Charlotte voters will decide three bond questions on November 3 totaling $425 million, the largest municipal borrowing package in the city's history, covering transportation upgrades, affordable housing, and neighborhood infrastructure. City officials say the proposed bonds are already built into the current budget and property tax rate, with officials estimating a tax increase of $0 per year for each $100,000 of taxable property value.
The transportation measure is the single largest piece of the package at $280 million, which would make it the biggest transportation bond in Charlotte history if it passes, according to WBTV. Among the specific projects it would fund is a $12 million overhaul of the Eastway Drive and Shamrock Drive intersection in east Charlotte, adding sidewalks, paths, bike lanes and crosswalks. That project would introduce what The Election Hub describes as Charlotte's first “quadrant road” layout, a design meant to move left turns away from the main intersection entirely.
Where the Transportation Money Would Go
Beyond the Eastway-Shamrock redesign, the transportation bond guarantees $35 million for phase two of the Bryant Farms Road extension and $14.5 million for Shamrock Drive Complete Street improvements, per the same Election Hub breakdown. The broader package also sets aside $50 million for sidewalks, $24 million for street resurfacing, and $22 million for pedestrian safety work under the city's Vision Zero initiative. Smaller allocations include $10 million for bicycle facility connections, $5 million for bridge repair and replacement, $4 million for intelligent transportation systems, $3 million for traffic control device upgrades, and $2 million for orphan road improvements.
City officials said the transportation projects would improve access to major transportation and transit services and close gaps between communities, framing the spending as part of the city's Big Moves 2030 initiative. The investments tie into Charlotte's Strategic Mobility Plan, adopted in 2022, which aims to shift half of all commute trips to a mode other than driving alone. That plan has already shaped ongoing spending: the city currently deploys $50 million from a prior bond to build 10 to 12 miles of new sidewalks and 15 pedestrian crossings every year, according to earlier Hoodline reporting on the city's sidewalk obstruction enforcement.
A Record Housing Bond With No Named Projects Yet
The $125 million housing bond would be the largest of its kind in Charlotte's history if voters approve it, funding housing projects for people with low or moderate incomes along with related infrastructure and land costs. The measure includes a dedicated $25 million anti-displacement fund, according to The Election Hub.
Charlotte's Housing Trust Fund traces back to an initial $10 million bond approved in 2002, expanding to $50 million cycles in 2018 and 2020 before reaching $100 million in 2024. The proposed $125 million measure marks a 25 percent increase over that prior round and would be the largest housing bond in the city's history, according to Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region. Hoodline previously covered the 2024 round in a report on that $100 million bond and citywide homelessness metrics.
Specific housing projects had not been identified by the city as of the bond package's drafting, according to the city of Charlotte's own website, as cited by WBTV. That gap leaves the door open for outside requests like the one Hoodline reported in September, when developers asked City Council for $4.1 million from the upcoming bond package to fund street grid reconnections, ADA-compliant sidewalks, drainage upgrades and tree planting at Brookhill Village, a historic 1950s Black affordable housing community in South End. Municipal assessments cited by OneMECK put Charlotte's structural shortfall at roughly 42,000 affordable units for households earning 50 percent or less of the Area Median Income, underscoring the scale of the need the bond is meant to address.
Neighborhood Dollars and How Repayment Would Work
The third measure, a $20 million neighborhood improvement bond, would fund infrastructure including sidewalks, drainage, street repairs, bicycle paths, lighting and public open space. The city has said the neighborhood funding could also leverage private investment for road and transportation improvements near future private development, according to the City of Charlotte as reported by WBTV.
Each bond carries its own repayment estimate. The transportation bond's total repayment is projected at $437.1 million, including $157.1 million in interest; the housing bond's repayment is estimated at $198.4 million, including $73.4 million in interest; and the neighborhood bond's repayment is pegged at $31.2 million, including $11.2 million in interest. A general obligation bond allows the city to borrow money and repay it over time with interest, and those repayments are drawn from a mix of sales tax, property tax and other local sources, per the city's own website.
A one-cent transit sales tax approved by voters in November 2025 is among the city's funding sources. The city estimates that borrowing $425 million will not require raising property tax rates, according to the City of Charlotte. Still, ballot language notes that additional property taxes may be levied to repay the bonds if needed.
What Happens After Election Day
Charlotte voters approved a similar $400 million bond package with 67 percent of the vote in November 2024, covering transportation projects, neighborhood initiatives and housing efforts. If this November's measures fail instead, the city says it would respond by delaying the projects for a future bond package or by having City Council fund priority items through other sources.
