Hot topics tonight included: public facilities, the Continuum of MI-Connection, solid waste fee, attention to neighborhoods in the West Side of Davidson, mobility bonds, watershed text amendments, Hyatt Hotel lawsuit, planning department power, Beaty Park, and public input at town hall meetings.
- Regarding the Griffith Street Hotel, Mayor Rusty Knox stated that the only comment he is allowed to provide at this time is that “there is pending litigation and we cannot discuss it right now.”
- Commissioner Matthew Fort explained that police and fire are out of space. The commissioners are searching for solutions that include using an existing building, such as the old IB school/Lake Norman Christian building on South Street, for administrative offices while keeping the current town hall for police and fire.
- Citizens provided additional recommendations for public facilities including: approving one of the six plans presented last week by Assistant Town Manager, Dawn Blobaum, renting space, finding available land, or utilizing drop-in workspace.
- Commissioners Jane Campbell, David Sitton, Matthew Fort and Jim Fuller expressed concerns about spending an entire year’s budget on public facilities. Fuller and Campbell both stressed the importance of allowing the public to weigh in through a public referendum.
- Citizens pointed out that the solid waste fee is used to support MI-Connection/Continuum debt. Two citizens representing the African-American community stated disapproval of this fee. Commissioner Fort posed a solution that involves rolling the fee into taxes so that residents can deduct the fee.
- A representative from the African-American community requested more attention to issues in the West Side neighborhoods.
- Commissioner Sitton explained plans to discuss use of the mobility bonds at the next board meeting.
- Two citizens questioned the proposed watershed text amendments that possibly benefit density and development over single-family homeowners, tree canopy and the environment.
- Commissioner Sitton indicated plans to create a Beaty Park task force.
- A citizen requested that controversial topics be addressed first at Town Hall board meetings.
Quotable Moments
“Why are you making it harder to build single-family by eliminating the existing lot and existing house exclusions, while allowing higher density via density averaging and exclusion of existing built upon area?”
-A citizen questioning the watershed text amendments proposed by the planning department
“That is the thing lurking in the shadows.”
- A citizen illuminating the problems related to MI-Connection/Continuum
“Why you gonna spend all our tax money over there? I hope they come see about us.”
- A citizen asking for town assistance in dealing with West Side neighborhood issues
“We shouldn’t be funding the Housing Coalition.”
-A citizen questioning why Davidson tax-paying residents are funding the Housing Coalition
“I think about it all the time.”
- Commissioner Matthew Fort regarding the MI-Connection/Continuum debt
“This weighs heavy on everyone. It freaks us out too.”
-Mayor Knox on MI-Connection/Continuum debt
“I was just wondering, when is Beaty becoming a park?”
-The only nine year-old boy at the meeting Quote of the Night
“Are we being run by the planners or the board?”
- A South Main Street resident questioning planning decisions that favor density over keeping Davidson a small college town
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