The North Carolina General Assembly could soon pass a bill that would eliminate off-street parking minimums for developers statewide, overriding local regulations and a longstanding debate in Charlotte.

Why it matters: Supporters say the relaxed regulations could lower housing costs and reduce stormwater runoff by ending excessive paving.

The latest: The state Senate voted 44 to 1 to pass House Bill 162 on Tuesday.

• An earlier iteration of the bill (formerly House Bill 369) passed the House last year, Axios previously reported.
• The bill is headed back to the House floor for a concurrence vote before hitting Gov. Josh Stein's desk.
• If passed, starting Jan. 1, local governments could no longer require developers to build a certain number of parking spaces for new projects.

State of play: Charlotte has considered ending parking minimums in the past to promote a less car-dependent city. But many local leaders believed the city wasn't ready. Those against it argued that public transit isn't used enough, and people would still drive and park along quiet neighborhood streets.

The big picture: Parking reform is uniting not only developers but also environmentalists.

• According to the organization, one inch of rain on an acre of pavement generates 27,000 gallons of runoff.

Follow the money: Parking can cost anywhere between $5,000 to $50,000 per space. Those building costs are often passed on to consumers through higher rent or other prices.

• "The top floors of [an apartment] parking garage sit empty because they have been required to build way more parking than they actually needed to," Riggs says. "The affordability piece is huge."
• Charlotte is lacking more than 40,000 affordable units to meet the city's needs.

What's next: If the House concurs with the Senate's changes, the measure heads to Stein's desk. That could happen as early as this week.

• A Charlotte spokesperson told Axios that the city would update its ordinances and "further assess potential development impacts" if the legislation passes.

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A new state filing in Georgia shows that Charlotte-based Atrium Health wants to build a hospital in Atlanta.

Why it matters: The proposed 40-acre medical campus in Atlanta's West End would be Atrium's first hospital in the metro Atlanta.

Driving the news: According to a June 18 filing with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Atrium wants to build a general teaching hospital on the site of MET Atlanta, a sprawling historic warehouse complex on Metropolitan Parkway, which Atrium purchased in 2024.

• The short-stay, acute care hospital would initially open with 50 beds and operate as a teaching hospital affiliated with the nearby Morehouse School of Medicine.

What we're watching: On top of Atrium's Atlanta aspirations, North Carolina's largest hospital system is also in the process of merging with WakeMed Health, a nonprofit hospital that has served the Raleigh area since 1961.

• Atrium is pushing its presence locally too, joining the Carolina Panthers as the title sponsor for their new Uptown practice facility.
• Atrium will provide roughly 14 acres to Inlivian, Charlotte's housing authority, for affordable housing.

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🏛️ North Carolina House Republicans took advantage of swing-vote lawmakers' absences, including Rep. Carla Cunningham, to override Gov. Josh Stein's vetoes of several controversial pieces of legislation yesterday related to DEI and immigration. (Axios)

✈️ Concord-Padgett Regional Airport announced three new $49 flights to Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa, beginning in November. (WBTV)

⛪️ Leluia Hall, the restaurant in the former Dilworth Methodist Church South building, was designated an official historic landmark by Charlotte City Council on Monday.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport expects roughly 1.6 million travelers for Fourth of July travel.

What to expect: The holiday travel period runs June 26 through July 6. The busiest travel days are expected to be tomorrow, as well as Thursday, July 2, and Sunday, July 5.

• The Transportation Security Administration intends to keep security wait times under 10 minutes for TSA PreCheck and around 20 minutes for standard checkpoints during the busiest times.
• TSA federal security director Greg Hawko told reporters most of the time those wait times will be significantly less.
• You can find checkpoint wait times here.

Zoom out: On July 1, the airport's Express Deck Preferred will change from a valet parking to a self-parking deck. It will still be reservation-only.

This weekend has a variety of things to do, whether you want to laugh your socks off at a Matt Rife stand up or celebrate Pride month with a host of themed events.

🧘‍♀️ Tomorrow: Unwind from the long work week with a yoga session at Romare Bearden Park. | Free | 6-7pm | Details

🍿 Saturday: See an outdoor screening of "Back to the Future" at Fourth Ward Park. | Free | 7pm | Details

🛍️ Sunday: Shop from a funkytown market with local vendors and live music at Groover's in South End. | Free | 2-5pm | Details

Full weekender

News you can use from our partners.

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Perhaps it was always going to come down to this

State of play: The final matchup of our Best Mountain Town bracket will be Asheville vs. Blowing Rock — two of the state's biggest drivers of tourism.

• If you need evidence, just count the number of Florida plates in each town this summer.

The verdict: Vote below by 4pm, and the winner of this heavyweight matchup will be revealed in tomorrow's newsletter.

Vote for the winner here.