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Exit 30 is Davidson, too, not a disaster
BY ANN FOX
I have lived in the immediate Exit 30
area for over two years now and the development itself dates from several years before I moved in. Yet typically, when I tell someone in Davidson where I live, they pause to consider, look at me quizzically, then ask politely: “Where is that, exactly?”
Ann Fox and her bright green door live in the Deer Park neighborhood.
If you live in Davidson, you likely drive through my neighborhood every day on your way to and from I-77. It’s easier now to have a sense of where I live because of the new Harris Teeter going up, as well as the attractive and visible Little Gate and Park at Davidson projects that are the newest additions to the area. It is a neighborhood I chose for several reasons. One was economic: As a single woman, this is quite literally one of the only neighborhoods in Davidson where I could own my house outright without becoming house poor.
I don’t want to suggest this was a default choice, because it wasn’t: I also specifically chose and continue to love my neighborhood because of its mix of housing types, because of the small businesses opening just down the street from me, because of its social, economic, and racial diversity.
My neighbors are wonderful, warm people, and include working people, retirees, Davidson College fellows and students, young couples starting out, single-parent households, single people like me, and families with children of all ages. They are renters and property owners; they are people moving to Davidson for the first time and people downsizing from other homes. We hold block parties, our kids trick-or-treat, we visit, we joke, we look out for each other, we are a community as much as any other neighborhood, new or old, in Davidson.
The general lack of knowledge among my fellow Davidsonians about my neighborhood doesn’t really bother me from day to day; indeed, once they start coming over here to shop at the Harris Teeter, or visit businesses like Halo Salon and Davidson Therapeutic Massage, more and more of them will discover what I think is Davidson’s best-kept secret.
What does bother me, however, is the way my neighborhood has been characterized by candidates for mayor and Town Board. The very growth, urban feel, and dynamism that drew me and others like me to this side of town are being characterized as a “planning disaster.” One candidate called us “another Davidson,” a mistake created by heedless planning.
LOOKING AHEAD, NOT BACK
We are not a disaster. We are not a mistake. We are not “another Davidson.” We ARE Davidson: We are a part of your community, and frankly, I resent my neighborhood being characterized as a separate entity from the “real” Davidson, and a representation of what has supposedly gone wrong with Davidson. I say that as someone who has lived for the past two years literally in a construction zone. Despite the many inconveniences (including a dug-up street and front lawn) I still believe my neighborhood is evolving into something wonderful, because it negotiates the “hip and historic,” not remaining ossified by some idealized vision of the past.
This is not to say growth comes without concerns. I know plans must sometimes be challenged; indeed, I was one of a group of residents who successfully fought plans two years ago to place a cell phone tower right in the middle of our neighborhood. And I have other concerns: I am concerned, for example, that my west side neighbors who have been here much longer than newcomers like me will be treated fairly and equitably by developers whose properties are encroaching on theirs. I am concerned that drivers will not speed on my street as they cut through to schools and shopping. I am concerned that the town continue to manage growth at the exit not so much in an aesthetic sense, but in an economic one: When fancier developments come, will middle- and working-class people be completely priced out of one of the last relatively affordable housing markets in Davidson? These are all issues our community will continue to address, disagree on, and yet try to negotiate.
But growth is here. We who live close to the new development at Exit 30 are here, and we are not going away. And I object to any candidate for town office building a platform on an alarmism that makes us the personification of change to be feared and planning run amok. I would remind all the candidates – and our fellow town residents – that this is, in fact, one of the newest, most exciting places to be in Davidson right now. I appreciate that Town Board candidate Margo Williams has said it is going to be “great” – I couldn’t agree more.
Welcome to the “disaster” zone – I live here, I love it, and I am Davidson, too.
Filed under: Davidson opinions, Election 2007, Living with Growth, Planning & Development
Thanks for the great commentary, Anne. I’m excited about the development at exit 30. I agree, there is the potential for problems as the area could become too commercial, but so far to me it looks like things are going quite well. My wife and I are considering moving to the area once our kids are in college. The prospect of living near the lake, within walking distance to a grocery store and other amenities, has great appeal to us.
I don’t think any of the candidates were referring to the residential aspects of Exit 30 as a disaster, or even the Harris Teeter as such. One of the biggest critics (before he dropped out) was Ian Robb, and he lives in the residential area of Exit 30 - from what I could tell, he was concerned about keeping his neighborhood livable.
I appreciate and support having an affordable residential community for my friends - old and new - who are teachers, fellows, and young professionals. But I think there’s a good case to be made against very tall buildings, and the congestion situation - many aspects of the commercial development near Exit 30 are problematic to me, even though I think an increase in commercial tax base (and subsequent reduction in residential property taxes) is vital to preserving the character and balance of our community. We have to carefully consider the impact of dramatically increased traffic on Jetton and Griffith - routing a lot of cars past three educational institutions that serve young kids and through a neighborhood that’s already voiced concerns about the construction traffic.
I wish there were a plan in place for a bus or some sort of solution that integrates transit with the new development and reduces congestion. Maybe the candidates should clarify a little bit - I don’t think any candidate is critical of the currently completed aspects of Exit 30 (not counting the roundabouts).
Nice photo and article. I agree that Exit 30 will be good when its done. Can they hurry?
Kenn
I liked Ann’s piece on her neighborhood and I like her neighborhood. I’ve always found it depressing to walk through a neighborhood of hundreds of houses and not see a single human being, no matter how interesting the houses were. People seem to be out more in that area of Davidson and should be even more so with the new shops.
I agree that the seven story tall buildings are different in character than what we have had in Davidson. I don’t think that is all bad, although I would say that we have reached the height limits of what is acceptable. The character of towns change as they grow just as people do. I think that Davidson will continue to be a good place to live, but will have more to do. And I think that the development near the Interstate will actually help the rest of Davidson preserve its small-town and rural character.