LYNX Silver Line

The LYNX Silver Line is a proposed 29-mile, 29 station light rail project that will extend from Belmont in Gaston County, through uptown Charlotte and Matthews, into Union County.

Transit-Oriented Development and Station Area Planning

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) and the City of Charlotte Planning, Design & Development Department are planning for the future of the Silver Line corridor, with a focus on how adjacent areas and communities – particularly those areas around future light rail stations – will experience and guide development. The goal of City of Charlotte and its partners in other local cities and towns is transit-oriented development (TOD) along the Silver Line that is multimodal, equitable and economically resilient.

TOD planning considers:

How the adjacent land should be used (residences, retail, dining, offices, schools, parks).
The current and future character and design of surrounding communities.
How to create 10-minute neighborhoods: neighborhoods in which all needs and services are reachable by a 10-minute walk, bike ride or transit ride.
Affordability, particularly in housing.
Equitable redevelopment opportunities.
The best station locations to address these considerations.

Each community along the corridor has unique needs and characteristics that inform specific and appropriate designs for each of the 29 stations and the full corridor. The ongoing station area planning efforts happen parallel to the line’s design and engineering work.

Opportunities

The Silver Line will bring more travel options to Charlotte and the surrounding towns and cities, and foster economic growth along its corridor. However, development as a result of new transit also presents challenges that must be addressed.

Increase access to sustainable and reliable transportation choices

Opportunities to add amenities in station areas that serve communities

Support equity through diverse housing types in close proximity to transit stations

Connect communities to jobs

Key event destinations to leverage for development

Challenges

Low density in suburban & industrial portions

Need to manage impacts to small businesses

Need to preserve neighborhood character & existing affordable housing

10-Minute Neighborhoods

The LYNX Silver Line corridor presents an opportunity to help communities adjacent to it achieve a higher quality of life through a 10-minute neighborhood. This means many every day needs like jobs and services are within a 10-minute walk, bike ride or transit ride of every community. Balancing the importance of providing reliable, efficient transit service and preserving the community character requires carefully interlocking the light rail alignment and station design with TOD, connecting streets and sidewalks and urban design strategies. The LYNX Silver Line station area planning effort will create an implementation plan for community improvements along the LYNX Silver Line corridor.