Mecklenburg County is developing a new initiative, Project BOAST (Business Opportunity And Supportive Transit), aimed at supporting small businesses as the area prepares for significant transportation-related development. The plan was presented to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners by the Office of Economic Development (OED) following voter approval of a 1% sales tax increase to fund road improvements, bus modernization, and rail expansion.
The OED began drafting Project BOAST before the referendum in response to concerns about how future transportation and infrastructure projects could impact small businesses. Over $25 billion in construction and infrastructure changes are planned for the next two decades.
“While such investments bring growth, they can also place pressure on locally owned small businesses,” said Mecklenburg County Manager Mike Bryant during the presentation. “As such, this initiative shall focus on mitigating business displacement, as well as connecting existing and startup businesses to the many contracting, construction and service opportunities that shall result from the future transit sales tax investments.”
Roger Johnson, director of the Office of Economic Development, added: “We want the community to know that we heard their voice, and that we have a plan in place to help overcome and ameliorate the issues that gave them concern.”
Project BOAST is still in its early stages and has not yet been adopted or funded by county commissioners. Its initial framework includes five focus areas: business preservation and anti-gentrification; access to contracting opportunities; capacity building and technical assistance; customer connections; and workforce and talent development.
Key elements include helping small businesses with lease negotiations, capital access, tenant protections, legal support, advocacy for preservation zones along transportation corridors, creation of a registry for legacy businesses, education on bidding for contracts related to transit projects, mentoring programs with experienced contractors, targeted coaching on business management topics such as marketing strategies or compliance needs, training in industries like construction or retail, efforts to encourage local shopping during construction periods through signage or pop-up markets near transit hubs, streetscape improvements near commercial districts affected by projects, apprenticeships linking residents with employment opportunities in partnership with workforce agencies and educational institutions.
In recent years Mecklenburg County schools have seen some demographic shifts. For example, enrollment dropped by 0.4% during the 2022-23 school year compared to the previous year (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). Total enrollment stood at 153,537 students during that period (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/).
The county plans to work with nonprofits and municipalities during this planning phase. Funding decisions for Project BOAST will be considered as part of Fiscal Year 2027’s budget process.
Currently available services from OED include one-on-one coaching sessions for eligible small businesses along with loans and networking resources accessible via their small business webpage.
