Will B-cycle stations become the new standard at Charlotte apartments?
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A new B-cycle station is now open at Crescent Dilworth, the new community that opened last month on East Morehead.
It’s the 25th station in the Charlotte B-cycle system.
And it’s the second to be funded by a private developer. The one at New Bern Station on the light rail was put in by three apartment communities over there — Fountains Southend, Silos South End and Colonial Reserve.
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There’s huge demand now among apartment developers to bring B-cycle stations in.
Look for more B-cycle stations at new apartment buildings — including two in Plaza Midwood.
The folks behind the 1201 Central and 1305 Central apartment communities are now committed to putting B-cycle stations in, said Dianna Ward, executive director of Charlotte B-cycle.
Crescent is also going to put one in at its new Stonewall project, expected in late 2017.
Ward said she’s had a ton of interest from apartment developers for more, including one in SouthPark. She’s also talking to more developers in NoDa, and neighborhood associations around the center city.
“This is an amenity people are going to expect,” Ward said. “This is going to be the norm.”
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That’s going to be huge to extend the range of B-cycle, which is almost entirely inside the 277 loop right now (except for a couple, out by Carolinas Medical Center, CPCC and Johnson C. Smith University).
Photo via B-Cycle
It costs about $40,000 to put one in.
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That’s how much Crescent invested in the one at Crescent Dilworth. Most of that was on the infrastructure, including getting the right low-voltage electric in place.
Jenny Vallimont of Crescent said it was a no-brainer to do it, given the community’s proximity to the Little Sugar Creek Greenway that connects directly to the Metropolitan.
In exchange for putting in the system, Crescent Dilworth residents get one year free membership to B-cycle.
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The B-cycle system is going to be growing fast.
Charlotte B-cycle also recently got a $675,000 grant from the federal government that will allow it to install 14-20 new stations over the next two years.
That, combined with sponsorship renewals from Blue Cross Blue Shield and Carolinas Healthcare System, puts the system on solid footing.
Look for new stations in First Ward, Plaza Midwood and Seigle Point.