Charlotte leaders approve NoDa street vendor program

Monday, June 23, 2025 | WCNC Charlotte by James Brierton (WCNC), Julie Kay, Destiny Richards

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — City officials approved a pilot program Monday that will introduce new regulations for street vendors in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood. The plan aims to address concerns about unregulated vendors by requiring permits and clear identification.

“You have a vendor that is not registered, setting up shop directly in front of a store, not paying taxes,” Council member LaWana Mayfield explained during a meeting on June 9. “We can’t track them down if there were a problem.”

Under the plan:

  • Permits will be required, and the annual permit fee will be under $100.
  • Violators could face fines up to $500, though most initial fines are expected to be under $100 to keep the program accessible.
  • No criminal penalties will be issued — enforcement is civil only.
  • Only certain types of goods will be allowed — like art, handmade jewelry, and clothing. No on-site food preparation or alcohol sales will be permitted, although pre-packaged food may be allowed, pending approval from the county’s health department.

Continue reading the full story here.

Removal of Tesla from list of electric vehicle contracts sparks heated debate over political motivation

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 | Queen City News by Doug Coats

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — City Council voted Monday to remove Tesla from a list of companies from which the city would purchase electric vehicles.

And the move came with an accusation made by Councilman Ed Driggs that LaWana Mayfield’s motion to leave off the EV maker was politically motivated. Tesla is owned by Elon Musk, who until recently was the head of the federal Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump.

The Democrat Mayfield cited safety concerns, but the Republican Driggs said that many of the car dealerships listed would also have to be axed since major automakers like Ford and GM have had recalls in recent years. 

Continue reading the full story here.

CLT Council Votes To Drop Tesla Cars

Monday, June 23, 2025 | WBT Charlotte’s News Talk by Doug Coats

Tune in here to this ​Monday’s edition of Breaking With Brett Jensen!

Breaking Brett Jensen kicks the show off by talking about the Charlotte City Council’s latest vote and the controversy surrounding the exclusion of Tesla from a proposed electric vehicle purchase. On this steamy Monday night edition of Breaking with Brett Jensen, he dives into comments made by Councilmember LaWana Mayfield, who argued that Tesla’s corporate values don’t align with the city’s.

Later, Jensen dives into the year-end press conference held by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), highlighting key takeaways—and glaring omissions. Notably absent from the discussion was any mention of school violence or ambulance incidents reported earlier in the year. Instead, CMS leadership focused on academic topics, including teacher vacancies, test scores, and budget considerations. Brett pressed Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill on why only a 2.83% increase in teacher supplements was requested, prompting discussion about county budget constraints.

To be the first to hear about Breaking Brett Jensen’s exclusives and more follow him on X @Brett_Jensen!

Continue viewing more here.

Charlotte City Council removes Tesla from list of approved EV vendors for city vehicles

Monday, June 23, 2025 | WCNC Charlotte by Julie Kay

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte City Council decided to remove Tesla from the list of manufacturers it can purchase electric vehicles from during Monday’s meeting.

The Council will continue with the purchase and replacement of 45 electric vehicles in its fleet. Council member LaWana Mayfield has been pushing to remove the company since the June 9 meeting, due to the company’s “instability.”

“When we are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and putting our employees out in these vehicles and we are using tax dollars to do it, we also have the opportunity to think about the investments we are making on behalf of our citizens,” Mayfield said Monday.

Continue reading the full story here.

The Charlotte Observer

In North Charlotte, The Park Church Expands Affordable Housing Options Again

Friday, June 20, 2025 | The Charlotte Observer by Desiree Mathurin

The Park Church in Charlotte’s Sunset Road neighborhood plans to add more affordable housing to its sprawling property.

The church filed a rezoning petition with the city on June 13 to transform the 30 acres behind its sanctuary on Beatties Ford Road into more than 300 affordable residential units.

The church didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the project. But this isn’t the first time The Park Church has used its land for housing. Nor is it the first house of worship in Charlotte to convert unused land into apartments or town houses.

Continue reading the full story here.

City considers new pilot program for NoDa street vendors

Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | WCNC, by James Brierton (WCNC), Julie Kay

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — City officials are discussing a proposed pilot program that would introduce new regulations for street vendors in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood. The plan aims to address concerns about unregulated vendors by requiring permits and clear identification.

“You have a vendor that is not registered, setting up shop directly in front of a store, not paying taxes. We can’t track them down if there were a problem,” Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield explained.

Under the proposal, vendors would not face criminal penalties, but they would need to comply with new permitting rules. The annual permit fee would increase from $165 to $350. This jump was a cause for concern among council members who want street vending to remain accessible.

Continue reading the full story here.

Charlotte City Council member calls for leak investigation, cellphone bans in closed session

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 | WFAE, by WFAE Staff and wire reports

Charlotte City Council member LaWana Mayfield on Tuesday night pushed for a leak investigation to try and figure out which council members might be sharing information from closed sessions with the media. Mayfield also asked if City Council members can be barred from bringing phones into closed sessions.

“Can there be language to say no cellphones, no smartphones, no nothing in our closed session so that we can have a meeting that doesn’t be reported to the media immediately afterwards? Because there are a lot of important discussions that we have,” she said. “There has to be a level of accountability when we are having very sensitive conversations and that information is then being reported to the media, either verbatim or in some cases incorrectly. And we do not know that which one of the members is providing this information.”

Continue reading the full story here.

Charlotte council members concerned about doubling density

Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | South Charlotte Weekly, Justin Vick

CHARLOTTE – A pair of rezoning applications with no site plans in the Cotswold area prompted a policy discussion among Charlotte City Council over the potential of developers splitting lots in neighborhoods and doubling down on density.

District 5 rep Marjorie Molina explained that she supported rezoning half-acre lots in petitions 2024-134 and 2024-136 from Neighborhood 1-A uses to Neighborhood 1-C, which staff said represented a “slight increase in intensity.” Molina explained that there was no opposition from her constituents and precedent for such a change was already set on that street.

However, Molina had concerns. She said under current zoning, someone could develop a duplex on a lot. But under certain conditions, a developer could also split the lot into two and put a duplex on each piece.

Continue reading the full story here.

Charlotte church seeks solution with affordable housing

Monday, March 10, 2025 | WCNC Charlotte, Austin Walker

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — City leaders are seeking solutions to Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis. One way they are tackling this issue is by turning to faith-based communities. City leaders believe a church with extra land or empty buildings is a golden opportunity to repurpose that space as affordable housing units.

The city will help fund these projects and connect faith-based communities with developers and other nonprofits. Councilmember LaWana Mayfield said this initiative has been in the works for a decade but the city is finally seeing progress.

“I have people every week saying, ‘My church has land. How do we get engaged? How do we get involved,'” Mayfield recalled to WCNC Charlotte. “It’ll be a little while for a development to come out like 18 months to three years, but we are making strides.”

Ken Clark’s story is not an easy read. It’s one filled with love but its also a tale of difficult twists and turns.

Continue reading the full story here.