Residents, town and school officials look at site plans during Thursday's planning workshop for the IB school project at Town Hall. (David Boraks photo)
Residents, town and school officials and architects spent Wednesday night and Thursday at Town Hall drawing and discussing site plan alternatives for the proposed Davidson IB School renovation/community recreation center project. The workshop brought out concerns about how the project would affect parking and trees and adhere to town planning rules.
Also Thursday, Mayor John Woods told DavidsonNews.net the town has lined up an additional $1 million in financial commitments that could reduce the town’s cost to about $500,000.
The town and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools have agreed to cooperate on a joint $7.6 million project that will provide badly needed improvements at the old school and add a gymnasium, offices and classrooms for Davidson Parks & Recreation. Davidson United Methodist Church also has joined as a partner, committing $1 million in exchange for the right to use the complex for church activities.
CONNECTING STREETS, PRESERVING TREES
Planner Parviz Moosavi (right) leads a tour of the IB school site Wednesday. That's architect Vince Ciccarelli at left. (David Boraks photo)
A number of issues arose during the two-day workshop. Based on residents’ feedback, planners have been looking at street connections and traffic flow and how to preserve a wooded area behind the school.
Davidson town planners also are hoping for a plan that puts parking lots behind or beside the renovated school complex, instead of along South Street. The town ordinance requires new developments to locate buildings along streets, and put parking away from the street.
CMS initially proposed connecting Hillside Drive behind the school to Cathey Street just south of the school. That connection was to have included a large parking lot and a runoff retention pond that would have required cutting a large area of woods behind the school.
That has been one of the major concerns in the South Street neighborhood around the school. Residents have argued for keeping the woods, which are filled with large trees, wildlife and walking trails used by schoolchildren and other residents.
In a statement delivered at Wednesday night meeting, Bob Cumming of Cathey Street urged planners to save the woods. “It’s important to consider what losses to both Town and School the destruction of the Woods would cause, and how this damage could be avoided,” he said in the statement. (Download his full statement below.)
REAR PARKING ‘OFF THE TABLE
Town Planning Director Kris Krider said Thursday the proposed parking lot and retention pond “are now off the table,” and CMS is looking at less destructive alternatives. It’s still possible that Hillside – currently a dead end – could be connected to Cathey Street, but it’s likely to be more of a driveway or expanded pathway.
“A driveway is the farthest up of impacts we’re looking at right now,” Mr. Krider said.
The school system had sought the street connection so the school’s eight to 10 daily buses could be routed to the site from Hillside to Cathey.
Meanwhile, Cathey Street resident Jim Mead and other neighbors had suggested an alternative: Opening the end of Cathey Street onto the new extension of Goodrum Street, which runs off South Street. That remains an alternative, but Mr. Krider warned it may not be workable because it would require widening Goodrum and cutting a couple of old oaks that the town in the past had sought to save.
“We specifically built Goodrum at the request of the neighbors to protect the oak trees. And the road is not up to town standard. If we went down that route, we would have to cut down the oaks and rebuild it to town standards,” Mr. Krider said.
Suzanne Churchill was concerned about how the community center might affect traffic and parking on South Street, where she lives. In her statement Wednesday night, she asked the town to adopt resident-only parking zones near the school, to ensure people who live on the street would not get squeezed out by new development nearby.
“While residential only street parking may seem like a non-issue in car-centric developments, in our neighborhood, it’s a necessity,” Ms. Churchill said. (Download her full statement below).
Planners and the architect will continue working on the site plan in the coming weeks. CMS is planning to close the Davidson IB School for the 2009-10 school year for construction. Students would be relocated that year to another school, possibly Long Creek Elementary on Beatties Ford Road.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING
The school/rec center project is expected to cost $7.6 million. CMS has $3.6 million for the project from a school bond package voters passed last year. The town’s share would b $4 million.
Town Board and staff have been struggling to figure out how to pay for the project since spring. They’ve had some success lining up partners, and on Tuesday the Town Board was able to approve a project that limits what the town has to pay.
Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation has put $1.5 million for the project into a bond package that will be up for a vote on Nov. 4. And this week, the nearby Davidson United Methodist Church agreed to chip in $1 million, in exchange for the right to share the space.
On Thursday, Mayor Woods said the town has also lined up another $1 million in yet to be announced “private pledges.” That leaves the town’s share at about $500,000.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE, DOCUMENTS
Bob Cumming, Cathey Street, statement urging town to preserve trees. (PDF)
Suzanne Churchill, South Street, statement about parking concerns. (PDF)
Sept. 24, 2008, Town Board votes to build IB school rec center.”
Sept. 19, 2008, “Methodist Church agrees to join rec center project”
Sept. 12, 2008, “Planning workshop Sept. 24-25 for IB School project”
Sept. 3, 2008, “Bond package would help fund rec center, other projects”
May 28, 2008, “Board studies rec center plan, but hurdles remain.”
