The Wildcat mascot works the crowd as up to 1000 people sent the Davidson team bus off to the Sweet 16 round in Detroit in March. (Bill Giduz photo)

This is part 1 of our 2008 Year in Review, taking a look at sports, planning and development, the  environment, transportation and public safety. Go to part 2, CLICK HERE>

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

As 2009 dawns, DavidsonNews.net takes a quick look back at the year’s top news in Davidson, in words and pictures. From the Davidson Wildcats’ dream basketball season to the opening of major new businesses at Exit 30, it has been an action packed 366 days. We also look back at news in the environment (the drought, trees, and major efforts to preserve open space), the founding of the Davidson Farmers Market, politics (local efforts on behalf of presidential candidates and the local political sign-stealing craze), and new leaders at the town’s churches and nonprofits. And we remember those we lost this year.

Sports

Bedsheet banners around town celebrated the Cats winning ways.

The biggest story in Davidson in 2008 brought the college and town into the national spotlight for a couple of weeks in March. The Davidson Wildcats’ incredible run through the NCAA basketball tournament pulled the town and campus together in unprecedented ways. With an NCAA record-setting 159 three-point shots from star forward Stephen Curry and a nation-leading barrage of assists from guard Jason Richards, the Wildcats put away higher-ranked opponents like Georgetown and Wisconsin to make it to the Elite 8.

The miracle run ended with a heartbreaking 59-57 loss to Kansas, which went on to win the NCAA title. After the victory over Wisconsin, fans drove and walked along down Main Street, honking horns and yelling. DavidsonNews.net took you there with an audio report on March 28. In advance of the tournament, households and businesses around town were festooned with bedsheet banners wishing the Cats well.

Stephen Curry posed with local schoolkids in September. (Gail Goss photo)

After the season, Stephen Curry enjoyed the status of national and local celebrity. He appeared on national TV shows and often led a parade of schoolkids any time he ventured onto Main Street.

Davidson’s big season was a payoff for many years of hard work by Coach Bob McKilliop. In another bit of good post-season news, Coach McKillop and the college reached an agreement to extend his contract through 2016.

As the 2008-9 season got underway, the Wildcats were no longer unknowns. With Steph Curry back, they earned a pre-season No. 20 ranking. And by year’s end they were 9-2 overall, 2-0 in the Southern Conference, with their only losses coming at the hands of two higher-ranked opponents: Oklahoma and Purdue. Alas, the Purdue loss pushed Davidson out of the Top 25. For now.

Wildcats basketball wasn’t the only sport in town, however. The local youth baseball Pony League sent a team to victory in the state 11-and-under championship in June. Then in July, the Davidson-Cornelius All-Stars 13 and under team became the first local team to make it to a national Pony World Series. At the World Series in California, they were knocked out.

Davidson Lands Conservancy held its annual Run for Green half-marathon and, 5K and fun run in September, attracting 800 competitors from around the region. Durham’s James Pearce won the race in 1:17:01 in the half marathon, while Davidson’s own Kathy Rink own the women’s division in 1:25:52 – finishing 15th overall.

And Davidson hosted a big national cycling event at Fisher Farm Park in October, the National Mountainbike Oktoberfest. Organizers are already talking about a bigger and better event in 2009.

In January, thousands turned out at the new Davidson Commons shopping center to celebrate the grand opening of the new Harris Teeter grocery store. It marked the official start of what we here at DavidsonNews.net have dubbed “The Year of Exit 30.” As the year went by, other businesses opened their doors as well, from the new Homewood Suites hotel to not one, but two Asian restaurants – Sabi Asian Bistro and Mings Chinese and Sushi. There’s now a cleaners, clothing stores, a Subway, a fitness center and even a specialty chocolatier, Davidson Chocolate Co.

A nearby development, Davidson Commons East, also was announced. And In November, the town discussed a possible landscaping plan for the Exit 30/Griffith Street area, which town officials are calling the town’s “gateway.”

But the economic slowdown in the second half of the year held back more openings. The planned Sheraton Davidson hotel and convention center off Exit 30 was affected by tightening credit markets just as it prepared to break ground at mid-year. Town officials and the developer are hoping to get the project back on track in the new year. And it’s not clear when work will begin on other proposed projects, including the two-story Rusher Oil market and gas station at the first roundabout, or the Pinnacle at Davidson Gateway, a 6-story luxury condo project.

Elsewhere in town, the economy also slowed new residential and commercial construction. Thousands of housing units have been approved, but most have yet to start work. One longtime unfinished project, the 39-unit Village at South Main, appears no closer to completion this New Year’s Eve than it did a year ago.

Meanwhile, business was booming along South Main Street and in the South Main Arts District. South Main Square held a grand opening for the shopping and office complex in October. Construction finished on new townhomes and storefronts at the back of the development and they went on the market as well.

Over the summer, a developer unveiled a proposal to turn the current Metrolina Warehouse, off Jackson Street behind the post office, into a development of homes, offices and shops. The developers hope the site can take advantage of the anticipated addition of commuter rail service. The project still needs various approvals before it can begin.

Also in the downtown area, Stowe’s Exxon at South and South Main streets, was sold and ground was broken for a commercial and retail building by developer David Stewart to be called Stowe’s Corner. Toast Café opened its doors in May in the former Kudzu Restaurant space at 101 N. Main St. And Summit Coffee, the Main Street hangout we call “Davidson’s living room,” celebrated its 10th anniversary with a big party in September.

Just up South Street from downtown, the fate of the Davidson IB Middle School on South Street appeared to be settled, as the town and CMS agreed to cooperate on a joint renovation. The $7.6 million project would renovate the existing school and add a gymnasium and offices for a town recreation center. The timeline is a bit unclear, though: with the bond markets down, the county may not be able to issue bonds needed to start construction on schedule this summer. School officials said last week that the picture should be clearer by the end of January. Meanwhile, the development has sparked a debate among the school’s neighbors about connectivity – and whether to open nearby streets as part of the school redevelopment.

At the beginning of the year, The Pines at Davidson, the town’s senior citizens community, opened its Villas at Laurel Ridge, a new upscale apartment development.

Davidson Farmers Market will return in spring 2009.

FARMERS MARKET

The founding of a new Davidson Farmers Market was another of the year’s biggest stories. Volunteers working with Downtown Davidson Inc. planned the market, won the Town Board’s endorsement in January and opened for business in April. The market was held Saturday mornings from April through November, with special holiday markets on the Saturdays before Thanksgiving and Christmas.

More than just a business, the market became a popular meeting place downtown on Saturday mornings. It also introduced more residents to the idea of buying local food, and it provided a successful market for farmers from the Piedmont area. The market will hire a permanent market director in 2009, and organizers are already working on plans for the market’s return this spring.

We visited the market weekly, and in late summer brought along a camera and recorder. For a glimpse at what the market is like, watch our Oct. 10, 2008, audio slideshow, “Sights, sounds at the Davidson Farmers Market.”

BEYOND DAVIDSON

And beyond the town limits: Cornelius commissioners gave the go-ahead to a massive $515 million mixed-use development, the Village at Lake Norman, in part after a developer promised $80 million in help with road work on I-77 and area roads, including a new highway exit at Westmoreland Road. The project, which was renamed Augustalee in November, still needs a variety of road-related approvals. If it’s built, it would have regional implications for business, traffic, and employment.

Demolition began in October on buildings in the center of Huntersville, to make way for a new office and retail project, including a Discovery Place Kids museum. (Jennifer Nichols photo)

In Mooresville, construction continued on the new highway interchange at Langtree Road, Exit 31, a mile north of Davidson. Just off the exit, a massive development called Langtree at the Lake is in the works. At year’s end, the developers were trying to persuade Iredell County to allow the creation of a special taxing district to help pay for roads and other improvements around the $880 million project.

And in Huntersville, demolition began near the main intersection downtown, at Highway 115 and Gilead Road across from Town Hall, for the planned Huntersville Town Center development. The project is to include town and business offices and a Discovery Place Kids museum. Discovery Place officials plan a campaign to raise money for the museum’s exhibits in 2009.

PLANNING ISSUES

An outcry about a homeowner’s new fence on Concord Road prompted the Town Board in April to ban front-yard fences in the old part of town.

The Town Board also continued to refine the town’s formal vision for future development, voting in August to endorse a new N.C. 73/Davidson-Concord Road area plan. The plan alters previous policies governing development in the area east of town by calling for development of retail/commercial “nodes” at several locations, including the N.C. 73/Davidson-Concord Road intersection. Officials from Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville worked on the plan with citizen input and consultants’ help. It remains to be seen whether the other towns will use the plan as future development proposals come forward.

Other tidbits: The town in August took an option on 22.5 acres off Potts Street – one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels in the old part of town. Plans are to seek a developer and work with the town of Cornelius to develop roads through the site and plan a development of possible homes and offices.

And at year’s end, a large group of citizens committees had begun meeting to develop a new townwide comprehensive plan, which would guide future planning and development. The planning process attracted attention in November for its inclusion of a committee of students from area schools.

RELATED LINK

We recommend reading Bill Giduz’s article “Know Thy Neighbor: Preserving What Matters in Davidson,” in the Davidson College quarterly publication Davidson Journal for a long view of growth in Davidson in recent years. (PDF format, requires Adobe Reader software.) DOWNLOAD HERE>

Environment

A lunar eclipse was visible over Davidson and most of North America Feb. 20. After 9 p.m. (left), the earth’s shadow began creeping across the face of the moon, until totality around 10 p.m. (center). By 11 p.m. (right), the shadow was retreating. (David Boraks photo collage)

The environment has been a frequent topic in 2008, beginning with the drought early in the year. In April, county officials eased water-use restrictions, and by year’s end most area water supplies had returned to normal levels. The question: Will conservation remain a priority for us, or will we face restrictions again?

The drought wreaked havoc on all kinds of natural growth, but the town’s old trees showed some of the worst damage. Once rains returned, and softened soil around unhealthy trees, they began falling all around town. The town conducted survey of trees along major streets and noted that many are at risk. Have you taken a look at your trees?

The tree study came as part of a broader effort by a citizen committee called the Greenprint Committee, or Natural Assets Stakeholders Committee. The committee looked at a wide variety of subjects, with a consultant’s hep. The plan is to use that information to develop new policies to help planners make decisions when they’re faced with development proposals. The town’s budget crunch this year wiped out funding for Phase 2 of the committee’s work, but it’s hoped the project can continue, with some aspects fitting into the Comprehensive Planning process and others possibly being handled by town planners.  For background on the committee’s work, listen to our “4-minute interview” with committee chair Dave Martin.

In a related story, Mr. Martin, a former town board member and Davidson College economics professor, was elected president of the Davidson Lands Conservancy in November.

Meanwhile, Davidson Lands Conservancy members were celebrating in September. In what was certainly Davidson’s biggest environmental planning story of 2008, Mecklenburg County agreed to buy the endangered West Branch wetland, which is in the Summers Walk development. That means developers of Summers Walk will forego plans for more housing on the site and the county will turn it into a park. County recreation officials are also talking about possibly building a nature center ther one day.

The future of Lake Davidson was debated at length throughout the second half of 2008. Davidson has pressed the Town of Mooresville in recent years to adopt regulations on construction buffers and boat docking limits to bring them in line with Davidson’s own policies.  Town officials and environmentalists worry that development and some lake uses could spoil water quality, lead to erosion and prevent passive recreational uses.

Mooresville and Davidson formed a working committee of elected officials and staff last summer to look into the issue. Some citizens felt left out of the process and organized against the working group’s meetings. The two-town group held a public hearing in Mooresville in September, where citizens debated both sides of the issue. Mooresville members of the working group briefly contemplated dropping out, but stayed on as members were added and the group’s mission expanded.

On Davidson’s West Side, a developer’s proposal to redevelop the Metrolina Warehouse (a former asbestos mill) with homes, offices and shops sparked memories of asbestos-related illnesses. Residents, many of whom lost family members to asbestoss-related illnesses, worried about the possible health risks if asbestos is stirred up during the redevelopment, including from a corner of the site they call “Mystery Hill.” Some residents held a series of meetings this fall to learn more. As of year’s end, they had not announced a public position on the proposed development.

As Davidson and the surrounding region continue to grow, transportation troubles are becoming more acute – from traffic tie-ups on I-77 to clogged local streets and bad intersections. Local officials have begun to see the need to cooperate regionally to jointly plan transportation solutions, lobby for mass transit, including the proposed North Corridor Commuter Rail Line, and appeal to county, state and federal officials to send funding this way for road and rail projects.

From January through April 2008, a four-town transportation task force chaired by former Davidson Mayor Randy Kincaid held a series of weekly meetings. The committee was composed of public officials and citizens appointed by the mayors of Mooresville, Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville, who all agree on the need for regional transportation efforts.

After gathering data and research and listening to experts and officials talk about various aspects of the problem, the task force last spring recommended formation of a permanent regional transportation commission. Politics, including a reluctance by some in Huntersville to join, have slowed the process of forming such a group. But by December, all but Mooresville had agreed to join  the commission. (Mooresville’s board votes in January.) Officials hope that in 2009 it will give the region a louder and more sophisticated voice on transportation issues.

As the transit commission remained just an idea, the proposed North Line Commuter Rail project took small steps forward. Money was approved for a preliminary engineering study, which should be unveiled early in 2009. But it seems likely that the most recent projections of a 2012 start of service are optimistic at best. Davidson Mayor John Woods and other local officials remain worried that county and city officials Charlotte don’t attach the same priority to the North Commuter Rail Line as people in north Mecklenburg do. At an August meeting, Mayor Woods raised the issue with CATS officials, saying, in essence, “Don’t forget about us.” In September, CATS held a public information meeting in Davidson to give an update on the rail project.

Meanwhile, even as officials talked about the future, skyrocketing gas prices over the spring and summer prompted many in the area to leave their cars at home and take public transit. Here in Mecklenburg County, that usually means buses. Not surprisingly, bus ridership was up sharply on both the 77x express bus and the smaller local Village Riders, according to Charlotte Area Transit System.

In September, after late summer storms slowed production and delivery, gas prices rose sharply. In  some cases, you couldn’t buy gas in the Davidson/Charlotte area. That prompted DavidsonNews.net’s Dave Munger to put together an interactive feature allowing readers to share information about prices and where to get gas. (See Sept. 29, 2008, “Where can I find a tank of gas? Check our map.”) We paid as much as $4.59 at the price peak. By December, prices were down as much as $3 a gallon. One of our Facebook friends, Pat Millen, told us this week he paid a shockingly low $1.34.9. Where did all that money go?

Higher ridership was welcome, but high gas prices and falling revenues from the half-cent sales tax for transit hurt CATS. And at year’s end, the system was proposing cutback on both some express bus trips and the Village Riders. Among other things, as we reported in November, CATS is calling for an end to the Davidson Village Rider (Route 96), though it would extend the Cornelius Village Rider to Ada Jenkins Center.

Meanwhile, Davidson schools continued to look for ways to encourage walking and biking. This fall, the Walking Wednesdays program coordinated by parents, school and town officials and the Davidson Walks citizen committee expanded efforts from the elementary school to three other local schools. Now, at least one school every Wednesday is encouraging kids to walk or bike to school.

And on a positive note, the year ended with partial completion of paving on Griffith Street, which had been torn up over the past few years for utility work and construction projects.

CONTINUED

This is part 1 of our 2008 Year in Review. Go to part 2, with a review of public safety (including the BB&T bank robbery), town government (including the town-owned cable system), as well as the economy and arts scene, CLICK HERE>