Good morning! Today is Wednesday, April 1, 2026. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Today's Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by American Airlines. You can focus on price. Or you can focus on getting there. Why compare options when the answer is obvious?
Officials say new plan could expand capacity while reimagining how highways fit into urban landscapes
The N.C. Department of Transportation says it has developed new designs for the expansion of I-77 near uptown — ones that it says could help widen the highway with toll lanes while preserving larger portions of key neighborhoods.
The new renderings, which were put on display Tuesday at the new Community Engagement Center on West Morehead Street, come after weeks of contentious meetings with neighbors that seemed to pit easing congestion on one of Charlotte’s key gateways against the preservation of historic neighborhoods.
The new plan, billed as a compromise solution formulated after intensive listening to neighborhood leaders and activists, calls for paved embankments on the right sides of I-77. Curving the road upward instead of outward requires less space, while also allowing I-77 traffic to travel at higher speeds, just like at a NASCAR race, traffic engineers said.
It could also allow for corporate sponsorship opportunities along the soft barrier walls and fences of the highway, which would help defray the estimated $3.2B cost of the project and could reduce the costs of tolls paid to price-gouging Spanish toll operating monopolies. Pennzoil and Advance Auto Parts have already signaled sponsorship interest.
“If it’s good enough for Daytona, Talladega and Rockingham, it should be good enough for Charlotte,” according to a mostly redacted memorandum obtained by The Ledger that is circulating at the highest levels of state government.
New renderings released this week of the latest NCDOT design borrow ideas from NASCAR traffic engineers. (Courtesy of NCDOT)
“Residents told us clearly: They didn’t want their homes bulldozed,” the secret memo said. “Now, did they say they didn’t want a high-banked superspeedway outside their front door? That is not feedback we have heard.”
The space beneath the embankment could be used for tiny affordable housing, or at least a linear RV park.
The NCDOT said it will hold a series of extensive listening sessions and community engagement, followed by doing whatever it wants over a long timeframe, perhaps with minor cosmetic pseudo-changes.
Members of the Charlotte City Council, who were previously astonished to learn that their vote to allow adding lanes to I-77 meant the road would actually need to be wider, said they would continue listening. They also asked about plans for bike lanes.
Today’s secondary sponsor is Club West Brewing. It’s never too early to stock up on this year’s collection of wholesome and tasteful Christmas brews, from Charlotte’s completely new and most reverent brewery. Order yours today!
Novel discovery at UNC Charlotte could lead to productivity boom but sink tech companies
A team of physicists at UNC Charlotte has discovered a DMV appointment, the university announced in a press release Monday.
Using the Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico, the team spotted DMV appointments as far as six months into the future — a feat previously thought to be theoretically impossible.
Writing in the Physical Review Letters journal, physics department chair Glenn Boreman said the unexpected discovery “unlocks a world of possibilities for North Carolinians. Imagine a future where you can show up to the DMV at a designated time, complete the paperwork for your license, and then go home.”
Economists forecast a boom in productivity in light of the discovery, with motorists spending fewer hours standing around listlessly in unfamiliar parts of town. However, it could spell trouble for places such as North Wilkesboro, Locust and Wadesboro, whose economies depend on Charlotte parents taking their teens to driving tests there at uncrowded DMVs.
Tech stocks sank on the prospect of Doom-Scrolling Hours, commonly called DSH levels, falling by 1 trillion units a year and endangering the outlook of Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Boreman added that the research may have applications in other areas, such as locating an American Airlines customer service rep on a stormy summer evening.
Blind Date: Bo-Linda and Waymo are a match made in the cloud. But will they vibe?
Welcome to the latest edition of The Charlotte Ledger’s Blind Date series.
Today, Bo-Linda, a native Charlottean, and Waymo, who recently relocated here from the West Coast, were matched up because of their shared interests in technology, optimization and compiling personal data.
Why it matters: It really doesn’t.
Meet Bo-Linda:
Bo-Linda, who works in customer service at Bojangles, said she’s an even-keeled workaholic and a good listener who enjoys long conversations and knows how to keep her man well-nourished.
Meet Waymo:
Waymo, a professional driver, said he’s autonomous, observant and a self-starter who spends a lot of time on the road. Though he knows his appearance turns some heads, he said he’s looking to settle down and cut back on his out-all-night lifestyle.
The date took place Saturday night at the Midtown Bojangles.
It’s within Waymo’s restricted driving radius and Bo-Linda, a self-professed introvert, is confined to the speakers of the fast-food chain.
Zoom in: At the conclusion of the date — Bo-Linda successfully browbeat Waymo into ordering a limited-edition strawberry cobbler biscuit for only $1.99 — both agreed they’re more likely to be friends than something more.
“It was a fun time. He was respectful of my boundaries, possibly because of his experience with geofencing. But I felt like he was mapping me the whole time, and he kept talking about his ex, a DoorDash delivery drone from Austin. I’m not sure romance is in the future,” Bo-Linda said, giving the date a 6/10. She then interrupted us to ask if we wanted to Bo-size our biscuit combo.
Waymo said he, too, had a nice time and gave it 7/10 but expects they will remain friends. “Bo-Linda was an interesting AI to get to know. She definitely kept the conversation going when it hit a slow patch, but she did interrupt me a lot. Sometimes she got a little spicy, like when she asked if I wanted to supersize my drumstick combo. She thanked me for the date and told me to pay for it at the second window, but I’m not sure if another date is in the cards for us.”
But, but, but: We received reports that, immediately following the date, Waymo suddenly and inexplicably braked on the Lynx Blue Line tracks, causing a near collision with a train. It was unclear at press time whether the date was a contributing factor to this event, but federal authorities are investigating.
REAL ESTATE WHISPERS
Real Estate Whispers is our obsessive weekly look at commercial real estate development, debates and Dumpster fires — with plenty of scoops and information you won’t find anywhere else (except uncredited in other outlets in the next few days).
🏗️ Apartment zoning: The City of Charlotte has introduced a new high-density zoning category to allow more soulless large apartment complexes. The new designation, called “Multi-Family Known Entitlement Redevelopment,” or MF-KER, will be immediately applied to all neighborhoods adjacent to a traffic-intense corridor, or about 67% of city lots.
💡 Data center PR push: Developers are rolling out a branding initiative called “Live, work, pl-AI: Why living next to a data center will future-proof your life.” Touted benefits include a gentle hum of high-tech progress that lulls you to sleep every night, endless warmth from power that could otherwise serve millions of homes and the “sleek minimalist aesthetic of having a long, gray box in your backyard.”
🚘 Inside Scout Motors’ new HQ: Scout Motors is planning a “car-free and carefree” HQ building in Plaza Midwood, with indoor slides, 20 meditation yurts and a boardroom ball pit. The amenities are designed to relieve the stress of trying to find street parking in Plaza Midwood.
🏢 Uptown’s imagined comeback: Brokers cheer the uptown office market’s comeback as the vacancy rate achieves a new record high in Q1 2026: “At this point, we’re just pretending like all of that s—ty old office space doesn’t exist,” one source told Whispers.
🛍️ Yet another new plan for EpiCentre: Owners of uptown’s EpiCentre say they plan to “level-set expectations” by rebranding it as the OkayCenter. Up next for the property is what is being called a “complete reimagining,” which will consist of slapping on a fresh coat of paint, replacing the railings and sweeping the sidewalks.
In brief
Basketball team diagnosed with rare disorder: A team of esophagologists at Duke Medical School reported that chronic choking by members of Duke’s basketball team in March appeared to stem from a rare seasonal medical condition known as Acute Lead Collapse Syndrome. In related news, data scientists confirmed that UNC’s leftover timeouts from 2026 would not in fact roll over into 2027, while deeming N.C. State’s basketball team “unworthy of scientific inquiry.” (Science)
Restaurant honors: Several of Charlotte’s most well-known and overpriced restaurants were named to the Tire King 1000, a prestigious list of eateries compiled annually by a company known for upselling tires when yours are allegedly on the verge of a blowout on the highway. Tire King’s anonymous dining inspectors are known to follow a rigorous methodology and are for some reason widely accepted as culinary tastemakers despite having core expertise in rubber manufacturing.
New drinking ritual: Park Road Books revealed that sales in the first quarter fell 19% as more and more local women transitioned to getting drunk at mahjong rather than getting drunk at book club. (Booklist)
Warning sign for eateries: In a blow to the city’s hospitality industry, Axios Charlotte reporters said they were not looking forward to any bar and restaurant openings in the coming weeks and months. The Axios indifference crisis comes on the heels of its worrisome declaration last month that there wasn’t much to do around town this weekend.
When tides turn: When my good friend Hugh McColl mentioned to my good friend Gene Woods that my good friend Laura Vinroot Poole had crossed paths with my good friend Ric Elias, my mind drifted, as it often does, to those long salt-air mornings crabbing along the Maryland shore. The brine still clings to the cuffs of my memories, as the tide moved in its slow, confident way. I realized that friendship is best gathered patiently, like … (Charlotte Optimist)
Favorable absorption spurs innovative repositioning: A 1980s-era flex industrial asset in a transitioning submarket traded this week to a value-add investor planning a mixed-use strategy with adaptive reuse and placemaking components, including a chef-driven beef- and bun-forward hamburger concept. The initiative leverages public-private incentives and targets a phased repositioning to capture upside amid favorable absorption trends and evolving mark-to-market effective rent adjustments. (Charlotte Business Journal)
Shirt recall threatens tournament: A worldwide recall of Peter Millar collared shirts threatens the viability of the annual Truist Championship PGA tournament at Quail Hollow Club in May, tournament organizers warned Monday. Quail Hollow has strict rules against shirtless finance bros wandering the course, and the vast majority of tournament-goers own no other shirts. (Sporting News)
CMS honored for effective communication: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools won 10 statewide awards in recognition of outstanding and effective communication. The awards, from the N.C. School Public Relations Association, showcase how CMS is “building trust between our classrooms and our community,” said the district’s chief of strategic communications and engagement. (actual Charlotte Ledger, March 11)
Bullish on pretzels: A 26-year-old left his secure six-figure banking job to develop a vibe-coded app that accepts orders for gluten-free pretzels that he makes with a 3D printer and markets exclusively using drone footage broadcast on YouTube Shorts. His parents, fiancée and dog expressed deep concerns. Our take: So smart! (Tiny Money)
A very happy April Fools’ Day from your friends at The Charlotte Ledger. (Really, nothing in here today is real … yet … except that brief about CMS)
➡️ Many thanks to a small band of hooligan friends of The Ledger for suggesting ideas and writing portions of today’s fake newsletter.
Related Ledger fake news April 1 editions:
“Big triplex plans for Myers Park” (April 1, 2021)
“The future of South End is underground” (April 1, 2022)
“Developer rolls the dice on massive uptown casino complex” (April 1, 2023)
“Major pickleball complex envisioned for empty office tower” (April 1, 2024)
“A major music festival is makin’ plans to expand” (April 1, 2025)