Fixing streetlights, fixtures part of Charlotte’s public safety plans for uptown
Charlotte city officials announced new measures to improve public safety in uptown at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
The new measures, which include replacing and repairing streetlights and modernizing Tryon Street, were announced by the Center City Public Safety Task Force.
The task force was formed in the summer to address crime and safety in the city’s downtown district. Speakers at Thursday’s news conference included Mayor Pro Tem Danté Anderson, Deputy City Manager Shawn Heath and council member Malcolm Graham.
Mayor Vi Lyles and council member Edwin Peacock were also in attendance.
David Smith, with the Charlotte Department of Transportation, said the annual lighting check has been accelerated in uptown. A plan is being made on which lights need to be repaired or replaced, or whether lighting could be improved by doing things such as trimming trees that block lamps.
Monica Holmes, the interim planning director with the city of Charlotte, said the “Refresh Tryon Street” is about to get underway by removing things like old pay-phone booths, installing new benches, and replacing old recycling bins.
“This project prioritizes replacing the older, worn-out fixtures with new, modern ones that improve both the safety and the functionality of Tryon Street,” Holmes said.
Several speakers also highlighted other efforts to attract people to the uptown area, including new businesses, programming in public parks, and increased visibility of Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers.
Heath said a pilot program will launch with the Charlotte Solid Waste Services Department in uptown. The initiative will have workers collect trash and clean streets between 2 and 5 a.m. Friday through Sunday.
Typically, there are not solid waste services during these hours, but Heath said having them during peak hours when people are at bars and restaurants could help people feel safer.
“Having a clean, well-maintained city is, in fact, important to public safety,” Heath said. “We’re also trying to encourage, ‘Folks, hey, the bar is closed. It’s time to go home.’”
Heath also encouraged people to sign up for the Connect Charlotte program run by CMPD. Homes can register doorbell cameras with the department, allowing CMPD to keep track of addresses and send or receive requests from users for footage when crime is reported nearby.
Businesses can have cameras integrated with CMPD’s Connect Charlotte program, giving the department as much or as little access as owners allow to livestreams of nearby streets. Heath said 1,500 people have registered doorbell cameras and 900 businesses have integrated cameras.
Neil Patel, the owner of Valhalla Pub and Eatery in the French Quarter on South Church Street, said the increased presence of CMPD has helped him and other business owners feel safer.
He said it’s important that their presence continues and that he would like to see Romare Bearden Park, across the street, be utilized for more community events.
After the news conference, Lyles said the lighting initiative is a good start to improving public safety uptown and something the city can do “immediately.”
“What you’re seeing is, once someone identifies the problem, there is an action to make it better,” Lyles said.
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
