Commonwealth Park vs. hotels
Members of the Commonwealth Park Neighborhood Association plan to attend a City Council public hearing on Monday, Jan. 14, to make their case for tighter laws that govern hotels.
The neighborhood is across Central Avenue from Merry Oaks, adjacent to Independence Boulevard. Residents have long been concerned about crime spillover from nearby hotels on Independence.
Monday, Jan. 14 update: Victoria Cherrie of The Charlotte Observer writes about the issue here. (Link will die in two weeks.)
Tuesday, Jan. 15, update: The change in law passed, and about 60 Commonwealth Park residents showed up at the meeting to support the change.
A letter written by the neighborhood association to be sent to the council's safety committee says, in part, "As you are aware, the safety and quality of life in our neighborhood has been adversely impacted by the nuisance hotels on Independence Boulevard for many years."
Proposed ordinance changes would allow city agencies (code enforcement) to regulate lodging establishments that are not currently being regulated by the state, through the county's health department. In a letter to the neighborhood association, Maj. Diego Anselmo of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the changes in the ordinance "will help local law enforcement address criminal activity that is taking place on lodging establishment property by holding the owner/operator accountable for this activity."
The CPNA is seeking a good turnout for the 7:30 p.m. meeting Monday, at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. Go here for a Google map or directions.
The neighborhood used their Google group to organize much of their efforts against the hotels. For more details, check it out.
2 comments:
Andria,
Thanks so much for covering this hotel issue, and our involvement in it as neighbors in Commonwealth Park. Merry Oaks has really been an inspiration, as far as showing how a strong n'hood assoc. can make a good place great.....in fact if it hadn't been for you folks birddogging the Aldi shopping center a couple of years ago, & alerting us, we wouldn't have revived our own NA (dormant from some years ago) and gotten so involved ourselves. The result is that we've gotten to know many great neighbors, formed quite a few friendships, and are pursuing several different issues to make our side of Central the best it can be, encouraged by all the optimistic changes near us (Morningside Village, other condos, great new P-M restaurants).
Used to be this was where you moved 'cause you couldn't afford anything better.....now it's starting to be: there's no where else in Charlotte we'd really rather live than this cool part of town with genuine people and charming houses. It's a double-edged sword: the "recognizably" desirable close-in neighborhoods (Dilworth etc.) are to some extent a victim of their popularity; huge renovations on tiny lots loom over their neighbors, with "guest houses" that're half-again as big as the original house itself! but at least right now, we all share a location that hasn't been too Yuppie-ized yet keeps getting beter and better.
Hi Ted,
Sorry for taking so long to respond.
It's always fun to have good news to share.
The news from Coventry Woods doesn't sound as good, I'm afraid, and the trees coming down at Briar Creek and Central are pretty darned sad too.
But indeed, lots of good stuff is going on. I'm afraid my neighborhood is getting hipper than I'll ever be.
Post a Comment