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Transit system abandons the idea to build an underground bus station, which it had pushed as the best option for passengers; now says street-level is ‘clearly the preference’ (Charlotte Ledger)

For the last two years, the Charlotte Area Transit System has pushed to move the main bus station across the street from the Spectrum Center to a new location on the same spot: underground.

With the station moved below ground, the city planned to partner with a private developer to build a new mixed-use tower on the site. The city hoped the new tower — and a lack of a visible bus station and bus riders — would create a new, family-friendly entertainment district in and around the arena. The tower was also supposed to house a new practice facility for the Charlotte Hornets.

The idea was controversial, however.

Some transit advocates, like the group Sustain Charlotte, questioned whether it was a good idea to spend tens of millions of dollars to place bus passengers underground. They were concerned the underground transit center would be depressing, with no natural light, and would be a place where safety problems would fester because the station was out of sight. And until CATS transitions to electric buses, concerns about ventilation and diesel fumes are higher underground.

Read the Charlotte Ledger article.