opposition from longtime Plaza Midwood residents who say it threatens the community's charm.
On nearby Central Avenue, a 12-acre site at the Central Square shopping center called "Commonwealth" is currently under construction. It will include a hotel, apartments, shops and restaurants.
All the growth is exciting but it comes with a cost. And several questions. How will all those new renters, shoppers and workers get around already congested streets?
"I definitely would like to see better public transportation," said McNamee, who drives to NoDa sometimes so he can take the light rail into Uptown for work. "The traffic's always terrible."
The city's $13 billion mobility plan remains in limbo without a solid funding source. Under the plan, the Silver Line light rail would run alongside Commonwealth Avenue and stretch all the way past Charlotte Douglas International Airport on the city's west side. The Gold Line street car extension would also run deeper in Plaza Midwood.
But those changes and any other transit solutions are likely years, perhaps decades, away.
"The conversation about congestion and growth is not connecting with the solution, which is that we need to really invest in transportation choices," Meg Fencil, the director of engagement and impact at Sustain Charlotte, said.
In the meantime, Plaza Midwood residents will have to adjust to the congestion that comes with all that growth.
Contact Ben Thompson at bthompson@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.