Davidson’s Town Board will vote Tuesday night whether to remove a construction gate on June Washam Road, limiting access to the River Run Phase 5 development. The Board also will hear a presentation on economic development from expert Joe Minicozzi and get an update on the area’s victim advocate program, which helps domestic abuse victims.  Meanwhile, Mr. Minicozzi also will give a lunch presentation at Town Hall Tuesday.

The meeting begins at 6pm at Town Hall, 216 S. Main St. The full agenda is on the town website.

Highlights of Tuesday’s agenda:

• Town officials will acknowledge a $25,000 grant from the Lowe’s Companies Inc. Charitable and Educational Foundation for Roosevelt Wilson Park. The grant will help pay for a new pedestrian bridge at Roosevelt Wilson Park.
• Joe Minicozzi will give an update and lead a discussion on economic development. Mr. Minicozzi is principal with consulting firm Urban3 LLC (U3), and speaks and writes often about New Urbanism.
• Amy Putnam and Kathryn Sellers of Safe Alliance (formerly United Family Services) will give an update on the area’s Victim Advocate Program.
• The board will make several appointments, including Bob Lauer as chair of the Design Review Board for 2013, and John Chesser as chair of the Planning Board for 2013.
• Commissioners will consider adoption of a resolution requiring the removal of the gates on June Washam Road, leading to the River Run Phase 5 development and Shearers Road. The gate originally was put up to block road construction traffic from using June Washam Road to reach the project site. But with that work largely finished, the town now wants the gate opened. Town officials say in a resolution up for a vote that keeping the gate closed will prevent access by police, fire and other emergency vehicles, including Odell Volunteer Fire Department, which assists Davidson with fire service on the east side of town. The town also says it wants to stick with its principle of “maximizing connectivity.”

See the full agenda on the town website.

PRESENTATIONS ON ECONOMICS OF LAND USE

The Town of Davidson invites residents to attend a presentation on “The Economics of Land Use” on Tuesday, Jan. 8, led by planning expert Joseph Minicozzi. Two sessions are offered; one at noon, including lunch, and one at 6 pm, during the town board meeting. Both are at Town Hall, 216 S. Main St.

This presentation is part of a series offered by the town’s Community & Economic Development Department. This speaker series seeks to engage Davidson’s citizenry in a conversation about our town’s growth and development, as recommended in the town’s Economic Development Strategic Plan (available on the website at www.townofdavidson.org/EDSP.) In keeping with the town’s core values that Davidson’s traditional character is that of a small town, our land planning reflects historic patterns of village-centered growth. Joe Minicozzi will present his philosophy of strategic land use planning, and we encourage all citizens to learn more about planning as it relates to economic development, and participate in the conversation. Joe Minicozzi. AICP, is the principal of Urban3, LLC (U3), a consulting company of downtown real estate developer Public Interest Projects. Prior to creating U3, he served as the Executive Director for the Asheville Downtown Association. Before moving to Asheville, he was the primary administrator of the Form Based Code for downtown West Palm Beach, FL.

Mr. Minicozzi’s cross-training in city planning in the public and private sectors, as well as private sector experience in real estate finance, has allowed him to develop award-winning analytic tools that have garnered national attention in Planetizen (a public-interest information exchange for the urban planning and development community), The Wall Street Journal, Planning Magazine, The New Urban News, National Association of Realtors, Atlantic Cities, and the Center for Clean Air Policy’s Growing Wealthier report. Joe is a sough- after lecturer on city planning issues. His work has been featured at the Congress for New Urbanism, the American Planning Association, the International Association of Assessing Officers, and New Partners for SmartGrowth conferences, as a paradigm shift for thinking about development patterns.

Joe is a founding member of the Asheville Design Center, a non-profit community design center dedicated to creating livable communities across all of Western North Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from University of Miami and Masters in Architecture and Urban Design from Harvard University.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our town board, town staff, appointed members of our boards and commissions, and citizens to learn more about this type of smart growth concept,” said Kim Fleming, Community and Economic Development Manager.

Please RSVP to Kim Fleming (kfleming@townofdavidson.org) for the noon session only.

For more information, please contact Kim Fleming at kfleming@townofdavidson.org or 704-940-9622.