ECA and CMS

Maya Packard writes:

Last night, members of the Elizabeth community gathered to discuss some of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools planning and proposed options to deal with overcrowding at Eastover Elementary. It was a good meeting and we had a productive dialogue.


Here are some key dates that you should be aware of:

• Tonight, Sept. 29, 6:30 -- 8:30 PM, Myers Park High School - CMS-hosted
• Meeting to discuss options (open to public).
• Thursday, Oct. 8, 6:30 -- 8:30 PM, Myers Park High School - CMS-hosted
• Meeting to discuss options (open to public).
• Week of Oct. 12 -- ECA to convene and work on options to submit to the
• Board of Education plus CMS staff.
• Oct. 27 -- CMS staff to present recommendations.
• Nov. 4 -- Election Day.
• Nov. 10 -- Board of Education votes on option(s).

We don't want to overload the entire community with school-related issues, so if Elizabeth's place in CMS is important to you (whether you have children at Eastover or not), and you would like to receive regular email updates, or would like to volunteer or be involved in working towards a Elizabeth community solution, please email Winn Maddrey at winn@topicseducation.com.

Two school zones for Elizabeth?

The Elizabeth Community Association is hosting a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 to discuss  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools options for addressing overcrowding at Eastover Elementary. This meeting will be held in the Fellowship Hall at Hawthorne Lane United Methodist Church, at 501 Hawthorne Ln.

All of the options will be discussed at the meeting. CMS's process is two public forums on Sept. 29 and Oct. 8, with recommendations later presented to the school board and a vote scheduled
for Nov. 10.

Three of the four options split Elizabeth into two school zones along Hawthorne Lane.

Small Area plan meeting tomorrow

The city will hold two meetings tomorrow to discuss the process of the Elizabeth Small Area Plan.  Both meetings are at St. John's Baptist Church (corner of 5th and Hawthorne), the first at 4 p.m., the second at 6 p.m.

Says Alan Goodwin of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department:

The purpose of these identical meetings is to introduce the plan and planning process, solicit Citizen Advisory Group members, and hear stakeholders’ opinions, concerns, and ideas about the study area and plan scope. The same agenda items will be discussed at both meetings.

The Elizabeth Area Plan (EAP) will be a policy document that provides the framework for future growth and development and serves as guidance for elected officials when making land use and zoning decisions. It will provide a vision for what the community wants to be in the future and will identify what public and private investments and strategies should be pursued in order to realize the plan vision.

More specifically, the area plan will:

involve the community through an advisory group process in developing a long-term vision for the physical development of the area;

•     identify and address physical development issues and opportunities;
•     identify future land uses in an overall community-wide context;
•     recommend future transportation and infrastructure improvements;
•     provide community design policies;
•     provide direction on the preservation and/or protection of the natural environment;
•     provide implementation strategies for private and public investment decisions needed to realize the plan vision.
  

The Elizabeth Area Plan will update the 1985 Elizabeth Small Area Plan and the broader adopted land use plan now in place for the area (1993 Central District Plan). It will also build upon some of the concepts presented in the Seventh Street Developer Response (May 2008).
 
For more information regarding the Elizabeth Area Plan, please contact:
Alan Goodwin
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department
600 East Fourth Street (8th Floor)
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
704-432-3418

ALSO

If you have a minute, please fill out this survey regarding the Elizabeth Small Area Plan before tomorrow's meetings.  It's 10 questions about our neighborhood, and it will take you about 5-10 minutes to complete.

Craft attack at park

Hi Elizabeth,

My name is Vickie Cockrum & I live on Clement Avenue in Elizabeth.  I am trying to get the word out to Elizabeth residents about an Indy Craft Show, CraftAttack 2009 that will be held in Elizabeth Park on October 10th from 10-5.  There will be 50 Indy vendors selling all Handmade merchandise (mostly vendors from the Charlotte area that sell on Etsy.com).  This is a juried show, so everything is quality!

Here is the website:

http://craftattacknc.com/