Villa Heights Voice delivers nearby news, partnering with The Charlotte Observer

Leaders in the nearby Villa Heights community have started a neighborhood news site, “Villa Heights Voice,” as part of a partnership with The Charlotte Observer.

It’s a great place to check for nearby news you won’t get anywhere else. It’s also part of a national trend of big, traditional news organizations partnering with smaller sites to provide local information. Other sites working with The Observer include Ballantyne Scoop, Davidsonnews.net, QCityMetro, and Tega Cay Talk, all through a program of J-Lab at American University.

But Villa Heights shares some interests with Merry Oaks: a focus on the Eastway division of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, the same zoning inspector for residential concerns (unless staffing changes affect assignments), the same city council representative (Patsy Kinsey) and a focus on the availability and concentration of affordable housing.

They also write often about nearby Cordelia Park and efforts to create an EcoDistrict with their nearby neighborhoods, Belmont and Optimist Park.

The neighborhood is roughly north of Parkwood Avenue and east of North Davidson Street, over to Matheson and The Plaza. It includes the yummy Amelie’s Bakery and is close to the NoDa neighborhood.

Some other recent sites also focus on events and businesses in NoDa itself: NoDa.org, from the NoDa Business Organization, and a closed site for the NoDa neighborhood, which occasionally opens pages for events, like a scavenger hunt planned for May.

I’m adding Villa Heights and Noda to the “Connections” list here. Check them out.

A disclaimer and a promotional note: I was paid to give the Villa Heights organization some journalism lessons. If you or your organization want similar coaching, feel free to contact me with the form at the bottom left.

Keeping connections strong
Listening to neighbors talking with neighbors through Google Groups is an amazing way to keep in touch with what's going on nearby.

It's almost as good as chatting with Mr. Bookout during his daily walks in Merry Oaks.

Smart politicians are active in these groups as well -- reading and posting as a way of staying in touch with local voters.

So the update: a German shepherd is roaming the Merry Oaks greenway, and neighbors are helping each other figure out whether the dog has an owner.

A zoning hearing on development at Briar Creek and Independence was scheduled Monday, May 21. At least one resident had signed up to speak in favor of residential condo development, but several residents are keeping an eye on the quality of the building plans.

Details at the Google groups for Merry Oaks and Commonwealth Park. The links were broken for awhile, but should be fixed. Please let me know if something does not work -- the tools can be hinky, to use a technical term.

And if you want to travel further away, check out a newsy blog by David Boraks for Davidson.

Closer to home, it's always good to check in periodically with John McBride at Under the Water Tower for Elizabeth news. You might find some local ice cream.