Ballantyne, NC – Will local governments consolidate? The Martin Luther King Holiday is January 17th so the city council meeting has been altered. This week’s council meeting will be on Tuesday, January 18th. Zoning will be one topic on the January 18th agenda.

The new parking lot with the ‘Four-Mile Green Way’ [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – Will local governments consolidate? The Martin Luther King Holiday is January 17th so the city council meeting has been altered. This week’s council meeting will be on Tuesday, January 18th. Zoning will be one topic on the January 18th agenda.

The new parking lot with the ‘Four-Mile Green Way’ off of Rea Road is a topic for discussion. This parking lot is near the corner of Rea Road and Bevington Place. Currently there are a few spaces on the street. Others park in the ‘Trader Joe’s Shopping Center’. Those in the ‘Trader Joe’s’ Parking Lot will most likely get towed. The location of this parking lot is also a problem. It is difficult to get right in and get right out. Also there is no u-turn allowed here. Larry Huelsman(C.R.V.A.) has serious doubts that the new parking lot is the answer. The Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority(C.R.V.A.) anticipates around 150 U-turns on Bevington Place per day. A new wall is needed for this lot. The cost for the wall is approximately $150,000 – $200,000. Moms with strollers parked on the street are a safety issue. This might not be the sustainable solution.

The master plan for this green way is not finished. This plan will emphasize automobile traffic. 20% of the people at the green way are ‘coming up’ from South Carolina. Some believe that spreading the traffic out is a better solution. If the traffic is spread out, this could be cost prohibitive. Spreading traffic out might not be the right fix. The new parking lot will need trees and lights. Approximately 30 cars will be the maximum in this lot. Councilman Cooksey asked about parking at The South County Regional Library or at Calvary Church. Worries over vehicles safety might keep some from parking at either of these locations. Can the public be convinced with new signs to park at either of these locations?

The city council retreat will be starting on January 31st. This year it will be held at J.C. Smith University in Charlotte. Council member Nancy Carter is in charge of this years retreat. She has already announced that no ‘communications devices’ will be allowed in the meetings at the retreat. She also has asked other council members to pledge to keep everything at the retreat confidential. Council member Carter is asking for a pledge of confidentiality at public meetings. Public meetings can NOT be confidential. This is a mystery. This next council meeting the retreat committee will be meeting to talk about this mystery and other retreat issues.

The York Development Group will be working at the corner of Providence West and new 521. A rezoning request has been applied for only minor changes. The proposed site plans and changes can be seen here. The issue will be addressed at the March 21, 2011 Council meeting.

Consolidation is once again is a hot topic. C.M.S. District 6 Representative Tim Morgan stated that the majority of the local legislative delegation is unlikely to support consolidation. Councilman Warren Cooksey reminded all that ‘big’ steps toward consolidation have not been taken at this time. There would need to be a consolidation commission appointed in order to be closer to consolidation. This commission would need to also hold a referendum and allow all voters to vote on the consolidation. Then the charter would go to the North Carolina General Assembly. None of these steps have happened. Fifteen years ago in Charlotte, consolidation was talked about and a commission was appointed. After the commission was appointed, it was decided that there were too many ‘whites’ on the commission. Later, several African-Americans were appointed to this commission. Lynn Wheeler and Don Reid were part of this commission process at this time. Don Reid stated that the first to speak about wanting consolidation are the very people who want to be the first ’Metro-Mayor’. Now, both Mayor Foxx and County Chairperson Roberts claim to have firm priorities.

District 6 C.M.S. Representative Tim Morgan explained that the best consolidation would be with the county and the school board because the county funds a significant portion of the C.M.S. budget. District 6 Representative Morgan does not think it would be wise to consolidate the city and the county governments. Overall, Mr. Morgan does not support consolidation.

On January 17th, The N.A.S.C.A.R. Hall of Fame will participate in the Martin Luther King Breakfast. N.A.S.C.A.R. is one of the a sponsors of the M.L.K. Breakfast which will be held at the Westin Hotel at 7:00 am. January 26th is the National Media Tour Stop at the Hall of Fame.

Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer

http://ballantynescoop.com

********************Update********************

Republic Development Group has filed a new site plan reducing the Ballantyne Affordable Housing site to 86 units.

Click here to download and print the revised plan.

Ballantyne, NC – The rezoning issue in the news for the Ballantyne area has gained a lot of community attention. Many are saying [...]]]>

********************Update********************

Republic Development Group has filed a new site plan reducing the Ballantyne Affordable Housing site to 86 units.

Click here to download and print the revised plan.

Ballantyne, NC – The rezoning issue in the news for the Ballantyne area has gained a lot of community attention. Many are saying that Ballantyne residents simply do not want low income in their backyard. That really does not tell the whole story. The Ballantyne Scoop has been present at many of the community and government meetings regarding this issue and this is what we have learned.

Residents of the Ballantyne area met Monday night to discuss the rezoning request for a piece of land situated at the corner of Johnston Road and Providence Road West. The rezoning request has caused quite a stir in the Ballantyne area with residents clamoring for more information. The meeting was pulled together by a group called Johnston Road Community HOA. Their email contact is JohnstonRoadCommuntiyHOA@gmail.com. This group is made up of 11 surrounding neighborhood HOAs.

The meeting was called to help brief area residents on the rezoning process, what their rights are, and to share available details on what is proposed for the track. Republic Development has requested, on behalf of the property owner, that the property be rezoned from its current commercial designation to multi-family residential. If the rezoning is approved, this would clear the way for apartment style buildings to be erected.

Republic Development has also submitted an application to the Federal Housing Authority to qualify the site for affordable/low income tax credits for the property. If approved, the site would become Ballantyne’s first property of this type. The approval from the FHA is contingent on the rezoning request being approved.

Residents seemed most concerned about the impact this multi-family development would have on already overcrowded schools and roadways. Other issues on residents minds were the potential for increased crime and what affect it could have on already decreasing home values in the area.

According to a local realtor, as of last week there were at least 20 homes in the surrounding area that are currently in foreclosure. Many homes have gone through a short sale. There has been an increase in vacancy rates in the current apartment complexes that are located in the area. Property values have dropped dramatically in the Ballantyne area over the past year and residents seem sincerely concerned this will not help them rebound.

The track that is set for rezoning is located on one of the busiest intersections in Ballantyne. It has no immediate access to public transportation or sidewalks to accommodate pedestrian traffic. In an earlier meeting, the developer said they were hoping to provide a place to live for those in the service industry working in Ballantyne. According to the Charlotte Housing Authority this could not be considered in the application process for potential renters.

The only entities that can file a protest petition with the City Council are the adjacent landowners, of which there are 3. According to those present at the meeting, these landowners plan to file the protest petition which will force the City Council have 75% of members voting for the rezoning request for it to pass.

Not everyone in attendance at this meeting was opposed to locating such a development in the area. One resident spoke about how Charlotte had successfully implemented scattered site housing plans in the past, including in areas such as South Park.

If the rezoning request is approved and the Federal Housing money comes through, the CHA will purchase the land and contract out the management of this mixed income development.

City Councilman Warren Cooksey of District 7 (Ballantyne area) has said he will hold off taking a stance on the issue until all of the public meetings and comments have been made.

Dates of note:

• February 22, 6:00pm – Community Meeting with CHA and property developer at Harrison United Methodist Church.
• March 18, 6:00pm – City Council Public comment session. Call ahead if you are interested in addressing the council.
• April 19, 6:00pm – City Council set to vote on the rezoning application.

**Reporters Note: Caroline Adams is a resident of the Ballantyne area.

caroline@ballantynescoop.com

2010 Ballantyne Scoop The Scoop Network

Ballantyne, NC – Two meetings have been scheduled to discuss the upcoming rezoning petition for the mixed income housing development at the intersection of Providence Road West and Johnston Road (see related articles http://ballantynescoop.com/ballantyne-residents-turn-out-for-planning-board-meeting).

Monday, February 15 at 6:30, Harrison United Methodist Church – for area homeowners to discuss what impact this rezoning [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – Two meetings have been scheduled to discuss the upcoming rezoning petition for the mixed income housing development at the intersection of Providence Road West and Johnston Road (see related articles http://ballantynescoop.com/ballantyne-residents-turn-out-for-planning-board-meeting).

Monday, February 15 at 6:30, Harrison United Methodist Church – for area homeowners to discuss what impact this rezoning petition may have on their neighborhood. Various neighbors set to attend.

Monday, February 22 at 6:00pm, Harrison United Methodist Church. This will be part of the rezoning petition that requires the developers that are making the request to hold for surrounding property owners. The developer will be on hand to discuss plans as will a representative from the Charlotte Housing Authority. Notifications for this meeting are being mailed out today to adjacent property owners within 300 feet of the property and to HOA within 1 mile.

2010 BallantyneScoop.com The Scoop Network