By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson residents and elected officials at a public hearing on Tuesday quizzed consultants and offered their opinions about the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project between Mooresville and Charlotte. Some wondered about plans to raise money through special tax districts, and about the business reasons for pitching the project as both a freight and commuter line. Others worried how the system might affect Davidson traffic and affordable housing.

About 50 people including town staff filled the Town Hall board room for the meeting. Speakers came from throughout town, and their questions and comments ranged from deep suspicion to support of the $452 million rail project. Read the full story

To the Editor:

When we moved to Davidson a year ago after a four year exhaustive search of ideal small towns nationwide, we thought the place couldn’t get any better. Well we were wrong. Even during the past year, so many wonderful refinements have taken place. This special little haven just keeps evolving, year after year.

Now, we have another opportunity to make a great place even greater. In my mind, the downtown Davidson rail yard project offers a win-win for all involved: citizens, visitors, seniors, children, teens, merchants and more. In addition to train travelers, cyclists and walkers will benefit, too. (See Real Estate & Home, Dec. 14, 2011, “Meetings seek input on updated rail station area plan.”)

The first place that immediately came to mind when reading about various plans for the property is the fairly new Railyard project in Santa Fe, NM. For those who haven’t been there, I have enclosed a plan and two links describing its make up and the acclaim it has received. And it has done all this while weathering a recession, with much growth still to come.

The best part of the Railyard is its integration of diverse uses: children’s park, picnic areas, amphitheater, restaurants and shops, farmers market, art and wellness facilities, teen centers and more. Given the available, largely undeveloped land available for this same type of project in Davidson, I believe we have an ideal chance to carve out our own community gathering space (supplementing the Green, of course) before other inevitable and perhaps less focused redevelopment takes place someday.

Andrea Nordstrom Caughey, River Run

RELATED LINKS

Dec. 14, 2011, DavidsonNews.net, “Meetings seek public input on updated rail station area plan.”

July 11, 2011, SustainableCitiesCollective.com, “Santa Fe Railyard Redevelopment Creates Rich Urban Experience”

Sept. 19, 2011, “How Art, Culture, and Community Drove Transit Oriented Development in Santa Fe”

Map and tenant list of The Railyard, in Santa Fe, (PDF) via RailyardSantaFe.com

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

When Davidson Commissioners meet Tuesday night to take the oath of office for a new term, it will be the first time since 1995 that Margo Williams isn’t in the picture. As she steps down after eight terms, her unwavering and Texas-accented pleas for thoughtful planning, preserving Davidson’s unique character, and ensuring affordable housing will be absent. Read the full story

It could’ve been me. I easily could’ve been the one behind the wheel when a college professor was struck in downtown Davidson recently.

I watch cautiously for pedestrians and stop for them whenever I see them. But that’s the problem: we don’t always see them. Especially on a dark and rainy night, the kind of night when the beloved father and math professor was struck, while crossing the street in a highly marked crosswalk. He died more than a week later and our community mourns the loss of a respected and valued member, while those of us who are willing to admit it may be thinking, “It could’ve been me who took his life.” Read the full story

Carroll Gray told members of the Lake Norman Transportation Commission Wednesday night he plans to step down as executive director at year’s end. The 71-year-old Cornelius resident helped launch and lead the regional lobbying group over the past three years. He told DavidsonNews.net he has mixed emotions about the decision, “but I think it’s time to move on.” Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

After nine months of workshops and public meetings, Davidson’s Town Board on Tuesday approved new zoning that significantly reduces the number of homes allowed and boosts commercial uses at the 180-acre Davidson East site off N.C. 73. The board also approved a new agreement with Odell Volunteer Fire Department in Cabarrus County to provide fire coverage on the east side of town.

In those and other votes Tuesday, the board: Read the full story

The Davidson Planning Board voted Monday to recommend map and text amendments for the Davidson East site off N.C. 73 to allow a revised mix of retail, residential and office/industrial uses on the property. In a 5-2 vote, the board adopted a map proposed by the main property owner, Community One Bank. The rezoning now goes to the Town Board. Full story on our Real Estate page.

The Davidson Town Board will hold its next “Commissioner Chat” on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Community School of Davidson High School, 404 Armour St. Meanwhile, the proposed rezoning of Davidson East is scheduled to come up again in a public forum, at Monday night’s Davidson Planning Board meeting. Read the full story