The Davidson Planning Department Has Big Plans

BY MELISSA ATHERTON

The Planning Department email update sent on Friday makes one thing very clear: they have been planning...a lot. They are introducing a Planning Department “eCrier”, creating a draft mobility map, revising the watershed ordinance text amendments, working on development projects and preparing for the Davidson Springs Public Input Session. Davidson residents should be paying very close attention to the Planning Department website. The long list of development projects include: Alexander’s Corner, Davidson Bay, Davidson Commons East Hotel, Davidson East, Davidson Elementary Expansion, Davidson Hall, Davidson Springs, Davidson Wood, Green Level, Lake Cornelius Residential, Potts Development, Summers Walk, Public Facilities, Summit at River Run, The Villages of South Main, Washam Neighborhood and WestBranch. According to the Planning Department email, additional topics include: “Revision of development processes; historic preservation; managing residential growth; the scale of future development; and, enhancing downtown.”

See the consolidated draft map HERE.

The Planning Department created the “draft” mobility map on February 7th, the day before the “Community Conversation” kicked off the Mobility Plan. The draft plan is a compilation of “Existing Conditions + Proposed Conditions.” The map includes all modes of transportation including roads, sidewalks, bike paths and mass transit.

Discerning between existing, funded and proposed plans and corridor projects is challenging: there are light green dotted lines, dark green dotted lines, solid dark green lines, and solid lime green lines. Proposals feature a “shared path” (Big Fat Sidewalk) the entire length of Potts Street, along South Main Street, and Twin Oaks Road. A homeowner on South Main may potentially lose 700 feet of property to eminent domain.

Residents of South Potts Street have been politically active regarding the proposed Ten-Foot Multi-Use Path that would require using eminent domain to take portions of their yards. The residents argue that the Big Fat Sidewalk was never part of any past town plan, including the 2013 Walks & Rolls Plan. They have spoken at town hall and met with town planners, elected officials and Public Works Director Doug Wright. A public records request validates neighborhood concerns.  On an email between senior Town staff and the design firm working on the Potts Sloan Beaty Connector project, Public Works Director Doug Wright says he is "not aware of a town plan that shows a 10-ft MUP on Potts from Catawba  Ave to the Cornelius line." (MUP stands for Multi  Use Path aka Big Fat Sidewalk.)

The draft map features a proposed “Red Line Trail” even though there is no Red Line. The Metropolitan Transit Commission will consider terminating further Red Line work this Wednesday. Potential new streets are proposed connecting Ridge Road to Thompson Street, Potts Street to Catawba Avenue, Vernon Drive to Walnut Street and Zion Street (Cornelius), Market Street in Antiquity (Cornelius) to Wyatt’s Way, and the north side of the forthcoming West Branch neighborhood to Concord Road.

The Planning Department also has major changes to the Town's watershed ordinance.  You can see those details HERE.

Changes to the watershed text amendments include removing the built-upon area exemption for lots and homes owned prior to 1993. Apparently, the planners forgot to check if the exemption and “tenure” for pre-1993 homeowners was actually legal (it is not). This means that the 1911 Mill Home homeowner previously featured (see Wag the Dog and Grab the Land blog) will no longer be able to demolish and rebuild. According to the new text amendment, she cannot even rebuild the EXACT SAME FOOTPRINT! Ironically, the text amendments allow her to add another 24% impervious expansion to her current home, creating a larger footprint than if she just rebuilt the current footprint. Again, West Side homeowners should be asking, “Is this really about drinking water?”

The West Side should be paying very close attention to the watershed text amendments. Existing homes on Westside Terrace, Lakeside Avenue, Potts Street, Catawba Avenue, Julia Circle, Watson Street, etc. have impervious footprints larger than 24%. This means homeowners and investors are in the exact same boat as the Mill Home homeowner on Delburg. The unintended consequence is that the homeowners will have very few options as their homes age, their homes will lose value, and then a developer can purchase contiguous lots and build high-density multi-family and “Missing Middle” with the 50% impervious option.

Be warned: planners will say the text amendments are good for “Affordable Housing.” New apartments and “Missing Middle” will not be affordable simply because they are high-density. Davidson does not require apartments to have affordable units. The text amendments encourage the replacement of our Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) with very expensive rentals.

Be extra warned: planners will say the text amendments are good for “Historic Preservation.” Many West Side homes are owned by investors from Huntersville, Charlotte and other states. How many of them truly care if the home is preserved versus tearing down for high-density? They will profit much more from demolishing and building apartments than from painstakingly preserving the homes. The text amendments serve investors and developers rather than historic preservation and affordable housing. The text amendments could potentially threaten Davidson Housing Coalition, whose mission is “to work with the larger community to preserve and create affordable housing options and to prepare families and individuals for financial stability and homeownership” (davidsonhousing.org).

Hopefully, Davidson residents will not be too distracted by the text amendments and Mobility Plan and forget to attend the Davidson Springs Public Input Session on Monday, April 9th, from 5-7 pm at Town Hall. The project includes plans for seven homes and eight townhouses. James Alexander Way will be extended (no longer a cul de sac). The developer plans to make a payment in lieu of Affordable Housing (https://www.ci.davidson.nc.us/1140/Davidson-Springs).

Important Planning-Related Dates:
● Monday, March 26th, 6:00 pm, Planning Board discusses Mobility Plan and Text Amendments
● Tuesday, March 27th, 6:00 pm, Beaty Park Public Comment
 ● Tuesday, April 10th, 6:00 pm, Text Amendment Public Hearing
 ● Tuesday, May 8th, 6:00 pm, Board Vote on Text Amendments (tentative)

Million-Dollar Question of the Week:

If residents lose yards (front or back) due to eminent domain and Big Fat Sidewalks, will the impervious footprint of the sidewalk count in their own personal footprint?