Streetcars vs. bicycles: Some Central Avenue neighborhoods lose out (opinion)

Comments on an environmental assessment of Charlotte streetcar plans are due to planners on May 9.

The full environmental assessment, available at a city of Charlotte planning site, is 58 megabytes in a PDF and rather dense. Karen Sullivan of The Charlotte Observer has written a summary of the streetcar environmental findings.

The assessment concludes there are no significant negative effects on residents or surrounding neighborhoods.

But the fine print deserves a closer look, particularly for some neighborhoods along Central Avenue like Merry Oaks. The negative effect of the streetcar on bicycling cannot be denied.

For the Central Avenue Subarea, the report notes that bicyclists will face increased safety risks because of streetcar tracks in the roadway and because they would share a lane with streetcars along Central Avenue.

And while the report generally supports the increased use of bicycles, it includes a small clause that could affect plans for extending bike lanes along Central Avenue from Merry Oaks Road to Elizabeth Avenue. The Central Avenue bike lane now stops abruptly at Merry Oaks Road. (It's the red line in the bike route map at the top.)

Says the report:

“The LPA will maintain existing bicycle lanes through Central Avenue and adopt recommendations under the No-Build Alternative to the extent that the improvements do not present a conflict with Project operations.”

In other words, existing bike lanes would be supported as long as bicyclists dodge streetcars, but plans for extending bike lanes along the corridor could be in jeopardy.

Admittedly, many bicyclists and area residents think biking Central Avenue now is akin to suicide. One Merry Oaks bicyclist is lucky to be alive after being hit by a drunk driver on Central awhile back.

Still, bike traffic along Central Avenue continues to increase as gasoline prices rise and as area residents look for alternatives to fossil fuels. And bicyclists also often use parallel routes through quieter nearby neighborhoods like Merry Oaks, Plaza Midwood and Commonwealth. (Some of those routes are on the bike map.)

The report is designed to look at environmental conditions in the future and determine the costs of the streetcar. One cost clearly is the lost opportunity for increased bicycling along Central Avenue if extended bike lanes are abandoned and if street riding becomes even more dangerous.

Some people doubt whether these streetcar plans have any immediate effect on their lives since long-term funding remains unclear. But that one clause in a 58-megabyte document could add weight against a planning commitment for extending bike lanes along parts of Central Avenue.

If the streetcar would hinder the future bike lane from Merry Oaks Road to Elizabeth Avenue, then a deep commitment to enabling and connecting the alternative parallel routes seems in order. Certainly other factors affect future bike routes, but the streetcar plan piles on to existing hurdles.

Granted, other Charlotte city departments are working on bicycle route planning. The negative effects of streetcar planning on Central Avenue routes should influence their work.

Our transportation and energy consumption plans shouldn’t just switch us from oil to electricity. Enabling and encouraging other methods like bicycles shouldn’t fall victim “to the extent that the improvements do not present a conflict with Project operations.”

Bikes and streetcars don't have to be an either/or choice. Other cities like Portland have been through this and have lessons to share. Let's learn from them.

Thoughts? You can email the streetcar senior project manager, John Mrzygod, by May 9.

Images: Top image shows existing bike routes around Central Avenue. Bottom image shows planned streetcar stops.

Further reading:
Bikes & Streetcars: let's be Best Friends!
Streetcars and Bicycles, a Learning Experience
Bikes and streetcars should be friends

Update: Eastway police station in Merry Oaks in Charlotte

From neighborhood advocate Nancy Pierce, through the Merry Oaks Google group:

"As most of you may already know, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department has definitely decide to pursue the Merry Oaks sites for their new Eastway Division facility. At the urging of many neighbors, they reconsidered other sites for redevelopment, including Little Saigon (formerly Kate's Skating Rink). According to the City Engineering Department, no other sites are big enough and the Little Saigon site's drainage and other issues would cost an extra million dollars to develop.

"The city is still working out real estate issues, so the rezoning will not be proposed any time soon. It is impossible to predict when, but once the site plan, building design and rezoning details become public, the Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association will mobilize to get neighborhood input. MONA has not taken a stand on the issue. MONA Board members urge everyone to keep an open mind on the matter."

You can sign up for email alerts of rezoning petitions at Charlotte's rezoning site. Be aware that a new state law for government email subscription lists prohibits their use beyond the purpose intended. The law appears to have been signed by the governor on April 28.

Also, check out a Civic By Design forum planned May 10 to talk about how people can work with government and developers to save trees.

Background:
An alternative site?
Update on the proposed Charlotte police station in Merry Oaks

Saving Charlotte’s trees: A Civic By Design forum

Charlotte’s Civic By Design forum plans a meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10 at the Levine Museum of the New South to talk about how people can work with government and developers to preserve trees.

The event is free, with free parking at the Seventh Street parking garage.

The meeting planners list a series of events that have focused attention on Charlotte’s tree canopy, including the loss of the last remaining forest stand in Southpark and the removal of large shade street trees along Park Road for sidewalk replacement.

Closer to Merry Oaks and surrounding neighborhoods, the tree canopy has been whittled away through development at the intersection of Briar Creek Road and Central Avenue, with first The Vyne condominiums and then a nursing home.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police have also proposed a new police station at an entrance to Merry Oaks, on properties with stately willow oaks that are at least 80 years old.

No rezoning application has been filed for the Merry Oaks property yet.

Civic By Design, founded by Tom Low, is a monthly forum on growth issues in the Charlotte area. The Levine Museum is at 200 East 7th Street in uptown Charlotte.

Photo: Andria Krewson

Lush life: Last-minute plant sale in Merry Oaks

Late notice, but what an opportunity.

Merry Oaks gardener Meredith Hebden is divesting herself from some of her plants, with a plant sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30.

She has accumulated 350 plants for sale and is charging $5 to $30. Come early for best selection; come late for best prices. Location: 1911 Graybark Avenue.

She's also selling garden junque (yes, with a "que.") Here's a list of plants for sale. There's no price list for the junque.

Questions? Reach Meredith or Gary through the Merry Oaks Google group.

The photos? From me, in Meredith's garden, late summer or early fall of 2010. The toad lilies could be those in Meredith's list of plants for sale; she has listed the varieties of "raspberry mousse" and "sinome." All rights reserved on the photos, though Meredith and Gary can use them as they wish.

New Plaza Midwood Harris Teeter planned

Plans for a new Harris Teeter store in the heart of Plaza Midwood have been released, with sketches released Tuesday night on the Facebook page of the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association.

From the Facebook page:
The proposed new Harris Teeter will replace the current Harris Teeter at 1704 Central Avenue, with a required rezoning and expected decision on the rezoning by September. Demolition is expected in 2012 with an opening in 2013. Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association will gather comments and concerns. Public meetings will be held, and an information table is expected at the Midwood Maynia event.

Images show a two-story building directly at the corner of the Plaza and Central Avenue, with parking behind the building. Entrances to parking would be from McClintock Road, Central Avenue and Nandina Street.

Also, the images show a partial green roof for the building.

From the images provided, here are some estimated numbers. It's early in the process (and the image details get fuzzy):
Parking spaces: 143 spaces, with 14 on-street spaces
Requested tree save: 22.5 percent based on square footage, including green roof
Grocery store size: about 45,000 square feet.

That size would make the store slightly larger than a proposed new two-story Harris Teeter at the corner of Providence Road and Queens Road in Myers Park, at 42,000 square feet. The rezoning application for that Harris Teeter at 1015 Providence Road was filed in May.

The location at The Plaza dates to 1951.

Background and further reading:

What's in Store, from the Observer, about the Myers Park store

The rezoning petition for the Myers Park store

Appalachian photo contest: A chance to break some stereotypes

Do you have great photos from visits to the mountains? Do they reach beyond the usual stereotypes of the mountain area? Check out a photo contest to broaden the images of the Appalachian region, from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

You're responsible for photo release forms of people. Top prize: $500. Deadline: May 2. Photos must have been taken after May 1, 2008.

Photo: Street troubadour in Asheville near Pack Square. (Not good enough for the contest: lacks focus and quality, and I don't know this guy's name. If you know, let me know.)

Talks continue on plans for future of Independence Boulevard

Updates from a couple of other sources on discussions about transit and development along Independence Boulevard in East Charlotte:

Background by Karen Sullivan of The Charlotte Observer before a Monday hearing in front of City Council:

And a post from Larry Shaheen at CLTBlog after the hearing.

If you have further updates, feel free to share in comments.

By the numbers: A brief comparison of Alcohol Beverage Control Board numbers

The town of Mooresville allocates 12.5 percent of its revenues from its Alcohol Beverage Control Board to Iredell County for school purposes, 25 percent to the Mooresville General Fund for public parks and recreation and 27.5 directly to the Mooresville School Board.

After giving the state-mandated 7 percent to substance abuse education and 5 percent to law enforcement, Mecklenburg County allocates 47.5 percent of the remainder to the general funds of both Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte, some of which is returned to municipalities, and 5 percent to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Charlotte’s expanding Hispanic population: It’s about more than taco trucks

About 25 people gathered in a circle in a meeting room Saturday at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on Central Avenue in Charlotte.

Some wore cowboy boots and hats; others wore purple tights and hair. All cheered icons from the past, like César Chávez and Martin Luther King Jr.

They passed out papers that outlined 18 bills in the N.C. General Assembly that affect undocumented people and the businesses or educational institutions that work with them.

The meeting’s primary goal was to spread the word about the legislation and to support United 4 The Dream, a youth group connected with the Latin American Coalition.

Franco Ordonez wrote in The Charlotte Observer on April 1 about the youth group’s activities to mark the birth of Chávez.

The Saturday group plans another meeting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 9, in Concord, at the Hispanic Learning Center 418 Kerr St., according to the Mi Gente newspaper.

While the St. Andrews group was relatively small, the 2010 census numbers show the growing strength of Hispanic residents in Charlotte and in North Carolina. Their economic strength can’t be ignored.

During the boom years in Charlotte, neighbors in places like Merry Oaks often dealt with houses in which it seemed six, eight, or 10 Hispanic construction workers lived, working to build the new towers in uptown or the split levels in the suburbs. That boom effect was national in scope, according to the New York Times.

Now, in the bust years, the Hispanic people that remain have small businesses and children in tow. They’re looking for safe schools and access to higher education, and some are moving to the suburbs when they can. They have growing economic strength, and perhaps soon, political strength.

And in Charlotte, their message is spreading, with an online campaign to loosen zoning restrictions that target taco trucks. An online petition, “Carne Asada is not a crime,” has gathered 272 signatures.

Hector Vaca, of Action NC, is one of the organizers of Saturday’s meeting. He also said he started the taco truck petition.

But Saturday’s meeting showed that this goes beyond just taco trucks.

One bill discussed in Saturday’s circle was "The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,” or HB 343.

It rolls in several provisions that require the use of E-Verify by governments, educational institutions and those who contract with them to verify the immigration status of employees.

It prohibits any undocumented person from taking a class at a community college or in any part of the University of North Carolina system.

It places barriers for anyone doing business with undocumented people, or educating them beyond high school.

So this time, it’s about much more than taco trucks, and about much more than just Charlotte.

About the map:

This slice of a census map from the New York Times shows Charlotte’s Census Tract 12, which includes the Merry Oaks neighborhood.

Green dots stand for white residents; blue dots represent black residents, orange dots stand for Hispanic residents and red dots stand for Asians.

On a micro-scale, the locations of dots are approximate.

Tracts directly to the east and southeast show greater percentages of Hispanic residents. One area near Arrowood Boulevard and Interstate 85, Tract 3804, shows a population that is 59% Hispanic.

An alternative site for the Eastway police division?

At least one person has suggested the site of the old Kate's Skating Rink as an alternative for a police station for the Charlotte Eastway division. The site already has an existing building and a large, cleared parking lot with no trees.

In some ways, it fits the definition of "greyfields." Some neighbors have also suggested using cleared land at the site of the old Morningside Apartments along Commonwealth Avenue, but police have said they want locations that are on major roadways.

The image here shows a quick aerial of the site, roughly measured out to match the boundaries indicated at Mecklenburg County's Polaris real estate site. The land measures just over 2 acres, and the tax value is listed at $1,270,500 as of 2007.

The site is behind the House of Pizza on Central Avenue, and would require additional land acquisition nearby to add up to the 3 acres the police department seeks. For comparison, the city bought the site of the new Providence police station on Wendover Road in 2009 for $1.4 million, according to South Charlotte News (part of The Charlotte Observer).

Related: Some residents have created a Facebook group, "Save Central Avenue from CMPD Land Grab." It has 73 "likes" at the moment.

Update on the proposed Eastway division police station in Merry Oaks in Charlotte

Property on Central Avenue at Merry Oaks Road is being considered as a site for a police station for the Eastway division of the Charlotte Mecklenburg police department.
The department is aiming to build visible new stations and parking lots for divisions. Work has begun on a new building for the Providence division, on Wendover Road next to the Grier Heights community, and city council member Andy Dulin shared his opinion and a photo on Twitter recently that showed the work on the lot.



Without photos of the land before clearing began, it’s hard to gauge the cost of green space and trees.

So here are a few photos of the properties under consideration at 3517 Central Ave., 3507 Central Ave. and 3501 Central Ave. No rezoning request has been filed yet, but city officials expect to file in March with public hearing and a decision this spring and summer.

(Top photo: two lovely willow oaks at 3507 Central Avenue, likely outside any street buffer zone for the proposed police station. Next photo: Overall street scene, including oaks at Woodmere Condominiums, which are not affected by the proposal. Final photo: 3517 Central Ave., showing the old Phifer house.)

Merry Oaks and surrounding neighborhoods have lost tree cover in recent years because of development at the intersection of Briar Creek Road and Central Avenue, just a block or so away from the proposed police station. Photos and posts about that loss are in background links at this post.




Background:
Map and details from Merry Oaks neighborhood meeting, Feb. 17
More photos about the Eastway police station proposal on Flickr.
Photos from 3223 Central Avenue and the loss of trees during the development of a nursing home.
Photos from The Vyne, a condo development at Briar Creek and Central Avenue that stalled after the building of one building and the removal of trees.

City of Charlotte proposes building new police station in Merry Oaks neighborhood

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department wants to build a new Eastway division police station at the corner of Central Avenue and Merry Oaks Road.

Maj. Diego Anselmo of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department outlined plans for the station to about 40 people at the Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association at its general meeting Feb. 17.

Building the station would require a rezoning request to the city of Charlotte, which gives nearby neighbors a chance to weigh in on site plans or oppose the rezoning. The Eastway division is now housed at the Eastway Crossing Shopping Center at Eastway Drive and Central Avenue.

The station is part of Charlotte’s plans for capital improvement projects, Anselmo said. The city’s fiscal year 2011 Adopted Strategic Operating Plan mentions a recommendation for two new police division sub-stations: this one for the Eastway division and another for Steele Creek. The cost for each sub-station is listed at $7 million, to be paid with certificates of participation with available debt capacity.

The design of the station would be similar to the new police station recently built on Beatties Ford Road and one being built for the Providence division on Wendover Road near the Grier Heights neighborhood, Anselmo said.

At the neighborhood meeting, Anselmo walked quickly through printouts of a Powerpoint presentation showing maps of the division and other sites that have been considered. But he indicated that the Merry Oaks site is the preferred location now.
“This is the primary site,” he said.

Questions and answers

Anselmo asked for questions from the neighbors at the meeting. Here are a few of them:

Have you considered other sites, like where the Little Italy restaurant was on Central Avenue?
Yes, police looked at that site but determined it was too small. The division needs a site that is at least 3 acres.

What properties are involved? Is it the duplexes on Central Avenue and three houses along Merry Oaks Road?
Yes, the duplexes and the houses along Merry Oaks Road to the L-shaped property at 3517 Central Ave., listed as being owned by Edgar Conrad Phifer on the city’s Polaris website. In 2003, the land and building on the property were valued for tax purposes at $155,400.
James Minton, writing later at the Merry Oaks Google group, said his property was one of the two lots on Merry Oaks that likely would be bought for the project as well.
“I will share with everyone that the City has approached me about the
purchase of my property,” he wrote. “It is clear to me the city likely wants the entire ‘squared off’ area between Merry Oaks Road and Central Avenue, including my house (and I'm guessing) the house next to me.”


How many police cars would be going in and out at peak times, including shift change?
Ten to 15 cars, with the high end being on Friday; the rest of the time, the shift change would include about 10 police cars.


Are there other divisions that back up to residential property?
Yes, the Metro division, at 1118 Beatties Ford Road, backs up to residential areas and has been open about two years. In those two years, more property near the headquarters there has become owner occupied instead of rental property, and undesirable elements have left the area, police representatives said.

Will the headquarters affect our property values?
City Council member Patsy Kinsey, who attended the full neighborhood meeting, jumped in to answer this question. She said she had spoken with the city manager earlier on Thursday, and the city manager thinks property values would go up because of perceived increased safety. She acknowledged the uncertainty that comes with predicting any future property values.

Did police consider putting the headquarters on the Morningside property, which is a large cleared tract sitting empty further west in the Eastway division, off Central Avenue, where the Morningside Apartments once stood?
Yes, officers had considered that property and spoke with property owners, but the owners declined to negotiate for the parcel that the police department wanted. One audience member noted that the property owners at Morningside recently went into foreclosure, so circumstances might be different than when police did initial conversations. Anselmo also noted that police want the headquarters to be on a visible artery, like Central Avenue or Eastway Drive, on a bus line. Another police representative noted that there was some issue like the involvement of federal money in some way that stood in the way of the Morningside property.

What’s the process for moving forward on the project?
The city hopes to submit a rezoning request by March 28, with a decision to come from the Charlotte City Council in July. A public hearing could come on June 10. An audience member asked whether this Feb. 17 meeting was the required neighborhood meeting as part of the zoning process, and Anselmo said no, that meeting would be held later.

What’s the stormwater impact, especially since much of the site is pervious with trees and vegetation, to be replaced with a parking lot and one-story building?
Site plans aren’t finalized, but stormwater controls would likely be underground, said one of the city representatives at the meeting with Anselmo.


What would design of the building look like?
From Kinsey: “I want to support you on this,” speaking to the neighborhood members. “If this building ends up being on this site, I want you to like the way it looks.” Appearance would be similar to the Metro sub-station at 1118 Beatties Ford Road. Architects would likely seek LEED design certification for the building, they said.

What would the rezoning request be?
Institutional, with a 40-foot setback from Merry Oaks Road and a 30-foot setback from Central Avenue. The space between adjoining property on Merry Oaks Road and any pavement at the police headquarters would have to be 38 feet, though it could be less if there were an impervious wall. Since all rezonings are conditional, the rezoning process would give the neighborhood an opportunity to weigh in on how the building and site were planned. No setback would exist between the station and St. Andrews Episcopal Church next door on Central Avenue.

Have there been traffic counts done?
No. The current headquarters has 87 officers and 15 vacancies. Add in coordinators, detectives and 10 sergeants, as well as a Department of Social Services worker to determine the number of people working at the headquarters. Still, only about 10 police cars would go in and out at shift changes, three times a day. Officers are supposed to test their sirens at the beginning of their shifts, briefly.

What about noise from sirens?
Eastway division Captain Faulkner-Welch said that some officers might test their sirens before leaving the lot. Deborah Gilbert, whose property backs up to Eastway Crossing where the current station is, noted that she does not hear sirens.

Further questions? Stay tuned to the Merry Oaks Google group. Further minutes from other topics of the meeting will be available later.

If you have comments or concerns, that place is the best spot to talk with your neighbors, and the group has members like Kinsey and Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts. Likewise, if I left off anything here or made mistakes, feel free to comment here.

City Council member Kinsey said she’s available for any thoughts and concern, and Maj. Anselmo said he was available as well.

Background links from other sources

Geothermal heating at Providence division station
Background from The Charlotte Observer on Providence station, on Wendover at Grier Heights. (link will die in April 2011 or so)
WSOC version for the Providence division station, with background on the new Metro division station on Beatties Ford Road, where some crimes increased.


Andria Krewson, with map and editing help from Nancy Pierce, sourced from Polaris.

Meet Sasha the husky. Can you bring her home for the holidays?

Passing along a lovely note from Cate Martin, president of the Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association and friend of furries:

“Friends,

Sasha, a dog that I have been fostering for North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue, will win you over quickly. She is looking for her forever home. Let me tell you about her.

Sasha is a 2-and-a-half-year-old husky that has been with me for about eight weeks.

She had a rough start in life. She had never lived in a home and was tied to a tree for her first year and a half. She was then found roaming around.

It took some time, but the rescue was able to catch her. Huskies are not easily caught and Sasha stayed true to her breed in that respect. She was then placed in the shelter.

Sasha was skin and bones when she was found. In fact, so malnourished that she didn't have her full coat. She was heart-worm positive and had a handful of other issues.

Sasha didn't do well in the shelter. She wasn't eating and therefore, not gaining weight. The heart-worm treatment was especially difficult. So much so, the vet decided not to continue with the rest of the treatments. Life was hard for Sasha, but she's a fighter.

Here's the good news. Miraculously, Sasha is now heart-worm negative. She is gaining weight (approximately 40 pounds) and her coat is almost back to normal. She is healthy, calm and quiet, very good with kids and dogs. She LOVES her walks and is great on a leash.

Best of all, despite her neglect, she is full of forgiveness and love. You see, animals can teach more about love and forgiveness than we could ever teach them.

Because of her quiet nature, Sasha would do well in a home where she is the only dog or a home that has one other dog. She loves to lounge around on soft dog beds.

Like most huskies, Sasha craves the companionship of people. Most importantly, huskies are notorious escape artists and are driven by their exploring instincts to roam. Huskies are perhaps the most commonly lost dogs. That said, Sasha needs to be inside.

Maybe you know someone who is looking to add a dog to their family? Please pass this e-mail on to your friends. The adoption process is through North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue, but I am very glad to show off Sasha to anyone interested in adopting her. Please feel free to contact me if you want more information. Just maybe, Sasha will find her forever home for the holidays.

Check out the
North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue website.

As you think about the holidays this season, please take a moment to remember animals like Sasha. If you're not ready to adopt, perhaps you could make a donation. You see, one reason I advocate for North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue is because they help all kinds of dogs, not just the adoptable ones.

I wish you all the happiest of Holidays. Thanks again for passing on this e-mail.”

Fourth annual Merry Oaks Holiday Sale and Studio Tour

The fourth annual Merry Oaks Holiday Sale and Studio Tour is this Saturday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come shop really local and support your artist neighbors.

Here’s a list of artists and studio locations:

Beth Brown and Raed Al-Rawi
3430 Draper Ave.
Painting and drawing

Rebecca Jones and Alex Clark
3430 Draper Ave.
Encaustic and oil paintings

Adrienne Dellinger and Greg Scott
2109 Arnold Drive
Ceramics and painting

Meredith Hebden
1911 Graybark Ave.
Photography


Questions? See Greg Scott, at gascott@carolina.rr.com or 704-996-9869

It's not too late to band your trees to fight cankerworms in Charlotte

No, it's not too late to band your trees in Charlotte to fight damage from cankerworms in the spring.

The banding, and smearing of the bands with Tanglefoot or some other sticky goo, prevents the female wingless moths from climbing up the trunks to lay eggs in the tops of the trees, primarily willow oaks. The moths make their climb in early winter after leaves have dropped. That leaf drop only happened at my house in the last couple of weeks.

In the spring, eggs hatch and then defoliate and weaken the trees. First to fall victim are the willow oaks, and then anything from dogwoods to maples, if the year is particularly bad, as 2008 was for the cankerworms in Charlotte.

Need help? Several local companies are available. I used Steve Barilovits, a chemistry student at the University of North Carolina and a Plaza-Midwood resident when he's not at school. Reach him through e-mail. That's him and his mom, Jane Laurent, in the photo.

If you're another local company offering to band trees in Charlotte, feel free to leave a note in the comments.

Background on the evil cankerworms: From 2009, including a lovely closeup of the evil female wingless moths;
From 2006, showing the damage that can happen to dogwoods if the worms don't have enough willow oaks to eat.

Plaza Midwood kicks off local holiday shopping season on Black Friday

The Plaza Midwood business corridor on Central Avenue is holding its first-ever holiday event, Holiday Central, from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. this Friday.

Highlights include carolers, elves, Santa at the Charlotte Fire Department’s Station 8 and a Christmas tree lighting at Zada Jane’s. The Plaza Midwood Merchants Association received a city of Charlotte neighborhood services grant to help with the celebration.

Merchants in the business district will stay open until 8:30 p.m. and offer refreshments and specials.

A short schedule:
3:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Santa at Fire Station 8 at 1201 The Plaza. Face painting at The Source Realty Group at 1200 The Plaza.
6 p.m.: Tree lighting ceremony with Santa doing the honors in front of Zada Jane’s at 1601 Central Ave.

Sources: Facebook page for Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association, plus Eugene Bradly of the city of Charlotte’s Neighborhood and Business Services division.

Image: Gingerbread neighborhood, based on Plaza Midwood, from 2006, with a little help from Don Duffy Architecture.

Learn more about Charlotte's neighborhood Quality of Life Study

Charlotte’s Quality of Life neighborhood data gives people a chance to see how their neighborhoods are doing. The City of Charlotte is offering a series of sessions about the data, with one nearby meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Story Slam at 1401 Central Avenue.

Speakers are from UNC Charlotte’s Metropolitan Studies and the City of Charlotte’s Neighborhood and Business Services Department. The study serves as a benchmark for measuring the health of the city and its neighborhoods.

The Quality of Life Study divides the city into neighborhood statistical areas and examines 20 variables from databases maintained by the city, county and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. The study labels each area as stable, transitional or challenged depending on those numbers.

Merry Oaks, combined with the nearby Country Club Heights area, is labeled stable. Nearby Briar Creek/Woodland, Windsor Park and Eastway/Sheffield are all labeled “transitioning.”

To sign up for the Tuesday night session or later sessions, visit the City of Charlotte’s website. Another session is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, at Biddle Hall at Johnson C. Smith University at 100 Beatties Ford Road.

The city site also has deeper information about the Quality of Life study.

Background:
The Charlotte Observer on the release of the quality of life study.
UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute on the study.

Where to get live 2010 election results for North Carolina and Mecklenburg County

For live election results for North Carolina and Mecklenburg County, here are a few direct links to the election results from the N.C. Board of Elections, with results Tuesday night.

The election numbers include maps and precinct lists.

Here are statewide election results, including the U.S. Senate race for North Carolina with Elaine Marshall (D) and Richard Burr (R) and Michael Beitler (L), as well as the U.S. House races for the 8th District, with Larry Kissell (D), Harold Johnson (R) and Thomas Hill (L).

Here are Mecklenburg County election results, including board of county commissioners, Mecklenburg sheriff, Mecklenburg judicial races, and the Mecklenburg bonds referendum.

Here's a Mecklenburg voter turnout map.

For national election results with lovely graphics and maps, see The New York Times.

For a direct, permanent link to local, state and national news coverage in The Charlotte Observer, see The Observer's results page.

Close call between Larry Kissell and Harold Johnson for N.C. House District 8

The 8th District of North Carolina, sprawling from Charlotte center-city neighborhoods like Merry Oaks east to Fayetteville, is one of those watched to see how many House seats will switch from Democrats to Republicans nationally.

Larry Kissell, a Democrat in his first term, faces Republican Harold Johnson, a former television sports anchor, and Libertarian Thomas Hill. Kissell narrowly unseated Republican Robin Hayes in 2008 in the district that has traditionally voted Republican for this race.

FiveThirtyEight, a polling aggregation site affiliated with The New York Times, narrowly gives the race to Johnson. Early voting charts provided by The Civitas Vote Tracker, part of the Civitas Institute, a conservative organization, show details about early voting, if you'd like to read tea leaves.

We shall see, Tuesday night.

Background on the race from The Charlotte Observer's Jim Morrill, on Oct. 17.

Great pumpkin wall rises again in the Elizabeth neighborhood of Charlotte

The Great Pumpkin Wall has risen again in Elizabeth, at the corner of Clement Avenue and Eighth Street. As of today, it looks as if it needs some help from expert carvers.

You can also carve at home and bring your pumpkin to the wall.

Official lighting ceremony is at dusk on Friday, Oct. 29. Trick-or-treating at the wall is Saturday, Oct. 30.

Note: The Merry Oaks neighborhood is trick-or-treating on Sunday. Other nearby neighborhoods like Plaza Midwood are planning events for Saturday. The Plaza Midwood Fall Crawl, to raise money to band trees against cankerworms, is on Saturday.

In the photo of the young carvers:
Sophie Cleghorn (left), daughter of John Cleghorn of Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church, and friend Kate Hader.

For past pumpkin wall posts, go here.