Great new ECA site

If you haven't yet, check out the snazzy new Elizabeth Community Association website. Very nice.

Our own farmers market

Hope you had a chance to stop by the inaugural Elizabeth Avenue Farmers Market Saturday. There was fresh fish, eggs, honey and bread as well as fruits and veggies in the parking lot next to 1900 Mexican Grill (not, as the wonderful new ECA website says, in front of Customshop). Traffic was light when I got there around 9 a.m., but the vendors were hopeful. The baguette from Chef Charles Catering was sublime. The market is scheduled to be there on Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon.

Pre-show

Just before the fireworks July 4, the setting sun put on its own brilliant show. Late afternoon rain kept thousands of people from the Independence Park area for the fireworks -- I've never seen a lighter attendance. I thought it was one of the best shows I've seen, with several new boom-booms.

In memory of Eileen

If you've ever paused for a cool drink of water at the corner of East Bay and Clement, or held the button for your dog to drink from the lower tray, consider making a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Charlotte, Chantilly Montessori School Outdoor Learning Initiative or to the 
Levine Dickson Hospice House in memory of Eileen Montgomery.

ECA social

The ECA writes:

Mark your calendars!
Come out and meet your neighbors old and new at this ECA Social
Where: Studio K Gallery, 2024 E. 7th St. (next to the Friendly Mart).
When: Friday, June 17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Food and beverages will be served.

Wascally wabbits

Daybreak seems to be the best time to catch a glimpse of the family of rabbits we have in upper Independence Park. The rabbits are another good reason to keep your dog on a leash in the park.

Clean up the park

Kristan Magas writes:

Elizabeth has officially adopted Independence Park. Severe budget cuts have limited Parks and Recreation staff and the maintenance of our park, so we would like to help them with two ongoing projects:
1. Walk through the park each Saturday afternoon to pick up trash.
2. Help with maintenance or landscaping projects on the second Saturday of each month. 
The park staff is very happy to have as much help as possible. Picking up the small pieces of trash in the park allows the staff to attend to heavier maintenance issues. This is a large undertaking for our neighborhood but we can do it with help from all. This could be a great community service project for groups or kids!

To volunteer, email Kristan: kdm2201 @ gmail.com.

Art breaks out on Elizabeth Avenue

Suddenly, in the vast, cavernous space of upper Elizabeth Avenue there is art outdoors -- thanks to Red Sky Gallery. The new location at 1523 Elizabeth Ave. opened March 25. There is another Red Sky Gallery downtown in the EpiCenter. Welcome Red Sky. I hope your presence helps reinvigorate the area. 

Get your motor running

Progressive Dinner gets its Greek on

The Progressive Dinner Committee writes:

We are so excited in anticipation of Elizabeth's favored neighborhood event: the Annual Progressive Dinner!

On Saturday, April 30, we will celebrate in Greek style!

This is a great opportunity to meet your new neighbors and spend time with your dear friends.  Join us for fabulous food, fun, and laughter!

Please RSVP by April 20th to elizabethdinner AT yahoo.com. Include your name, guest's name, address, and phone number.

We will send more details closer to the event, including times & locations.  Thanks in advance to Elaine Scott and Jerry Tylman for hosting appetizers and to Jessica and Monte Ritchey for hosting desserts.

We are seeking a few more host houses to seat 8-12 people for the dinner portion.  Please consider hosting this year -- it is so easy!  Your guests bring all the food, and you just provide beverages and bread.

Looking forward to seeing you there!  Yassou!

Chip and Lauren Jetton, Chairs
Lydia Arnold
Beth Haenni
Cheryl Smith
Diana Watson
Amy Williams

Put your home on the tour

Diana Watson writes:

Home Tour 2011 will once again share our neighborhood beauty with the greater Charlotte community next October (exact weekend depends on forthcoming Panthers schedule).   The home tour is one of the largest fundraisers for the Elizabeth Community Association and also a great way to visit with all your neighbors. We currently have four solid commitments on homes and three thinking. If you would like us to consider your home or garden for the tour or if you have any recommendations, I would love to hear from you. 

There are other ways to participate as well; we always need volunteers to staff the houses/gardens and always welcome any sponsorships. We have a great mix of homes now on Greenway, Vail, 5th and 9th; we could use some homes or gardens on the east side of 7th.

Diana Watson
Home Committee Chair
diana.watson3 AT gmail.com

A Forum on the Future of Our Children

From the Elizabeth Communities of Faith:

Charlotte and North Carolina face unprecedented and inevitably painful decisions in the coming months that will shape the future for millions of children. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board must cut education funding 5% to 15%, or about $100 million. The budget reductions will return the CMS budget to 2001-2003 levels. Children at every level of education will be affected, including those in vitally important pre-kindergarten programs.

What trade-offs are involved in these high-impact choices?

What factors should the school board consider in making these difficult decisions?

How can parents and students have their voices heard at the local and state levels?

These and other questions will be discussed at a community event on Sunday, April 3, at 7 p.m. at Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church. The event will have two parts. An information forum, featuring:

·      N.C. Sen. Dan Clodfelter (D), an Elizabeth resident and veteran state legislator
·      Bill Anderson, Ed. D, Executive Director, Meck Ed
·      Liz Clasen-Kelly, Director of Strategy and Planning, The Larry King Center, Council for Children’s Rights
·      Barbara Cantisano, Executive Director, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool.

Those interested are invited to remain after the forum to discuss options for advocacy.

An Elizabeth Communities of Faith Forum
Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church
1609 East 5th Street in the Sanctuary

Happy late Christmas

ECA: neighborhood business promotions

Terry Lett writes:

As some of you are aware, there is an email list specifically for the promotion of our Elizabeth businesses; the existing list has been transferred to Google Groups.  Neighborhood businesses may post one neighborhood-specific special or offer for residents each month.  To sign up for this email list, click on the "Visit this group" link below, then click "Apply for Membership." 

LizBiz Promo

Visit this group

Businesses wishing to post an offer may send an email to Terry Lett at terryp.lett@gmail.com.

Party time!

A few reminders for the annual Elizabeth Holiday Party tomorrow night:

• Please bring comfy socks or slippers, as we will all remove our shoes while inside this beautiful, new home.
• Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share.  Don't forget your serving utensil.  Disposable dishes are easiest, if possible.
• As always, we thank the ECA for providing the ham and beverages.
• You can still RSVP by emailing:  elizabethparty@gmail.com.

Life on Elizabeth

Welcome to the 'hood, Paul Mitchell The School. Here's hoping you sign up lots of students and can make a solid business at 1516 Elizabeth Avenue. Your contractors did a nice job renovating that old building, but let's face it, the newness sticks out in contrast to what's around it: Next to nothing. Whatever the reason, much of Elizabeth Avenue between CPCC and Presbyterian Hospital has become a desolate embarrassment. Yes, we can still give thanks for Carpe Diem, Customshop, the Visualite and a few others. But really. Does anyone think the empty buildings and gravel lots are better than what was there before?

Notice the buses?

In case you're wondering what all the tour buses are doing around Presbyterian Hosptial, they're driving hospital employees to and from the Blake Hotel downtown where the employees are parking their cars. Seems the employee parking deck at Caswell and 5th may have some structural issues, and until they can be identified and corrected, no parking at the deck. The buses are running every 10 minutes or so all day long.

Dig deeper

Thoughtful look at the CMS situation from Elizabethan John Cleghorn, pastor of Elizabeth's Caldwell Presbyterian Church. The full sermon is available if you'd like to read more (PDF).

Holiday cheer

Here are the details for the Elizabeth Holiday Party. As Maya Packard notes, this is an adult party, so reserve your baby sitter early.

RSVP to: elizabethparty@gmail.com
Saturday, December 11
Drop-in from 7-11 pm
2125 Greenway Avenue
At the home of Kim and Harris Lineberger
ECA will provide drinks and ham.
Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share.

Sincerest form of flattery?

Belated welcome to a pair of Under the Water Towers, one for Lovilla, Iowa, and one -- well I'm not sure exactly where to place it. Somewhere not too far from Philadelphia, I believe. Anyway, welcome.

Kennedy's was hopping

The grand opening last night at Kennedy's Premium Bar and Grill, the new entry in the fight to stay alive as a business at 366 N. Caswell Rd., was festive, at least for the short time we were there. Patsy Kinsey was among the honored guests, although I couldn't be sure if she was politiking or just checking out the noise level. It certainly was loud, kind of midnight loud at 6 p.m., but I guess that's just me getting old.

The menu featured a very nice selection of draft beers, which is always welcome. Nobody should ever make lasting decisions on a place based on opening night, but I'll offer my thoughts anyway. We had shepherds pie, fried goat cheese salad and fish and chips at our table in a kind of good news, bad news affair. The bad news was the fish and chips: They've got a long way to go to be only as good as the fish and chips at Whiskey Warehouse. The good news: The salad was quite yummy (yes, even thought it came to the table sans dressing). Better than that was the shepherds pie, which could have made the ranks of Best Ever if someone in the kitchen held a firmer hand over the saline drip -- there was enough salt in our serving to pay a Roman army.

Overall it was certainly worth another trip, and I hope the new place can stick around longer than previous tenants. One Kennedy's guest last night suggested an excellent Elizabeth trivia question: Name all the restaurants that have graced that building in the last few years. Anyone?

VisArt in jeopardy?

I guess at some point people will have been shopping online for so long that they won't miss the tactile benefits of walking into a well-managed store. They won't miss what an engaged employee can offer. They won't feel the serendipitous buzz of walking out with something sharper than what they came in for. No, the online-only shopper won't miss a place like VisArt Video, but that's his problem. Because right now, VisArt still rocks. (Netflix just lies there.) But how much longer will we be fed by the area's only independent video store? The parent company wants out. Can the employees save the store? VisArt feels so right in Elizabeth. Let's hope so.

Christmas? Really?

Had lunch at Camille's (mostly because I needed wi-fi and had just recently eaten at Sub Station II.) And what to my wonderous ears should appear? Christmas music. Yes, really. Sorry, Camille. Nov. 4 is just too early.

Elizabeth holiday party

Maya Packard writes:

Save the date: Saturday, Dec. 11, for the Elizabeth holiday party, 7-11 p.m. at the home of Kim and Harris Lineberger, 2125 Greenway Ave. More details to follow. 

Rev. Clodfelter in the house!

The highlight of the ECA Annual Dinner was an impassioned "sermon" by Elizabeth's own Rep. Dan Clodfelter on the importance of the Elizabeth Area Plan. I wish I had recorded it! The message was clear: If you think the details of the Area Plan are unimportant or if you think the details can be easily worked out -- or if you think the quality of our neighborhood is not in jeopardy -- you are mistaken.  If and when an Elizabeth Area Plan is approved, it will have a profound affect on just about every parcel in the 'hood. We can't afford to settle for anything less than the best. Brother Dan was inspiring.

In other business, Monte Ritchey was elected ECA president and Beth Haenni was elected vice-president. Oh, and the food was pretty good too.

Josephine Hicks writes:

Dear Elizabeth Neighbors,

I want to invite you to a special new fundraiser called Spell the End to Cancer.  Please save the evening of Sat., Nov. 6 to join us for an evening of Scrabble, other word games, good company and good food to benefit Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C). This event was conceived when we lost our neighbor and friend Ann Brewster Jones to pancreatic cancer this February, and a group of us decided to take action – to honor her memory, and to make a real contribution to groundbreaking research that will help end this terrible disease as quickly as possible.

SU2C supports a new model for funding research into all types of cancer. Their unique funding model encourages innovation by funding multi-institutional, collaborative groups of scientists working together instead of in competition.

We’ll have both social and competitive Scrabble, other games, and prizes – some for winning a game, and some as part of a door prize drawing. The cost is $25 per person, which will go directly to Stand Up to Cancer. Donate now directly to our team or pay at the door.

Please respond to spelltheendofcancer@gmail.com to let us know if you plan to attend. In your e-mail, let us know how many are in your party, and whether you plan to play competitive Scrabble, social Scrabble, other games or just hang out. You are welcome to adjust your plans once you arrive.

What's wrong with this picture?

 

Find out tomorrow when Andy Misiaveg gives an update on the Elizabeth Area Plan at the ECA Annual Dinner at 6:30 p.m. in Broach Hall at St. John’s Baptist Church.

Meet and eat

Maya Packard (she sure is busy!) writes:

Please plan to join your neighbors for the annual meeting of the Elizabeth Community Association Oct 25 at 6:30 p.m. at St. John's Baptist Church. Please bring something to share for the Potluck Dinner.

• Learn what's been going on in the neighborhood
• Meet local politicians
• Hear from our neighborhood's police officers
• Get involved with upcoming projects
  Join the ECA
• Vote for ECA leadership positions (If you'd like to be on the ballot, or to find out what openings are available, please contact current president Matt Nurkin at mnurkin@gmail.com.)

Nab those worms

Maya Packard writes:

Thanks to the Elizabeth Community Association, tree banding kits are available to ECA residents at a fraction of what they would cost at a hardware store. The cost for supplies through the ECA is $1 per foot. The price includes roofing paper, batting, Tanglefoot and wrapping supplies. This year, The ECA tree banding materials will be sold on Oct. 30 at 2217 E. 5th St. Cash and checks will be accepted. Please make checks out to the ECA.

If you cannot pick up your supplies on this date or if you miss the deadline, email  trees4elizabeth@Gmail.com.

To find out more about the cankerworm and to get detailed instructions on how to properly band a tree please visit: http://www.elizabethcommunity.com/cankerworm.htm or email trees4elizabeth@gmail.com.

Big donation to Freedom School Partners

If you see Mary Nell McPherson walking her dog in the 'hood, check to see if she has an extra bounce in her step. Her group, Freedom School Partners, is getting a well-deserved $200,000 donation from Bank of America. According to the Charlotte Observer:

Freedom School Partners said the bank foundation's money represents one of the largest gifts it has received. The organization was launched in 2004 as a summer literacy program for children in the area of the now-demolished Piedmont Courts public housing complex. This summer, it grew to 10 sites and helped 600 at-risk children, officials said.
Its plan next summer is to serve 1,000 children at up to 16 sites, and the bank donation will help by strengthening the organization's ability to grow, McPherson said.

 We've got lots of good eggs in Elizabeth. Mary Nell is among the goodest. You can donate to Freedom School Partners too.

Wall o' pumpkin

Yes, it shall rise again. The Woodpeckers will begin construction on the Elizabeth Pumpkin Wall soon. How soon? I don't know. Stop by Starbucks some Saturday morning and they'll be there and you can ask them yourself. What I do know is that carving starts Oct. 24 at the corner of Clement Avenue and East 8th Street. The lighting ceremony will be Oct. 29 at dusk. Sharpen your knives and your wit and come on down. 

All that junk in that trunk

Brendan Walsh writes:

St. Martin's Episcopal Preschool is having a Junk in the Trunk sale Oct. 2 in the church parking lot from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Start saving those items  you want to sell that day, all out of the back of your car or truck (or small table). We are selling parking spots for $20. If you would like to use the whole parking spot to sell your items and park across the street, you are welcome to do so. Have items you want to get rid of but don't want to stick around and sell them? Think about donating them. All proceeds will go to the preschool. Call Stacy Dugan at St. Martin's to reserve a spot: 704-376-8441.

Incident in grocery store parking log

The Crime Dudette writes:

On Sunday evening an incident occurred at our local Harris-Teeter at Central and The Plaza. One of our neighbors went into the store. One of the locks on the car was broken, so she was unable to fully lock her car.  When she came back and got in, she was surprised by a man in the back -- with a gun. The assailant made her drive to the bank to withdraw money, and THANKFULLY, let her go unharmed. His image has been captured on the HT video cameras.

These are photos of the suspect CMPD is looking for in the Harris Teeter incident. They are also looking for this vehicle: 1998 Black Jeep Cherokee displaying NC Tag YRY-7138 

Volunteers needed for Home Tour

Maya Packard writes:

We are 10 days from the Elizabeth Home Tour (Oct. 2-3) and need about 20 more volunteers to help staff the great homes and gardens on this year's tour. Volunteering is easy. You're in a beautiful home (or garden) for two hours (four hours if you'd like a free ticket to see all the great homes) to greet neighbors and tour-goers. It's a great way to see or meet neighbors and make new friends. If you have volunteered, a big thank you! This is a huge fundraiser for our neighborhood so we need a lot of volunteers. To volunteer, simply contact tammyh@carolina.rr.com.

 Also:

We had a major computer malfunction and unfortunately two of the home tour spreadsheets with volunteer information were lost for good. If you volunteered for the Garden Trio (E 5th Street) and/or the McThenia/Adams home (2220 E 8th St), please contact tammyh@carolina.rr.com with your scheduled time and day. Sorry for the inconvenience--but the computer crashed, we've tried to reconstruct as much as possible but need your help!

Home tour 2010

Maya Packard writes: 

The Elizabeth Home Tour is right around the corner (Oct. 2-3). This is one of our neighborhood's largest fundraisers and truly is successful because of the great homes and gardens featured, and because of the countless volunteers who make things run smoothly over the weekend. If you would like to work a shift, please let me know what shift(s), what day(s), home and cell phone numbers, when you sign up to volunteer. We are also looking for one more House Captain. The house captain works with the homeowners leading up to the tour and helps to secure volunteers. 
The choices for volunteering are:

• 2220 E. 8th St. 
• 708 Clement Ave.
• 2404 Kenmore Ave.
• 400 Kenmore Ave.
• 2201 E. 5th St.
• 1600 E. 8th St.
• Garden Trio: 2113, 2109, 2105 E. 5th St. (we need the most volunteers at this site!)

Shifts are: Saturday, 11-1; 1-3; 3-5;
Sunday, 1-3 and 3-5.

As you know, if you volunteer for 2 shifts (4 hours), you will get one free home tour ticket. If you know your preference now, please let me know and I'll add you. Contact Tammyh@carolina.rr.com. Thanks again for volunteering!

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/

Home tour

Comment on 7th Street development

Beth Haenni writes:

You may comment on the proposed Winter 7th Street development by emailing your comments to:  winteron7th@gmail.com

The proposed Winter Properties plan and a map are available for viewing on the homepage of www.elizabethcommunity.com. Due to subsequent city-related deadlines, the deadline for Elizabeth neighborhood comments to this email address is:  this Wednesday, September 2. The gmail address will be monitored by ECA representatives, who will compile the comments, render them anonymous, and submit them to the developer along with summarized comments from the public meeting held on August 27.

Quiet fall at Memorial

I've occasionally been miffed at the noise coming from Memorial Stadium -- sometimes it sounds like it's right next door, especially during an otherwise quiet Friday night. And more than one big high school game at Memorial has caused parking problems on my street. But I still think it's a shame that there'll be no football this fall at Memorial Stadium. I will miss it.

Thank you Gary Dunn

No, I haven't used them yet. I've thought about it and even talked about it. But my inability to get over to Independence Park and play on the ping-pong tables that Gary Dunn donated  doesn't mean I don't think it's a really cool thing he did. Thanks Gary.

Charlotte: an extreme deviation from the mean?

Our fair city -- I had no idea:  “Charlotte's an outlier" -- this from no less an expert than Elizabeth's own Dan Clodfelter, a Democratic state Senator. On occasion I've felt like an outlier in Charlotte, but the city is so plain it's hard to see it outside the norm. What could this mean?

The Queen City: a person who lives away from his place of work?  An extreme deviation from the mean? A portion of stratified rock separated from a main formation by erosion?

Me,  I wanted to think of Dan's comment as a reference to Malcolm Gladwell's book of the same name because I wanted to think the city is full of  "exceptional people, especially those who are smart, rich, and successful, and those who operate at the extreme outer edge of what is statistically possible." Certainly we have our share of smart and rich people, but that doesn't explain Dan's comment.

Unless you recall the Great State of Mecklenburg. You know, the theory that there's Charlotte and there's the rest of North Carolina. Charlotte goes its own way and doesn't care about other areas of the state. And other areas of the state don't care about it. Reckon that's the definition of an outlier.

Running time

The 23rd annual Elizabeth 8K Road Race is Saturday. The proceeds benefit the beautification of our neighborhood. The 8K starts at 8 a.m., the 3K at 8:05. As always, there there will be festivities after the race at Independence Park. Sign up online by Friday, March 27.

Dang it's good

You wonder about what's happening to the businesses on Elizabeth Avenue while the street is all torn up. You have questions about why that lovely old house on 7th Street at Louise is gone -- just like that. You can't remember when the Elizabeth road race is -- or the Elizabeth recycling event or the Elizabeth Easter egg hunt.

You are in bad need of the Elizabeth Spring 2009 newsletter. It's got all this and more -- stuff you can't get elsewhere (least of all here at UTWT, which has obviously dropped the ball on coverage the last few months). Also, there's a coupon for $3 off a large pizza at my favorite Elizabeth pizza joint. I'd link to the newsletter, but I can't find it on the Elizabeth Community site .

Such a snow

Peaking in 28204

The Observer reports that for homes in ZIP code 28204, last year brought the highest average sales price of the last six years. If you take a look at the interactive map, you'll notice that 2008 also saw the fewest number of homes sold in the ZIP: 98, or about 10 fewer than the average sold each of the last six years. Having fewer homes sold in a year could affect the average price, but it's difficult to say which way.

So at least up until 2008, home prices were still rising in Elizabeth. Is that still the case? Too early to tell, I guess. Homes seem to linger on the market longer than they used to, but that's just based on my limited observation. I've always maintained that as long as downtown Charlotte remains a viable office park, property values in Elizabeth and other close-in neighborhoods should do well. Can downtown Charlotte prosper with two banking behemoths reeling?

'Lizbeth legs

Register now for the 23rd annual Elizabeth 8K, or if you prefer the slower pace of the 3K, go for that. As always, the proceeds benefit the beautification of our fab hood. 

Watch your mailbox

Crime Dudette writes:

A 5th Street resident placed two envelopes with bill payment in her mailbox last week. One was a utility bill, the other was a tax bill. On Saturday she received a phone call from a woman residing on Perrin Place who told her she had found a bunch of opened mail near her house. The Perrin Place resident retrieved the mail and saw our Elizabeth neighbor’s return address on one of the envelopes. Having the presence of mind to check the phone book, this woman contacted the Elizabeth resident, who then reported the incident to the police. She also contacted her bank.

Apparently the thieves who stole her mail were able to obtain her checking account information from her check, and they proceeded to order electronic funds transfers to be made. One such transfer was made to a local WalMart in excess of $500. The crime committed here was quite sophisticated and far more serious than a misdemeanor. Our neighbor wants residents to be advised this type of crime is occurring in Elizabeth. 

Dudette's report also said this happened to two other Elizabethans. CD says: "While outgoing mail hasn’t been confirmed to be the culprit of all the above, we know it’s happening. Either hand your mail personally to our mail carriers or take it yourself to the post office."

Renew renew renew renew renew

The lovely and talented Maya Packard reminds us that the start of the new year (ok, I'm a month behind) is time to renew your ECA membership:

This year, the ECA needs your involvement more than ever, especially during these tough economic times. Our theme this year is LIZ GOES GREEN! Not only are we intent on preserving our tree canopy, but we are also keen on supporting our neighborhood’s many unique restaurants and businesses -- all within walking distance!

It's only $20 per household. It's worth it for the Progressive Dinner and the Christmas party alone.

Do the doggie do

Crime Dudette writes:

The neighbors have noticed, as have I, that the 'hood appears to be more lax than previously with picking up dog droppings. PLEASE make sure that when you walk your dog, you pick up what they leave behind! It’s becoming quite an issue – when one dog leaves a present, all the other dogs leave a present in the same place. We know how competitive the little ones can be about territory!

I would like to add a big shout out to the folks who do bag the poo. Thank you for taking responsibility for fido.

LizBizPromos

Maya Packard writes:

The ECA has created an email mailing list to help encourage support of our neighborhood businesses.  Sign up for LizBizPromos today, and you will begin receiving occasional emails from Elizabeth restaurants and other businesses offering special promotional deals to Elizabeth residents.  To subscribe to this list, send an email to majordomo@elizabethcommunity.com with "subscribe lizbizpromos" in the body of the email.  If you have trouble subscribing, send an email to owner-lizbizpromos@elizabethcommunity.com and ask to be added to the list.

Farewell Design Center

Whether it was the right concept at the wrong time or simply the wrong concept to begin with, the Home Depot Design Center underneath Target at midtown is shutting down. Home Depot spent a lot of money over the years to train me on what a Home Depot store is. I'm just stupid enough that if you tag "Design Center" on the end of it, I still kind of expect a hardware store inside. That's not what I found. What I found I liked, but it wasn't a Home Depot.

At least I figured out a positive aspect of the choice developers made to emphasize parking over retail at the Home Depot/Target site: Now that the Design Center concept is dead, we're not stuck with a massive empty big box store at that corner. Because the store is so well hidden, it's vacancy will be hard to notice.

Goodwill drive

Maya Packard writes:

Dear Neighbors,
Clean out those closets! The Elizabeth Goodwill Drive is coming! As a 5th Street neighbor says, "It's the time of year to pass along some  of our past blessings to get ready for new ones this holiday season."

When: Saturday, December 6, 9-12 noon
Where: Goodwill truck stationed at 2125 Greenway Ave. (empty lot)
What: furniture, clothes, baby items, home goods, small appliances  in working order, books, etc.
Who: We welcome any Elizabeth neighbors, friends and families
Why: Goodwill needs our donations more than ever.
What else: Goodwill attendants will be on site with receipts.
Hungry?  Morning snacks and coffee for all donors!
Questions?  beth.haenni@gmail.com
Let's fill up the truck!

BB makes the All Star list

I was remiss by not drawing attention to longtime Elizabethan Byron Baldwin when he was featured as one of the All-Stars of the Arts in the Observer. If you see him, congratulate him on recently becoming a grandfather.

Janet on the economy

There's Elizabeth's own Janet Woodson on the Observer's Business page, featured in a story about how companies are cutting back on parties. Woodson's business, La-tea-da's, is -- like most businesses -- being hit by the economic downturn. "Woodson has been in the business 12 years and has never seen scaling back on this level, she said."

Centers, corridors and wedges

Dana Inge writes:

There’s an "emergency" ECA meeting next week. Note from our ECA president Melanie Sizemore: We will have a community-wide meeting Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Hawthorne Lane United Methodist Church to discuss a very important planning document which is being proposed by the planning office. The plan is on a fast track approval process so we need to make our comments heard as soon as possible. You can go to this link to read more about this proposed plan. In addition, the city has a survey at this link which will only be available online until Nov. 7. We need as many people as possible to attend this meeting so we can discuss this plan and how we will respond as a community.

The City of Charlotte's Office of Planning is updating their "Centers, Corridors and Wedges." Per the planning website:

"The 'Centers and Corridors' development framework was originally introduced in 1994 and is the City of Charlotte's adopted overarching policy for organizing and guiding growth and development within the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The framework is currently being updated and is expected to be adopted by the Charlotte City Council in the spring of 2009. The updated framework – referred to as the Centers, Corridors and Wedges Growth Framework - broadens the original transportation oriented focus to include other aspects of planning and development, such as public facility needs and environmental concerns. The update also provides more specific definitions and guidance for Centers and Corridors and expands the concept to provide recommendations for Wedges, as well."

Carving commenced

The carving at the Elizabeth Pumpkin Wall has more than commenced -- it's almost done, as you can see ahead of the official lighting on Wednesday. Among the carvers Monday night were Hughes (left) and McLean Maddrey of East 8th Street, who fashioned a scary one.

Pumpkin wall returns

The Elizabeth Pumpkin Wall returns to 537 Lamar Ave. this year, site of the original wall in 2004. (The above photo is from two years ago, on Clement.) Carving starts Oct. 24 and the official lighting is Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. The project is put on by the Woodpeckers, a group of mostly Elizabethans who like to work with wood. And pumpkins. My guess is that, like past years, there will be a political component to the wall. In the past that has rubbed some people the wrong way. The wall is on private property, and the ECA has nothing to do with it. All are welcome to attend.

Don't forget to vote

Yes, that's Elizabethan Donna Bise with James Taylor at his concert at Ovens today for Barack Obama. No matter who you support, don't forget to vote. In Elizabeth, you can vote early at CPCC:

CPCC Central Campus Facilities Building
Located at 1325 E. 7th St., Charlotte
October 16 – 31 (Weekdays) 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
October 25 (Saturday) 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
October 26 (Sunday) 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
November 1 (Saturday) 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Final Day)

Charlotte on 60 Minutes

Ok, it's got nothing to do with Elizabeth specifically, but it's fun to see 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl walking down Tryon Street with Bank of America's Ken Lewis and hear her say things like "B of A seems to own Charlotte" and hear him say things like "We need to cut back compensation in this industry." Elizabeth is home to lots of BofA employees, so there you go.

Minor at Burning Man

Hope you got to see Elizabethan Hardin Minor's take on the Burning Man festival in The Observer.

TJ and HT

I'd never been to a Trader Joe's before ours opened in Midtown, so I thought it was going to be like a regular grocery store, one that could replace a Harris Teeter. And it could, I suppose, but it's not really a regular grocery store. JT veterans already knew that, but I didn't. I love the stuff at Trader Joe's, stuff I didn't know I could get. But I'll still wander over to Central and The Plaza, although probably not as often as I used to, for more commonplace items.

Midtown grocery

I've been a loyal Harris Teeter customer for years but I have to admit I'm looking forward to the new Trader Joe's opening at Midtown on Oct. 10. Choice is good, right? I got my postcard offering a free reusable Trader Joe's shopping bag if I show up before Oct. 24. If you check it out on Friday, let me know how the crowds are. I may wait for Saturday morning before I go.

Have you seen Lefty?

Elizabethans: Be on the look-out for Lefty, a black-and-white cutie. If you find him, call Karen at 704-307-8288.

What do you want the park to be?

So you're walking through lower Independence Park and there it is: A parking lot. In the park. Maybe it made sense to have a place for cars in our park when there was a building there, but seems like they should have torn out the blacktop when they tore down the building. But that's just me. What do you think should be done to lower  Independence Park over the next 10 years?

The rose garden is lovely. The fountain, when it's not ruined by vandals or drought, is ok. But should we add a big ole gazebo like the one in Latta Park? More walkways or other "pedestrian connectivity"? What about a playground? Now is your chance to tell Park and Rec about your ideas. There's no money for improvements to the park, mind you. But if money becomes available, we better be ready to tell them how we want it spent.

Cool bridge on Central Avenue

Have you seen the cool addition to the Briar Creek bridge on Central Avenue? Greensboro sculptor Jim Gallucci used galvanized steel for the artwork. We were remiss in not reminding folks of the dedication of the bridge held Saturday. Hope you had a chance to check it out. 

City saves neighborhood from falling into hole

As soon as I proclaim the city won't "drop everything" to come fix our hole they do exactly that, saving our street from certain doom less than 24 hours after my post. The repair job (above) was professional and clean. That's a paperback book at lower right to give you an idea of how big the patch is. I'd say it's about 6 feet by 5 feet. I wasn't around when they did the repair, so I don't know how deep they had to dig and if they carefully cleaned the cavity or just poured in the macadam. However, in response to the polite wag who wanted a photo, Elizabeth Maddrey supplied the picture below. A brave yardstick measures exactly what we had to fear: About 31 inches of street-devouring depth. Brrrr. Thank goodness the city saved us before things got out of hand. 

Come see the E. 8th St. sinkhole

We got us a sinkhole. Ok, it's not a town-eating sinkhole, like the one in East Texas. Ours is only few inches wide and a few feet deep. So far. But hey, with a few more days of rain and a few more honking Cadieu trucks hauling out fallen trees (one fell on Fred Holder's house the other day; Cadieu dealt with it this evening), who knows how cavernous it may grow. It's not like the city is going to drop everything to fill our petit pit. Several folks have already called 311, among them Elizabeth Maddrey, whose home lies mere feet  from the aspiring abyss. Elizabeth says she was told it would be fixed... yesterday. She's promised to keep us posted. Stay tuned.

Elizabeth green home

Hope you enjoyed the article on the eco-friendly Scott-Tylman home in Charlotte Magazine's Home and Garden summer issue. The work Elaine and Jerry did on their Kenmore home is very inspiring. Perhaps you spent some time in their backyard, having a drink before starting this year's progressive dinner. (Can't seem to find the article on the Web site.) 

Who cooks for you

We had a visitor in our backyard tonight. He cut a striking figure, high in the pecan tree. He was worried for some time by a mockingbird, but outlasted the smaller bird and settled in for a good sit. Last time I checked, he was still there. But it got way dark, so I can't be sure.

Veggie oil power

Hope you caught Dannye Romine Powell's column on Elizabethan Bob Teixeira, who converted his 1981 Mercedes to run on vegetable oil.

Fabulous Fourth

As usual, the shy and retiring Hardin Minor (top) was MC and host of the annual ECA 4th of July parade. The 15th annual celebration of America's birthday started shortly after 10:30 a.m. in front of Hardin's Clement Avenue chateau. In keeping with parade tradition, the temperature and humidity were as high as the spirits. After the parade, folks gathered in the Minors' back yard to eat, sing and perspire. EC Grill King Mike Watson tended three fires and, for the first time, served turkey dogs along with the traditional beef. It was a fine affair, and big thanks are due to the Minors and the Watsons for their generous hospitality. One little firecracker (right) enjoyed her first parade peacefully. She is the granddaughter of the Baldwins on Lamar (I apologize for not remembering her name!).



Update: Check out Linda Minor's excellent photos from the event.

SouthPark still waiting

Turns out Elizabeth isn't the only neighborhood having a hard time landing Whole Foods. Even with its tony demographics, SouthPark is finding Whole Foods a little on the persnickety side. The Observer reports that construction on the site won't start until 2010, and you know these things don't tend to get early starts.

The article says Whole Foods is considering additional locations in Charlotte, one of the three largest metro areas in the country without a Whole Foods. My guess is one additional location won't be Elizabeth -- despite the best efforts of Elizabethan Beth Haenni -- because by the time they make up their minds, we'll have been won over by Trader Joe's, Fresh Markets, Earth Fares and who-knows-what-all stores.

Thomas Street rocks

The only North Carolina bar on Esquire magazine's list of the best bars in America? Thomas Street Tavern of course. No, it's not in Elizabeth, but it is often full of Elizabethans.

Leaving Eastland

The news just keeps getting worse for Eastland Mall. Now the owners may walk rather than pay the mortgage, because they owe more than the thing is worth. I tend to remember what Eastland used to be at this time, but in addition to figuring out what to do with the east side, now is the time to wonder: What will be the next Eastland?

Guns in Plaza Midwood

Maybe if I was shot at Snug Harbor I might feel more like Scott Yamanashi, who is starting an armed neighborhood patrol in Plaza Midwood to battle crime. I certainly understand the frustration. Crime is a constant worry in this city, and sometimes it seems like nothing is being done. But I wonder about the setup: An armed and perhaps angry crime victim searching the mean nighttime streets for evil. No problem as long as wisdom and patience prevail.

I applaud Scott for standing up, for getting involved, for organizing. I hope lots of people follow his lead and his neighborhood and ours becomes awash in nightside eyes watching out for all of us. But I'd feel better if the guns stayed home.

Door-to-door trouble

The Elizabeth Crime Dawg writes:

There is a 30-ish white male going door to door as an alarm company salesman. He was aggressive with one of my neighbors. He has been seen in Elizabeth and Plaza Midwood, yesterday and today. He is driving a small silver car with Ohio plates. Today he was seen cruising the neighborhood, stopping in front of each house, making notes. He may be taking notes of who does and who doesn't have an alarm system.

DO NOT OPEN the door to him. Call the police if you spot him. Dark hair, dark blue shirt, white shorts. When I saw him again today he sped off in his car as though he was afraid I would see him. The police have gotten several reports and are trying to catch him. There is no alarm company with the name on his clipboard.

I just had another person come to my door from a different company. It is suspicious because they are coming during the day when most people are working. Don't be afraid to call the police, if these are legitimate businesses they should know that this is no way to sell products. On the other hand, if it is a theft ring, they need to know that neighbors are watching.

Elizabeth news

My recent post got a pair of excellent responses:

• The Observer's Dan Tierney, staff writer for Neighbors of The City, says: "Please feel free to tell your neighborhood association, neighbors or anyone to please contact me if they have any story ideas or suggestions." Don't be bashful, folks. Call or email Dan and let him know what's going on here. Or tell me and I'll post it and/or call Dan. His phone: 704-358-5696.


• A note that Merry Oaks's fine blog underoak has a bit of Elizabeth news: Free classical music in a beautiful space.
  

Ask and ye shall receive.

Where's Elizabeth?

I hope you've been enjoying the new Neighbors of The City section of The Observer. It's a welcome replacement for the old Mecklenburg Neighbors section, and it's one of the first sections I look for Sunday mornings. (If newspapers are going to survive, they'll do so only by offering readers something they can't get anywhere else, and that will include hyper-local content like you see in NOTC.)

However, one thing has struck me as I've been reading the new section: It's almost as if Elizabeth doesn't exist. In today's section, for example, I count about 35 column inches of news space over 14 pages, and not one news item from Elizabeth. To be fair, there is a mention of CPCC in the College Notes and an event at the Visulite in the calendar. But surely there's more going on in Elizabeth than that.

Labels refer to SouthPark, Uptown, East Charlotte, Myers Park, Cotswold, Eastover, Plaza Midwood, Eastland, Coventry Woods, Idlewild Farms -- but no Elizabeth. And, apart from two Presbyterian Hospital ads, a listing for St. John's Baptist Church in the Worship directory, and a mention of a Helen Adams Realty office in "Historic Elizabeth," there aren't even any ads from our neighborhood.

This is not a one-time deal. I no longer have last week's section, but if memory serves there were only two mentions of Elizabeth, one in the traffic news column on page 2 and one in the list of homes sold by ZIP code.

C'mon NOTC. I'm doing a terrible job covering Elizabeth lately. Why don't you step in and put me out of business? Show Elizabeth some love!

Time to remove tree bands

Kara Gooding writes:

Congratulations Elizabeth Neighborhood! We conquered the cankerworm this year. Your banding efforts, along with the spraying program have saved our canopy from what was sure to be a devastating Spring for our mature tree canopy. I hope everyone is getting out and appreciating all the healthy green leaves we have right now.

However, there is one last critical step: it is now time to take down the cankerworm bands. It is important that bands do not stay up longer than needed as they tend to hold moisture against the tree bark and if they stay up too long, can house insects and/or cause the bark to get infected or rot. Also, its important to pull out any staples that were used in the installation process.

So please take down the tree bands in your area. The city has not let us know when they will remove their bands, but if a city tree was banded in your area, please try to remove that band as well.

Thank You again for all your hard work. Anyone can see how wonderfully green our tree canopy is this year and that is in large part due to your wonderful efforts.

Let's party

Let's race

Register for this Saturday's race here.

This old house

When we moved into our Elizabeth home 11 years ago, the foundation was straight and true. In the last few drought-plagued years it's begun to crack and list. That's not all. During the storm Tuesday night I noticed a leak in the roof. It's been six years since we last painted the exterior. And that's just the outside. Don't get me started on the improvements needed inside.

Our homes give our neighborhood such character. Sometimes character costs. 

If the painter I used last time is still in business, I'll hire him again. He was great. But as far as a roofer or someone to fix my foundation, I have no clue. Who can recommend a few folks who can help me restore some character to my old house? 

Straight bourbon

Elizabethan Monte Ritchey is one of three Charlotte businessmen who have bought an old distillery in Kentucky to salvage heart pine, limestone and other treasures for reuse. The result is Bourbon Boards.

Supersizing in Dilworth

Our sister neighborhood continues to deal with growth issues, as do we. The Observer checks in with a piece headlined: "Smaller houses vanish as property values rise."

Restaurant rezoning

Not much detail, but this appeared in The Observer today:

City Council approves plans for restaurant expansion at Pecan, Gordon

Charlotte City Council on Monday approved plans for a restaurant at Pecan Avenue and Gordon Street in the Elizabeth neighborhood. Robert Nixon asked the city to rezone .19 acres to allow the expansion of the building at Pecan Avenue and Gordon Street by 11,132 square feet. The expansion would add a second floor in several areas as well as rooftop seating. The site was last used as a nightclub, but is vacant now.

The Independence disaster (continued)

The paragraph that stuck out to me in this Observer article about Eastside residents losing patience with what's happening (or not happening) with Independence Boulevard was the one that began:

In the 1980s, the state began widening Independence Boulevard to ease traffic between Matthews and the center city.

Why should Charlotte neighborhoods have to be cleaved in two and forced to deal with the abomination that Independence has become just so people who choose to live far away from downtown can get downtown quicker? Why?

If you want to see what the people who brought us this mess have up their sleeves next, there will be an "informational workshop" in the Activity Center Room at Eastland Mall Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. The end result: East Independence will be a freeway from downtown to Conference Drive. I guess it's too late to tear it up.

Chilling

In case you missed this report from the Crime Dudette:

Breaking and Entering: 2200 block of Kenmore; Monday, the victim and her daughter were home at approximately 7 a.m. when the daughter left to go to school. An unknown suspect entered the residence through an unlocked door. The victim was upstairs when the suspect entered the residence. When the victim came downstairs she saw the suspect. The victim began screaming, got into a physical altercation with the suspect, bit the suspect, at which time the suspect ran out of the house. The victim could not advise if the suspect had a vehicle or left on foot. The suspect is described as a white male, 5-10, thin build, wearing a dark jacket and hat.

This is a reminder that we live in a big city. Like birds on a lawn, we need to keep one eye out for the cats. We have to be ever vigilant, for ourselves and our neighbors.

Elizabeth church picks Elizabeth pastor

Looks like Elizabethan John Cleghorn's commute will be a little shorter now. Cleghorn is giving up the gilded halls of Bank of America downtown for the pastor's office at Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church -- in our 'hood, 'natch. Congratulations, John.

New organ for St. John's

Elizabeth is home to a honking new organ at St. John's Baptist Church. The Observer covered it over the weekend, but our friends at underoak broke the story Jan. 13.

Elizabeth graffiti

With big city status comes big city problems. Latest case in point: A few vandals have been busy tagging walls around Elizabeth lately, including Snoops (above), Cooking Uptown, Dollar General and Family Dollar on Central. If you see someone spray-painting someone else's property call the police.

Fire on Bay Street

The duplex often referred to as the adobe house on Bay between Hawthorne and Lamar caught fire on Friday. I don't have any details. If you do, please share them.

Atlanta developer buys block of 7th

The Charlotte Business Journal reports that Winter Properties of Atlanta has spent $4.6 million and three years assembling a collection of buildings between 7th Street and Weddington, but won't say what its plans are for the site. CBJ says Winter is known for developing urban condo and apartment projects and converted the Highland Mill in NoDa into apartments.

Crane rises over Elizabeth

The construction continues on the apartment complex on Hawthorne next to Independence.

So long, tacky Santa

You might call it tacky. We certainly did -- and other things -- before we owned it. When we first saw the three-foot plastic, glowing Santa at a relative's house in Atlanta several years ago we mostly laughed at it. Who would put such a thing in front of their house?

But time passes, the relative passed away and somehow the tacky Santa came home to Charlotte with us. If we own it, we should display it I thought, and so up it went with the rest of the Christmas lights. This was tacky Santa’s third Christmas on our porch. Also, the last.

I’m not sure if the person who took Santa from our porch wanted to make a cultural statement or if he thought tacky Santa was valuable or what (I have a hard time identifying with people who steal things off porches, so it’s hard to say). He certainly creeped us out. He also made a martyr out of tacky Santa, and reminded us how incredibly tacky some people can be.

140 apartments on 7th

A packed crowd at Hawthorne Lane United Methodist Church heard Chris Branch of the Boulevard Company and Tony Miller of Miller Architecture deliver preliminary details of the planned development on 7th Street for the Roy White properties tonight. The highlights:

• 140 one- and two-bedroom apartments.
• 4 and one-third stories.
• About 5,000 square feet of commercial space.
• Between one and two parking spaces per bedroom.
• No parking visible from the street.
• No plans yet for the properties across 7th Street.

After the Branch/Miller presentation and some Q&A, they left and an open discussion started. Afterward we were to vote on whether we supported the project. I had to leave early, and I wasn't clear on what exactly we were supposed to vote on. I hope someone can fill me in. Branch said that their contract required them to submit their rezoning request by tomorrow. But the details we got tonight were too sparse, I think, for us to tell whether we favor the project or what conditions we might seek to impose. Clearly there will be further steps in this process.

My initial thoughts on the proposal was that it's a good start. The drawings looked handsome, and I like hidden parking. But 5,000 square feet of retail seems kind of small. I know the deed restrictions on most of the property require residential use, but I wonder if there isn't a way to get a little more retail at street level. Also, the size of the thing dwarfs the homes that border it, including the house at the corner of Clement and 7th and the houses on Clement and 8th streets. That's really huge for the people that live there. And 140 apartments? That seems like a lot.

What do you think?

Party time

Boulevard meeting site changed

Dana Inge writes:

The Boulevard Company will be making a presentation to the ECA at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 regarding their proposal for their 7th Street properties. At the present time, we know that they will present their proposal for the Krug Properties (Philosopher Stone to former Violin Shop), but they also have the Roy White properties under contract and they may address their plans for those parcels as well.

Due to the larger group attending, we are changing our meeting location this month to Hawthorne Lane United Methodist Church, 501 Hawthorne Lane, in the Joy Outlook classroom on the second floor of the educational wing (signs will direct you from the parking lot).

The Boulevard Company will be applying for a rezoning of the properties and the ECA will be writing a letter to City Council either in support or opposition, depending upon how the ECA members vote once the Boulevard Company has made all of their presentations to the ECA. We expect that this will be the first meeting where they present their intent for the properties. After the presentation and the Boulevard Company has left the meeting, we will discuss and vote on what the ECA will provide the Boulevard Company with respect to whether the community can support the proposed zoning change, what we would support, etc. The Boulevard Company would then have another presentation(s) to the Board at another board meeting(s) which would be more detailed plans of their proposed development. We will have a vote after each meeting on what we will convey to the developer in terms of support, opposition and direction of what we would support if such is different from what the developer presents at the meeting.

We need everyone's participation at this meeting and we need everyone to get the word out in the community about this meeting. This is likely to be a sizable development and one which will have a long term impact on the residents of Elizabeth. All Elizabeth residents are invited and all ECA members present at the meeting will have a vote on how we will respond to this proposed rezoning.