Halloween on South Street

Thomas Churchill, William Neal, Mathilde Boraks and Madeleine Guise get ready for a night on neighborhood streets Oct. 31, 2006.

Should county and towns buy the cable system?

Mecklenburg County and five towns north of Charlotte, including Davidson, are considering buying the cable system serving this area.

The proposal has grown out of the bankruptcy of the area’s former cable operator, Adelphia Cable. Under the cable system operating agreement, the county and towns have first crack at buying the system because of Adelphia’s bankruptcy.

Time Warner Cable has taken over management of the system until the purchase issue is resolved, and would own the system if the towns and county decide against buying it.

Does the proposal make sense?

Local officials have said little about the purchase, citing bankruptcy court restrictions on what they can discuss. But they’ve agreed to hold a public hearing next week.

The towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Mooresville and Troutman, together with Mecklenburg County will hold a joint public forum on the proposal on Thursday, November 2, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Davidson I.B. Middle School auditorium. The school is at 251 South St. in Davidson.

According to a press release from the town of Davidson, local officials will be available to answer questions. It’s not clear how much they’ll be able to say, because of the court restrictions, but it will be a chance for us to learn more about the philosophy behind the deal and why they think it makes sense. Davidson officials said the court may loosen the restrictions so officials can provide more details about the proposal.

If you’re interested in the cable system, consider coming out to this meeting and finding out what this means to you.

Planning board OKs Spring & Walnut project

Our neighbor Shelley Rigger provides the following update on the Spring @ Walnut development proposal (see related stories and links to plans below).

The Planning Board passed a slightly amended version of the Walnut and Spring Street Infill Project plan at its meeting on October 23rd. That means the Planning Board has recommended the plan to the Town Board, which will consider it soon.

The plan was deferred at a previous meeting because important details had not yet been worked out. The resubmitted plan resolved one of those those issues: It included a detailed drawing of the streets in the development. The second issue — what will become of a small parcel known as “Lot 9″ was not resolved, but the developer promised to determine what will happen to that parcel before the last house is built, so it will not become an abandoned lot.

The developer will not pave the section of the Spring Street right-of-way connecting his development to Walnut Grove (he will pave the section connecting his development to Walnut Street, of course), but he did agree to set aside $3,000 for traffic calming on Walnut Street. Exactly how that money will be spent will be determined later.
(Note: Shelley and neighbor Christy Shi are members of the Planning Board)

Board tightens village infill building regulations

The town board on Oct. 10 approved a series of changes to the Village Infill Planning Ordinance in hopes of ensuring that new homes and additions in the old part of town do not radically alter the character of the surrounding neighborhood.

The changes will set new maximum building heights, setbacks and house square footage limits, according to town officials. We are attempting to obtain the specific language in the changes and will publish it here once we have it.

Town spokesperson Sara-Lynne Levine said the town board had asked town lawyer Rick Kline “to make some minor tweaks to definitions.” Once that’s done, the revised regulations will be posted on the town website, she said.

Town officials say the amendments will be in effect only for one year, through Oct. 10, 2007. That will give the town planning staff time to create what officials describe as “design-based regulations.” These new regulations would come up for review and approval next summer.

Read the meeting minutes on the town website. CLICK HERE>

Read the draft ordinance as it was presented. CLICK HERE>

Read the ordinance as it was approved, following “tweaking.” CLICK HERE>

Town Board considers infill rule changes Tuesday

The Davidson Town Board will review and may vote on a draft of proposed changes to the Village Infill Planning Area rules at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10. (See agenda here)

The rules govern home renovations and new home projects in neighborhoods in the old part of Davidson. Town officials want to update the rules to ensure that construction does not significantly alter a neighborhood’s character.

Many residents spoke out in favor of revising the rules at a Town Board work session in September. But the hearing highlighted a need to work on the proposed rules changes further to ensure they achieve the board’s goal.

Planners are looking at changing front and side setbacks, building heights, and the proportionate size of home per lot size, according to planning director Kris Krider. The ordinance mainly affects “lots that are not part of a master plan community where the applicant is filing for a building permit.”

Planner’s report: new Spring@Walnut plan due

Developer Rodney Graham is revising his plans for an eight-unit infill development off Walnut and Spring streets.

That news was among a variety of items found in planning director Kris Krider’s October monthly report. Also in the report were updates on proposed village infill rules changes, the Southeast Greenway (opening this fall) and other projects and initiatives.

Krider said Spring@Walnut plan will come to the planning board’s Oct. 30 meeting and then come up for a final vote at the Town Board on Nov. 14.

For details, read Krider’s full report below or visit the town website and click on the planning department link.

NOTE: Our neighborhood falls under the “Village Infill” heading.

Walnut Grove site work to begin soon

Mecklenburg County has given the go-ahead for JD North Construction to begin site work on the 25-unit Walnut Grove development, off Walnut Street in our neighborhood. (Click image to enlarge)
Town Planning Director Kris Krider said in an email announcement today that a pre-construction meeting is expected within 30 days. North plans 23 townhomes and 2 single-family detached homes on the site.

Details about the project are in Krider’s email below and on the town webpage. www.ci.davidson.nc.us/eventdetail.asp?scheduleitemid=1046