A followup planning workshop tonight (Thursday, Oct. 23) will take another look at site planning for the proposed Davidson IB Middle School renovation and community center construction project. On the eve of the meeting, some school neighbors repeated their objections to plans for connecting nearby streets to create a new bus route into the school site.

Town planners, school officials, and neighbors of the South Street school are expected to attend the meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at Davidson United Methodist Church fellowship hall, 233 S. Main St.
Official background information about the project is available on the Town website. Links to previous coverage on DavidsonNews.net can be found at the end of this article.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and the Town of Davidson are proposing a $7.6 million renovation and expansion of the school, which would be constructed during the 2009-10 school year. The work would include badly needed improvements at the old school. And the town plans to build an attached community recreation center, with gymnasium and offices for the town Parks & Recreation department.

CMS has $3.6 million for the project from a school bond package voters passed last year. Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation has put $1.5 million for the project into the bond package on the Nov. 4 ballot.  Davidson United Methodist Church has agreed to chip in $1 million, in exchange for the right to share the space. Another $1 million of the remaining cost would be paid by undisclosed private donors, and $500,000 by the town, Mayor John Woods has said.

PLANNING ISSUES

A number of issues arose during a previous planning workshop last month. Town Planners have asked CMS to redraw the plans to bring the new community recreation center building toward South Street, and move parking to the back and side of the lot.

And based on residents’ feedback, planners have been looking at street connections and traffic flow and how to preserve a wooded area behind the school.

CMS has proposed extending Hillside Drive behind the school to Cathey Street, to allow for a new traffic pattern for school buses. An existing dirt road links the two streets, but it’s not usable by cars. Depending on the size of an expanded road, the work could require cutting woods nearby.

Town  planner Parviz Moosavi said Thursday current plans do call for the extension of Hillside Drive as “a neighborhood street connection.”

This week, some neighbors pressed town officials to preserve the woods behind the school and to reject plans to build the Hillside/Cathey connection. In an email Wednesday to the Town Board, Jim Mead of Cathey Street said connecting the two streets and cutting a portion of the woods would be “short sighted” and conflicts with an often stated town value of protecting the environment.

See the text of Mr. Mead’s email below.

NEXT STEPS

Mr. Moosavi said the site plan will be presented to the Design Review Board for comments on Nov. 19. It then will face a technical review by Mecklenburg County as well as Davidson’s fire, public works, police and parks departments. CMS hopes to begin work some time after the school year ends in June.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Sept. 26, 2008, “Workshop reviews IB school plans; town lines up $1m more.”

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.”

DOCUMENTS

From: Mead, James J
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 8:04 PM
To: Davidson Town Board
Subject: DIB Renovation and Community Center

Dear Mayor Woods and Commissioners,

As a citizen who attended all phases of the design charette for the Davidson IB (DIB) school renovations and proposed community center, I was saddened to learn that the main concern expressed by virtually all citizens who participated has apparently been disregarded. The concern I am referring to is the partial destruction of the wooded area between Cathey St and Hillside Drive to facilitate vehicular ease of access to the school campus.

The decision to irreversibly alter the sole remaining wooded area in the village area of Davidson is in my judgment, remarkably short-sighted. In addition, it is in direct conflict with the final “core value” in the town’s mission statement “that citizens must live in a healthy environment, so town government will protect watersheds, trees, air quality and other elements of the towns ecology. “

I’m sure the Planning Department feels that disregarding this core value is warranted, given the vehicular connectivity that will be gained. However, this conclusion reflects an antiquated planning mindset. For too long, a disproportionate amount of our resources have been invested in automotive transportation and infrastructure. The resulting poor air quality and environmental damage demonstrate the flaws of the 20th century urban planning model. Is the Town of Davidson going to lead by example and resist using taxpayer dollars to build new automotive infrastructure, or persist in following a planning model that is widely accepted to be flawed?

While I commend CMS’s desire to change traffic patterns on the DIB campus, I believe the long term viability of this facility as a magnet school should be considered. The spiraling transportation costs associated with magnet schools is fast becoming a liability. Given this facilities location, its future is more likely to be that of a neighborhood school. Furthermore, given the limited funds available to build the community center, using a portion of these funds to build a road of dubious value will detract from the facilities available at the proposed community center. Extending Hillside Drive to facilitate vehicular access to the school campus is therefore not a sound use of taxpayer’s dollars.

The reality of 21st century urban planning is that we must shift the use of our limited resources to investments that support sustainable lifestyles and minimize the impacts we have on our environment. Given the continued emphasis on building new roads by the Town of Davidson’s planning department, one wonders if they are in denial or just dangerously of touch. As a citizen, it is my sincerest hope that they are merely in need of a leader to steer them toward 21st century realities.

The partial destruction of the wooded area on the DIB campus in order to extend Hillside Drive is both short sighted and a poor use of taxpayer’s dollars. As elected officials for the Town of Davidson, I belive it is incumbent upon each of you to provide the direction and leadership that is lacking in the Planning Department with regards to the Davidson IB renovation and community center design.

Sincerely,

Jim Mead

327 Cathey St