2008 Legacy Award Winner

At a luncheon on March 12, 2008, the Charlotte District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI Charlotte) announced that Martin R. Cramton, Jr., AICP, former planning director of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, received the second ULI Legacy Award.

The ULI Legacy Award is presented to an individual or company in recognition of positive stewardship in the Charlotte community, in land use and in the built environment.  A prestigious jury selected Cramton for the award noting his leadership and vision for guiding Charlotte’s growth.

When Cramton took the position of planning director in 1979, Charlotte’s growth was gaining powerful momentum.  By focusing on long-term initiatives, Cramton launched a vision for Charlotte’s future.  Through this long-term perspective, Cramton helped lead and develop numerous programs that over the last 25 years addressed the area’s growth burst.

Of these programs includes the Urban Renaissance, a community workshop that laid the groundwork for the 2005 plan adopted in 1985.  This plan set the tone for growth policy in Charlotte for the last 20 years, declaring “Charlotte’s future is urban,” and predicting an increase in urban diversity, regional independence, and integration with the national and global economy.  The plan also proposed a light rail strategy, which has now come to successful fruition.

Another program includes Center City, where Cramton led Charlotte to prepare downtown plans every ten years, with a goal to maintain the center city’s prominent vitality.  Most recently, the 2000 plan has some of the boldest and most exciting proposals yet in assuring that for Charlotte’s Center City (as the New York Times put it), “the sky’s the limit.”

The evolution of Charlotte is testament to Cramton’s vision, as Charlotte continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in America as well as one of the most livable cities.  “Martin’s influential vision and leadership helped develop and sustain the successful transformation of the Charlotte community,” said Thomas B. “Skeet” Harris, Jr., chair of ULI Charlotte.  “We are honored to present him with this award.”

The jury panel for the Legacy Awards included past ULI Charlotte Chairmen Peter A. Pappas of Pappas Properties, Art Fields of Crescent Resources, and Lat W. Purser III of Lat Purser & Associates, Pat Garrett of Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Ron Kimble of City of Charlotte and A. Michael Burnett of Crescent Resources.