KANNAPOLIS — The city of Kannapolis is announcing that the North Carolina Community Transformation Grant (CTG) Project has awarded the city a technical assistance award for its Planning for Healthy Communities proposal.
Issued by Region 4 of the CTG, and in partnership with Centralina Council of Governments (CCOG), the city plans to use the grant to review its potential plan for creating safer pedestrian and bike paths, as well as to develop a plan for a neighborhood bicycle network.
In September, Region 4 and CCOG hosted the area’s first Planning for Healthy Communities Conference. The conference was geared towards bringing regional planners, parks and recreation staff and public health professionals together to discuss integrating health into policies, plans and codes to provide residents with safer, healthier and more active communities. Participants in the region who attended the conference were eligible to apply for a health-related planning assistance grant.
CCOG will serve as the technical adviser to Kannapolis officials as they work to develop a plan that improves safety, expands the accessibility and reduces the cost of implementing bicycle routes throughout the city.
“Communities across North Carolina and nationwide are recognizing the critical link between community design and public health,” said Erin Bayer, Region 4 lead coordinator. “How well we plan land use, amenities, transportation, economic development and natural resource protection will have dramatic effects on our communities’ health far into the future,” she said.
The planning phase of the project will include analyzing existing city streets, developing various options for potential bicycle routes, identifying intersection improvements and conducting neighborhood meetings and surveys to gather input and insight from Kannapolis residents.
The city has worked to rebrand Kannapolis as a city known for its “Healthy Life.” The goal of the ongoing efforts serve to both enhance the quality of life of Kannapolis residents, as well as to increase economic development and improve the city’s attractiveness to new businesses.
The proposed bicycle network project hopes to expand on the 2012 Economic Plan and the 2009 Center City Master Plan, both of which included action items to make Loop Road and the downtown street network a destination for exercise. Results from a survey conducted this past summer by city officials indicated residents have a strong desire for safe bike routes away from areas of heavy traffic.
For more information on the grant or the city’s plans, contact Irene Sacks, director of business and community affairs for the city of Kannapolis, at isacks@cityofkannapolis.com or 704-920-4326.