CleanAIRE NC Calls For Guaranteed Protections for Families Facing I-77 Displacement

If this project ultimately does move forward, vague promises of benefits to affected communities are not enough. NCDOT must develop and define a strong, guaranteed community benefit package with input from the City of Charlotte and affected communities before a developer is selected. That package should:

• Specify exactly which community benefits will be provided, and at what funding levels. 
• Be incorporated into NCDOT’s request for proposals (RFP) as a minimum set of benefits any developer must agree to provide in order to be awarded the project.
• Be legally enforceable, giving NCDOT and the impacted local governments the ability to hold the developer accountable if commitments are not fulfilled.
• Guarantee that the developer cannot pass the cost of those community benefits on to the public through higher tolls.

The families whose homes will be demolished also deserve specific and enforceable protections. Any household displaced by this project should be guaranteed relocation to housing that is equal to or better than their current home, at no cost to the family. Commitments should be established before displacement occurs, not left to future negotiations or assurances that may not be honored.

These protections should be viewed as the minimum standard. Communities that have already borne the consequences of highway construction and displacement should not have to rely on unenforceable promises in exchange for accepting additional burdens.

CleanAIRE NC will continue to advocate for clean air, public health, and environmental justice for communities along the I-77 corridor and will closely scrutinize the commitments made to those communities as the project moves forward. 

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CleanAIRE NC is a statewide nonprofit organization advocating for the health of all North Carolinians by pursuing equitable and collaborative solutions that address climate change and air pollution.

www.cleanAIREnc.org