Detail from new Davidson thoroughfare map to be voted on Tuesday. Click to download a full map.

Davidson’s Town Board Tuesday will vote on a proposed long-term road plan that aims to relieve traffic by connecting Shearers Road to Davidson-Concord Road on the east side of town and connecting other streets around town.

Also Tuesday, the board will vote on a revised solid waste ordinance and trash pickup fees for the coming year (see box below) and hear updates on long-range planning at Davidson College and on the work of the Lake Norman Regional Economic Development Corp.

The Town Board also will appoint Town Hall employee Lillian Smith as the new town clerk, formally transfer the town planner’s duties to Lauren Blackburn, and recognize Sandy Kragh as the town employee of the year.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 216 S. Main St.

THOROUGHFARE PLAN

Tuesday’s vote on a new thoroughfare plan follows a June 7 public planning meeting as well as recent private meetings between planners and individual property owners to discuss potential future road connections.

The plan also envisions other new local connections around town that could be built over the next several decades. The connections would help alleviate traffic on the town’s main east-west routes – Griffith Street and Concord Road/Davidson-Concord Road/N.C. 73 – which currently see more than 20,000 cars per day. That’s expected to grow substantially in the next 25 years.

Construction is not imminent. Public funding for a new road or roads likely wouldn’t be available for 20 to 30 years, Ms. Blackburn has said. But projects could come sooner if paid for by developers.

Last month’s meetings were called in part because Davidson planners want to reconcile different routes shown on various planning maps. And they’re being asked by regional planning authorities – including Mecklenburg Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) – to help update 2004 maps.

Current planning maps, including the 2004 Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) Thoroughfare Plan, have shown a series of proposed roads between the planned I-485 in north Charlotte and the Mecklenburg-Iredell County line. The NC DOT officially recognizes the MUMPO Thoroughfare Plan when determining the route for state-funded road projects.

The town’s 2003 Circulation Plan doesn’t match what’s shown on MUMPO’s maps. The town also must adapt to road planning underway in surrounding towns, including the likely effects of at least one major four-lane road – the northward extension of Prosperity Church Road in Huntersville. That road eventually could deliver thousands of cars a day to the intersection of N.C. 73 and Davidson-Concord Road.

At the June 7 public meeting, then-Town Planner Kris Krider (he is now the town’s new economic development manager) suggested the town might avoid a major new multi-lane road through open land between Davidson-Concord and Grey roads by considering three separate two-lane routes spread out across town – west of N.C. 115, between Davidson-Concord and Grey roads, and connecting Shearers Road to Davidson-Concord Road. Other local connections are also envisioned, to relieve traffic from major routes.

The goal of the town planning staff is to keep town streets and rural roads as two-lane roads, “with appropriate bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.” To achieve that, the staff is recommending revising MUMPO’s Thoroughfare Plan to reclassify all Davidson streets and roads (except I-77 and parts of Griffith Street and NC 73) as “minor thoroughfares.” (The exceptions would remain designated as “major thoroughfares.”) For details, see the staff analysis link below.

The new thoroughfare plan envisions a variety of changes and road connections, some already approved and some still just long-range plans, including:

• Bailey Road in Cornelius would connect to Davidson-Concord Road. This was part of the master plan for the Bailey Springs subvidision.
• The plan would add to the map the proposed Shearers Road extension south to N.C. 73, and a northward extension of Barra Row, off Beaty Street.
• Those streets, along with the existing Shearers Road and June Washam Road, would be classified as “minor thoroughfares,” to keep them as two-lane roads. No specific alignments are being approved.
• The formerly proposed “North Davidson Parkway” would be removed from MUMPO’s map as a proposed 4-lane “major thoroughfare.” That road would have connected Davidson-Concord Road with N.C. 115 north of town. The planning staff analysis proposes the change because of “citizen comment, environmental analysis and projected traffic.”

Download a copy of the planning staff analysis and recommendations to be voted on Tuesday (PDF), CLICK HERE>

See “Map 1″ which the Town Board will vote on Tuesday, CLICK HERE>

See a map of long-range plans for local connections around town, CLICK HERE>

Read our report on the June 7 meeting, “Town’s challenge: Handling cars, keeping its character.”

SOLID WASTE FEES

In the 2010-11 budget adopted last month, the Town Board approved the creation of a new solid waste fee for pickups of trash, recycling and yard waste.

Until now, the town paid those costs out of its general fund. But a tight budget has prompted the town to join surrounding towns in adopting an annual user fee that allows it to recover solid-waste costs directly from users. [The town’s budget woes this year are primarily the result of a need to provide a $2 million subsidy to MI-Connection, the local cable and internet system it owns with Mooresville.]

Those fees will range from $201 for all single-family homes in town to a range of $63 to $125 at multi-family developments. (See box)

The board also will waive the fee for homeowners in affordable housing or who qualify for state property tax exemptions – typically lower-income seniors or residents with disabilities.

HIRING AND APPOINTMENTS

The appointments of a new town clerk and planning manager follow a major Town Hall restructuring announced in May. The equivalent of two full-time positions were eliminated and at least 19 people were laid off. That included many town employees with as many as two decades of service, including the former town clerk, Peggy Smith.

Lillian Smith (no relation to Peggy) has been an assistant in Town Hall and will be appointed clerk at Tuesday’s meeting.

Also Tuesday, the board will transfer the Town Planner’s duties to Ms. Blackburn, who will get the new title of Planning Manager. She takes over from Mr. Krider, who was appointed to a newly created position of Economic Development Manager. There, he will help guide development projects through the planning process and work with Downtown Director Sandy Lemons to help recruit and promote business.

Ms. Blackburn’s department is a smaller one than under Mr. Krider. One town planner position and the department’s GIS technician position have been combined into one part-time position, eliminating one job. Applications for that position closed Friday. Ms. Blackburn will focus on community and long-range planning as well as implementing the town’s proposed Comprehensive Plan.

The town already has hired a variety of other new employees, in town hall and public works. The new public works crew was out in force this past weekend helping with cleanup from Friday night’s storm.

A search is winding up for a new part-time Town Hall receptionist, and Town Manager Leamon Brice says the field is now down to two candidates. A decision is expected this week. The town also is hiring for a new full-time public information officer, to replace the outgoing part-time communications director. Mr. Brice said the town has 15 candidates for the job, who will be completing a written exercise.

The Town Hall restructuring also will bring the departure later this year of Parks & Recreation Director Steve Fraher. He is being replaced with a new parks & recreation manager, a position that has brought widespread interest. Mr. Brice said last week the town has gotten 285 applications so far for that job, which remains open until July 16.

The town also is searching for an accountant.

Here’s the full agenda (you can also find the agenda on the town website.

AGENDA, TOWN OF DAVIDSON BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Town Hall Board Room – 216 South Main Street
July 13, 2010………….6:00 P. M.

CALL TO ORDER

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(a) Employee of the Year (See our June 11, 2010, “Profile: Sandy Kragh, town employee of the year.”)

CITIZEN COMMENT

CHANGES TO AGENDA

PUBLIC HEARINGS (None)

PRESENTATIONS

• Davidson College master plan (David Holthouser)
• Solid Waste Management Plan amendment (Bruce Gledhill)
• Lake Norman Regional Economic Development Corp. update (Jerry Broadway)
• Nucentric on town information technology operations (Jon Alred)

VII. CONSENT AGENDA (items to be voted on without additional discussion at this meeting)

Approve meeting minutes from June 8th , June 15th , and June 21st meetings

Adopt amendment to Solid Waste Management Plan Exhibit VII (b), (b-1), (b-2)

Appoint Lillian Smith as Town Clerk

Adopt Solid Waste Fee Schedule for FY 2010/2011 Exhibit VII (d), (d-1)

Adopt Residential Solid Waste Fee Ordinance Exhibit VII (e), (e-1)

Adopt a resolution assigning Planning Director duties to Planning Manager Exhibit VII (f)

Authorize Town Manager to submit application for the Main Street Energy Grant

Adopt NC Statewide Emergency Management Mutual Aid &Assistance Agreement Exhibit VII (h)

OLD BUSINESS (None)

NEW BUSINESS

(a) Adopt proposed thoroughfare plan, reference Map I

See also the July 9 Planning Staff Analysis of the thoroughfare plan

ADJOURN