North Charlotte Today

The City of Charlotte's Placemaking Grant program, a community-building initiative aimed at creating and enhancing community vibrancy, safety, and identity, is now in its fifth year with a total pool of $150,000. The program supports quick-wins and transformative projects throughout the city, focusing on activation of leftover and underutilized spaces, streetscape improvements, art and beautification efforts, and the creation of community gathering spaces.

To gain insights into the Placemaking Grant experience, City Speaks reached out to Jan Johnson, the 2023 program winner from Uptown Farmer's Market. Johnson's project, "Paint the Pavement with Nutrition," involved creating a mural within the protected bike lane on the 300 block of Davidson Street. When asked about how she first heard about the Placemaking Grant program, Johnson explained, "We first heard about the program in 2021 from Abby Wyatt, who was working at Mecklenburg County's Health Department at the time."

Johnson further elaborated on why her project focused on protected bike lanes, stating, "Since the Uptown Farmers Market is focused on health and nutrition, we were very excited that the new bike lanes would go right by the market. The lanes were ideal as a painting canvas because of the protective barrier between the lanes and car traffic."

When asked about the application process, Johnson praised the support she received, saying, "We can't say enough wonderful things about working with Kate Cavazza, who was accessible for lots of questions all along the way." She also emphasized the importance of early planning and having a committee of volunteers to help coordinate the process.

Once Johnson found out that she had received the grant, she described the next steps, saying, "Since we were planning on executing the project in one day last July, we were on a short timeframe to pull it all together once we knew we had funding. Again, the early planning was key for us, and having such an experienced and talented artist like Curtis King gave us great assurance that everything could be coordinated that day."

Reflecting on the completed mural, Johnson mentioned the positive feedback received and the impact it has had on the community. "We hear such positive comments about the healthy images on the bike lanes! We especially love to hear that the Brookstone School students across the street enjoy crossing them every day for their PE classes."

For future Placemaking Grant hopefuls, Johnson advised, "Doing as much legwork ahead of time is really helpful when submitting the application. Even though we tried to think of every expense, there were still items that we didn't anticipate. So, always good to have some margin in an organization's budget to cover the unexpected."

The Charlotte Urban Design Center is currently accepting applications for the Placemaking Grant program, with the deadline to apply being March 15, 2024. To learn more and apply, visit their website.

In conclusion, the Placemaking Grant program in Charlotte has been successful in supporting community-building projects that enhance the vibrancy, safety, and identity of the city. Jan Johnson's experience as a past recipient of the grant highlights the positive impact that these projects can have on the community. With the application process now open, aspiring placemakers have the opportunity to bring their transformative ideas to life and contribute to the city's ongoing efforts to create vibrant and engaging public spaces.